Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Hello everyone. I just wanted to pop in and say Merry Christmas. I'll have another post up sometime this weekend, but I don't want to rant on christmas Eve. So, I'll talk to you all in a few days at which time I'll talk about red tape, and I don't mean Christmas ribbons.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Practicing for Unreality
Well, I just got done with another exercisew. An excercise is where we practice what we would do if we had to deploy. There are two types called Phase 1 and Phase 2. The Phase 1 concentrates on the deployment process; what we do to actually leave here to go to our deployment. The Phase 2 concetrates on what we would do once we were deployed and arrived in country. A great process... in theory.
You see, we still practice for what we would have done in the Cold War, not for what we would do and are doing today. So, all the training we're doing is worthless because it doesn't pertain to reality.
We just did a phase 1 at my base. I wish we actually did our deployment process the way we practice it. It would make the departure easier and less stressful than they way we actually do go about it.
It's really quite annoiying that we go through all this practice, and then don't do it this way for real. It's like have basketball practice in order to prepare us for a baseball game. You see how it would help us, right?
Oh well, I guess life just isn't supposed to make sense.
My life is full of oxy morons like, "Military intelligence," "Microsoft Works," and as you can see from what I've said above, "Practice makes perfect."
I just wish that some of the decisions that get made are actually thought out. It's scary who they put in charge of all this multi-billion dollar equipment, and frankly, I don't know how we manage to win wars when we don't prepare for them properly...
You see, we still practice for what we would have done in the Cold War, not for what we would do and are doing today. So, all the training we're doing is worthless because it doesn't pertain to reality.
We just did a phase 1 at my base. I wish we actually did our deployment process the way we practice it. It would make the departure easier and less stressful than they way we actually do go about it.
It's really quite annoiying that we go through all this practice, and then don't do it this way for real. It's like have basketball practice in order to prepare us for a baseball game. You see how it would help us, right?
Oh well, I guess life just isn't supposed to make sense.
My life is full of oxy morons like, "Military intelligence," "Microsoft Works," and as you can see from what I've said above, "Practice makes perfect."
I just wish that some of the decisions that get made are actually thought out. It's scary who they put in charge of all this multi-billion dollar equipment, and frankly, I don't know how we manage to win wars when we don't prepare for them properly...
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Orders, Finally!!!
Well, as I mentioned on my last post, I finally got orders. It's not that I don't like Texas, but out of the 50 states in this country, Texas would have to be my... 50th favorite one. It's the armpit of America in my opinion. I can't stand it here. Now, after more than four years of being stuck in this miserable place, I finally get to leave.
Where am I going? Japan! It only took four base assignments for the Air Force to finally give me something I wanted. I have asked for the East Coast of America since I joined up more than 9 years ago, and I have also asked for one of the bases in England or Japan. They sent me to New Mexico instead. They followed that assingment with a 3 year stint in Alaska, which turned out to be good, but still not what I had asked for. Then, after giving every plumber that left Alaska while I was there the base they asked for, they send me to Texas. From the desert, to the tundra, and back to the desert.
Who did I tick off anyway? They had a list of bases where someone of my career field was needed and I picked six of them and put them on my "dream sheet." And what do I get? the number two place on my list of bases I DON'T want to go to. Talk about a bum deal. Now, after being here for four years, they wait until I apply for a special duty assignment and then drop this on me. Yeah, its a place I wanted to go to, but I was the number one choice for the special duty I applied for, and these new orders disqualify me from it. I know I asked to go there, but did they have to wait until I went through all the trouble and paper work to apply for something else?
Anyway, so I am off to Japan. For OPSEC reasons, I am not going to say when I am leaving, just be assured that this is my last Christmas in Texas... hopefully forever.
My father is living in Japan at the moment as well, but not at the same location. I will still be able to visit him regularly because after all, the country of Japan is only about the size of California.
So there you have it. I'm glad to be leaving though, really glad.
Where am I going? Japan! It only took four base assignments for the Air Force to finally give me something I wanted. I have asked for the East Coast of America since I joined up more than 9 years ago, and I have also asked for one of the bases in England or Japan. They sent me to New Mexico instead. They followed that assingment with a 3 year stint in Alaska, which turned out to be good, but still not what I had asked for. Then, after giving every plumber that left Alaska while I was there the base they asked for, they send me to Texas. From the desert, to the tundra, and back to the desert.
Who did I tick off anyway? They had a list of bases where someone of my career field was needed and I picked six of them and put them on my "dream sheet." And what do I get? the number two place on my list of bases I DON'T want to go to. Talk about a bum deal. Now, after being here for four years, they wait until I apply for a special duty assignment and then drop this on me. Yeah, its a place I wanted to go to, but I was the number one choice for the special duty I applied for, and these new orders disqualify me from it. I know I asked to go there, but did they have to wait until I went through all the trouble and paper work to apply for something else?
Anyway, so I am off to Japan. For OPSEC reasons, I am not going to say when I am leaving, just be assured that this is my last Christmas in Texas... hopefully forever.
My father is living in Japan at the moment as well, but not at the same location. I will still be able to visit him regularly because after all, the country of Japan is only about the size of California.
So there you have it. I'm glad to be leaving though, really glad.
Monday, December 08, 2008
oops
Well, I guess I didn't put another post on here the next day like I said I would in the last post... Oops. In fact, it's been over two years since my last post. And yet another touor in Iraq. This tour sucked for me... And now I have orders to Japan and will be moving there within the next year. I'm glad that I finally get to leave Texas. I can't wait to get going, I just have to sell the house first...
Anyway, this is just a post to say that I'm back and I hope to keep up on this blog again.
Anyway, this is just a post to say that I'm back and I hope to keep up on this blog again.
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