Shop and Such

Hello to all! I am very happy right now. My shop finally arrived! It has all the large tools that I need, and even some that I don't but are very fun to play with! It also came with a 27" Tv, DVD player, and surround sound system with 5 speakers! (Thank you to Paul Bussard and Mike Ketchum) they are some other sheet metal guys from michigan who I got the shop from. They left all to cool stuff in there for me. They don't need it, they are done with their deployment. So, yeah, I am stoked. I will try to get some pictures up. I will have to take some without any middle fingers in it. People like to flip off the camera around here. Also, if anyone wants to send stuff, go right ahead. Please do not feel that you need to. We were all pretty overstocked here for a short while, but our consumption rate is very high, so we caught up quickly. However, there are two things that we do not need: hot weather and DUST. In fact, if anyone out there wants some hot weather and dust sent to them, please let me know, and I will send you the whole darn country. Thank you all for all your support.

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas!! By the time Christmas starts for you all, it will be almost over for me. The pictures are of me in my new PJ's that my mom makes for us every year. Each year is a different pattern, in honor of the biggest events of that year. If I recall correctly, it is a tradition that has been going on for 23 or 24 years. Mom, if I am wrong, then please correct me. So, today I finally get a day off. But, we have an inspection this morning at 08:00. What that means is, we have to sit outside in front of our room and wait for our platoon Sgt to come around and take a look in our rooms to make sure we are cleaning them, and not living like a bunch of slobs. Now, I know what you are thinking, but there are people who actually need these inspections. Some people just don't know how to take care of themselves. After that, I am going to open some presents, and the rest of the day is open. I think I am going to set up my big screen and projector and watch movies. That sounds good. Well, I need to get some breakfast before the inspection. Merry Christmas to you all, and may you all have a safe and happy Holliday season!

Thank you all!!!

Hello everybody! I know I did not update yesterday, but my days off have been canceled for now. The other guy in my shop is home on leave, and since I am the only sheet metal guy left, I have to be there every day. Just in case something breaks. Now, I would like to put something out to you all. First off, I greatly appreciate all the packages that have been sent. It is always nice to get stuff in the mail. So, with that said, I would like to request that all packages cease for the time being. I have more than I know what to do with. And, since it is the Holiday season, everyone here is experiencing the same thing, so every time I try to share, I end up with more. Again, I am very greatfull for all that has been sent. But as it stands right now, I am over-blessed with everything. I will post on my blog when it is okay to send stuff again if you so desire. Thank you all for understanding.

Stupid People and Crazy Stuff

Well, it is my day off again. I am sorry, but there are no new pictures for this week. I am hoping to have video up sometime soon of us taking my shop down. Yeah, you hear me, taking my shop down. However, you will porbably not see anything of me putting a shop back up. I know what you are all thinking; how can I take a shop down without putting one back up? Well, I am currently trying to figure that same thing out. Each time I ask what my new shop is going to be, they change the answer on me. What really sucks, is the fact that I can go outside my command, secure myself a nice shop and probably have it delivered, but my command would just shoot it down. Oh well, it is not forever. I can play their stupid little game and go home. That is my main goal. So, how are the holidays going so far for everyone? I hope you are all well, and have a wonderful, safe holiday season.

Oh Christmas Tree!!

As you can see, my internet is working well today. So, I figured I would show you all some of the daily things around here. To start, there is our cyote. He is rather shy, but monday, I got him to come within four feet of me. He is in our area almost every morning. I think by the end of the deployment, he will not have a problem with us.



This is a picture of my Christmas Tree. I got this on monday in one of my packages. I love having the tree. It looks really cool when the room is dark. Everyone likes to see it. I like it because Barb sent all gold, red and silver decorations, which is what I like on my Trees. It helps me get through the holidays when I have a small piece of home here.

Finally, I have my Nutcrackers. Now, some of you don't know, but each year since 1997, I have gotten at least one nutcracker for Christmas. This year, Barb bought five, small, plain wood ones. Then, she let the kids each paint one, and she painted one herself. She sent me the painted nutcrackers, the last un-painted one, some paints and some brushes. Today, on my day off, I painted my nutcracker. This is him below. The five nutcrackers are placed on my new shelving unit next to my tree.

That is about all for now. Oh, in the picture above, I am sure you noticed that the background was a movie. I recently received my computer bag from my friend who was holding on to it for me. The show playing on the computer is "The Big Bang Theory" An AWSOME show. I reccomend that you all watch it when you can. In my opinion, it is right up there with M*A*S*H!

Bike up and Running!

Okay, sorry for no pictures. The internet is giving me problems again. I will try to post some later. So, I got the tubes for my bike today. Barb sent me some heavy duty ones. Now, I just need to do some tweaking to the free bike I have, and I will be all set. It is road worthy right now, but there are some minor (Major) adjustments that need to be made. Oh well. It was free and it works great. A couple of days ago, there was a cyote near our work area. Pictures will be coming, as soon as I can. There is nothing else really to report. That is all for now. Sorry, but boring here is a GOOD thing.

I know it has been a while since I last posted. I finally got a day off, and have the time to do so. Hopefully, I will be able to post new stuff once a week, on my day off. So, let me bring you all up to speed. I am now in Iraq. I cannot do a whole lot of pictures of where I work. I will be able to show you the inside of my shop and room, but for security purposes, I cannot disclose too much info about the location of my room and where I work. Things are going about as well as can be expected for an Army operation. The food is good, I have a room with two room mates (Pictures Below), and I finally have a day off. We have not had any attacks on our post, which is good. My last trip over here, there was an attack within the first 48 hours. I have my room all set up. Things are still a bit messy due to the fact that there are three of us in this room, and we are all trying to figure out a place to put all of our stuff. I have my computer and Internet set up (Obviously), as well as my printer, tv, and Wii. One of the other guys in my room has an X-Box 360, so our room is normally hopping with people playing video games. Let's see, I got a bike for free and as soon as the tubes for it get here, I will be all set. It is a nice bike too. It was left behind by the people we are replacing. I just might find a way to get it home at the end of this trip. Well, that is about all for now. I need to be going. I have a TON of stuff to get done on my day off.

This is a picture of Brahmer (Left) and Phillips (Right). They are my room mates

This is my Wall Locker.

This is my area. I know, it is trashed. I just got back from work and tossed all my crap on my bed. All the wires are for all my electronics. I know what you are thinking, but it is safe. Don't worry, it is a lot cleaner that this, normally.

I Am Here

Okay, I was going to post some pictures, but the internet is not cooperating very well right now. I am not going to complain, at least I have internet. So, let me bring you up to speed. I FINALLY made it to Kuwait. I am back where I was last time. Camp Behuring. This place has changed a TON. But, first let me tell you about our flight. It sucked. Okay, back to Kuwait. It is not as bad as last time. In fact, it is really nice here. There are about 4 PX's (Post Exchange) here. That is pretty much our general store. Then there are a lot of small food places, KFC, BK, Subway, Pizza Hut. We even have a Starbucks! I know, it is insane, but hey, it is a nice touch of home. I really can't get into too much details other than that right now. The reason is a little thing called Op-Sec, (Operational Security). But, we are all doing well, it is not too hot. Only about 110. A very dry heat too. I just can't wait to push through to Iraq. Well, I do believe that is all for now. Oh, the flight, with two refueling stops, took a bit over 24 hours. Long day to say the least.

Leaving The Country

Today is the day. Well, actually tomorrow is, but since it is going to be around 02:00 on friday morning, I am just going to say that today is it. I will not be getting any sleep untill I get on the plane tomorrow morning, so it is all one day to me. I just got done getting my weapon, and doing the N1H1 virus screening. I have laundry going for the last time. That way I can put on a fresh uniform for the plane ride. Then I just have to pack the clean clothes into my bag, and I am all set to go. Oh, I also have to turn in my linnen this morning as well. Just to let you all know, I will probably be away from communications for a couple of weeks. So I will be off the grid for a while. But, as soon as I can, I will post more. Hopefully with the next update, I will have pictures of my trip. From what I am hearing, we are taking the exact same way we took on my last deployment. The good thing; we will not be spending a month in Kuwait like we did last time. They are saying that two weeks will be pushing it. I am fine with that. I would much rather get to Iraq and be done with it. Well, that is all for now.

SSDD

Okay, well..........
Things here are going about as good as they can be expected. We actually got a couple of days off this weekend. Since it was a four day weekend for the federal end of things, we were able to get off post for two twelev hour passes. One on saturday, and one on Sunday. What did I do, you may ask? Simple. I went to a mall, went to a movie and went to diner. Plain and simple. Nothing going on other than that. We turned the Airfield over last week. Which means that we are done with aircraft work for the rest of the time we are here in Texas. Our aircrafts are already packed up and will be getting shipped this week. When we are suppose to leave for Kuwait, I have no idea. But I am hoping to get a couple more updates in before we leave. I hope you are all doing well.

Okay, well as you all may or may not know, Barb came down to see me this past week during a four day pass that we were given. Some of the things that we did........


We went to the zoo and saw a HUGE turtle! Just to give you an idea, the sunfish in front of this things head is about the size of my hand.

We also went to the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. That was pretty cool. We got to meet Johny Depp there. Not really, it is just a wax figure. But it still looks pretty real.

We also went to see a cave system. This was really neat. I got some pretty good pictures of the caves, and here are a couple of them.

All in all, it was a wonderfull four day pass. We got to spend a ton of time together since I did not fly home, Barb was able to pick me up at midnight the day that the pass started, and drop me of around 23:00 the night that pass ended. So we got the most time out of it as possible. That is all for now. I will be leaving the country soon, so I will try to post a couple of times, but there will probably be about a month gap before I get the internet set up in my room in Iraq.

Army Dentists?

Yeah, I know, I don't have any pictures. Sorry. Today was not a day for that sort of thing anyway. Today I was suppose to go to Sick Call so I could go to the dentist. Well, I was told that when we go to sick call, we need to wear our PT uniform. (Our work out clothes) So I get dressed, wait for almost an hour in our company office so I can get my medical records. Then I wait for another half hour for the ride to South Hood. (The distance from North to South Hood is about 45 min.) Well, I get down to the dental clinic, the only one on post, about a 1/2 hour before their sick call hours end. There is a sign on the door that says that PT uniforms are not allowed in the building! So, I grab my phone and call the number on the door. I talk to this soft voiced PFC who appears to be frightened by my tone for voice when I was trying to make sense of their rules. I asked her, since I was just outside the door in PT's, if I could just schedule an appointment. She said that I could not do that, I had to go to sick call first. Then I asked her if they would make an exception about the hours and take me as sick call once I got back to North Hood and changed my clothes. She said no. I have to go back tomorrow. Oh well, at least it gets me out of the hanger for another day! Well, that is about the biggest bit of Army crap so far today.

Jeremy

Tools Away!

Holy cow! Things here have been a bit frustrating these past few days. For starters, since I am sheet metal, I require a lot of special tools and materials to do my job. Well, we don't have the tools, and I had to have a friend from the facility back home send me some materials so that us two sheet metal guy could do a job. What sucks is, now that we have the materials, they did not want to ground the aircraft long enough to do the repair. To top it off, yesterday, we packed up all of our tools to send over. So now we have no tools, but we do have the parts. Then, two days ago, I was asked to take a look at some damage. I gave them my professional opinion yet they did not heed it. Which makes me wonder, with all the people who apparently have more skill at this job than me, why did they even bother to bring me? Oh, yeah, I know why. Because Phillips and I are the ONLY two people in the unit who have been to sheet metal school for the Army. We are the ONLY ones certified to do our jobs, yet there are so many others who like to tell me how to do it. Oh well. That is about all for now. I need to get going. I have to get ready for a class tonight. Fun!

Goin to the Range

Well people, it is that time. Time for me to go to the range. "What is the Range?" you may ask? Simply put, it is the place that I go to shoot my rifle. We have to hit some pop up targets sitting in various different positions. Now normally, we would only shoot 60 rounds out of our weapon for a qualifying range. You only get so many rounds and you are required to hit a certian number of the targets. However yesterday (when I did the daylight portion of the range), I shot 240 rounds! No, I did not suck at shooting, although I did do some of the worst shooting I have ever done, they just had a TON of extra rounds. So they let us nine guys fire off all the extras! It was pretty fun. By the way, did I mention that yesterday was my birthday? Most of you already knew that. But that was some birthday, getting to shoot all those extra rounds! Thank you to all of you who sent cards and boxes. It is very appreciated. So anyway, back to the range. The way that it works is, we get into our position, and these forms pop up in front of us. I have enclosed a picture of the forms. They pop up at certian distances from your position, and you have to shoot them. You only get one shot per target, so if you miss, you miss. If you hit the target, then it falls back down. If you miss, it stays up for a set time and then goes down on its own. One or two targets will pop up at different distances, depending on the program that they are running in the range tower. Tonight, we get to go do the night fire portion of the range. This means exactly what it sounds like. We will be shooting at the targets in the dark. The targets will have glow sticks attached to them so we can see them and every thirb round in our magazine is a tracer (Glows once fired) so we can get a better idea of where we are shooting. SO, that is about all that there is for the range. I will keep you posted, and I will try to get some pictures, or video of the range tonight.

This is a shot of the firing positions that we shoot from.

This is a picture of the forms that we shoot at. Pretty life like eh?

Some of the guys waiting for the range to go "Hot". Which just means waiting to shoot.

Another Day, Another Dollar

Okay, where do I want to start? Well, I think I will start at the begining, since that is the best place to start. Today was supposedly the last day that I had to play "Catch up" on classes. However, it really is not. Just for the time being, we are at a bit of a stand still with the classes. We just got done with a HUGE exercise and things around here are begining to settle back down. The last few days have been a bunch of G.I. Joe training that got me all muddy, wet and tired. It was very fun! At one point in the training, we had to climb over a wall with all of our gear on. Well, the wall was very tall (About chest height), and the gear gives you limited mobility. I got my right leg up on the wall, and shoved off the round with my left leg. The only problem is, I am not very tall, and I did not get enough umph behind the kick, and I got stuck on the wall. I was just kind of flailing on the wall with nothing to grab and nothing for my feet to touch. So, the guy giving the class had to push me over the wall. He had to do the same for a couple other short people. It was quite funny. So, I went down to get the mail today and I had a TON of cards from people for my birthday! Thank you to all of you for the cards. I am one of the people in my barracks that gets the most mail. I like it. Thank you all for the mail. Sorry for not having any pictures up. I really don't take a lot of pictures here in TX. There is nothing here worth taking a pictue of....... Texas sucks. One last thing. If any of you have met my daughters, you know how sweet and cute they are. I sent a letter to my girls last week and in that leter I told them that I was going to have Barb send me some crayons so I could color them some pictures. Yesterday, I was IM-ing with Barb and she told me that Kate, when she heard that I wanted some crayons, took the brand new pack of crayons that she got for her birthday and put them in the box that is being sent to me for my birthday. How sweet is that? My daughters are the best. I am a very lucky and blessed man to have Barb and the girls at home.
Well everyone, that is all for now. Some advice for all: It doesn't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.

A Quick Look

Well, I have the best wife ever. Yesterday, I received in the mail an AT&T Wireless card for my computer. This little device allows me to get on the internet from my bunk in the barracks. This way, I have no time limits, and I can get on the internet whenever I want. Which is great because we just had a TON of people show up yesterday. The chow lines are about 20 minutes long, as the least, and by the time you get to the food, most of it is gone! Bummer. So anyway, I have been working 12 hour shifts the last few days. That wouldn't be so bad, except for the fact that there is NOTHING to do for me. Don't get me wrong, there is quite a bit of work for a sheet metal guy, but we do not have the propper tools, or any material. So, I pretty much just sit around the hanger all day. That will change when we get to Iraq (Hopefully). On a final note, here are some pictures of the local wildlife.

Enjoy!

The video below is for Kate on her birthday. I hope it plays well. Not much new here, just the same old stuff, on a different day. In case you didn't know, today is Katie Jo's birthday. She is three years old! I have no idea where the time went to. Kate, Happy Birthday Baby!! I love you!!

No Pictures Again

Greetings to all from Texas. It still sucks here, and I still have not had a chance to get any pictures or movies up on the blog. Sorry. Well, let me bring you up to speed. It is hot, and we are outside about 80% of the day. In the last few days, I have almost missed 4 meals due to bad timming that I have no control over. The past few days, us five (the ones who were drafted), have had training every day to catch up to all of the classes that we need to do. What sucks about that is we already did these classes with your own unit, but since the people certifying didn't see us take the classes, they don't count. So now we have do go through 32 classes and 12 big events. This will be good. Oh well, crap happens. I need to go, my time on the computer is running out.

Fort Hood

Well, I am here at Fort Hood, Texas. Texas sucks as far as I am concerned. However, I will admit that I am not being fair since I am here against my will. I am sorry to say that I do not have any pictures to post this time. My internet time is rather limited. I just found this building, and they have a time limit on how much you can be on. Oh well. I would like to thank you all for the prayers and for all the help that you have given me and Barb. Thank you.

....And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Yeah, so I was packing my stuff up today at work. I know, I am getting paid by your tax dollars to pack and do personal things. I just thought you all would like to see some of the stuff that I am going to be taking along with me on this trip. The following list, (And pictures), are "Creature Comforts" that will meet up with me once we get there........

2 Fans

20 Books

Coat Hangers

Nintendo Wii

Wii Acessories

16 Wii Games

Some Small Puzzle Games

Roll up Aluminum Table

RC Helicopter

Two sets of bedding

Computer Speakers

2 Reams of Printer Paper

A Printer/Copier/Scanner

Pillow w/Case

Tool Kit

Knife Sharpening Kit

6 Knives (No, six is not enough)

Power Converter

2 Extension Cords

Batteries

Assorted Office Supplies

Poker Chip Set

Flashlights

There is quite a bit more, but that is all I can think of for now. Remember, that is just the civilian stuff, that does not include all the Army gear that I will be taking as well. As you can see in the pictures, these containers are not exactly tiny. Now, even though there is a lot of stuff, each item has a very distinct reason for bing packed. My last trip has given me some insight as to what I will need when I get over there.

Old Stomping Grounds

Last weekend, we took the girls to my old elementry school, (Oakwood). Boy, have things changed! Those of you who attended this school will see what I mean when you look at the pictures. For those of you who have never been there, let me describe a small amount of what has changed. First, the playground that I played on from 1st through 5th grade was GONE! In its place was just an open area. The main playground has been moved around to the back of the building, facing the Middle School. It is a very nice set of equipment, and the girls loved it. If you can view the video that I have put up, great. If not, let me know and I will try something else. Enjoy!

What to expect

Okay, here is the second post for me. I am going to try adding some more pictures on this post. So, I figured I would show you all what things were like on my last deployment. Now, I cannot tell you all exactly where I am going, but I can tell you that the living conditions will be close to what you see in the picture.

My First Attempt

Well, I am sure you all know that I will be going away to Iraq shortly. Barb had the idea for me to start my own blog. Now, I am not very good at this, so bear with me. I will try to keep this thing updated as much as possible. Now, due to regulations, there may be some things that I cannot talk about, or post pictures of, but those items will be few and far between.