A Cry From The People

So I've been getting complaints about not updating this blog. Here is why. I get so deep into my schedule that time flies and before you know it, a week has gone by. After that week another passes, and before you know it, everyone is complaining because I haven't updated my blog. Another reason is that I had no idea that so many of you were reading it. You see, everything I do is so routine for me that I have no idea what interests you. Frankly, I think my work life here is boring, but it's obvious now that all of you are interested in it, so I'm going to do my best to help you out.

Well, I have a solution for all of us. This blog has a comment section. All of you are free to ask me questions about anything that I do, or anything that is going on here. That's the deal. You ask the questions, and I answer them as best I can. So, I don't want to hear any more complaining about the blog. You're going to drive it from here on out. If you are reading the blog, let people know so they can ask questions if they want. I know a lot of times the media isn't covering things the way they are really happening, so here's your chance. I'll do my very best to answer each and every question you post. If I can't answer off the top of my head, I'll find out. Is that a deal?

I experienced my first dust storm here last week. It was actually kind of interesting. Don't get me wrong, it was a real pain, but at the same time it was intriguing to watch. It's kind of like fog, but because the particulate matter is dirt instead of moisture, the ambient noise outside is dampened rather than being increased. There is an eerie quiet while you're outside that's hard to describe. The light that filters through is orange because of the color of the soil. On top of that, the dust is so fine, that it gets everywhere on you. It sticks to the slightest bit of moisture, so your mouth and eyes always feel gummy. That's it for the interesting part. The pain about it is that you now have a very fine sand in all of your equipment that isn't covered. It wreaks havoc on aircraft and electronics. Guess what we have a lot of? Yep. Aircraft and electronics. Once the dust clears we have to wipe down EVERYTHING. Imagine showering your entire home with tons of talcum powder. The best way to describe it is this. Say you turned the fan on your central air. Then remove the filter. Take a 20 lb. bag of flour and sprinkle it into the intakes while the fan is running. Now, let that settle out inside your house. What you have is the same effect as the dust, except the dust is much more abrasive, and there's a lot more than 20 lbs. of it. Another thing I learned about dust storms is that when a storm blows up the dust, it can rain mud. That's right. The thunder storm blows up the dust ahead of the rain. It's so fine, that when the rain begins to fall, the drops collect it on the way down. On top of that, the moisture that does make it to the ground as water instead of mud attracts more dust when it hits. So, what you have is raining mud. You know how after a rain in the States everything is fresh and clean? Here, not so much. When it rains things get dirtier. Much, much dirtier. Believe it or not, after a rain, you have to wash down everything. The mud is so bad that we had to take bottles of water and pour them over the windshield while the wipers were on so that we could clean it off enough to see. You know, I realize that this part of the world was one of the original civilizations known to man, but I find it amazing that anyone stayed here long enough to settle. Inhospitable is too mild of a word for this place.

So, there you go. It's up to all of you now. From this point forward we have a symbiotic relationship. If you want more of the blog, ask questions. It's as simple as that.

The Beginning of the Beige Phase

Let me apologize to all for the delay in my blog. I arrived here on the night of May 11 at about 2000. My OIC and the Chief I am replacing brought me by work to introduce myself to the group. Afterward we had dinner at the Galley and dropped off my bags. I decided that since I was working night shift anyway that I might as well get to it. So, I started working that night, and I haven’t slowed down since.

The base here is like nothing I have ever experienced. With my career being mostly on ships and deployed squadrons, there has never been a time that I have been stationed on an active operating base. I must say that the difference is extraordinary. Because of the fact that all of my combat time has been at sea on Aircraft Carriers, I have never seen the ground aspect of armed conflict. It would be a gross understatement to say that the differences are many. Everything here is blast protected. Every building all the way down to the latrines and showers is protected behind cement T-wall. It seems, at times, that we are constantly driving around in a huge cement mouse maze. The only way to tell where you are is to read the painted signs and emblems on the outside of the particular T-wall you are passing by. The bottom line here is protection, but in reaching the state of protection that you need the result ends up creating the maze mentioned above. Actually, it’s truer than you think. We have to learn our way around base inside the maze. We have to know which turns to make to arrive at award stations. If you don’t learn those reward stations, you don’t get food, BX privileges, money or medical care. Ah, irony. It’s a funny thing.

Another primitive point about the camp is the roads. The primary purpose for this camp is to provide convoys to run supplies. Along with that comes the heavy trucks and armored vehicles to support the convoy and to provide it protection as it travels north and south. Combine the weight of said trucks over a period of time, and you can see that the surface of a road wouldn’t last long. Take that abuse and add the local soil, and you get a really bad outcome. The soil here is very thick hard pack clay. It makes great building material. The soil has three states. Baked hard clay, greasy mud that is slicker than ice, and dust. When the trucks roll into base after a rain, the mud that is on their tires comes off in clumps that soon get packed into the road. The sun then dries the clods so that it creates a driving surface similar to a large gravel road. Once dried on the road the dried clods get pummeled by the same trucks that put them there and they begin to crush into a very fine dust, and it doesn’t take much of a breeze to make it billow into clouds. It is this way everywhere in this region and the dust storms here are infamous. I remember experiencing one in the middle of the Persian Gulf while I was on board the Kitty Hawk. Even 300 miles away and at sea, our visibility was less than 100 feet. Now I know why. Every time a storm comes up, the first thing to go is the visibility because the lead winds of the front stir bring the dust up into the air in mass. So, everything here is constantly dust covered which makes for a completely monotone environment. I stated before that the area in Qatar was colorless. I think that may have been incorrect. Everything has color; beige. From the sky above you to the ground you walk on. Beige. Everywhere. Even the scrub plants around here have obtained the color as if some strange science experiment has caused all of the chlorophyll to turn beige. I think that may be the term I use to describe this deployment. It’s my beige phase.

Greetings from Tent #48 Bunk 40

I had one of those "What the heck have I done?" moments today. I'm finally in Qatar awaiting my bag that didn't make it here from Dubai. Anyway, I checked into billeting and when the gentleman had taken my information, he said, "You're all taken care of. You'll be in Tent #48 Bunk 40." At first it didn't quite stick, but when the driver got me to my tent, it was an instantaneous, "What the heck have I done?" I'm staying in a quonset type tent that has 50 or so bunks in it. Not fancy bunks, mind you, but bunks constructed out of 4 x 4 lumber. So, here sits the Old Sailor, in the desert, sleeping in a tent. You know, I've been on 4 different Aircraft Carriers, and I've slept in lots of crowded berthing spaces, so this isn't so bad I guess. The mattress is bigger and the air conditioning works better, so I shouldn't complain.

My trip over here wasn't so bad. Long. But not so bad. The only hitch was the fact that my only large piece of luggage is still in Dubai. Hopefully in the morning I'll find out that they have it here. Without that, I have what I'm wearing and some personal effects and that's it. I had to go to the BX to buy a towel, some soap and a razor. Oh, and don't forget the power plug adapter so that I can use my computer.

I've been to the desert before, but it shocks me every time. The landscape is so stark, and there is nothing here but sand, rocks and people. The camp here looks like some surreal stonehenge that juts out of the lunar surface they call Quatar. No trees, no weeds, no shrubs. Only sand, rocks, and a military camp. They do their best to take care of everyone. There is a BX to shop in, and tons of junk food. You name the chain, and they have a trailer here selling food. I ate at the dining facility today. Dining facility. That's funny. I called it a galley and I was quickly corrected by an Air Force member. Whatever. The GALLEY is really good. Today was gyro day. I had a nice salad and a self made gyro and I was pretty happy. I had also forgotten how fast the desert can suck the moisture out of you. Water is a constant need, and they have it going on here. Every building has a bottled water cooler, so no matter where you are you are within feet of a cold drink. I think I have had 10 or so since arriving here this moring. Just walking from my tent to the bathroom requires a water stop. As I speak they are moving another cooler into the internet lounge. There is a pool, several gyms, you name it and they have put it out here in the camp. It's kind of an amazing thing really. All of this is built to make our lives better and it's run by civilians who live out here just to manage the facilities. It astounds me that there are civilians who would live in this type of envronment just to support the camp. Sacrifice runs deep here. It makes the Old Sailor proud to be part of it.

Heading Out

Well, I've been in Misawa for a week, and I'm finally ready to head out to the desert. Misawa is a wonderful place. Very rural and laid back. The base is very well kept and there's a ton of things to do with the family. We're really going to love it here.

BUT.....

Before I get to do all of that, I'll need to complete this deployment. The family is doing pretty well. My oldest daughter is having a bit of a hard time, but I think she'll eventually adjust. She's always been a daddy's girl, and I underestimated how much this was going to affect her. We have been talking via video chat every day, so that has helped. Also, before I left I took her to Build-A-Bear and got her a stuffed animal that has my voice recorded in it. She's being really tough, but inside she's hurting a bit. I keep her informed on the base and let her know that I'm thinking about her. I'm pretty sure she'll figure this out soon, and she'll get on with life.

I have a nearly two day adventure ahead of me. I'm flying from here via Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Dubai to reach my destination. It should be interesting. I'm flying backwards in time, so day and hour wise it doesn't seem as long as it really is. I have a good book, my MP3 player and my computer, so hopefully I'll pass the time well.

I'm looking forward to getting on with this. The anticipation has been making me nuts.

Let the Adventure Begin

I would like to welcome my Family and Scott's class from Missouri to my little personal space on the web. I hope that all of you will enjoy watching my travels because I'm looking forward to telling all of you about it. It should be interesting for all of us, and it will give me something to do that is outside the box of my Military routine.

Tomorrow is the day.

I'll be flying out of the states bound for Japan to begin this new adventure of mine. The family is prepared as best as can be expected. The separations are never easy. I've been doing this for almost 21 years with my immediate family and almost 10 years with my wife and no matter how much you try to brace yourself, it's always difficult to leave. It gets to the point where you just want to get on with it. I've been on leave and in school for almost two months, so the anticipation has been around for a while and it begins to wear on me and the family. The preparation is always the worst. Once it begins, however, the family and I immediately adjust to the situation and the emotions ease quickly. When you separate like this, beginning a new routine is the best remedy for the angst of having a loved one that is very far away. I'll begin my new Military job, and Erin along with the girls will continue life here, just in a different manner. I know that civilians find it odd how we handle the situation within the Military community, but it really becomes a way of life. It seems sort of callous to say that you get used to it, because deep down you don't, so I guess the proper thing to say would be that we are experienced at tolerating it. You always have to look at the bright side of the situation. There's no point dwelling on the fact that I have to leave. That does nothing but depress you. We have been talking about our new home in Japan and what we will do when we vacation while there, and about what the girls will be able to do on base for entertainment and education. We're all very excited about starting again on a new base, making new friends and having new adventures and the only way we can get to all of that is for me to lead the way. So, I'll be doing that in the morning. Wish me luck.