Day 63 (Sunday May 31, 2009)

R & R...

I didn’t do much today. I think I slept in and worked out at the gym. Movin’ on….

Day 61-62 (Fri-Sat May 29-30, 2009)

What's it really like?...

On both Friday and Saturday, we were briefed by CSTC-A (Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan). A LT Colonel in the Air Force (a physician) and a civilian physician presented information on what was the state of Afghanistan as pertained to the medical mission. I can't go into details about this, so this blog is going to be pretty short.

However, Saturday being a half day, in celebration of the penultimate weekend as we approached graduation, some of our Navy team members coordinated a BBQ fiesta with the Army Reservists who were in their barracks. The food was awesome. Here are some pix.

(Mike, Steve, Josh, and Neil...you can tell they're hungry)

(Rob, just wanted to show he's competent in the kitchen.)

(Tim, I think I've seen that hand sign before...)

(Mike and Jerry...Thrilled I'm taking a picture of them.)

(Less and Dennis..."I once caught a fish this big...")

(Motley Crew)

(Obviously myself, Jerry above and Lach next to me.)

Day 60 (Thursday May 28, 2009)

Video games are for kids...or are they?

Our first evolution of the day was the Mounted Combat Patrol Class. Here, we learned how to look at a village and prepare a mission to engage it. We determined how to set up cordons (security posts) around the village and within it, and how to utilize our assets (soldiers, vehicles, etc.) to complete the mission. This was all done inside a classroom. Afterwards, we went outside to set up our mission for the upcoming Capstone Course (a course designed to test the skills already taught).

(CDR Foster describing our route and tactics.)

The second half of the day is where the fun began. We were bused up to Custer Hill, where we originally stayed in our first week of training, and received a brief on the dynamics of the simulated mounted combat patrol. This was a video game designed to simulate the movement in hostile territory, where strategy was imperative to maneuvering through villages and past traffic and hostile engagements were likely.

(An intrigued crowd during our simulation briefing.)

We were broken up into teams of 5 which included a driver, a TC (truck commander, sitting shotgun), two dismounts (backseat ride alongs) and a gunner (up in the turret). We all sat at computer terminals in the layout of the truck. On each individual's screen was their point of view in the vehicle. You also had the option of viewing the vehicle in first person (inside the Hum-V) or via third person (like an angel from above...cue the Gregorian Chant). We spoke to one another through headsets.

(First person view from inside the Hum-V...yup, I was in the back seat.)

(Third person view...or "Angel Vision".)

The missions began with us maneuvering our animated soldiers into the vehicles and driving in a convoy with the rest of the teams until we reached our destination. There certainly was some hostile fire along the way and our gunners did a great job of taking care of us. Yet, while every silver cloud has it's lining...it's a cloud none the less, and fate wielded it's ugly hand. Jerry, our gunner for the mission, had developed a knack for getting shot and today's mission was no different. From up in the turret, he fought valiantly but in the end, perished. Sorry Jerry.

(Travis and I as backseat dismounts...there wasn't alot to do for us.)

(How the simulation was set up for the 5 teams.)

(Travis in the driver's seat...who's watchin' the road?)

That's enough for today.

Day 59 (Wednesday May 27, 2009)

Wax bullets hurt, just ask Jerry...

Today we participated in Glasshouse instruction, Battle Drill 6, and Force on Force.

Glasshouse instruction was essentially teaching us how to enter a room or building safely. I think it's called "Glasshouse" because they use movie theater line barriers as the walls so the audience can see what is going on. We were taught to enter a room 4 at a time. The first person determined the state of the door (open, closed, locked or unlocked), the second person, standing immediately behind the first, had their weapon pointed over the shoulder of the first to engage the enemy from that direction. The third person pointed their weapon upwards to guard for enemy attackers from second story buildings. The fourth had their back against the third person and faced towards the back with their weapon also pointed in that direction. By design, provided 180 degree security while against a wall.

(Left to Right: Chief Erhard, LCDR Riggs, CDR Myers, and LT McClure)

Hand signals were passed down the line to signify the state of the door and when the team was ready to enter the room/building. Upon entering, the first person usually took the right side, the second took the left, the third stepped inside the doorway and to the right and the fourth stepped inside the doorway and to the left. Each individual had a sector of the room and called out their security in the order they entered.

(Here is the same group above demonstrating positions inside a room.)

(CDR Myers (top) and Chief Erhard (bottom) moving around a corner.)

(Mike and Andrew storming the castle.)

Further teaching demonstrated movement down hallways and up stairs as well, but I'll spare the details for now.

Battledrill 6 and Force and Force was a live combat situation in which our 25 team members were divided into 2 teams (each team took a turn). We engaged a building where there were know enemy...with wax bullets themselves. They also had protective gear on but instead of Army attire, they wore dark blue robes to simulate the enemy. After putting on our protective head and face gear, we loaded our M4s with wax bullets. (Every time I say wax now I can't help but think of "40 Year Old Virgin" where Steve Carell's character gets a wax job..."we gonna need mo waaax".)

Our team moved down a dirt road to a building sitting by itself. Upon an explosion, we tactically moved to the building for entry. I was part of the initial 4 troops to enter the building. Once inside, we moved through the first and second rooms, shooting some cardboard cutout enemy. The second team moved in behind us, however in the process of moving past the underside of a stairwell, a couple of team members were shot and had to sit out. There was an insurgent lying down in the dark stairwell plucking off anyone who came around the corner. This individual was difficult to see and shoot but eventually, we got him. Unfortunately, one of my teammates was the victim of fratricide (friendly fire). "Jerry, tough luck...how's your butt?" Because 6 of our 12 team members had been wounded, and I was the medic for the team, I had to disengage the fight and tend to the wounded. I pretended to treat their wounds and everyone survived...hooray for me. The exercise continued for another 10 minutes in the upstairs of the building and in the end, we won...at least, that's the way I'm going to remember it.

(This is the protective gear for our heads. I'm in the middle and I think Jerry and Travis are my sides.)

Immediately after the exercise, we were taken to another building to have a "hot wash". This is a post-exercise evaluation and critique. We didn't do so well in the grand scheme of things, but being our first time, and being a bunch of medical personnel to boot, we received some praise.

Day 58 (Tuesday May 26, 2009)

Welcome to the Gun Show...

Today was interesting, and probably one of the most useful days if one considers carrying a weapon. We went to the Short Range Marksmanship Range to learn how to tactically use our personal weapons, the M4 and M9.

(Where would we be without another Hum-V picture? Left to right, Jerry and Andrew)

As with all the previous ranges, we were briefed ahead of time on the safety fundamentals of the range. Shortly thereafter, we split into 3 groups of about 10-12 (some of our Air Force compadres were with us) and instructed on the different elements of the range. First, my group went down to the, what I will call "tactical movement" area and learned how to fire behind objects used for cover. Next, we were taught how to move with and draw our M9 pistols while engaging the targets and switch to our M4 immediately. Finally, we learned how to engage a target with our M4, while we were moving. I will explain each of these in more depth as they come up.

Being in the first group, about 15 of us headed down to the range. There were orange cones set up at 25, 20, 15, 10 and 5 meters from the "black paper on wooden targets". Each one of these distances would be a spot from which we would engage the target. Initially, we started at 5 meters with our M4. This part of the exercise had us begin with our weapons in the "low ready" position. This means having our weapons pointed at the ground...so as not to shoot thy neighbor...I joke, but serious stuff. The instructor, over a loud speaker, would then say "Target......Up". On "Target", we would look at the target and on "Up", we would aim and fire a "controlled pair". A "controlled pair" is two rounds fired at the target in about 1 second intervals. Then, everyone would turn to their right and face their neighbor's back (again, weapon always in the low ready position). As before, the instructor would call out "Target......Up" and we would view the target, move from a 90 degree angle to the to facing the target, raise our M4s and engage the target with a controlled pair. We did this facing left and 180 degrees away from the patient. Additionally, we engaged the targets by walking towards and away from them. Mind you, we didn't walk backwards and fire, rather, we turned and stood still while engaging the target. This is very difficult as one tries to steady your aim while moving.

After practicing on the black paper targets, we were given white paper targets with a yellow triangle at the head, a red circle on the chest and a black square in the abdomen. Standing at either 5 or 10 meters (I can't remember), we began in the low ready position and upon the loud speaker command, we would engage the target. However, you couldn't just shoot where ever you wanted; you needed to shoot at the target declared by the loud speaker. For example: "yellow triangle...bang bang, red circle...bang bang". (The "bang bang" was me shooting...in case that wasn't clear.) We fired 20 shots and counted our results. 19 in the target zone for me...not quite sure where that 20th shot went though...hmmmm.

The next exercise was practice at switching from our M9 to our M4, repeatedly. We were given two targets dressed in "very distinct attire", 5-10 meters away, and placed next to one another. On the command from the loud speaker, we shot a controlled pair with our M4 at one target, placed the weapon on safe (this is a very important concept), switched to our M9 and shot another controlled pair at the second target. Each target fell if hit twice. We repeated this process as the targets alternately popped up.

The last and most exciting exercise was a course with three shooting stations. Two participants started out lying on their stomachs, awaiting the "go". Once released, the pair ran to a four-walled enclosure with no roof and two windows facing the targets.

(Here are Mike and Andrew waiting to run.)

Each participant took a window, used the walls for cover, and fired a controlled pair at the targets. To make this more interesting, each person approached their window from the wall in the middle of the windows. Thus, one was required to shoot left-handed from the left window and right-handed from the right window. After the first controlled pair fired, the two participants switched places and repeated the process.

(You are seeing the left window.)

Having finished, the participants ran out of the enclosure and over to 2 orange barricades (one for each). They fired from the right and left sides of the barricades in the same manner as in the enclosure, and then moved onto the last station.

The final site was an old vehicle. The participants lined up side by side, leaned over the hood of the vehicle and fired their controlled pair at the targets...taking great care not to shoot the hood. The instructors yelled and screamed and threw smoke bombs in the area to raise the level of excitement. All good fun.

Please check back to see the video below. It shows a full run through the course. Unfortunately, the internet is a little slow and not allowing me to post it.

Days 54-57 (Fri-Mon May 22-25, 2009)

Memorial Weekend in Nebraska...

Friday, May 22...Excited to start the weekend with my wife and go see some of my greatest friends, I discovered an alarming absence of water flowing from the faucets in our room at the Navy Lodge. Crap! A shower is one of the few luxuries I enjoy to get my day started...and they robbed me of it...whoa is me. As it turns out, the Fire Department was working on one of the fire hydrants this morning and they underestimated the duration of the draught. Fortunately, within an hour and a half, we were blessed water once again and I could resume my day.

Before heading out of Manhattan, Isabella and I decided to head back to The Chef restaurant for breakfast. We had visited this place once before on Isabella's previous visit and enjoyed it thoroughly. This time was no exception.

By 1100, we hit the road and over the course of 2 hours, found our way to the Payne's house in Lincoln, NE. After settling in and introducing Isabella to Dylan and Drew (Brian's boys), who affectionately called her "Abella", we all piled into the Payne minivan and headed to the Embassy Suites Hotel to link up with John and Hilary Hutt, their kids, Ryan and Lindsey and John's parents. We sat in the lobby, ate Italian food and soaked up the moment...what a good night.

(Me with Drew, Dylan and Ryan)

(Me, John and Brian...been a long time since we were all together.)

Saturday May 23...This morning, the Payne's invited all of us to the YMCA for their weekly getaway, where the kids played in the pool and Isabella and I worked out. Afterwards, we returned to the Payne's house for a Memorial Weekend BBQ. This was fantastic! Melissa, Brian's wife, had her family over and in addition to the Hutt's, John's parents came as well. Great food and wonderful friends...tough to ask for more than that. The night ended with Brian and I meeting up with John at his hotel and an opportunity for the guys to grab a beer and reminisce. Having known Brian and John for the better half of my life and growing up with them in Billings, it has been remarkable how close we have remained despite our geographical distances. I couldn't ask for better friends.

(John with Ryan and Lindsey at the YMCA pool.)

("Abella" with Dylan and Drew...pay attention Drew.)

(Drew and I...that is one crazy smile)

(Brian and John watching over the kids.)

(Awww, my sweetheart.)

Sunday May 24...The Payne's were kind enough to let Isabella and I accompany them to church this morning. Following the service, Isabella and I ventured off on our own. We headed into downtown Lincoln and made our way to Haymarket Farmers' Market; a very cool area of downtown with some trendy spots to eat. We enjoyed a great afternoon together and after picking up some souvenir Nebraska Cornhusker gear, we headed back to the Payne's. Come evening, we met up with the Hutt's and we all went to Chucky Cheese for pizza and "good times". The kids had a blast. As an added bonus, Brian's sponsor family from his days at the Air Force Academy were driving through Lincoln and were able to join us for pizza. They were incredibly friendly people and fun to visit with.

("I feel uncomfortable...")

(The Paynes and Brian's sponsor family.)

Monday May 25...Last day in Lincoln before heading back to Fort Riley. With the Hutt's and us leaving today, we all decided to head to the park for a picnic...and to let the kids play. The park was set near a lake and quite beautiful.

Isabella and I had a wonderful time and are so thankful to have had the opportunity to spend the weekend with two of my closest friends and their families.

Days 50-53 (Mon-Thurs May 18-21, 2009)

(Unemphatically) Yay, lectures...again

Once more I find myself uninspired to expound on the details of these days. In a lecture series entitled "ECADC"...I have no idea what that stands for...as is the case for many of the acronyms in the military...we learned about insurgency, counter-insurgency and strategic level processes. Honestly, while I believe I could recall and demonstrate the proper action illustrated in these classes should the need arise, for the life of me, I cannot describe their content. So, let's leave it at that and chalk it up to a week indoors.

However, given the gloomy, "sour-puss" nature of the first paragraph, the end of the week brought anticipation and elation. As you may have noticed, our week ended on Thursday. The Army, in all their splendor, granted us a 4 day weekend beginning on Thursday at noon...very cool. Isabella flew in that evening and after her drive from Kansas City International Airport, she picked me up and we had some BBQ at the Whiskey Creek Steakhouse. I have been incredibly lucky to have Isabella come out to visit. She's awesome! After dinner, we returned to the Navy Lodging to relax before leaving for Lincoln, NE in the morning to see the Payne and Hutt families.