the box

Just a heads up that I will be heading to "the box" tomorrow for our training exercise. I will return around October 9th. "The box" is the training area here at the NTC, and we are not allowed to have cell phones or personal computers while in the training area. Not sure, but I may have limited internet access, we'll see. I'm planning for the worst! Please continue to pray for Jess and I, and that our training is conducted safely. Talk to you all next month, Lee.

prayer list...

Is updated!

ingenuity

Just some pics to share of how we are making do of what we have here at FOB WARRIOR. The first pic is of a lounge area, made from seats from a van, a sleeping cot, a piece of plywood and a towel. The second and third pics are of cardboard dressers made from cardboard. The dresser in the second pic belongs to a CH-47 pilot, and the dresser in the third photo was constructed by a Chief Warrant Officer, who is an electrical engineer in civilian life. I get a kick out of the contrasts that are here. Our building is filled with blue and white collar professionals, most of whom live in very nice homes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars...and yet all it takes is a little bit of cardboard, a lawn chair and a computer to make ourselves comfortable. Soldiers are flexible to say the least.

FOB WARRIOR

Our Brigade continues to arrive here at Fort Irwin. Late next week, we will move to "The Box," where we will undergo 2 weeks of very intensive training. While we wait to move into the box, we are staying at Forward Operating Base Warrior, which is a no frills area here on post, good only for sleeping and passing the time.

The top photo is a shot of the living quarters. There are approx 20-25 of these buildings here on FOB WARRIOR. The buildings are composed of a frame tent, with 6-10 inches of sprayed on foam for insulation. The second photo is inside the barracks, and the third photo is of my little corner of the world right now.

dumpster diving.

Yes, even the most well equipped Soldiers in the World resort to dumpster diving for supplies. That's me holding onto to my boss, who was after a broom.

only in america.

Just some pictures to share from the training area today. The first photo is a panoramic shot of what the terrain at NTC looks like. It looks exactly like Afghanistan.

The other 3 photos are of a town that has been built to assist in simulating our training. Soon, this town, and many others built in the training area will be filled with hundreds of Afghan natives and American soldiers from other units posing as insurgents.

Only in America do we take our wars so seriously...to the point that we actually rebuild countries in our training areas, and populate them with indigenous people. Unreal.

whale gap.

Earlier this year, I completed the Army's Advanced Officers Course at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. The training centered around Company and Battalion level tactics. Interestingly enough, the terrain and maps we used for the course were none other than the National Training Center, here in California.

For a month, our class analyzed the terrain, with one of our larger operations being centered around a ridge nicknamed "the whale." The learning point from the whale was simple, and our instructor repeated it to us often. "You never maneuver around the tip of the whale, ever. It's suicide." Everytime our class attempted to maneuver around the tip of the whale (in the scenario, it was the only option) and through the whale gap, we got slaughtered. I always thought it would be neat to see the whale someday, and to see if it was as I had pictured. I finally had the opportunity today, and was amazed at how familiar it looked. Pictures are above. the first picture shows the whale, disregard the mountains behind it. The second picture is me standing at the tip.

Also, I do intend to email my instructor some pictures from today to prove that you can indeed go through the whale gap...and live to tell about it.

Goodbye Mississippi.

Following the 4 day pass, 130 of us traveled from Camp Shelby to Gulfport to await our flight to California. Jess and the kids dropped me off at Camp Shelby around 8:45pm on the evening of the 12th. I packed my bags, and caught about an hour of sleep. I awoke at midnight, and we began loading bags at 12:45am on the 13th. At 2am, our busses departed for Gulfport Airport, where we arrived at 3:30am to await our charter flight. We sleep for a few hours in a hanger at the airport (pictured above), before finally departing on the charter around 8am. We arrived at SCLA (Southern California Logistics Airport) in Victorville, CA at 10:30am Pacific, where we loaded busses and drove 90 minutes to the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin, CA which is where I am currently. It was a long trip, but it is a relief to be here. We are finalizing our training plan, and getting ready for our final phase of training before heading to Afghanistan.

pass.

Hey, just some pictures to share from my 4 day pass. Jess and the kids flew down, it was so good to see them! The top picture is from New Orleans, the bottom picture is Grant's attempt at accompanying me to Afghanistan!

update.

Today, we began taking down our tactical operations center (pictured in a previous post). Although a lot of work, it's a welcome sign of progress. We'll set up again in California next week...only to tear it down again next month. And yes, we'll set it up again when we reach Afghanistan. I'm beginning to feel like a roadie in a band.

Last night, I packed my bags (again). It's becoming a little difficult keep track of where everything is at. One bag is currently on a boat making its way to Pakistan, which I understand to be about a 2-3 month journey. Hopefully, my bag makes it through Pakistan to Afghanistan without being pillaged! Sounds as though only 95% of our stuff will arrive. In a couple of hours, I turn in my foot locker, which will be loaded onto a train headed for California. The remaining bags (Ruck Sack, Assault Pack and another duffel bag) will fly with me as checked baggage on the charter from Gulfport to California next week.

As I said before, I'm very much looking forward to seeing Jessica and kids this week. As it turns out, I'm flying out of Gulfport the same morning at the end of my pass. Please keep us (Jess and the kids especially) in your prayers as our family travels all over the place next Monday morning.

Also, in case you haven't been told, I am no longer able to receive mail while in Mississippi. My new mailing address is:

CPT Lee (my last name)
HHC 2/34 IBCT, TASK FORCE RED BULL
Rotation # 10-10
Fort Irwin, CA 92310

Take care, Lee.

updated .

updated the prayer list!

winding down..

Hard to believe, but it's already time to start packing my bags for California. Time here has gone fairly quick. Tomorrow, my section is briefing our Commander on the plan to move the Brigade to Afghanistan. We hope it goes well. Our plan started off fairly simple, but has grown into one of the more complex operations I have ever been involved with. The logistics plan is incredible, and I swear I will never make fun of a logistics officer ever again (maybe).

The logistics world is very complicated....much more so than the Infantry world that I am so accustomed to. Generally speaking, we will launch from both California and Mississippi. It will take approx a month to move all personnel and equipment. At times, we will have soldiers in several different states, countries, and seaside ports worldwide at once. I speak generally because the future movement(s) of our military is very sensitive (see my first blog post that references OPSEC if you want to know more on this sensitivity). As for myself, I will be leaving direct from California next month. I will post more details on dates later.

Back to packing my bags...I start packing in the next couple of days. Jess and the kids will be here from the 8th through the 12th. EARLY morning on the 13th, I move out with my section to the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin. We will then spend a few weeks conducting our final training event.

I think that's all for now. Again, apologies for not being able to update this more than I have. Take care, I'll try to get updates going again very soon...Lee.