Transportation Brief - (Germany) Day 477

You can tell it's getting warmer out...the ice cream truck is making the rounds. 

This is the view looking down from our living room window

 in stairwell housing on post

This morning PT was at Patton gym in our summer PTs. The normal folks did some circuit training and when they finished they split up and played a few games of volleyball. I headed into the gym and had a good workout with the weight machines. I would have loved to play volleyball with them, but one sudden jerk and I would end up in some bad pain for days, so it's just not worth it.

We were told during our PT formation that sergeant's time training was today in the ComSec office and had to do with ComSec procedures and such. What is funny is that because it's Thursday, they just have to come up with "something" for training. Never mind that the ComSec vault is actually closed now and they have no customers…let's just do the training anyway. I decided just to head to my office instead. The nice thing about working for the chaplain is that I can get away with not going unless they specifically tell me I need to be there. They didn't tell me and I didn't ask…so there is no way I was going to sit in an office and listen to a bunch of stuff that will never pertain to me again. Besides…I had schoolwork to do!

So I did my schoolwork and studied a little for my Apple re-certification, then headed over to the shopping center food court to meet my wife for lunch. I stopped by the USO first and checked to see if any interesting trips were coming, then met my wife for lunch. After lunch we both headed over to the in-processing/out-processing center and attended my transportation brief. The brief was about an hour and a half and went over everything we needed to do and expect when shipping our household goods and our car. I had to make some minor changes to my paperwork, but everything seems in order. Things are going to get a little crazy now. My mom and aunt are coming to visit and I'll be taking leave to be their tour guide. We have all our stuff to ship and I will also need to out-process. Trying to figure out when to schedule everything is going to be tricky. For instance it will be a lot easier having my car until the last minute possible in order to get everything done. Also once we ship the car, my wife will have to quit her job. Lots of decisions to be made!

The Exercise…for Real - (Germany) Day 470

So this morning I got up at 0315 and was ready to go by 0400. I had SPC Mac pick me up and we arrived to the morning formation in ACUs. Most everyone had on their body armor and helmets as well. Luckily I can't wear mine and it's all turned in anyway. We were all told of this mission that needed to be done today. We were told over and over that this is a "mission" and not an exercise. They said it's not an exercise so much, those of us that knew better already figured out they were overcompensating. It's Thursday which is sergeant's time training day and that kind of gave it away anyway. So the "mission" was to guard the gate at Patton Barracks. The squad would check every car that came in. Those of us on profile would end up working at the command center.  The battalion was split into four teams, each team with a number of gate guards and at least one person working in the command center. Each team was given a 2.5 hour shift with the first shift starting at 0600. Everyone not on the first shift headed back to the office and just hung out. So I had to come in at 0430, stand in the cold, just to go back in the office and wait about 6 hours for my shift. I didn't bring any schoolwork or even reading material because we weren't told anything about this "mission" ahead of time.

My morning consisted of surfing the web until the shoppette opened and I could grab a cup of coffee. I then headed to the food court for an early lunch, which I picked up to go and headed to the S1 shop (which was our command center for the mission). I was briefed on what my job was for my shift. I was to man the radio and log down anything that happened. I was required to do at least one radio check an hour. Time passed slowly…I made my radio checks and surfed the web. I chatted with the platoon sergeant for a while and then the sergeant major came in. He started looking through the food donation box and got all pissed off that someone put expired Halloween food in there. As he was throwing it all away he paused, then looked at me and said "now this is something you can blog about". I just shook my head.

When I was relieved at 1330, I headed over to my office and just hung out until my wife got off work and picked me up at 1630. I wish I would have at least brought my schoolwork to do. There is only so much surfing the web one can do in a day. I felt like the entire day was a waste.

Another Day…Another Sergeant's Time Training - (Germany) Day 414

This morning we did not have PT, we met up at the PHV bowling alley at 0730, then took two cars to Mannheim for sergeant's time training. There were a number of people at the range, so we only had 7 total for this training. When we arrived at Mannheim they had one person there to attend the training. Shortly after getting setup, three people showed up from our company in Landstuhl (about an hour and a half away from Mannheim). The training was typical army training, the people that were in charge of the various subjects were told at the last minute yesterday that they had to come up with some training for today on selected subjects. So these folks threw together some PowerPoint slides and we sat and watched each of them speed through their training. I don't think anyone wanted to be there and was really just a waste of time. We had the training just for the fact that we can say we did training today.

We arrived back at PHV in time to eat lunch, so I had lunch at my house and expected to get a ride from one of the other guy's in the ComSec office (SPC Squirrel…because he moves and acts like a squirrel). As I was waiting in front of my building I get a call from SPC Squirrel saying he's going to be a bit late…his dog just ate 6 chocolate cupcakes. I wait and wait, then call him back after about a half hour. It turns out he ended up going to the vet and asked SGT Steroids to give me a ride, but he never showed up. I ended up calling my wife and had her leave work and come give me a ride in. I showed up an hour later than I had planned, but no big deal…none of it was my fault.

In my office I finished up some tasks for the chaplain (emails and some research), then did a little schoolwork. I contacted housing in Wiesbaden to get that process started. Even though I'm now on permanent profile and I should be going through the medboard process at some point, it may take quite a while. So right now I have to plan as though nothing has changed, but it would turn out to be pretty stupid and expensive for the army to move me to Wiesbaden only to turn around and move me again back home.

My wife came and was able to hang out in my office for the last half hour or so before I left. It's a four day weekend now and I haven't had a safety brief or a POV inspection. I feel like I can go buck wild crazy…LOL.

Observe the MAC - (Germany) Day 407

This morning for PT we did modern army combatives. This meant that I just showed up in my regular uniform and watched. I couldn't go work out on my own because I guess just watching still gives me credit for learning combatives, which we are supposed to have a certain number of hours learned each year. This went on from 0630 until 0800, when we were allowed to go home and get ready for the day, we had to be back at the ComSec office at 0930 for sergeant's time training.

This week's sergeant's time training involved basic ComSec forms and the correct way to package and inspect boxes for shipping ComSec material. This is actually some training that pertains to the job people do in ComSec, so I can't complain. I think all the training should either be MOS related or job related. The training lasted until lunch time where I headed home and ate, then headed back into my office to finish out the day. I spent the majority of the time going through my email. I've been backlogged and I finally made it through everything. I was also able to get everything on my "to do" list input digitally, so I feel like I'll be a little more efficient from now on. I grabbed a TMP and loaded it up with everything we need for tomorrow, checking to make sure there was a full tank and everything was ready to go. The only drawback…whoever used this TMP last bathed in cologne! I had to drive it home because we're leaving so early in the morning tomorrow and I had the windows rolled down the entire way even though it was very cold outside. I guess I'll see how well that helped when we take off tomorrow.

More of that Sergeant's Time Training - (Germany) Day 352

This morning everyone had to meet at the bowling alley parking lot at 0630 in the morning to head out for training. We weren't told much at all about the training, even if it was inside or outside…only that we had to bring full battle rattle. I can't wear mine and I've let PFC Ski borrow it because he hasn't been issued his yet. I did dress for the weather though, with what we call our "ninja suit" on underneath my uniform. It's kind of like army issued long johns and help keep you warm. I also wore my polar fleece and brought along a snack…always good to be prepared.

After arriving at the bowling alley we found out that we were going to Mannheim, we took a TMP and a few people's cars. SPC Mac and I hitched a ride with SGT Mex. We were the group of misfits I guess. SGT Mex is getting chaptered out for being overweight, SPC Mac is getting medboarded, and me…who knows what's going on with me.

We arrived in Mannheim and ate breakfast at the DFAC before starting training. The training took place in a conference room, so all the full battle rattle gear that everyone had to bring sat in a pile in the corner of the room. Why did everyone have to bring their gear…who knows? We sat through a lot of PowerPoints on everything from modern warfare to escalation of force all so a box could be checked off stating that yes…we've done this training that has nothing to do with our current jobs or environment. My point of view has not changed with our army training…a complete waste of time and resources.

I was lucky enough to be able to leave at lunch time with SGT Mex. He had an ACAP appointment that he had to get back for, and the chaplain mentioned he may need a ride to Landstuhl so I had to be back as well. After eating lunch, I headed to my office only to find the entire building locked. I sat in my car and did some schoolwork while I waited. I finally saw someone unlock the doors and head in, so I followed. The sergeant there said the chaplain should be back any minute…so I waited in the conference room either reading or playing games on my phone to pass the time. 1430 came and went…the time the chaplain said he wanted to go, with no sign of him. I waited until about 1530 doing the same thing and then headed over to do PT.

I met up with the rest of my platoon in the gym and found out that we have a day off tomorrow! That's great news…a nice surprise for once! My boss also talked with me for a bit wondering if I've heard anything about my investigation….not a thing. We talked for a bit, then I finished my workout and headed out.

Uncomfortably Numb - (Germany) Day 338

PT this morning was a combination of PT and sergeant's time training. SGT Steroids taught combatives, but this time it was a much longer session lasting from 0730 until 1100. After some warm up exercises everyone actually got down and did some actual real time practice trying to do some of the moves. He also did "The Gauntlet" which has one person that stays on the mat while everyone else takes turns trying to submit him. It's a grueling process for the one who stays on the mat. I was told to head to S1 at 0900, so I left before it was finished. If I was healthy and not broke, this would have been a fun experience and a great workout…unfortunately I just watched with the other profiles.

The entire day I felt pretty much numb, only talking to people when talked to. When exchanging pleasantries with the cashier at the shoppette I had to force a smile as I left. I'm just not myself anymore. I don't feel like much at all…just in a daze for the entire day. I heard that rumors are flying about all the stuff I've said, and like a lot of rumors most of it is embellished or just a plain lie. I know our platoon sergeant absolutely hates me and can barely look me in the eye when he does have to address me. I'm kind of glad I'm hanging out in S1 all day away from all that. The sergeant I report to in S1 is very cool and down to earth. He didn't actually have anything for me to do today, but I did bring my textbook and ended up spending the day reading the chapter I'm on in the morning. I headed home for lunch, I just can't stand even being on the post longer than I have to. I spent the afternoon rereading the same chapter to make sure I understood it as well as possible. My current class is on business management, which I've mentioned before. The chapter I'm on is all about motivating your employees and how different employees react to various methods. It also talks about how negative reinforcement does not promote a good work environment. Everything they mentioned about negative reinforcement is done all the time in the army. Just one of the many reasons I can't wait to get out. I can't imagine what the rest of my time will be like in the army with everything going on. I know it's not going to be a good experience…I only have 1086 days left, that is if they don't kick me out sooner.

Instructor Me - (Germany) Day 324

Our platoon working on modern army combatives moves for PT this

morning while I watched and took some pictures...LOL

This morning's PT was combatives. Those of us on profile were required to go and watch instead of heading to the gym and getting an actual workout. So we arrived at the racquetball court in Campbell Barracks and proceeded to watch everyone roll around with each other. The army combative training (called Modern Army Combatives) tries to incorporate a little of MMA style fighting into our training. I don't have anything against this, in fact I'm a huge fan of MMA. I don't know how much good it does anyone though when we only train for about an hour a month or so. I think for it to be really useful, we would need to do it on a daily, or at least weekly basis to get any good at it. Unfortunately I can't do much of anything except watch…if only I was younger and not broken.

At work this morning I was told that I was giving our sergeant's time training for this Thursday. The training…giving everyone a hand receipt holder's brief. This is the same brief I gave my customers yesterday. No problem, I brought up the PowerPoint slides and just went around the room having people read each slide. I would pause here and there giving some of my own commentary, my boss would have me pause as well while he gave some extra commentary. It was painless and pretty easy. 

When we finished I had a little time to do a bit of schoolwork before lunch. I had lunch in my car as usual…eat, read, listen to music, nap. Back in the office I had to do some required online training that everyone has to finish before the Thanksgiving break. I had the training on, but with all the noise I could barely tell what was going on with the training. No big deal though, SPC JayZ was there with me when I took the test and he had just finished passing it…so he gave me some tips to help me pass as well.

I then had to inventory a safe that was opened, but during the process I came across a number of discrepancies from the previous inventory. We had to go through and fix everything that was done before…let's just say SGT Steroids is not very good with the details. It's all fixed now though.

I also had to speak with another special agent in the afternoon. This special agent was questioning me about SPC JayZ about his clearance. So I had to let him know what I know about SPC JayZ, which isn't actually too much because we really don't hang out a lot. After that it was about time to clean up and head out.

Gloom & Doom - (Germany) Day 310

In the process of cleaning coolers, coffee pots and coffee dispensers

for our lazy ass S-3 office

This morning for PT those not on profile did circuit training, which is basically going from station to station doing a different exercise. I headed to the gym with the other profiles and rode my stationary bike for a cardio workout.

At the office today we had sergeant's time training of course…it's Thursday. SGT Mex gave a class on using SKLs (Simple Key Loaders, the devices we load our encryption keys on). Like most classes we have though, we are limited with resources. SGT Mex had one working SKL that he demonstrated with, but with the screen the size of an iPhone, it's kind of hard for everyone in the room to have an idea of what he's talking about. He did a good job with the resources he was given. We then learned about some legacy equipment that predated the SKL, which I'm surprised we even wasted the time on. There were a couple of NCOs that came into our office and both said the same thing when they saw this ancient equipment, they hadn't seen this stuff in years! 

The next class was going over a message that was sent out by 5th Signal Command concerning 2013 training schedule and expectations. One of our NCOs went over the entire message with everyone in attendance. The NCO would pause after each paragraph or point in the message and let our platoon sergeant chime in and give his two cents on each subject. Most of it pertained to everyone excelling and doing their best. Some of it had to do with the downsizing of the army and this is where our platoon sergeant went into full swing about how horrible it is to be a civilian now. If we leave the security blanket of the army, nobody will hire us, veterans have it the worst in the U.S., we will regret it every minute and wish we could get back in. He then goes on to say how we have to not get into trouble and even exceed every standard to make sure we can stay in and not get kicked out. All this doom and gloom may work on the younger kids, but I've been around. It's all scare tactics to try and either motivate people to do better, or just to keep them from screwing up.

By the time the message was finished, it was time for lunch. I headed to my car as usual for music, my book, and a nap. After lunch it was full on destruction time, just like the start of every other month. I was shredding like crazy, printing out new inventory lists and inventorying our safes.

SPC Mac was told he had a "setup detail" and to report to S-3. He came back a bit later very pissed off and I can't blame him. Our lovely S-3 office, which has a full staff of enlisted soldiers in all ranks, told him to clean their coffee pots. This was the actual mission! Make sure he gets them really clean!! I would be freakin' embarrassed to ask for a person to perform a detail and then have them clean out my coffee pots that I use every day. In addition to the coffee pots they told him to clean out some coolers and some larger coffee dispensers. I could only laugh. Only in the freakin' army can you be pulled from your normal job to go to another office and clean their coffee pots because they're too damned lazy to do it themselves. Of course this is the same office that has the staff duty folks do their janitorial work for them. So SPC Mac brought all the crap back over to our office because we had a large water faucet outside, as well as larger sinks in the bathroom. I felt bad for him, so me and a couple other guys gave him a hand cleaning the stuff. I have to say that I had to restrain myself from taking a piss in the coffee pots.

This whole day was just another day why I have no desire to stay in the army any longer than I have to. All I can say is I'm now one day closer to getting out.

Subneting - (Germany) Day 296

Some German graffiti under the overpass on the way

to work depicting the city of Heidelberg. Unfortunately my window

was dirty and there is a reflection.

This morning for PT the normal people went on a run with their body armor, while those of us on profile headed to the gym to workout. I rode the stationary bike for some cardio. This morning in the office we had sergeant's time training as usual for a Thursday. I applaud the effort of someone to actually have some MOS based training. The training session was on IP addressing and subnetting. The problem was that the trainers were not so good. While reading the slides they kept saying or inserting wrong words. The guy doing the training also tried to act like he knows a lot, but kept getting stuff wrong. So in actuality the training was pretty much useless, but I guess still better than some of the other crappy training we have on stuff that has nothing to do with our job or MOS. It's just typical Thursday training for the sake of training. It doesn't matter if it's actually useful or not, they just have to mark down that yes, we did indeed do some training.

We broke for lunch and I headed home after picking up my wife. We had a quick lunch and then she stayed on post to help out with a job fair that was going on. I headed back to work and surfed the web a bit before helping out our CAM with scheduling some appointments for a couple customers. We have to make sure our customers come in at staggered times to get their keys issued to them, or else we would have everyone try and come in at the same time which would not be good. Besides that I inventoried a safe and did the paperwork to mark up the rest of the safes as closed. My CAM keeps telling me I should go warrant officer. I tell her I did actually think about it at one point when I first joined, but now I can't imagine staying in one second longer than I have to. We then were released at 1600…sweet!

I headed home and hung out with my wife for the rest of the evening. I now have less than a week before my next class starts, after that I should keep pretty busy both at work and at home.
 

LandNav - (Germany) Day 289

This morning we didn't have PT, instead we formed up at 0730 in the bowling alley parking lot at PHV. 0730 of course means 0720, so I headed out from my house and walked there so my wife could have the car for the day. I arrived at 0718 to find everyone already formed up, but at least I wasn't the last person…there were a couple more that arrived a few minutes after me. Once we all formed up we were told that we would be heading to 2nd Platoon in Mannheim for training. SPC Mac and I caught a ride with SGT Mex and we headed off for the half hour drive.

Training was in a very old building that was literally crumbling apart. There was a small pile of rubble near the entrance of the building, it looked like there may have been an earthquake, perhaps a few stray bullets, or maybe a truck backed into it…who knows? So we go in the old building and climb up to the top floor where there is a conference room complete with tables and a projector. This is a very fine training room compared to the small office with even smaller monitors that we usually train on. Large maps were handed out along with protractors for the LandNav training we were to have. The training was broken up into small blocks with practical exercises thrown in after each block. We did things like find what was at various grid coordinates, give coordinates for various cities, measure distances, and plot our point given two or more landmarks using a reverse azimuth. All in all the training was done well and it kept everyone involved. It was much better than a lot of the sergeant's time training that we are forced to do. With that said, I'm not sure how much use the training will be in the real world now that everything uses GPS, but I guess if I happen to get lost and also happen to have a map with a compass, I may be able to find my way around.

We left around 1130 and both SPC Mac and I were dropped off at PHV for lunch. I ate at my house which was nice. It's always nice to eat lunch in the comfort of my own place. I was able to plop down on my couch, eat my lunch and watch a show. SPC Mac gave me a ride back to the office were I sat in a chair and looked at the wall. Unfortunately all the computers were taken. There was some idle talk, but it was truly boring as hell. Even all the computers were being used on the maintenance side of the office. I ended up going out and taking my time checking my mail, but that can only take so long. Finally I was told I could head to the gym and workout, since we did not have PT this morning. I had brought in civilian PT clothes, so I headed to the gym and rode the stationary bike for 45 minutes, then did some of the weight machines before being released for the day. I was not actually released though because after speaking with SPC Mac today, I volunteered to take his staff duty shift this evening. His kid is sick and his wife has to work tonight, so he would have had to send a sick kid to a babysitter. No worries I told him, I know what it's like to have sick kids.

So I headed to the staff duty desk after showering and stopping by the shoppette to pick up some staff duty supplies (drinks and snacks). I had my wife bring by my laptop and drop it off, so I am set to sit at a desk and watch movies all night. I guess there have been issues with people sleeping and also not completing all the required checks, so we may get a visit by the CSM in the middle of the night to check on us. Oh joy. The "new" staff duty desk does not have a computer for the "runner" (me) to use, only the NCO. So if I want to surf the internet to try and pass the time, I have to use another one on the other side of the office.

Sitting here at staff duty I've been thinking how much I just don't like being in the army. I can't remember the last time I woke up for work while being in the army and actually looked forward to heading into the office. A person should enjoy their job, or at least feel like they have accomplished something when they spend a day at work. They should have pride in what they do. Me…I used to have that at my previous jobs, but this is something totally different. My only hope is that perhaps when Heidelberg closes, that Wiesbaden will be different and better. I cling to that hope because imagining another 3 years of the same old thing is very depressing. I have enjoyed a few things in the army. I can't say that basic training was enjoyable, but it was interesting and had a lot of funny things happen. It's one thing that I'm glad I was able to accomplish…especially coming in much older than everyone else. AIT was not enjoyable at all, but I was proud that I was able to graduate at the top of the class. I am glad of all the places I've been able to see and the great people that I've met, but the army is not for me. I just hate all the extra crap that goes on. If I could just come in and do the job I signed up for, then go home I think I would be fine. That is kind of what I envisioned when I signed up to be an I.T. Specialist…but is definitely not what I ended up with.

I was given a dinner break at 2000 until 2230, I had my wife pick me up and take me back home to eat dinner and relax a bit before heading back to staff duty. When I headed back to my star duty shift, I ended up watching two movies "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Defiance".

The Potato - (Germany) Day 282

A somewhat blurry photo of our food at "the potato" restaurant

This morning's PT was a run with body armor. It's days like these that I'm extremely glad that I'm on profile. That would've messed me up pretty good! I headed to the gym and on the way over, the NCO in charge of the profiles walked with me and wanted to chat the entire way. He wanted to know about all my injuries, my profile and my long term plans for the army. I gave him all the particulars of what hurts and what I can and cannot do. I also let him know that I only ever planned on signing up for one term and then going back to normal life. I also said that I know I can do my job just fine and it's all the other crap that the profile limits me from. If the army wants to keep me that's fine, if they don't, that's fine too. I then headed and did some cardio on the stationary bicycle for my workout.

This morning at the office I was able to jump on a computer and update some files that were requested for my DTS. I'll do my part, but I still have doubts that I will ever see any of the money they are supposed to pay me for my travel expenses during the two classes I just took.

It's Thursday and you know what that means…one of my favorite days of the week in the army….Sergeant's Time Training! <Insert very heavy sarcasm here>. We sat around on one side of the office and went through various PowerPoint presentations on communication. This included sending up Medivac requests, spot reports, & SALUTE reports. Basically stuff we will never use the entire time we are here in a strategic unit. The class was of course given by two soldiers who were told at the last minute to prepare and give the class…the soldiers picked also had never given or even seen any of these reports in real life…such is our army training.

I headed to lunch in my car after training where I relaxed for an hour before heading over to the chaplain's office. I was told to report there at 1245, of course I have to arrive 10 minutes early…so make that 1235. This was totally unnecessary as I suspected, because he was still in the middle of eating his lunch. I had a seat on his couch and looked at the wall for a half hour before he was ready to start getting ready to leave. I grabbed the keys and the dispatch book for the TMP and filled out all the paperwork. I hooked up my GPS (I use this pretty much anytime I leave the city of Heidelberg because I'm directionally challenged). Unfortunately I couldn't find actual coordinates to our company headquarters on the web, only the hospital located in Landstuhl, so we used those and off we went.

The chaplain did not want to hear the radio, instead inserted an audio book on CD and we listened to how to basically think different. It was actually a pretty interesting book. The drive is a little over an hour and the GPS took us right to the hospital, but unfortunately a gate that only allows outgoing traffic. There was no easy way to get to another gate as we found out, we ended up driving through a couple small towns and farms before I decided to head back to the highway and try the next exit. This was actually the correct exit and we ended up making it to the company in time, just with a lot of scenic views beforehand…or as my friend calls it "building area knowledge".

I was waiting for the chaplain as he spoke with the company commander and the 1st sergeant zeroed in on me and made a beeline straight to me. I stood at parade rest as he addressed me and we ended up having a long conversation about my plans for the army. As I told the NCO this morning during profile PT, I only plan on staying in for one term. Our 1st sergeant had other plans for me…when he found out I was older and had a number of certifications under my belt already, he said "I'm in his crosshairs". He said he wants to move me to Landstuhl to do actual 25B work and make me an NCO. Before I would have jumped at the chance, but from what I've heard about working in Landstuhl…it's some strange hours. I've seen first hand how working different hours from your spouse can really affect the marriage. I also have no plans whatsoever to become an NCO. All the extra crap and responsibility…for a tiny raise is not worth it. I just want to do my job, do my part to contribute, and then go home. Thankfully I'm stationed in Heidelberg and will be out of the 1st sergeant's eyesight for the most part…maybe he'll forget about me.

The chaplain went around from group to group, also taking time to talk to a few people one on one. We didn't end up leaving Landstuhl until almost 1730. I was a little pissed because I wasn't told this in advance. My wife was stranded at work because of this. If I would have known in advance, I could have planned accordingly. I was able to contact my boss and have him give her a ride home…I didn't get home until 1900. Hopefully I will not have to be a chauffeur too often, but if I do…I can make plans in advance from now on.

We quickly got ready and then left for dinner. Tonight we headed to "Die Kartoffel" (The Potato) for SPC Mac's birthday. This restaurant is simply great food. You choose the size of your steak and they bring it out raw, cooking on a hot stone…along with a large baked potato. You then slice up your steak and let it cook to your taste on the hot stone. There are some dipping sauces to use, and you enjoy. Located inside a very old building, the experience is a lot of fun.

Zonk - (Germany) Day 255

This morning we formed up for PT as usual. Once everyone was accounted for SGT Mex who was in front of the formation looked at us for a moment, then said "Zonk". Everyone just split and went home. It was pretty cool, especially since I'm still sore from Tuesday's muscle failure. This is a welcome break.

At work we had sergeant's time training. Our platoon sergeant has been on leave which I have to say has been very nice. SGT Mex was the instructor for the training and he quickly went through a number of slides on detecting IEDs and IED avoidance. This is another case of training for the sake of training and SGT Mex knew this. This is something that is not going to help us with our current job and if we do end up in a tactical unit, we'll be trained on all this stuff by qualified folks. So training went by in about 15 minutes or so and we all broke. I was able to jump on a computer and check my email and the news. I then ended up talking with some other guys in the office about various subjects including the economy, the upcoming election, the army, and the state of America. We had some good conversations all the way until lunch.

I ate lunch as usual in my car, listening to music and then taking a nap. I headed back to the office and learned how and where we go in order to send registered mail. After that I headed over to the shoppette to put some more money on our prepaid SIM cards for our phones. My wife and I now have unlocked iPhones, but we have to put money on our cards at least once a month. Instead of straight up pre-pay, we chose a plan that costs 10 Euro a month for unlimited calls and texts between T-Mobile users and along with 100 MB a month of data. It's not a bad deal because my boss uses T-Mobile as well. We just keep our data usage down and we're good to go with a really cheap plan.

When I got back to the office I was told I had to fill out a personal data sheet. This stuff just pisses me off. All the information on it, our company has in various places. They wanted my hat size, the date I joined the army, the date I got my rank, the size of my NBC mask. I just started making crap up, I don't know all this stuff off the top of my head. My religion…it's now "Jedi", why they need all this stuff over and over again is beyond me. I spent the rest of the day on the maintenance side of the office since our two computers were taken. I just chatted with the guys over there while they watched youtube and while SPC Mac applied for jobs all day. (The maintenance side of our shop has been "closed" for business for months now and will stay closed until the base closes up for good. So the guys have no job and just hang out and find ways to pass the time every day...the army is smart like that)

We cleaned up and went home at about 1630.

The SKL - (Germany) Day 234

This morning's PT was supposed to be a ruck march around PHV in summer PTs, but it was raining. We stood in formation for about 10 minutes listening to the days announcements from our platoon sergeant. We then had our accountability taken and after that the decision was made to abandon the ruck march and work out in the gym…which is where I would have been heading anyway because of my profile. Our platoon sergeant gathered us around him outside in the rain…that we've been in for over 10 minutes now and says "OK guys, I'm going to get you out of this rain". He then proceeded to talk about an upcoming sensing session with our commander. He went on about how we can always come to him with problems or issues and then asks if anyone has anything they want to say right now. Of course because we've been standing in the rain for almost 20 minutes nobody says anything. Lastly he says he needs to address NCOs and soldiers that have been coming late to formation…"Let me put this as politely as I can….Un-Fuck Yourselves". With that we were turned loose to go workout at the gym.

Work started out normal enough, I checked email and was able to log into DTS to upload all my required supporting documents for this upcoming Intel-34 class that I have to attend. We had sergeant's time training at about 0930, which SPC Whirlwind did. He went over SKLs (Simple Key Loaders). This is a device somewhat like a very large Palm Pilot that we load encryption keys into for our customers, who in turn load the keys onto their devices so their communications can be encrypted to keep our secrets away from the bad guys. This is a class I actually didn't mind and was actually not just a waste of time. First of all SPC Whirlwind is very knowledgeable about the subject and second it's actually something we come in contact with in our job. He had a couple of SKLs for us to play with and do some actual hands on training. No complaints for this sergeant's time training for once!

After the training our platoon sergeant gathered everyone around and spoke about upcoming changes to our platoon and company. Everyone knows that Heidelberg is going to be closing next year sometime, but we haven't heard much other than that. We did find out that there are talks going on about where each of us will be going. Our company will be absorbed into 102nd which is up in Wiesbaden (about an hour north of us). New soldiers that come in from now on will actually live in Wiesbaden and take a bus down to Heidelberg to work everyday…now that would suck! Chances are that most of us will go to Wiesbaden, but our company headquarters in Landstuhl is not going anywhere, so some could be headed up there as well. Time will tell, but it's nice that we will start hearing more information now.

I took lunch in my car…my usual escape with music and my book. Back at work I had to do my required annual Information Assurance training. This training is required in order to keep my access to the network. It's basically common security sense (i.e. don't leave your computer logged in, don't download crap from the internet, etc). The rest of the day was pretty much surfing the web, then inventorying a safe. I was able to do some reading for my college class I'm taking. The class is basically a required class to start taking online classes at Columbia Southern University, nothing too difficult…but I'm excited to get started once again. I have 10 classes left before I will get my degree!

I spent the evening with my wife hanging out, doing a little schoolwork and then watching a couple shows (True Blood and The Newsroom).

Overheard Quote: "They must be dick flavored" (An NCO exclaimed after someone mentioned how my boss was making the chips he was eating look so good)

Training Day - (Germany) Day 220

Just a random sign that I came across while driving in Germany....

I have no idea what it means??? 

PT this morning was on PHV. The regular folks did normal muscle failure PT out on the grass, while those of us on profile headed to the gym. I had a great workout using the machines and working mostly my back and core. If I can keep having a great workout like this inside at the gym, I hope I stay on profile for the rest of my army career. I get such better workouts when I do my own thing vs. the standard army PRT…plus I brought my headphones and was able to rock out a bit :)

At work I was able to send off more correspondence for my clearance. This is one of the things that just drives my crazy about the government and all the various offices. I had previously submitted all my paperwork and after a couple of days I was told that on one of the release forms, that the number "2" that I wrote when writing the date and signing my name didn't look very good. My number "2" did not have a long enough curve at the top and the bottom didn't loop well enough. My first "2" in "2012" was OK, but the second one was not good enough. Now that I've submitted my paperwork, I can't log back into the site and print off a new form to fill out and send in, I have to cross out the date on this paper and initial, then write a new date with a better looking "2". So I do this and send it in, but the problem is that when you make a copy of a copy, the page gets a little darker. So that second submission was rejected because it was too dark. I had to email myself the copy to my house so I could use Photoshop and lighten up the entire PDF, then submit it. I'm still a little in awe of all the crap that I had to do just for a stupid little paper with my signature and date on it. Anyways…it's in now, I'll wait and see if there is anything else they want to return if for.

It's Thursday and that means sergeant's time training…army training. I always hate army training with a passion…most of the time it's just training for the sake of training. To make it worse I was told that I had to give a class at the last second. I was pissed off! When I say training for the sake of training, I mean that they do "training" no matter if it does anyone any good or not…at least we did some "good training". The first class was done by our maintenance department on how to fill out a maintenance form. I have no idea why we did this class…our maintenance department has been shut down for months now and hasn't taken any forms since then, and will not take anymore…ever. So we are learning how to fill out a form that they used to take, back when they used to be an actual working maintenance department. Pretty flippin' stupid if you ask me.

Luckily because of the upcoming CIP inspection, I was pulled out before the class actually ended. This means that I didn't have to sit through anymore worthless training, and I also didn't have to give any stupid class. I then helped my boss and his boss get everything prepared for the inspection.

I had lunch in the food court, listened to music on my iPod and read a book…my escape for an hour and a half. Once back at the office I went through each of our customer's folders with SGT Mex looking for anything that is out of order…also called "scrubbing our folders". Since it was just me and SGT Mex doing this and we are both fairly new at doing it, we both learned quite a bit. Everything has to be perfect, all the paperwork has to be in order, we have to check to make sure people's DEROS has not passed, make sure they are up to date on their briefs, make sure signatures are all in the right places, make sure no memos are out of date, and that memos are signed by commanders that are actually still in command. We've had a couple change of commands, which is going to require some updating.

We had a new guy arrive today. He's an E-2 (PV2) and as tall as a house! The guy is freakishly tall…he sticks out like a sore thumb even standing in the back of the formation! I feel bad for him…just out of AIT as a 25B expecting to apply his new skills fixing computers only to find out that he's stuck in our office, where he will be doing nothing close to that.

Our platoon sergeant then was talking to me and a couple other guys about soldiers in general and about the stuff they can do that is just crazy. He said there were a bunch of soldiers that were in one of his previous units that did some crazy stuff right before they ETS'd (left the army for good). In the barracks they crapped in the microwave and turned it on to 99 minutes, they crapped in the oven and turned it on, and they also pissed in another oven…but didn't turn it on. Needless to say when the NCOs came in the barracks they said it smelled something awful…I can't even imagine. They said they had to throw away the microwave and the oven. The oven that got pissed in was left and when someone finally used it, it started stinking as well…they ended up throwing that one away too. The guys that did it were long gone by the time it was all sorted out…the sergeant major was pissed beyond belief. If there isn't one already, I think there needs to be a book written about all the stupid crazy crap that soldiers do!

Survive - (Germany) Day 213

This morning we formed up at the office at 0630. We did not have PT, instead we had to head up to our company headquarters in Landstuhl for sergeant's time training. Everyone had to bring their full battle rattle, my boss told me to bring mine as well just in case. With my updated profile I knew I would not be able to wear that crap for a second, so I decided to leave it all at home. It would have been just a waste of time hauling all that crap everywhere knowing that I will not be wearing it. I figured I would deal with the consequences if anything came up, but there was no way in hell I was going to put on all that gear. My head has been pounding for 3 days now and that would only make it much worse than it already has been.

We headed off in two TMP vans and made the hour trek to Landstuhl. Once there we grabbed some snacks at the shoppette, then waited outside our company for over a half hour wondering what to do. We finally found out we were supposed to march out into the woods for training. This week's training was indeed in the woods and consisted of four stations. We were broke up into four groups and spent about 45 minutes at each station before rotating.

I never really care for sergeant's time training especially because it almost always pertains to stuff I'll never use. Today was a little different…don't get me wrong, I still didn't want to be out there, but we covered some stuff that may be handy if something bad were to ever happen. The first station was preventing shock, the second station about 50 feet away was how to treat a wound, the third was what to do with injured in an active combat situation, and the fourth was on CPR.

We've done all this training at some point before, but it's good to have a refresher on it. It is also stuff that we may come across in our normal life and knowing how to treat for shock or perform CPR could save someone's life. What I don't think is necessary is the full battle rattle for everyone. It just seemed totally retarded that they even required everyone to wear it. As soon as we got to each station everyone would take it off, then we would start the class. It was pointless to make everyone wear it at all. The second thing is forcing everyone to drive out to Landstuhl. We spent over two hours of the day just driving, so we could attend classes that could easily be done in a conference room or even our office.

After we finished the training we drove over to Ramstein air base and had lunch. The base is only about 10 minutes away and has the big food court. By the time we got back to the office it was about 1500. When I went pee it was a dark orange…not a good color. I didn't drink a whole lot during training because we were outside without any bathrooms. Since there were females around we couldn't just "utilize the wood line". So I only ended up taking a few drinks. I could feel myself overheating…outside it was very hot. I headed over to the shoppette and purchased a liter of water and then headed back to the office and took off my top while drinking the water to hydrate myself and cool myself down.

We were let go at 1600 which was a nice surprise…except for 3 random people that had to stay for a piss test. I headed home and was planning to take my kids out for a little trip, but it was just too hot. We all ended up just staying in and watching some TV shows.

A long hot day…but tomorrow's Friday!!

A Long Day of Training - (Germany) Day 206

This morning's PT was what I think we should do a lot more of. Even though I couldn't participate, I think it's the best way to get a good workout and have fun as well. I did participate in the warm up and some of the push-up and other exercises to get everyone ready. Then everyone played touch football. Every time there was a score or turn-over, the other team had to do 30 seconds of intense exercises. It was fun and it gave everyone a good workout.

Once at the office we did sergeant's time training. Again it was (almost) all on what I consider useless stuff. How to call in a medivac when in battle, how to use hand signals, and general radio etiquette. The only class that was useful was one on viruses and firewalls…stuff that everyone can put to everyday use. Right after training I was told I have 20 minutes to eat my lunch because I'm heading to the company in Landstuhl. WTF? I hate last minute crap like that.

I ate my lunch and then headed off in the TMP with another soldier people call "The Haitian Sensation" and our platoon sergeant. Landstuhl is about an hour away and is where our company headquarters is located. We drove up there for a "training meeting". This is attended by all the platoon sergeants, the first sergeant, and the company XO. Me and The Haitian Sensation were told to go so we could "experience" the meeting. We were the only soldiers there for this "experience". I get why they wanted us to go, but I was still a little pissed with the whole situation.

I did learn some things during the meeting. They have this meeting weekly and go over everything that is going on with the company. The calendar of events, everyone's status with PT tests, the over weight program, weapons qualifications, passes, leaves, awards…they go over it all. It was interesting to see how the process is done and how these people see things from their point of view, then how their decision making process affects everyone. It's all a numbers game and all the E-4s and below are just numbers that either make a good or bad percentage…or fill needed slots. The entire process just reaffirmed my decision that there is no way in hell I want to be an NCO…or even reenlist to stay in the army.

We finally left a bit after 1600, which had me back to the office at about 1730. I was able to call SPC Whirlwind and have him pick up my wife from work, so she wouldn't have to just sit and wait for me there. No news for the night…we had family dinner and I finished up watching UFC 148 while the kiddos video chatted with their friends back home.

Field Training - (Germany) Day 185

Looking down my rifle as we're about to make an assault

This morning we did not have PT because of our wonderful Thursday Sergeant's Time Training. We formed up at 0630, then drew our weapons from the armory. After that we loaded into TMPs and headed off to Mannheim, where we met up with the rest of our company for training. Before training though we all headed into the DFAC for breakfast.

The training was a little more active than the last time we headed up there. We were broken up into two groups and had one class learning how to perform 360 degree security while the other group worked with various formations to move a squad or platoon. At the end of each training the squad performing the security would get "attacked" by the other squad. It was kind of pointless because all we could do was say "bang bang" as we were shooting each other. At one point I decided to turn into a terminator and just stood up and walked straight at the group letting their "bullets" bounce off me as I just continued a terminator style walk right at them. I gotta do something to entertain myself. As I've complained before, this training has no use for me. Nothing I will ever use…and if there is a point at which I get sent down range and end up on a raid with an infantry group, I know I'll get plenty of training with them before hand. That is one thing that is said over and over again. "Each unit does things differently and you'll get training on your unit's procedures when you're in it, if you get deployed". Then tell me why are we wasting time and money on this training, when we could be learning more about the job we're actually doing, or at least the MOS we should be doing?

After the training we headed back to the DFAC where folks could eat lunch if they wanted. I didn't because I ate a huge breakfast. I'm never sure how the food situation is gong to work on these training days, so I pack snacks and try to prepare as much as possible. There were about 4 people that were taken aside by the commander and the first sergeant once we got back. They were all given negative counseling statements for being overweight. I know at least two of them were NCOs, which is not a good thing!

Once back in the office I checked my email and did a little surfing on the internet. We then had to make sure our weekend checklist was done. We received our end of the month counseling and then cleaned up the office and headed home at about 1600. I'm hoping this will continue to be the norm…leaving early when we don't have anything to do.

Once home I hung out with my wife. We cleaned up a bit, ate dinner and watched some shows.

Training Day - (Germany) Day 171

A view across the training area in Mannheim looking at half of our group taking a class...a.k.a. standing around in full battle rattle looking at printed out PowerPoint slides

This morning we did not have PT. Instead we formed up early at 0715 in full battle rattle for sergeant's time training. Our training was to take place in the Mannheim training area. After accountability, we loaded into 4 vans and made the half hour drive to the training area. We ate breakfast at the Mannheim DFAC. We then headed off to our training area…Mannheim has a number of training areas to use for different scenarios. We used one that was basically an open field surrounded by a wood line. I wore my helmet, but not my body armor because of my profile. Everyone else was in full battle rattle for this training…which had to be one of the more stupid ideas we've done so far. Instead of sitting in a room on post and viewing PowerPoint slides, we drove over a half hour to stand around in a semi-circle and view printed copies of PowerPoint slides. No joke! I was speechless. I couldn't believe how retarded this situation was. We went through four classes of this and then headed back to our post…Campbell Barracks. What was the purpose of wearing the body armor? What was the purpose of driving all the way out to a training area to look at printed out PowerPoint slides? Pure stupidity!

Once back I headed home to change into a new uniform and boots…and eat lunch. Walking around from class to class got my boots and socks wet. I also wore my "field uniform", which is an older uniform that I use anytime I know we're going to the field. This way I don't ruin any of my newer uniforms. My back and head were killing me…I did too much during PT yesterday…and perhaps wearing the helmet made it worse. I may have to modify my profile. I hate feeling like crap all day long. I took my paid medication, but it doesn't seem to do a thing. I ended up taking some over the counter pain meds as well, and continued to take more throughout the day to try and counter the pain.

Back at work while I sat at a desk one of the sergeant's came around checking drawers. I guess while I was gone everyone was supposed to clean out the drawers in the desks. Nobody cleaned out the one I was sitting at and she told me to do so…shred it. So I just took everything out except for office supplies and shredded it all. I didn't give a crap.

We had to form up with the rest of 43rd Signal at 1530. A few people got battalion coins for being exceptional and the major got an award for putting together the signal ball. The outgoing commander then gave a little speech, basically saying good job and good bye. We will be having a change of command ceremony next week for him.

After the formation we were released for the 4 day weekend. It figures on the day I have staff duty, they would release everyone early. I had to head over to staff duty, and started my shift at 1600. There was a guy who had extra duty, so he was here helping out with the maid and janitorial service that staff duty usually gets stuck with. So I read my book a bit and surfed the web before being released for dinner at 1800. I was told to come back by 2100 which was a nice little break. My wife picked me up and we had dinner and spent some time together.

Back at staff duty I then watched the keynote from Apple's WWDC event. It's always fun to see what new stuff is coming out. I now want a new MacBook Pro and a new iPhone with iOS 6…those will have to wait for now.

I was able to take the occasional nap throughout the night, but trying to sleep in an uncomfortable desk chair is a little hard. At about 0715 I had to take out our trash, then vacuum the office. At 0800 I left to PHV to pick up an SFC that called and wanted a ride. At staff duty our main job is to sign people in and out of leave and also give soldiers rides if they need it using the TMP. I headed off and picked up the guy who actually turned out to be a pretty nice dude. I took him to the shopping center and we talked about being stationed in Korea. He just arrived and is going through in-processing…a lot of which is done in the shopping center area. He offered to buy me some coffee, but I told him I plan on going to sleep after this! After dropping him off I headed back to the staff duty desk where it was about time to leave. I was let go right after getting back. My wife picked me up and I headed home to nap.

Bombs! - (Germany) Day 164

McLovin during our training. He is in the process of searching one of our sergeants.

This morning's PT was muscle failure for everyone, but I headed to the gym to ride the stationary bicycle. My back is still sore, but is improving daily. I've been doing some stretching and other minor exercises given to me by the physical therapist. I think I may improve, but I can't see myself ever being able to wear the body armor, ruck sack, or do runs & sit-ups without being in a lot of pain afterward. I guess we'll see how it goes.

The work day started with sergeant's time training since it is Thursday. I never really have any desire to attend most of these training days and today was no exception. We went through the process of escalation of force, basically what to do if you are standing guard and someone is approaching and is threatening. We then went through how to search them after taking them down. We went through the lessons and then did a few scenarios with everyone going through the process.

We then went through how to search a car and the different things to look for. After that we ran though a bunch of scenarios using each of us to practice. We do have to pull guard duty as part of a rotational basis, but we don't actually do anything. The contracted gate guards still do all the work and the people on guard duty just stand there all day.

We then broke for lunch and I headed to my car as usual. After lunch I headed into the office and did the normal routine of basic office work…checking email, answering phones and any other odd jobs that come up…and of course surfing the web to pass the time.

We couldn't check the safe until the auditors were finished. We finally ended up getting out of work about 1815. I headed to get my wife and then headed home. Once on our road we saw an MP blocking the way. He asked us which building we lived in and after we told him, he said we could park on the main road and walk to our building. It turns out that EOD (the army bomb squad) was "clearing some WWII era Unexploded Ordinances collected by a soldier and stored in his quarters on PHV". Are you kidding me? There were some comments after this message was put out that some soldier was running around with a metal detector and finding WWII era bombs and crap. The people in the actual building he lived in actually couldn't go in their building at all. Luckily the local restaurant offered to serve them free food and the bowling alley offered some free bowling and free pizza to those who couldn't go home. I wonder what kind of trouble this soldier is going to be in?

We then started to watch a movie only to have our power go out after getting about 20 minutes into it! (We found out later the power outage was due to the weather and not because of the unexploded ordinances found earlier as some had wondered) Grrrr….so we ended up watching a movie on our laptop…the power finally came back on shortly before we decided to turn in for the night. (The reason I'm a little late getting this post up)

Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Day - (Germany) Day 150

SPC Whirlwind getting a kimono put on during the Asian/Pacific Islander event.

This morning PT was IBA PT. Everyone was told to bring their IBA (Body Armor) to PT and wear their ACUs instead of normal PT uniform. Luckily today was the last day of my temporary profile stating that I cannot wear body armor or a ruck sack. If I had to do it, I would have had a horrendous headache the rest of the day. So everyone without a profile ended up running around a couple laps (almost a half mile), then doing 25 push-ups. They did this again and did 25 sit-ups. I instead did a fast walk and did the push-ups, but did not do the sit-ups. I know sit-ups are causing me headaches too and I don't want to do anything to further hurt myself until I figure out what is wrong with me.

After PT I headed back home and got ready as usual. Today is Thursday, so we have our sergeant's time training. Everyone was supposed to come back with their full battle rattle for this training. For me, SPC Whirlwind and a couple others…we just came back in regular uniform because we were tasked out for a special event. We did attend the first half hour of training and I'm glad we didn't have to stay. The first part was about convoys and was being taught by someone who hadn't even deployed yet. I also really don't understand why we don't do more job specific training. Why have a strategic unit that does not deploy spend any time on stuff like this when we can be learning more about the job we actually do. Help us be better at our current job instead of stupid crap like this. One of the reasons the army drives me nuts sometimes.

Another reason is what we had to do next for our special tasking. It seems like I get tasked out to do everything under the sun except our job. Anyways…we headed over to the theatre to help setup for the EO (Equal Opportunity) Asian/Pacific Islander Event. After setup which included unloading and setting up tables and also folding brochures, I stood at the front door and greeted the people that decided to attend. The event consisted of some speakers, then some song and dance, and finally food. We all had some of the food and for a bit it seemed like I was back in Korea. I was doing my old job (standing and holding a door open) and I was eating some tasty Korean food!

Once the event was over, we cleaned up and then actually followed the MWR van over to PHV and helped them unload the tables and other equipment. Once finished we headed back to the office where I went through my customer's folders to double and triple check…making sure their files were all in order. By about 1630 everything was done and everyone was sitting around looking at each other…waiting…..looking…waiting…looking…waiting. It wasn't until SPC DubYa got up and asked our NCOIC if we could leave at 1715 that she finally came out and gave us our lame safety briefing, then released us. Why…especially on a four day weekend…she always has to wait and wait before releasing us, I have no idea. A power trip? Who knows? All I know is that I have a trip to Spain that I needed to get to and every second we were in the office just sitting and waiting was time that was taken from me eating dinner and leaving.

Once out of the office, I picked up my wife and some fast food then headed home. We had everything packed, so we loaded up the car and headed to the park and ride outside the gate. We had booked a trip to Spain through a travel company as did SPC DubYa from our office. This particular travel company (United European Airlines) offers various trip packages and has flyers posted in our office and many others throughout the post. They put together some great packages to places all over Europe on each of our 4-day holidays. The particular one is going to Llorett De Mar with a day trip to Barcelona. We also opted for a dinner show and a flamenco show. I'm looking forward to it…but not the bus ride there.

We loaded the bus at 1730 and headed off to Spain. Ironically Pretty Ricky from my last FTX was sitting right behind us. The bus had picked up folks from Wiesbaden before coming to Heidelberg. Once on the road I tried to sleep as much as possible…I'll tell you the rest of the story with the weekend-wrap up in my next post…along with some photos as well.