The bad and the good

[piplover]

Well, just found out today that November is almost a deffinate timeframe for when we deploy. And not to Baghdad. Oh, no. That would have been nice. No, apparently we are going to Falluja. You know, the place where all those nice people are dying every day? Yeah, that's what I said too.
Oh, well. I guess it could be worse. We could be going in the middle of July.
As to the good, I just had a rather comical experiance. I had a friend over talking to me and before he left, we were joking around and he called me a dirty word in Russian. I guess he didn't realize that I speak Russian, because I asked him to repeat it, and he did, laughing, and then when I said, "You just called me a Bitch!" his reaction was to turn pale, yelp, "You know Russian?" and run from the room.
Of course, it was all in fun, and we both got a laugh out of it. And he is being a sweetheart and washing my BDUs tonight so I can have a clean uniform tomorrow, as I was whining that I don't to do laundry tonight. I'm so very tired, and already in my pjs. He is spoiling me rotten, and for that I think I shall have to make him cookies or something. And the best part is, I don't have to worry at all about him hitting on me, as he respects my relationship with my fiance very much. It's nice to have friends!

Comments

[melilot-hill.livejournal.com]

*hugs*
Hope everything works out for the best

It's nice to have friends!
So very true indeed :)

[piplover.livejournal.com]

*hugs back*
Thanks!

[rosiegardener.livejournal.com]

oh dear, that's not such a nice prospect...I'll pray for you that everything will be alright ! And who knows, November is yet far away and plans can change.

[piplover.livejournal.com]

Very true, and thank you for thinking of me!

[ansostuff.livejournal.com]

Oh, please take care when you go!

He sounds like a really nice friend!

*hugs*

[piplover.livejournal.com]

*hugs back*
Thanks! He's a sweetheart!

[gtaotaku.livejournal.com]

Ahh, a personal slave friend : - )

[piplover.livejournal.com]

Lol!

[baylorsr.livejournal.com]

Wow, I don't like to think of you in Falluja. I don't like to think of anyone in Falluja these days. I hope by November that the situation over there is more stable.

[piplover.livejournal.com]

Same here. With luck, things will have calmed down. I hate the prospect of being away from everyone for a whole year. Yuck!

[shirebound]

*crossing fingers that by November, Falluja is the garden spot of the Middle East*

*hugging you tightly*

*chomp chomp*

[piplover.livejournal.com]

*hugs tightly back, and crosses fingers, toes, wrists and elbows!*
Thanks, sweety!
*nibble nibble*

[katakanadian.livejournal.com]

I hope that area will be much safer soon. If it isn't by November then I hope you will be an effective part of future calmness.

Take care

[piplover.livejournal.com]

Thank you! So do I!

[g-i-dennis.livejournal.com]

Well, Fallujah is far less fun than Baghdad. I was in the latter, a lot of my friends were in the former. You're Signal Corps, right? I wouldn't worry TOO much about your safety, you'll spend the clear majority of time behind the wire, where it's much safer. I mean, anything CAN happen, but it's not anywhere near as likely as if you were going out on patrols every day or cruising around the city.

My best advice is to REALLY make sure you practice the basics before you go. All those silly battle drills, Common Tasks Manual stuff, that really should be your unit's focus for the next few months. Hopefully you won't need to use it, but it's better to not need something you have than need something you don't have, and battle drills are a VERY perishable skill.

Make sure you practice mounted battle drills, since almost any operations in Iraq are mounted. I'm sure your command has heard all of this already, but if they are slacking, you should really address it with your immediate command (team/squad leaders) and see if you can squeeze in the training yourselves. I'm talking about basically moving ina 2-4 vehicle convoy and reacting to contact, be it gunfire or an IED or what have you.

It looks like I'll just be missing you, since I'll be hitting Huachuca TDY en route to Monterey sometime in Mid November. Who knows, maybe I'll catch you and wish you luck in person before you go.

[piplover.livejournal.com]

I totally agree about practicing basic skills, but my chain of command has other things in mind. Apparently it is more important to make certain we know how to do hand reciepts and straighten connexes than prepare. We tried suggesting that we do convoy manouvers for Sgt's time, but that got shot down. We tried to see if we could work on fighting positions and marching formations. That got shot down. We even tried to get them to let us do a class on camouflage, since we are really inept at it, and that got shot down too. What are doing Sgt's time? We're putting up our antenna, that we have put up every frigging week for the past four months. I could do it in my sleep now, and have come close to doing so a few times.
Take my word: never, ever, ever reclass to signal. It is the shittiest corp in the Army. At least here. They have no idea what priorities are.
I hope that maybe I'll get a chance to see you before I leave. It would be kind of cool to talk face to face!

[g-i-dennis.livejournal.com]

Honestly, dear, I think it's because you are at a corps/theater level unit. The more tactical your unit, the better.

Don't worry about camouflage, you never use it in the CENTCOM theater. Your fighting positions will already be established as well. You will be in buildings either built just for you or otherwise bought from the locals. Marching, too. Everything you will do is mounted. I was attached to an Infantry Battalion and went on raids with them all the time. I never left my truck, of course, I was a gunner, but, hey.

Are they at least sending you to the range before you go?

[pippinswolf.livejournal.com]

no matter where you are, I'll be thinking of you, Pip.
(((huge hugs, and crossing fingers that it won't be Fallujah)))