Sunday, November 22, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Happy Veterans Day
Hello all,
Last weekend Erica and I went down to San Antonio and stayed with our friend Steve, who is stationed at Randolph AFB. Randolph was having an airshow on Saturday and Sunday so we all went to that and walked around for several hours on Saturday morning. Then we made sure we had chipotle while in San Antonio (San Angelo has no chipotle). It was good to get out of town for the weekend and hang out with a buddy. We were home by 3 on Sunday and we finally got a brand new bookcase that we had been wanting for a while... unfortunately, it holds only roughly half all our books...
Steve and I got to make an excellent dinner. Louisiana Chicken pasta that we used to make when we were roomies and it was delicious.
Anyway, life is continuing as usual. Last week they moved me from the casual job I had been working. I'm now working as an exec (read: assistant)to a Lt. Col who commands one of the training squadrons on base. Longer hours, but a little bit more interesting than what I was doing.
Anyway, im enjoying my mid-week day off and about to go make pancakes for Erica for breakfast. Make sure you thank a veteran today!
Eric
Last weekend Erica and I went down to San Antonio and stayed with our friend Steve, who is stationed at Randolph AFB. Randolph was having an airshow on Saturday and Sunday so we all went to that and walked around for several hours on Saturday morning. Then we made sure we had chipotle while in San Antonio (San Angelo has no chipotle). It was good to get out of town for the weekend and hang out with a buddy. We were home by 3 on Sunday and we finally got a brand new bookcase that we had been wanting for a while... unfortunately, it holds only roughly half all our books...
Steve and I got to make an excellent dinner. Louisiana Chicken pasta that we used to make when we were roomies and it was delicious.
Anyway, life is continuing as usual. Last week they moved me from the casual job I had been working. I'm now working as an exec (read: assistant)to a Lt. Col who commands one of the training squadrons on base. Longer hours, but a little bit more interesting than what I was doing.
Anyway, im enjoying my mid-week day off and about to go make pancakes for Erica for breakfast. Make sure you thank a veteran today!
Eric
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Happy November!
Hopefully you have had a chance to take a look at the video of what our apartment used to look like... It is much fuller now. Definitely home. In a week or so we will post another one of what it looks like now.
Last weekend our buddy Steve was on his way from Pueblo, Colorado back to San Antonio, TX and he stopped by and spent Friday night - Sunday morning with us. It was a lot of fun seeing him again and we plan on going down to San Antonio next weekend to meet up again. There's also an airshow in san antonio
Erica has had a lot of success in attaining some job interviews. She has had several in the last few days and received one job offer that she turned down in hopes of more opportunities to come. She has a few more interviews early this week. She will probably be offered another job sometime this week as well.
We stayed in on halloween, watching the USC game (very frustrating game). Lots of cute little ones came around the apartment complex and earned their candy. Now we have too much left over...
I am continuing to work my casual job. nice hours, boring work. No word on when my classes will start. Either mid November or first week of December. But, were not in a big hurry. We have eachother, a home, an income and a beautiful small town.
I think that's really all I have to report right now. We did a lot of organizing today. Somehow there are still things that never really got fully unpacked... Thus you have to wait another week or so to see the next video of our apartment.
Ta-ta from texas.
Eric
Last weekend our buddy Steve was on his way from Pueblo, Colorado back to San Antonio, TX and he stopped by and spent Friday night - Sunday morning with us. It was a lot of fun seeing him again and we plan on going down to San Antonio next weekend to meet up again. There's also an airshow in san antonio
Erica has had a lot of success in attaining some job interviews. She has had several in the last few days and received one job offer that she turned down in hopes of more opportunities to come. She has a few more interviews early this week. She will probably be offered another job sometime this week as well.
We stayed in on halloween, watching the USC game (very frustrating game). Lots of cute little ones came around the apartment complex and earned their candy. Now we have too much left over...
I am continuing to work my casual job. nice hours, boring work. No word on when my classes will start. Either mid November or first week of December. But, were not in a big hurry. We have eachother, a home, an income and a beautiful small town.
I think that's really all I have to report right now. We did a lot of organizing today. Somehow there are still things that never really got fully unpacked... Thus you have to wait another week or so to see the next video of our apartment.
Ta-ta from texas.
Eric
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Hello from San Angelo, Texas!
It's Saturday. Over breakfast this morning Erica and I were making a list of things to do (before our 2:30 appointment with the TV for USC vs. Notre Dame) and I realized we haven't posted a new blog in weeks. So, sure enough I logged on and checked... nothing since September 20th! That seems like a lifetime ago. So, I'll do my best to cover everything that has happened since then.
September 25th-27th I left Maxwell AFB, in Montgomery, AL and headed for texas. I stopped in San Antonio for 2 days where my buddy Steve offered a home cooked meal and a bed. It was fantastic. Steve was headed to Colorado to start Initial Flight Screening for his course as a USAF aircraft navigator but we were able to catch up a little bit before he left and I headed for the rest of my drive (Texas is huge) to San Angelo, TX.
September 28th - October 2nd: I arrived at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, TX. I got myself a hotel room on base and reported in on Monday morning to a Captain who supervises all the trainees as they arrive. He handed me a packet of papers and administrative stuff to take care of. He asked me my name, date of birth, etc., and sent me off. I asked him for leave (ok, more like told him I would be taking leave to get married at the end of the week). I ran around base all week going to finance, personnel, housing, communications, the base library etc. By Wednesday I had leave authorization and on Friday I was mostly done running around base. I was completely in-processed and caught a flight from San Angelo-Dallas-Ontario, CA.
October 3rd -4th: Anyone reading this should know what was happening on October 3rd and 4th! On the 3rd we had a rehearsal at 11:00 and a nice lunch immediately afterward. Afterward I went and picked up my tux and before I knew it, it was bachelor party time. I rolled on over to Marc's house (Erica's brother) and he had a fantastic spread of scotch, beer and cigars along with some tasty snacks and pizza. We played some poker and smoked some cigars. It was a good night, surreal, but good. Meanwhile, Erica was across the street at her aunt angie's house watching "my big fat greek wedding" and I can only imagine the crying occurring attempting to watch that movie on the eve of your wedding. On the 4th, I woke up and made myself some breakfast, everything still feeling a bit surreal. I ran up to the grocery store and the ATM trying to find something to do to keep busy. I went and picked up Erica's luggage for her and packed her car up to drive off later that night. Before I knew it, it was time to head to the Mission Inn. Once there, I talked to our wonderful friends who were helping set up the ceremony and reception room with decorations. They had overcome some minor confusion from the hotel, but were busy at work. Then I bided my time in the "groom room" until it was photo time. After some photos it was nearly "that time". I talked to Marc a little bit and said hello to guests who were arriving before re-confirming that our rings were all set and in-place. (Thanks Joseph!) Then I headed, with Marc and Uncle Geoff, back to our hiding spot and waited for my cue. Erica's day was much different than mine and she'll have to tell you about it herself. I can't attempt to describe the rest of the wonderful day in words here. From where I stood, all I can say is the ceremony was beautiful. Thank you so much Uncle Geoff. The reception was wonderful and we hope everyone enjoyed themselves.
October 5th - 7th: We spent a few beautiful days in Laguna at the Surf and Sand resort, courtesy of Rod and Tina (thank you so much). It was fantastic, and our whole experience there was just extraordinarily relaxing. We enjoyed the beach and the town. On the 6th we met with some of our family and enjoyed opening wedding gifts with everyone. On the 7th, we flew back "home" to Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, TX. We found our way to our temporary lodging (until we moved in to our apartment on the 10th) and collapsed.
October 8-9th: We got re-oriented to San Angelo and looked around for furniture, bought a mattress and did a variety of other little things on our to-do list. We stopped by our apartment complex and made sure we were all set to move in on the 10th. Afterwards, we drove by Lake Nasworthy and stopped so Erica could take pictures of three deer grazing on somebody's lawn. They were a little spooked by us! There are a lot of deer around here.
October 10th - 12th: We moved in and immedately set about getting all the things we needed. Trips to Target, Albertson's, and Big Lots were frequent. We got the necessities: soap, toilet paper, paper towels, bread, water, shower curtain etc... On the evening of the 10th, my dad arrived with a U-haul and Erica's car which he had driven/towed all the way from California for us. (Thanks Dad!) He even helped us pick up our mattress (since we had a u-haul). Then we had dinner and unloaded the truck full of all of Erica's things. On the 11th we had a nice breakfast and ate on the floor using a few boxes as a table. We ran around picking up furniture. A couch came first and then a beautiful dining room set that was a surprise house-warming gift from my parents. We also got a coffee table and TV stand from Target. Those couple days are a blur, really. It was nice to have Dad there to help us put things together and get organized. We got a lot done. On the 12th, TMO delivered all of the things they had been storing for me since August 4th and we re-started the whole unpacking process. Then I drove Dad to the Midland airport and he flew home.
Oct 13-16th: While I wait for my training class to start (don't know when yet) I'm on "casual status". This means I call in every morning and let them know I'm still alive and they let me know if they come up with some job they need me to do. A lot of people get casual jobs helping someone on the base do something. It's really just busy work, though you can learn something from some of the jobs. It's not like we have much to do otherwise. Except for me... We seemed to unpack for days on end. Finally, there were still boxes but nothing more that was worth unpacking until we had somewhere else to put it. (bookshelf, dresser drawers etc.) So, I kept calling in every morning and letting them know I was still here. Erica and I would organize the apartment and do admin/paperwork stuff all day. Finally, on Thursday, after being on casual status for a nice break, they called me and told me to report for a job in the security office on Friday morning. I went in and found out they didn't actually need me there, so they sent me somewhere else anyway. So, now I have a job about 8-4ish every weekday until my class starts, which is good.
Hopefully, that brings everyone up to speed about where we are. Today we're cleaning the apartment and preparing for a good USC game. Erica and I will keep updating our blog weekly now that we're in a more regular schedule. Until then, fight on!
P.S. We're going to publish a video of our apartment soon! It will be up as soon as we can figure out how to get it on the page!
September 25th-27th I left Maxwell AFB, in Montgomery, AL and headed for texas. I stopped in San Antonio for 2 days where my buddy Steve offered a home cooked meal and a bed. It was fantastic. Steve was headed to Colorado to start Initial Flight Screening for his course as a USAF aircraft navigator but we were able to catch up a little bit before he left and I headed for the rest of my drive (Texas is huge) to San Angelo, TX.
September 28th - October 2nd: I arrived at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, TX. I got myself a hotel room on base and reported in on Monday morning to a Captain who supervises all the trainees as they arrive. He handed me a packet of papers and administrative stuff to take care of. He asked me my name, date of birth, etc., and sent me off. I asked him for leave (ok, more like told him I would be taking leave to get married at the end of the week). I ran around base all week going to finance, personnel, housing, communications, the base library etc. By Wednesday I had leave authorization and on Friday I was mostly done running around base. I was completely in-processed and caught a flight from San Angelo-Dallas-Ontario, CA.
October 3rd -4th: Anyone reading this should know what was happening on October 3rd and 4th! On the 3rd we had a rehearsal at 11:00 and a nice lunch immediately afterward. Afterward I went and picked up my tux and before I knew it, it was bachelor party time. I rolled on over to Marc's house (Erica's brother) and he had a fantastic spread of scotch, beer and cigars along with some tasty snacks and pizza. We played some poker and smoked some cigars. It was a good night, surreal, but good. Meanwhile, Erica was across the street at her aunt angie's house watching "my big fat greek wedding" and I can only imagine the crying occurring attempting to watch that movie on the eve of your wedding. On the 4th, I woke up and made myself some breakfast, everything still feeling a bit surreal. I ran up to the grocery store and the ATM trying to find something to do to keep busy. I went and picked up Erica's luggage for her and packed her car up to drive off later that night. Before I knew it, it was time to head to the Mission Inn. Once there, I talked to our wonderful friends who were helping set up the ceremony and reception room with decorations. They had overcome some minor confusion from the hotel, but were busy at work. Then I bided my time in the "groom room" until it was photo time. After some photos it was nearly "that time". I talked to Marc a little bit and said hello to guests who were arriving before re-confirming that our rings were all set and in-place. (Thanks Joseph!) Then I headed, with Marc and Uncle Geoff, back to our hiding spot and waited for my cue. Erica's day was much different than mine and she'll have to tell you about it herself. I can't attempt to describe the rest of the wonderful day in words here. From where I stood, all I can say is the ceremony was beautiful. Thank you so much Uncle Geoff. The reception was wonderful and we hope everyone enjoyed themselves.
October 5th - 7th: We spent a few beautiful days in Laguna at the Surf and Sand resort, courtesy of Rod and Tina (thank you so much). It was fantastic, and our whole experience there was just extraordinarily relaxing. We enjoyed the beach and the town. On the 6th we met with some of our family and enjoyed opening wedding gifts with everyone. On the 7th, we flew back "home" to Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, TX. We found our way to our temporary lodging (until we moved in to our apartment on the 10th) and collapsed.
October 8-9th: We got re-oriented to San Angelo and looked around for furniture, bought a mattress and did a variety of other little things on our to-do list. We stopped by our apartment complex and made sure we were all set to move in on the 10th. Afterwards, we drove by Lake Nasworthy and stopped so Erica could take pictures of three deer grazing on somebody's lawn. They were a little spooked by us! There are a lot of deer around here.
October 10th - 12th: We moved in and immedately set about getting all the things we needed. Trips to Target, Albertson's, and Big Lots were frequent. We got the necessities: soap, toilet paper, paper towels, bread, water, shower curtain etc... On the evening of the 10th, my dad arrived with a U-haul and Erica's car which he had driven/towed all the way from California for us. (Thanks Dad!) He even helped us pick up our mattress (since we had a u-haul). Then we had dinner and unloaded the truck full of all of Erica's things. On the 11th we had a nice breakfast and ate on the floor using a few boxes as a table. We ran around picking up furniture. A couch came first and then a beautiful dining room set that was a surprise house-warming gift from my parents. We also got a coffee table and TV stand from Target. Those couple days are a blur, really. It was nice to have Dad there to help us put things together and get organized. We got a lot done. On the 12th, TMO delivered all of the things they had been storing for me since August 4th and we re-started the whole unpacking process. Then I drove Dad to the Midland airport and he flew home.
Oct 13-16th: While I wait for my training class to start (don't know when yet) I'm on "casual status". This means I call in every morning and let them know I'm still alive and they let me know if they come up with some job they need me to do. A lot of people get casual jobs helping someone on the base do something. It's really just busy work, though you can learn something from some of the jobs. It's not like we have much to do otherwise. Except for me... We seemed to unpack for days on end. Finally, there were still boxes but nothing more that was worth unpacking until we had somewhere else to put it. (bookshelf, dresser drawers etc.) So, I kept calling in every morning and letting them know I was still here. Erica and I would organize the apartment and do admin/paperwork stuff all day. Finally, on Thursday, after being on casual status for a nice break, they called me and told me to report for a job in the security office on Friday morning. I went in and found out they didn't actually need me there, so they sent me somewhere else anyway. So, now I have a job about 8-4ish every weekday until my class starts, which is good.
Hopefully, that brings everyone up to speed about where we are. Today we're cleaning the apartment and preparing for a good USC game. Erica and I will keep updating our blog weekly now that we're in a more regular schedule. Until then, fight on!
P.S. We're going to publish a video of our apartment soon! It will be up as soon as we can figure out how to get it on the page!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
what a week
As I promised in my last blog, I started this week off by going to see the doctor monday morning about the consistent but mild pain in my abdomen. He was unsure what was causing it. I had blood drawn that showed I had no immune response (meaning it probably wasn't infection, coupled with the fact that I had no fever) and a urine analysis that showed I had no unusual things there. Anyway, he sent me home with an ultrasound exam scheduled for wednesday and the promise that the likelihood that it was something major was very low. So, I had a few more briefings that day and along came tuesday.
Tuesday we had a fitness assessment. i did very well and my sides didn't bother me. I had a few more lessons on OIF and OEF.
Wednesday I gave a briefing on Power Projection in Central Asia and the Middle East which went well, then I went to Ultrasound exam, which was uneventful. They promised to have results in a few days. Then I spent the rest of the day running around the base in the rain completing a team obstacle thing... Then we had a guest speaker, a retired Air Force officer who was shot down over Hanoi during the vietnam war and was a Prisoner of War for the following six years. He talked about the methods they developed to communicate, the ways they scheduled their days to maintain routines etc. It's hard to capture the full intensity of his experiences.
Thursday we played some more Icarus, did some training in SERE (survival, evasion, resistance, escape). Then, the flight conducted a 2 hour aerospace wargaming simulation that we were graded on. We did well. I had to grab a few immunization shots that afternoon as well. I probably already had them, but good luck convincing the AF of that... Then we all went home to study for our huge test the next day...
Friday morning I woke up with intense chills, shivers and a 102+ temperature. I forced myself to miss the test and went to the doctor. She took about 4 minutes to declare me a victim of the flu, and sent me home with tylenol, mucinex and tameflu. I spent about 19 of those 24 hours asleep, and woke up feeling exponentially better on Saturday morning. Since then, I've been continue to rest and get ready for a busy week starting on monday. I still have a bit of a cough but no fever. So, now im studying and reviewing all over again to retake the test in the morning.
Just one more week!
Tuesday we had a fitness assessment. i did very well and my sides didn't bother me. I had a few more lessons on OIF and OEF.
Wednesday I gave a briefing on Power Projection in Central Asia and the Middle East which went well, then I went to Ultrasound exam, which was uneventful. They promised to have results in a few days. Then I spent the rest of the day running around the base in the rain completing a team obstacle thing... Then we had a guest speaker, a retired Air Force officer who was shot down over Hanoi during the vietnam war and was a Prisoner of War for the following six years. He talked about the methods they developed to communicate, the ways they scheduled their days to maintain routines etc. It's hard to capture the full intensity of his experiences.
Thursday we played some more Icarus, did some training in SERE (survival, evasion, resistance, escape). Then, the flight conducted a 2 hour aerospace wargaming simulation that we were graded on. We did well. I had to grab a few immunization shots that afternoon as well. I probably already had them, but good luck convincing the AF of that... Then we all went home to study for our huge test the next day...
Friday morning I woke up with intense chills, shivers and a 102+ temperature. I forced myself to miss the test and went to the doctor. She took about 4 minutes to declare me a victim of the flu, and sent me home with tylenol, mucinex and tameflu. I spent about 19 of those 24 hours asleep, and woke up feeling exponentially better on Saturday morning. Since then, I've been continue to rest and get ready for a busy week starting on monday. I still have a bit of a cough but no fever. So, now im studying and reviewing all over again to retake the test in the morning.
Just one more week!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
counting the days
So I've completed 4 weeks of ASBC and have just 2 weeks left. Last week held more academics along with a few more lessons in combatives. (The Air Force currently teaches the "Modern Army Combatives Program" but is in the process of tweaking their own "Air Force Combatives Program"). We also competed in several games of Icarus. Icarus is too complex to attempt to explain in words alone, without a color-coded diagram I wouldn't even attempt to explain it. The best I can do is to say that it is played on a grass field roughly the size of a tennis court and it resembles a game of dodgeball. However, the targets aren't really people, you are attempting to take out cones that represent different function and capabilities including comm nodes, bases, Air Operations Centers and SAM sites. Like I said, it probably doesnt make much sense based on that description alone. But then again, it doesn't make a lot more sense even after you play it. It's supposed to introduce us to some of the principles of aerial warfare and weaknesses of it's command and control links. It doesn't do a great job, but it does get us out of the classroom once in a while. We also work with some simulators in different scenarios, and those are better at introducing aerospace concepts.
Next week we have our exam. This exam constitutes 90+% of our academic grade for the course. So, lots of studying for that this week.
Erica and I have reserved our apartment in San Angelo, we now know even our unit/room number, which covered parking spaces are ours, and we're scheduled to move in on October 10th. So, we'll probably be able to have most of my things delivered on Monday the 12th. The Traffic Management Office manages military moves, and they have been storing my things for me in San Angelo until I arrive. As I said in one my recent posts... The pieces are coming together...
On another note, I managed to pull a muscle in my back. No, I wasn't doing pull-ups... I was sitting up out of a chair... Now I have a distinct ache and soreness around my shoulderblade. Icy Hot and Advil have become my best friends. Just did that yesterday, so hopefully it will fade in a few days and I'll just have to go easy on it. At the moment it's quite painful. I also have had a fairly persistent pain in my side for a few days, so im a bit of a wreck... and going to see medical in the morning.
I think that's about all I have to report. I'll post more when I have more worth posting!
Next week we have our exam. This exam constitutes 90+% of our academic grade for the course. So, lots of studying for that this week.
Erica and I have reserved our apartment in San Angelo, we now know even our unit/room number, which covered parking spaces are ours, and we're scheduled to move in on October 10th. So, we'll probably be able to have most of my things delivered on Monday the 12th. The Traffic Management Office manages military moves, and they have been storing my things for me in San Angelo until I arrive. As I said in one my recent posts... The pieces are coming together...
On another note, I managed to pull a muscle in my back. No, I wasn't doing pull-ups... I was sitting up out of a chair... Now I have a distinct ache and soreness around my shoulderblade. Icy Hot and Advil have become my best friends. Just did that yesterday, so hopefully it will fade in a few days and I'll just have to go easy on it. At the moment it's quite painful. I also have had a fairly persistent pain in my side for a few days, so im a bit of a wreck... and going to see medical in the morning.
I think that's about all I have to report. I'll post more when I have more worth posting!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
I have completed my third week here at ASBC. Now we have a long weekend.
This weekend was dense with academics. I won't list every lesson, but they ranged from more lessons on leadership to humanitarian operations, special operations, deployment processes and cyberspace operations.
It's nice to know im halfway through.
Erica and I have made a deposit on our future apartment in San Angelo, TX. We were able to take advantage of an opening at a complex that she really liked, so it's nice to know that that is on it's way to being taken care of. The pieces are falling in to place one at a time...
I'm not sure what else to update on... My days start at about 6:00 and end at about 4:30. After that I read for the next day and scrounge up dinner... not too much to say.
I'll write more when I have more :-)
Eric
This weekend was dense with academics. I won't list every lesson, but they ranged from more lessons on leadership to humanitarian operations, special operations, deployment processes and cyberspace operations.
It's nice to know im halfway through.
Erica and I have made a deposit on our future apartment in San Angelo, TX. We were able to take advantage of an opening at a complex that she really liked, so it's nice to know that that is on it's way to being taken care of. The pieces are falling in to place one at a time...
I'm not sure what else to update on... My days start at about 6:00 and end at about 4:30. After that I read for the next day and scrounge up dinner... not too much to say.
I'll write more when I have more :-)
Eric
Saturday, September 5, 2009
My mailing address currently is:
2Lt. Eric Buchiarelli
550 E. Maxwell Blvd.
Box 1745 ASBC Class 09E2
Maxwell, AFB, AL 36112-1745
Feel free to send me mail here. I don't check it every day, but I will try to check it a few times a week. However, this is a temporary mailing address so please do not send anything after September 17th. It will be someone else's box!
More later
Love,
Eric
2Lt. Eric Buchiarelli
550 E. Maxwell Blvd.
Box 1745 ASBC Class 09E2
Maxwell, AFB, AL 36112-1745
Feel free to send me mail here. I don't check it every day, but I will try to check it a few times a week. However, this is a temporary mailing address so please do not send anything after September 17th. It will be someone else's box!
More later
Love,
Eric
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Working with NCO's
So, I had intended to update more frequently, but the internet in my room (and my room alone, of course) hasn't worked most of the week. I finally got it to correct itself today.
This week we had what the staff calls "Combined Operations". The 350 2nd Lt's in my class along with the 270 2nd Lt's in the class before us grouped up with Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO's) that were completing the Air Forces SNCO Academy. In general, SNCO's that attend this school are among the sharpest NCO's in the Air Force, along with a few cross-servise students and international students. We worked in flights of 14, with about 10 2ndLt's and 4 SNCO's to a flight. Thus far, this week has been the most beneficial experience ive had.
For anyone unfamiliar with Military organization or rank structure let me set the setting here... These SNCO's have been in the Air Force for roughly 20 years in most cases, and a few have sons or daughters not much younger than me. However, my rank and position as a Lt. and an officer dictates that I outrank every one of them. Despite this, it is common knowledge and advice that a 2nd Lt. needs to find an NCO or SNCO early on at their new base. That NCO will train them and guide them.
I worked with an Air Force Senior Master Sergeant (E-8) from the maintenance career field. An E-7 from the Air National Guard, two E-7's from the medical career field, one of which is a reservist. I also worked with an E-7 who worked in Combat Communications. Every E-7 in my group is expecting to become an E-8 within a year. One of them had 9 deployments, and all had at least a few deployments. We had discussions and lessons with them on: values, Enlisted Performance Reports (EPR's), EPR bullets, leadership and counseling, enlisted heritage, enforcing standards and general perspective exchange. They taught us how to write EPR's. They made us role play, Lt's acting as counselors/mentors and NCO's coming up with problems or issues we may have to counsel others on: pregnancy, rule infractions, rule infractions in a deployed environment, financial trouble, domestic abuse, sexual harassment/assault. Very valuable. We PT's with them and talked with them over lunch. It was very valuable.
In one of my previous posts I mentioned how the NCO's I had encountered were professionals and experts. That sense has only been extended. I don't have the experience to personally back up this quote that follows, but im quoting it directly from the mouth of a Lt. Colonel who spoke the other day: "I would put the U.S. Air Forces enlisted force up against the Officer Corps of almost any other nation's military".
Now, however, the real academics start. I have 120+ pages of reading this weekend for next weeks lessons, and I suppose I should get to that.
This week we had what the staff calls "Combined Operations". The 350 2nd Lt's in my class along with the 270 2nd Lt's in the class before us grouped up with Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO's) that were completing the Air Forces SNCO Academy. In general, SNCO's that attend this school are among the sharpest NCO's in the Air Force, along with a few cross-servise students and international students. We worked in flights of 14, with about 10 2ndLt's and 4 SNCO's to a flight. Thus far, this week has been the most beneficial experience ive had.
For anyone unfamiliar with Military organization or rank structure let me set the setting here... These SNCO's have been in the Air Force for roughly 20 years in most cases, and a few have sons or daughters not much younger than me. However, my rank and position as a Lt. and an officer dictates that I outrank every one of them. Despite this, it is common knowledge and advice that a 2nd Lt. needs to find an NCO or SNCO early on at their new base. That NCO will train them and guide them.
I worked with an Air Force Senior Master Sergeant (E-8) from the maintenance career field. An E-7 from the Air National Guard, two E-7's from the medical career field, one of which is a reservist. I also worked with an E-7 who worked in Combat Communications. Every E-7 in my group is expecting to become an E-8 within a year. One of them had 9 deployments, and all had at least a few deployments. We had discussions and lessons with them on: values, Enlisted Performance Reports (EPR's), EPR bullets, leadership and counseling, enlisted heritage, enforcing standards and general perspective exchange. They taught us how to write EPR's. They made us role play, Lt's acting as counselors/mentors and NCO's coming up with problems or issues we may have to counsel others on: pregnancy, rule infractions, rule infractions in a deployed environment, financial trouble, domestic abuse, sexual harassment/assault. Very valuable. We PT's with them and talked with them over lunch. It was very valuable.
In one of my previous posts I mentioned how the NCO's I had encountered were professionals and experts. That sense has only been extended. I don't have the experience to personally back up this quote that follows, but im quoting it directly from the mouth of a Lt. Colonel who spoke the other day: "I would put the U.S. Air Forces enlisted force up against the Officer Corps of almost any other nation's military".
Now, however, the real academics start. I have 120+ pages of reading this weekend for next weeks lessons, and I suppose I should get to that.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Hello all, im back.
So, I surived my 1 week of simulated deployment out in the sand. The name of the site is "blue thunder" so if I use that term im referring to the deployment training location.
We had mostly fairly good weather. temperatures only in the low 90's, and humidity wasn't as bad until the end of the week. This week we were sent through training in:
M4 rifle familiarization, halting, searching and detaining personnel, how to report on suspicious activity, perform vehicle searches, man or control ECP's (entry control points/base entry gates), constructing and finding good DFP's (Defensive fighting positions/cover and concealment), CBRN(chem, bio, radio, nuclear) training, gas training, MOPP (Measure of Personal Protection/big heavy suits to keep your skin from being affected by biological weapons), IED's (improvised explosive devices), UXO's (unexploded ordinance), troop leading, small unit tactics, land navigation, Self-aid and buddy care (battlefield first aid: tourniquets, splints, fractures, carries, arterial bleeding, head trauma, maintaining breathing etc...).
All of these things are part of a continuing effort to ensure the USAF moves towards its new goal of AEF "Air Expeditionary Forces" skills. USAF personnel are continually being called on to perform army duties that the army simply does not have the personnel to support. We used to call these "ILO's" or In lieu of duties. That's really what they are, getting personnel from other branches to perform duties in lieu of the army personnel that should do it, because they don't have enough people. However, somewhere along the line someone decided that ILO didn't sound so great. Now, they call them JET taskings (Joint Expeditionary Taskings (yes, technically saying "JET taskings" is like saying joint expeditionary taskings taskings but thats what everyone calls them)). JET taskings, decidedly, sounds much more... joint, a team effort, instead of "filling in".
So, last week i lived in a tent with 13 other people. I had my own cot and about 6 square feet of floor space to store all my things. Not bad, especially for a week, but it does get old quick. If I had to be out there for too long I would start chopping down my own trees and building my own hut in my free time, or at least a hut so a few of my "closest friends" could move out.
Anyway, I did a lot of rolling around in the sand, water, mud and grass (read: ant hills) out there and its nice to be back in my own room.
Below i'll write in more detail about what we did out there for lessons and what I did each day, if you're interested in such excruciating detail, read on. Otherwise, see you next time.
Monday:
Monday was the first "real" day of ASBC. So I suppose that in some ways it was my first day in the "real" air force. Though, i believe that as long as im under AETC (Air education and training command) where the usaf does all of its teaching and training, largely of rotc, ots, academy and junior Lt's... I won't quite be in the real AF.
Monday began at 0545 when I woke up. The first meeting of the day was at 0645. A series of introductions, meetings, and meetings about introductions ensued until about 2:00. Most of these briefings cover things like safety, alcohol abuse, the buddy system, sexual harassment, sexual assault, chaplain services, etc. All very important, but also covered seemingsly monthly. Sometimes the AF puts the "du(h)" in reDUndant.
by 3:30 the entire ASBC class (some 350 lt's) had packed up 5 days worth of field gear into a dufel bag and met at a deployment line. We were then issued a second duffel bag with a poncho, conteen, sleeping bag, kevlar vest, kevlar helmet and M4 rifle. But not a real rifle... this one needs to be taken apart and cleaned regularly (they told us) despite the fact that it does not fire. We field stripped them regularly and cleaned them. Conspicuously missing was the firing pin. Then, we marched about a mile or so with allour gear to blue thunder, a tent city. once here we ate MRE's then got briefed on the basics of operating our fake M4's.
That was about it. the day ended at about 8:00... lots of free time.
Tuesday:
Woke up at 0600 this morning to the sound of reveille... still makes my heart skip a beat and my adrenaline rockets. Still makes me jump straight up... it was what woke me up every day of Field training a full 2 years ago now. after breakfast (grits and sausage...) we geared up and headed down for a full day of instruction on Integrated Base Defense. Much of the course was taught by Technical Sergeant Kearney. Someone with considerable experience as a deployed security forces NCO. Significantly, this is the first time the Air Force has allowed enlisted personnel to "officially" instruct even the most junior officers. It's about time. The NCO's we encountered during the past week were experts in their fields, and had several expeditionary deployments under their belts. They are pro's and expert's. In the Marine Corps, all new Lt's go to a 6 month training course called the basic course where a squad of new Lt's is run/mentored/molded by a senior NCO. I think they're doing it right. Anyway, TSgt Kearney, SSgt Torres and TSgt Hobbes gave us a full day of instruction on Integrated Base Defense including handling personnel, searching, vehicle searching, entry control points etc... We were dont be 4:30 with no where to go... boredom set in by 6:00 after a shower and dinner. to escape boredom, we threw pebbles at small metal signs that marked the tents, or we played poker and used rocks and chips. I often read, but burned through my 1 book by the second day.
Wednesday
Today we had CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and Nuclear) training. though it sounds foreboding, or intense, it turned into one of our easier days. we bussed to a building back on the main base. the building must have been air conditioned to at least 75 degrees, which felt heavenly. Like sticking your head into the freezer when its 110 outside. we got to take off our kevlar, and even our outer camouflage jackets.
We were in this room from 8:00 to about 1:00... lots of power point. we got briefed on chem, bio, nerve agents, radiation, MOPP levels, fallout, contamination, decontamination, detection, gas masks, IED's, UXO's etc...
After breaking for an MRE lunch we were bussed to a lonely little building out in a field. Yup, a gas chamber. So we got into groups and entered the chamber, where we did jumping jacks to accelerate our heart rate and breathing. Then, we removed our masks and enjoyed the full spectrum of sensations that C.S. gas gives... a little burning, little watering of the eyes... it fades quickly as long as you don't rub it and don't put water on it.
After that we had another lesson back at blue thunder on troop leading. Again we were done by 4:30 and we were left to twittle our thumbs for 4 or 5 hours.
Thursday:
Thursday we were instructed on small unit tactics and land navigation. Again, taught by TSgt Jones, an expert and a pro. He has experience from several deployments, including deploying on a JET tasking (see: ILO duty) with the Army Rangers as an augmentee. (He wouldn't tell us that, he's modest and shy, he also wouldn't tell us that he turned down a purple heart that he had earned, but word gets around). This was definitely our dirtiest day. it poured. it thundered. Then, we walked around in it. Then we rolled around in it. We low crawled through the mud that used to be sand. We lay prone in the swampy grassy fields setting up fields of fire. I found an angry ant pile and decided that was where I wanted to lay... only a few bites. Once we were thoroughly wet and dirty, we walked around doing land navigation. It was a good day, and I took more than my fair share of the hot water that night.
Friday:
Self-aid and buddy care. Combat medicine, battlefield care, whatever you want to call it. Again, taught by TSgt Linde and SSgt Nored, both with several deployments as field medics. This was by far the best class I had ever had on this subject, though I had similar classes twice before. They covered a lot:
burns, arterial bleeding, interior/exterior fractures, eviscerated abdomens, facial trauma, head trauma, neck/back injury, chest wounds, sucking chest wounds, breathing, dragging, supporting the head, carrying, splinting, medicating, feeding, tourniquets.... then we did it. we broke out the supplies and bandaged eachother up like mummies. We provided care to simulated injuries under "simulated stress" and carried our patients back to safety. It was a good class.
Once done, we cleaned up our tents/camp and headed home... still in the rain. we turned in our M4's and kevlar and walked back to the dorms where I immediately started laundry to rid myself of my stink and took a shower. I don't remember what time I fell asleep, but without fail my body woke itself up at 0600... because thats what ive been doing for a week now.
Anyway, that was my week. Not sure what im doing this weekend.
So, I surived my 1 week of simulated deployment out in the sand. The name of the site is "blue thunder" so if I use that term im referring to the deployment training location.
We had mostly fairly good weather. temperatures only in the low 90's, and humidity wasn't as bad until the end of the week. This week we were sent through training in:
M4 rifle familiarization, halting, searching and detaining personnel, how to report on suspicious activity, perform vehicle searches, man or control ECP's (entry control points/base entry gates), constructing and finding good DFP's (Defensive fighting positions/cover and concealment), CBRN(chem, bio, radio, nuclear) training, gas training, MOPP (Measure of Personal Protection/big heavy suits to keep your skin from being affected by biological weapons), IED's (improvised explosive devices), UXO's (unexploded ordinance), troop leading, small unit tactics, land navigation, Self-aid and buddy care (battlefield first aid: tourniquets, splints, fractures, carries, arterial bleeding, head trauma, maintaining breathing etc...).
All of these things are part of a continuing effort to ensure the USAF moves towards its new goal of AEF "Air Expeditionary Forces" skills. USAF personnel are continually being called on to perform army duties that the army simply does not have the personnel to support. We used to call these "ILO's" or In lieu of duties. That's really what they are, getting personnel from other branches to perform duties in lieu of the army personnel that should do it, because they don't have enough people. However, somewhere along the line someone decided that ILO didn't sound so great. Now, they call them JET taskings (Joint Expeditionary Taskings (yes, technically saying "JET taskings" is like saying joint expeditionary taskings taskings but thats what everyone calls them)). JET taskings, decidedly, sounds much more... joint, a team effort, instead of "filling in".
So, last week i lived in a tent with 13 other people. I had my own cot and about 6 square feet of floor space to store all my things. Not bad, especially for a week, but it does get old quick. If I had to be out there for too long I would start chopping down my own trees and building my own hut in my free time, or at least a hut so a few of my "closest friends" could move out.
Anyway, I did a lot of rolling around in the sand, water, mud and grass (read: ant hills) out there and its nice to be back in my own room.
Below i'll write in more detail about what we did out there for lessons and what I did each day, if you're interested in such excruciating detail, read on. Otherwise, see you next time.
Monday:
Monday was the first "real" day of ASBC. So I suppose that in some ways it was my first day in the "real" air force. Though, i believe that as long as im under AETC (Air education and training command) where the usaf does all of its teaching and training, largely of rotc, ots, academy and junior Lt's... I won't quite be in the real AF.
Monday began at 0545 when I woke up. The first meeting of the day was at 0645. A series of introductions, meetings, and meetings about introductions ensued until about 2:00. Most of these briefings cover things like safety, alcohol abuse, the buddy system, sexual harassment, sexual assault, chaplain services, etc. All very important, but also covered seemingsly monthly. Sometimes the AF puts the "du(h)" in reDUndant.
by 3:30 the entire ASBC class (some 350 lt's) had packed up 5 days worth of field gear into a dufel bag and met at a deployment line. We were then issued a second duffel bag with a poncho, conteen, sleeping bag, kevlar vest, kevlar helmet and M4 rifle. But not a real rifle... this one needs to be taken apart and cleaned regularly (they told us) despite the fact that it does not fire. We field stripped them regularly and cleaned them. Conspicuously missing was the firing pin. Then, we marched about a mile or so with allour gear to blue thunder, a tent city. once here we ate MRE's then got briefed on the basics of operating our fake M4's.
That was about it. the day ended at about 8:00... lots of free time.
Tuesday:
Woke up at 0600 this morning to the sound of reveille... still makes my heart skip a beat and my adrenaline rockets. Still makes me jump straight up... it was what woke me up every day of Field training a full 2 years ago now. after breakfast (grits and sausage...) we geared up and headed down for a full day of instruction on Integrated Base Defense. Much of the course was taught by Technical Sergeant Kearney. Someone with considerable experience as a deployed security forces NCO. Significantly, this is the first time the Air Force has allowed enlisted personnel to "officially" instruct even the most junior officers. It's about time. The NCO's we encountered during the past week were experts in their fields, and had several expeditionary deployments under their belts. They are pro's and expert's. In the Marine Corps, all new Lt's go to a 6 month training course called the basic course where a squad of new Lt's is run/mentored/molded by a senior NCO. I think they're doing it right. Anyway, TSgt Kearney, SSgt Torres and TSgt Hobbes gave us a full day of instruction on Integrated Base Defense including handling personnel, searching, vehicle searching, entry control points etc... We were dont be 4:30 with no where to go... boredom set in by 6:00 after a shower and dinner. to escape boredom, we threw pebbles at small metal signs that marked the tents, or we played poker and used rocks and chips. I often read, but burned through my 1 book by the second day.
Wednesday
Today we had CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and Nuclear) training. though it sounds foreboding, or intense, it turned into one of our easier days. we bussed to a building back on the main base. the building must have been air conditioned to at least 75 degrees, which felt heavenly. Like sticking your head into the freezer when its 110 outside. we got to take off our kevlar, and even our outer camouflage jackets.
We were in this room from 8:00 to about 1:00... lots of power point. we got briefed on chem, bio, nerve agents, radiation, MOPP levels, fallout, contamination, decontamination, detection, gas masks, IED's, UXO's etc...
After breaking for an MRE lunch we were bussed to a lonely little building out in a field. Yup, a gas chamber. So we got into groups and entered the chamber, where we did jumping jacks to accelerate our heart rate and breathing. Then, we removed our masks and enjoyed the full spectrum of sensations that C.S. gas gives... a little burning, little watering of the eyes... it fades quickly as long as you don't rub it and don't put water on it.
After that we had another lesson back at blue thunder on troop leading. Again we were done by 4:30 and we were left to twittle our thumbs for 4 or 5 hours.
Thursday:
Thursday we were instructed on small unit tactics and land navigation. Again, taught by TSgt Jones, an expert and a pro. He has experience from several deployments, including deploying on a JET tasking (see: ILO duty) with the Army Rangers as an augmentee. (He wouldn't tell us that, he's modest and shy, he also wouldn't tell us that he turned down a purple heart that he had earned, but word gets around). This was definitely our dirtiest day. it poured. it thundered. Then, we walked around in it. Then we rolled around in it. We low crawled through the mud that used to be sand. We lay prone in the swampy grassy fields setting up fields of fire. I found an angry ant pile and decided that was where I wanted to lay... only a few bites. Once we were thoroughly wet and dirty, we walked around doing land navigation. It was a good day, and I took more than my fair share of the hot water that night.
Friday:
Self-aid and buddy care. Combat medicine, battlefield care, whatever you want to call it. Again, taught by TSgt Linde and SSgt Nored, both with several deployments as field medics. This was by far the best class I had ever had on this subject, though I had similar classes twice before. They covered a lot:
burns, arterial bleeding, interior/exterior fractures, eviscerated abdomens, facial trauma, head trauma, neck/back injury, chest wounds, sucking chest wounds, breathing, dragging, supporting the head, carrying, splinting, medicating, feeding, tourniquets.... then we did it. we broke out the supplies and bandaged eachother up like mummies. We provided care to simulated injuries under "simulated stress" and carried our patients back to safety. It was a good class.
Once done, we cleaned up our tents/camp and headed home... still in the rain. we turned in our M4's and kevlar and walked back to the dorms where I immediately started laundry to rid myself of my stink and took a shower. I don't remember what time I fell asleep, but without fail my body woke itself up at 0600... because thats what ive been doing for a week now.
Anyway, that was my week. Not sure what im doing this weekend.
Friday, August 14, 2009
My Big Debut
Hello all. I start this blog to keep family and friends up to date on where I (soon, we) am on my travels and what we're up to.
I start this blog from Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL. I arrived here August 12th and have spent the last few days settling in to my "billeting", which closely resembles a college dorm room, complete with 1 bed that is entirely too large, a desk, sink, small closet, mini fridge, microwave and a shared bathroom. However, it will do for the next 6 weeks.
Thus far I haven't done much except in-process at medical, finance (gotta get paid!), personnel and do a few other admin type things.
To get to Montgomery, Erica and I left on August 7th at 0700 and drove to Tucson, AZ. In Tucson we met up with Tony, Erica's cousin who was in the area for a temporary internship-type duty with Mil. Intelligence. before he returns to West Point. The following day we marathon-drove (11 hours or so) to San Angelo, TX. In San Angelo (our future hometown from about Oct 09 - May 2010) we scouted out the mall, prospective apartments, the base, the restaurants and such. We were in San Angelo until the 12th when Erica flew home and I continued on to near Shrievport, LA. The following day I drove the rest of the way to Maxwell AFB.
Next week I will be out at a simulated deployment location, so don't anticipate another posting until at least next Friday. As for this weekend... nothing is on the schedule so I'll be looking for ways to keep myself entertained.
That's all for now, I'll post again in a bit.
I start this blog from Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL. I arrived here August 12th and have spent the last few days settling in to my "billeting", which closely resembles a college dorm room, complete with 1 bed that is entirely too large, a desk, sink, small closet, mini fridge, microwave and a shared bathroom. However, it will do for the next 6 weeks.
Thus far I haven't done much except in-process at medical, finance (gotta get paid!), personnel and do a few other admin type things.
To get to Montgomery, Erica and I left on August 7th at 0700 and drove to Tucson, AZ. In Tucson we met up with Tony, Erica's cousin who was in the area for a temporary internship-type duty with Mil. Intelligence. before he returns to West Point. The following day we marathon-drove (11 hours or so) to San Angelo, TX. In San Angelo (our future hometown from about Oct 09 - May 2010) we scouted out the mall, prospective apartments, the base, the restaurants and such. We were in San Angelo until the 12th when Erica flew home and I continued on to near Shrievport, LA. The following day I drove the rest of the way to Maxwell AFB.
Next week I will be out at a simulated deployment location, so don't anticipate another posting until at least next Friday. As for this weekend... nothing is on the schedule so I'll be looking for ways to keep myself entertained.
That's all for now, I'll post again in a bit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
