"Those evil natured robots. They're programmed to destroy us!"
Updating this, at times, seems like a chore I'd rather ignore than just get done. To clarify I do so hate those of you that post "well not much is going on but I posted anyways." Sorry, but I feel if you have nothing to say...well, then don't.
As for myself I do have a few things to update about.
First we'll do some small talk about my day.
I was awakened by the ever annoying combination of my cell phone ringing and my alarm clock going off. The phone call was one of my employees informing me that another had not shown up to lifeguard our early morning adult swims. These are the types of phone calls I field a couple times a day. If not about an employee its some form of other exaggerated crisis. You can now regularly catch me answering my phone, when I know it is the pool, with the line "Is the water on fire?" Because unless it is I really don't want to know about whatever is going on. Handle it.
I did eventually make my way to the pool around 10:30ish to read over the reports and hear the stories of this past weekends events. Weather is hurting our attendance this past week and half or so. I missed this weekend because I was at drill.
Drill was surprisingly good, albeit long. We got there Thursday evening and hit the ground running. There seems to be a lack of stupidity in the unit these days. They seem to understand their purpose in the total force of the military and are attempting to accomplish it. We mustered and drew weapons, tents and chow almost back to back. There was only about an hour lull between all of that and the buses arriving to take us to Camp Atterbury.
Once on deck there we set up tents and promptly "racked out". Around 0500 we got up and shortly thereafter we started classes on land navigation. The whole day was devoted to sending Marines out in 4 man teams to find large, wooden post with numbers on them. In short we will never navigate our way across the frozen tundras of the north...but we might be able to make it from one Taco Bell to another. It really was a pitiful show of knowledge that we use so little of. And the night land navigation course was no better for us. Out of 8 objectives for both day and night my team found 3. And we were one of the better groups.
Saturday was spent practicing something my platoon, a crew served Weapons Platoon, does not get to do very often, patrolling. We got a little guidance from the top, but for the most part were left on our own to make up SOPs for our squad. After receiving warning orders, conducting initial inspections, rehearsals, and final inspections we set out for a day time patrol to an objective. For nearly 5 and half hours we made our way to a notional "enemy resupply point". All the while avoiding, attacking, or calling in close air support, artillery, or mortars on said enemy. The patrols were conducted at a squad level. Each squad had a different mission. And each squad was told that any encounters with other Marines were to be treated like contact with the enemy. In short we accomplished the mission and managed to call in mortars on...wait for it...the MORTAR SECTION of our Weapons Platoon!
Later that night we did a 3 hour security patrol which was much less interesting and much slower going because it was dark...and the brush we were patrolling was very thick.
High lights of the weekend were provided at the expense of daveamongus .At any given point you could hear my voice radomly calling "Where is Klecha!" or "I think we left Klecha at the drill center!" or "Klecha is UA! I called him and he said he isn't coming!"
Oh! The hilarity that is my sense of humor.
In other Marine Corps news we got a new platoon commander who informed us of VERY good news. Kilo Company will not be deploying to Iraq next year! Nor will the whole company be deploying in 2007;only select NCO's will be sent to assist in training Iraqi forces.
I get out in June of 2007. Considering I am machine gunner it might be quite plausible that my training would be something they would consider deploying for that mission. But lets not take a shot before we open the bottle. That is a loooong time off.
So now the question that begs answering is; NOW WHAT!
Only knowing the information I just unloaded for about 48 hours now I've been racking my brain housing group for the answer.
Recently I was told of an opportunity to work as an EMT on oil rigs off the Louisiana coast. The money is...well it's spectacular...and I know people who have worked for them before. There seems to be little doubt that it is a good experience for all involved.
I also have contemplated (thats thinking really hard for those of you at playing at home) trying school...yet again. I know my track record is not the best, mostly because I have a really bad case of Life ADD.
Life ADD, for those of you who are not familiar, goes something like this. You live in one place for only about 6 months at at time. You then feel an unexplainable need to move. Oh look Batman is on TV! And you change what you want to be when you grow up every 3 or 4 days. WOW! A bird just flew by. Then you find yourself reading 3 books at the same time. Then one night you have a dream Johnny Cash, Chapter 3 from '7 Habits of Highly Effective People', and Dr. Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain are all sharing a beer at the local AmVets with your dad. Wow I'm hungry. That my friend is Life ADD!
The other option is sticking around, taking a few classes at Ivy Tech and going back to *shudder* Rural/Metro part time and continuing on at Pendleton.
Hmmm...more options always seem to come to me. We'll see what pops up.
OH CRAP! I almost forgot!
I set out to run 3 miles earlier today. Around mile 2 I decided I felt pretty good so I changed the route I usually run. Running and clearing my mind of excess daily crap I actually got in an extra 2 miles! 5 miles is unheard of, since early last year, for me! And best of all I did the entire thing at a 6 minute pace!
New mission, should you readers choose to accept it. Ask me, when you see me, if I've run today. I want to start doing it at least 3 times a week. I've been entirely too sporadic about doing it and really fell off the "health" wagon these past 8 months or so.
And very lastly....promise I'm almost done.
I will soon be creating, distributing, reviewing applications for my date to the upcoming (November 10th) Marine Corps Birthday Ball! This year we'll turn 230 years old!
Til next time: Stand-by to Stand-by.
As for myself I do have a few things to update about.
First we'll do some small talk about my day.
I was awakened by the ever annoying combination of my cell phone ringing and my alarm clock going off. The phone call was one of my employees informing me that another had not shown up to lifeguard our early morning adult swims. These are the types of phone calls I field a couple times a day. If not about an employee its some form of other exaggerated crisis. You can now regularly catch me answering my phone, when I know it is the pool, with the line "Is the water on fire?" Because unless it is I really don't want to know about whatever is going on. Handle it.
I did eventually make my way to the pool around 10:30ish to read over the reports and hear the stories of this past weekends events. Weather is hurting our attendance this past week and half or so. I missed this weekend because I was at drill.
Drill was surprisingly good, albeit long. We got there Thursday evening and hit the ground running. There seems to be a lack of stupidity in the unit these days. They seem to understand their purpose in the total force of the military and are attempting to accomplish it. We mustered and drew weapons, tents and chow almost back to back. There was only about an hour lull between all of that and the buses arriving to take us to Camp Atterbury.
Once on deck there we set up tents and promptly "racked out". Around 0500 we got up and shortly thereafter we started classes on land navigation. The whole day was devoted to sending Marines out in 4 man teams to find large, wooden post with numbers on them. In short we will never navigate our way across the frozen tundras of the north...but we might be able to make it from one Taco Bell to another. It really was a pitiful show of knowledge that we use so little of. And the night land navigation course was no better for us. Out of 8 objectives for both day and night my team found 3. And we were one of the better groups.
Saturday was spent practicing something my platoon, a crew served Weapons Platoon, does not get to do very often, patrolling. We got a little guidance from the top, but for the most part were left on our own to make up SOPs for our squad. After receiving warning orders, conducting initial inspections, rehearsals, and final inspections we set out for a day time patrol to an objective. For nearly 5 and half hours we made our way to a notional "enemy resupply point". All the while avoiding, attacking, or calling in close air support, artillery, or mortars on said enemy. The patrols were conducted at a squad level. Each squad had a different mission. And each squad was told that any encounters with other Marines were to be treated like contact with the enemy. In short we accomplished the mission and managed to call in mortars on...wait for it...the MORTAR SECTION of our Weapons Platoon!
Later that night we did a 3 hour security patrol which was much less interesting and much slower going because it was dark...and the brush we were patrolling was very thick.
High lights of the weekend were provided at the expense of daveamongus .At any given point you could hear my voice radomly calling "Where is Klecha!" or "I think we left Klecha at the drill center!" or "Klecha is UA! I called him and he said he isn't coming!"
Oh! The hilarity that is my sense of humor.
In other Marine Corps news we got a new platoon commander who informed us of VERY good news. Kilo Company will not be deploying to Iraq next year! Nor will the whole company be deploying in 2007;only select NCO's will be sent to assist in training Iraqi forces.
I get out in June of 2007. Considering I am machine gunner it might be quite plausible that my training would be something they would consider deploying for that mission. But lets not take a shot before we open the bottle. That is a loooong time off.
So now the question that begs answering is; NOW WHAT!
Only knowing the information I just unloaded for about 48 hours now I've been racking my brain housing group for the answer.
Recently I was told of an opportunity to work as an EMT on oil rigs off the Louisiana coast. The money is...well it's spectacular...and I know people who have worked for them before. There seems to be little doubt that it is a good experience for all involved.
I also have contemplated (thats thinking really hard for those of you at playing at home) trying school...yet again. I know my track record is not the best, mostly because I have a really bad case of Life ADD.
Life ADD, for those of you who are not familiar, goes something like this. You live in one place for only about 6 months at at time. You then feel an unexplainable need to move. Oh look Batman is on TV! And you change what you want to be when you grow up every 3 or 4 days. WOW! A bird just flew by. Then you find yourself reading 3 books at the same time. Then one night you have a dream Johnny Cash, Chapter 3 from '7 Habits of Highly Effective People', and Dr. Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain are all sharing a beer at the local AmVets with your dad. Wow I'm hungry. That my friend is Life ADD!
The other option is sticking around, taking a few classes at Ivy Tech and going back to *shudder* Rural/Metro part time and continuing on at Pendleton.
Hmmm...more options always seem to come to me. We'll see what pops up.
OH CRAP! I almost forgot!
I set out to run 3 miles earlier today. Around mile 2 I decided I felt pretty good so I changed the route I usually run. Running and clearing my mind of excess daily crap I actually got in an extra 2 miles! 5 miles is unheard of, since early last year, for me! And best of all I did the entire thing at a 6 minute pace!
New mission, should you readers choose to accept it. Ask me, when you see me, if I've run today. I want to start doing it at least 3 times a week. I've been entirely too sporadic about doing it and really fell off the "health" wagon these past 8 months or so.
And very lastly....promise I'm almost done.
I will soon be creating, distributing, reviewing applications for my date to the upcoming (November 10th) Marine Corps Birthday Ball! This year we'll turn 230 years old!
Til next time: Stand-by to Stand-by.