I got up early this morning to go get issued another set of body armor. I was issued a set at Ft. Hood but the set I received today is designed to be dropped in the event of a fire. There is a rip cord that you can pull if you become trapped in a vehicle on fire. When you pull the cord the armor falls to the floor and you can step out of it. This new armor covers my whole trunk and sides. We are supposed to get deltoid armor to cover the tops of the arms but it [View Full Entry]

---

---

I had training all day today. It is mostly classified so I cannot share what I learned about. I did learn that the Army has created a task force called Combined Explosive Exploitation Cell (CEXE). The acronym is pronounced SEXY. I don't know who they put in charge naming that - probably a bunch of undersexed soldiers. CEXE is the CSI of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices or Roadside Bombs). They will go to a bomb scene after soldiers have been attacked and do forensic research to look for clues as to the bombs origination. They are collecting great evidence and are [View Full Entry]

---

---

Had a slower day today. I had to attend a class on an Army computer system today. It was a 4 hour block but the computers were not working well so we spent most of the class attempting to log on to the system. It was really a waste of the afternoon. Mark and I worked out for a couple of hours today. I feel really good now that I have had time to work out. When I came back to the tent I spent a few hours drawing. I am trying to get back into it - the guys think [View Full Entry]

---

---

Laundry day. I took my clothes to the laundry trailer today. The laundry is run by the Indians too. They first weigh your laundry in kilograms then ask you to dump it out. They thouroughly check your pockets for cash and ammunition; then inventory it. They list the size and type of every item and write it up as if you were at a real dry cleaner. It will be ready in three days - better than the turn around at my home dry cleaner. Hopefully it will smell better. This evening we went to an outdoor concert at the Camp [View Full Entry]

---

---

We went postal today. I bought some trinkets for the girls and mailed them today. We have a little post office here on the FOB (Forward Operating Base). It seems that no matter where you go - postal employees are still turse and unhelpful. You would think that for 100,000 dollars a year they could muster a smile. I worked out until late with Mark. We have been working out to pass the time as there is little else to do. I find that it gets me worn out enought to sleep. After working out we went to the Green Bean [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today we woke up at 1:30 AM to go to the firing range. We had to test fire our weapons to ensure that they work. We drove about an hour into the middle of the desert to get away from any civilization. I say bedowins with 2 herds of sheep. I also saw my first camels. There were two of them several hundred yards off in the distance. I fired my weapon as did 400 of my closest friends. It sounded like a huge fire fight. We arrived back at camp in enough time for breakfast. I decided to take a [View Full Entry]

---

---

Little to do today. Mark and I walked to the front gate of post to take pictures of the Camp sign. It is about a mile and a half to the sign from our tent. The sun was not too high as we began our trek. When we arived some of the workers were polishing the brass letters. The took pictures of us standing be the sign. We gawked for a while and began to hike back - y then the sun was higher and the temperature had risen considerably. It was supposed to be 104 today but the sand and [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today we had our first classes. We learned about Force Protection and IEDs. Our first trainer was from the Navy. He was a knowledgeable guy but a little rough around the edges. The second trainer was a British Engineer. What a riot. He taught us about fratracide. He showed us a video clip that had a guy getting his in the testicles with a golf ball. He said, "No matter what culture you are from or how civilized we become seeing someone getting hit in the testicles is funny." He class was witty but informative. His parting discussion was to list [View Full Entry]

---

---

The weather has cleared. It is not clear and sunny but hazy and hot. The dust is still thick in the air but it does not blow too hard so that you do not need goggles. Another day of aclimization. My buddies and I spent the day getting ready for tomorrow's training. We are exploring the camp and figuring out the best places for Internet and phone use.There was a concert tonight. The Air Force has a pop/rock band that plays covers all over the theater of operations. My friend Mark and I sat outside and enjoyed some ice cream during [View Full Entry]

---

---

End of one life Sudden long weekend On wednesday I had a normal morning. I woke up at 6.50 being tired as usual and I was swearing my miserable life and worst job on earth. I had my breakfast, packed my laptop and put on my company's cap. I was ready to face the day's challenges. On the way to work I thought I had finally became so tired that I had slept several days and woke up on Friday morning instead of Wednesday. The roads were quiet, almost like midsummer traffic in Helsinki. At the airport I parked my car [View Full Entry]

---

---