5 troops hurt in Iraq checkpoint bombing
By Kim Gamel - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jan 30, 2008 12:03:22 EST
BAGHDAD — A bomb exploded at a checkpoint Tuesday in Baghdad, wounding five American soldiers and three civilians, the U.S. military said. Iraqi officials claimed it was a suicide bombing and said two people were killed.
The attack occurred just after noon as women were being searched before being allowed to enter a commercial street in the predominantly Sunni Amariyah neighborhood in southwest Baghdad, according to a local police official and an Iraqi army officer.
Navy Cmdr. Scott Rye, a U.S. military spokesman, said initial reporting indicated it was not a suicide attack but a bomb that was left at the checkpoint and later detonated. He said no deaths were reported, but five soldiers and three civilians were wounded.
So now you know how my last few days have been…
I’ll spare you the details, but my patrol was hit by an IED that wounded five of the eight of us on the ground. Myself, SGT McPherson, and PFC Le (Thank God he was OK, he was our Medic) were all uninjured. Wounded in the attack were SPC Watson, SPC Gucwa, SPC Griffen, CPL Edwards (a Delta Company attachment), and PV2 Collins. They are all OK, but some are out of the fight for good. I expect SPC Gucwa and CPL Edwards to be back within three weeks and SPC Griffen to be back in three months. SPC Watson and PV2 Collins may or may not return to us. In any case everyone still has all of their body parts and is in good spirits.
As for myself, I was hit in the butt and arm by flying debris, but I am fine. I hope that nothing I did or failed to do led to this, but all I can do is keep doing the best I can do. I was so very impressed by the actions of all of my guys, especially Le and McPherson on the ground. We were very, very fortunate that no one was killed. The IED was composed of explosives surrounded by steel ball bearings. When it exploded it sent the giant BBs flying through the air at us. It is normally a directional weapon, meaning it is designed to send the BBs in a general direction rather than just in every direction. For a multitude of reasons this ended up being a good thing and nearly all of the wounds were to the legs. This type of IED is incredibly lethal against unarmored targets, but due to the circular shape of the BBs doesn’t penetrate armor very well. Still, all of the wounded had at least one BB lodged into them, and the doctors left most of them in. I’m not sure how they’ll get through the metal detectors at airports, but thank god that may be the only long lasting problem they have from this.
In any case, we soldier on. Less than 24 hours later McPherson and I were back on the ground in that exact same spot securing the checkpoint again. That which does not kill us makes us stronger and I think my PLT (and of course myself) will be stronger and better prepared to avoid any other potentially deadly attacks against us in the future.
Adam
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Now What??
Great News!!!!
I told you yesterday about our list of most painful moments for Packers fans. I could only come up with nine….Now I have ten!
I’ll say this. The Giants were the better team yesterday. There were some goofy breaks for both teams and overall I think the Giants had a few more lucky breaks their way, but hats off to them. They lost to the Cowboys twice in the regular season, then go into Dallas and beat them. They then have to travel to Green Bay, who beat them handily in the regular season, and outplay the Packers. They deserve to play in the Super Bowl. Toomer and Burress were making catches that were incredible in the best of conditions and Manning took precisely what was given to him and didn’t try and force it. Their RBs time and time again were hit 4 yards back and fell to the line of scrimmage or better. It happens. I think the Packers are the better team, but they lost to a team that rose to the occasion.
Which brings up the list…in no particular order ten painful memories I have thanks to the Packers:
1. Super Bowl loss to Denver ‘97 season
2. Giving up 4th and 26 to the Eagles in the playoffs to lose 2004
3. Rice fumble non-call and TO’s sick TD catch jan 3rd 99
4. Atlanta killing the Pack in the playoffs to hand Green Bay it’s first EVER home playoff loss 2003
5. Vikes playoff win (slaughter) in G bay
6. 21-6 loss to ‘boys in 96 in dallas
7. Up 31-14 on the chiefs in the fourth quarter : lose 40 34 in OT 2003
8. 11/16/97 8-2 Packers lose to 0-10 Colts (Packers won the rest of their games to finish…13-3)
9. Loss to Giants yesterday
10. Favre’s 6 INT loss to Rams
There is more to comment on each one, but first I’d like Packers fans (and others) to comment as they wish on these moments or add some of your own. Obviously there are a few Vikes and Bears fans that read this, so feel free to add your Triumphs over the Packers to continue my pain.
I can’t see why the son wasn’t arrested in this article…
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/packers/2008-01-16-father-arrested_N.htm
Adam
I told you yesterday about our list of most painful moments for Packers fans. I could only come up with nine….Now I have ten!
I’ll say this. The Giants were the better team yesterday. There were some goofy breaks for both teams and overall I think the Giants had a few more lucky breaks their way, but hats off to them. They lost to the Cowboys twice in the regular season, then go into Dallas and beat them. They then have to travel to Green Bay, who beat them handily in the regular season, and outplay the Packers. They deserve to play in the Super Bowl. Toomer and Burress were making catches that were incredible in the best of conditions and Manning took precisely what was given to him and didn’t try and force it. Their RBs time and time again were hit 4 yards back and fell to the line of scrimmage or better. It happens. I think the Packers are the better team, but they lost to a team that rose to the occasion.
Which brings up the list…in no particular order ten painful memories I have thanks to the Packers:
1. Super Bowl loss to Denver ‘97 season
2. Giving up 4th and 26 to the Eagles in the playoffs to lose 2004
3. Rice fumble non-call and TO’s sick TD catch jan 3rd 99
4. Atlanta killing the Pack in the playoffs to hand Green Bay it’s first EVER home playoff loss 2003
5. Vikes playoff win (slaughter) in G bay
6. 21-6 loss to ‘boys in 96 in dallas
7. Up 31-14 on the chiefs in the fourth quarter : lose 40 34 in OT 2003
8. 11/16/97 8-2 Packers lose to 0-10 Colts (Packers won the rest of their games to finish…13-3)
9. Loss to Giants yesterday
10. Favre’s 6 INT loss to Rams
There is more to comment on each one, but first I’d like Packers fans (and others) to comment as they wish on these moments or add some of your own. Obviously there are a few Vikes and Bears fans that read this, so feel free to add your Triumphs over the Packers to continue my pain.
I can’t see why the son wasn’t arrested in this article…
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/packers/2008-01-16-father-arrested_N.htm
Adam
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Stream of Conscience
What to Say…
I realize that I haven’t posted anything in awhile, so I’ll ramble on for awhile and hopefully hit something close to a theme…
I went to the blog page today and couldn’t figure out how to log on because everything on the banner was in Arabic. I must have changed my location somewhere in the profile and it just assumed I wanted Arabic as my language…I’ll try and figure out how to even post this, let alone change the language back to English.
Things are going well. The guys have adapted VERY well to our less aggressive mission. It’s tough to maintain a relaxed and friendly posture, while maintaining the ability to switch back to lethality literally the second it’s required.
How ‘bout them Packers? Wow. They have looked so good the last couple of months. Of the three teams left that aren’t the Patriots, I think the Packers are the only one who have a decent chance of beating the Patriots. I’m not laying even money on it of course, but the Packers CAN beat them. I know I am looking past the Giants, I can’t imagine the Giants winning. I was chatting with my brother Jer today and we were talking about where losing to the Giants would rank in our most painful moments in Packers history. We came up with seven very specific moments, and we’ll try and boost that to ten and publish that list. We can vote on it and come up with the rankings for those moments.
As far as the weather today, I bet there are a few Packers who wish the Giants hadn’t beaten the Cowboys last week…maybe some Giants as well ;) According to one website I found… At wind-chill temperatures of -18, skin will develop frostbite if exposed for more than 30 minutes.
So have fun with that.
Went for a run today. Second time in the last few days, both about 4 miles. I have found some nice routes, both around lakes here on the FOB. Today’s route took me past palace after palace. It’s pretty neat to see these gorgeous buildings now being used as barracks or unit headquarters. I always feel better after a run and I am proud that I’ve been able to shrug off the aches and pains of wearing heavy gear for seven hours a day to then go running. I need to start working out as well, but right now I’m happy with running a bit. One downside to running outside as opposed to on a treadmill in the gym is that I can’t wear headphones outside. Listening to music has always helped me when I run. It helps me ignore the boring monotony of running and also helps me keep up a quicker pace by listening to fast paced music.
I have been borrowing my buddies TV for the last couple of weeks to watch the Packers games. One nice perk of AFN is the commercials. If I told you there were no commercials, that would be true, but inaccurate. There are instead Public Service Announcements. Imagine you and your co-workers made a commercial espousing the merits of Safety. How awesome would that be? Suffice to say there are not a lot of them that aren’t painful. Plus, there are not a lot of them made, since who wants to make these painful TV spots? So you see those same ones over and over. Making even the good ones painful…
Well, according to my clock the official local time as expressed in military date time group, it is 201939CJAN2008 and the game is on at 210030CJAM2008, so I might try and take a nap and wake up for the game.
Chow,
Adam
I realize that I haven’t posted anything in awhile, so I’ll ramble on for awhile and hopefully hit something close to a theme…
I went to the blog page today and couldn’t figure out how to log on because everything on the banner was in Arabic. I must have changed my location somewhere in the profile and it just assumed I wanted Arabic as my language…I’ll try and figure out how to even post this, let alone change the language back to English.
Things are going well. The guys have adapted VERY well to our less aggressive mission. It’s tough to maintain a relaxed and friendly posture, while maintaining the ability to switch back to lethality literally the second it’s required.
How ‘bout them Packers? Wow. They have looked so good the last couple of months. Of the three teams left that aren’t the Patriots, I think the Packers are the only one who have a decent chance of beating the Patriots. I’m not laying even money on it of course, but the Packers CAN beat them. I know I am looking past the Giants, I can’t imagine the Giants winning. I was chatting with my brother Jer today and we were talking about where losing to the Giants would rank in our most painful moments in Packers history. We came up with seven very specific moments, and we’ll try and boost that to ten and publish that list. We can vote on it and come up with the rankings for those moments.
As far as the weather today, I bet there are a few Packers who wish the Giants hadn’t beaten the Cowboys last week…maybe some Giants as well ;) According to one website I found… At wind-chill temperatures of -18, skin will develop frostbite if exposed for more than 30 minutes.
So have fun with that.
Went for a run today. Second time in the last few days, both about 4 miles. I have found some nice routes, both around lakes here on the FOB. Today’s route took me past palace after palace. It’s pretty neat to see these gorgeous buildings now being used as barracks or unit headquarters. I always feel better after a run and I am proud that I’ve been able to shrug off the aches and pains of wearing heavy gear for seven hours a day to then go running. I need to start working out as well, but right now I’m happy with running a bit. One downside to running outside as opposed to on a treadmill in the gym is that I can’t wear headphones outside. Listening to music has always helped me when I run. It helps me ignore the boring monotony of running and also helps me keep up a quicker pace by listening to fast paced music.
I have been borrowing my buddies TV for the last couple of weeks to watch the Packers games. One nice perk of AFN is the commercials. If I told you there were no commercials, that would be true, but inaccurate. There are instead Public Service Announcements. Imagine you and your co-workers made a commercial espousing the merits of Safety. How awesome would that be? Suffice to say there are not a lot of them that aren’t painful. Plus, there are not a lot of them made, since who wants to make these painful TV spots? So you see those same ones over and over. Making even the good ones painful…
Well, according to my clock the official local time as expressed in military date time group, it is 201939CJAN2008 and the game is on at 210030CJAM2008, so I might try and take a nap and wake up for the game.
Chow,
Adam
Friday, January 11, 2008
And Tomorrow...Pigs FLY!!!!
Ok, I woke up this morning still in Iraq.
It was snowing.
Snowing.
SNOW.
First time it's snowed in Baghdad in over 40 years.
Ok, to motivate people to provide feedback, I have included all the comments posted with my replies. I know, some of you have emailed me directly, but that isn't enough for me to mock you publicly. On to the roasting...
mag said...
Hi Adam! I'm really loving your blog and feel that I should reciprocate. When you were in Kosovo I believe I kept you updated on Ally McBeal so just let me know which bad tv show you'd like recaps on this time.
As for your light bulb situation, I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere. How many 1st Lieutenants does it take to change a light bulb? None, they don't have the clearance.
(Sorry if this post shows up twice. I typed one and lost it somehow so had to type it again.)
January 11, 2008 7:46 AM
My dear. I have emailed tech support of this website to find out if the posted time is your or my local time. If it’s your local time, LT Graham and I came up with that joke hours before you. My lawyers will be contacting you. Even if you came up with it first (doubtful) our punchline is better: “It’s a trick question, it can’t be done without a work order and two KBR workers. As for TV shows I’m confused, you’re suggest Ally McBeal was “bad TV???” I’m very confused and might go see the Chaplain about this….Thanks, I didn’t need this. I don’t know how many times you expect me to say this, I know. I know. I shoulda picked you. Got it.
Alexander said...
Hey Meyer Lanskey ... We saw how effective a well-thrown chair is to get people moving in Hohenfels once. I suggest you try this tactic next time you need a bulb and/or linen. And about the liberating Cuba thing... when you do start that up, let me know... you know I'm down!
January 10, 2008 8:28 PM
Alex, the chair was thrown at an officer though..the analogy becomes scary for me at that point. The only thing I remember about that Hohenfels (was it that one? There were so many…) was the beer at 6:42 am…..Until the day I die, we will ALWAYS have that.
theweasel said...
Oh, and make sure on your next mission you pick up some Tiger Tails at one of the local markets. Stay away from Choco Tot Tot's though, they are horrendous.
January 7, 2008 5:55 PM
Tiger Tails? I’ll ask for them. Knock Choco Tot Tots one more time and see what happens. I’m serious, leave the Tot Tots out of this.
PolarBearZ said...
Ahhh, I'm sure thats the spirit that makes Us strong! Hand out bullets and bombs like candy, but gods forbid you want a lightbulb or sheets - can you imagine what one could do with those?!
January 5, 2008 7:29 AM
No, ‘cause I can’t get ‘em. Thanks for bringing that up again. Thanks. One time my parents made me pet a dog that bit me in the eye. Want me to relive that pain too? You’re a jerk.
Jacob said...
You couldn't have said it better Bro. Having been a former member of the Liberty community (we called it East LA - shortened from East LSA) I can remember well the frustrations with the dick-heads at the mayor's cell. Hell, back when the terps lived down in the tents behind the DFAC I was consistently harassed for visiting and drinking chai with them to the point that CI was looking into my "illicit" activities. So much for the unquestionable loyalty of an officer with 14 years of devoted service to his country!!!
January 5, 2008 11:16 AM
You sound like a guy who’d try and wash his feet in the sinks here. Despite the 5 signs posted over the sinks and urinals ordering us not to “by order of the CSM.” No repect for authority. Where'd you get your commison, some 3 month camp where they handed it out to anyone who showed up?
Yeah, me too.
theweasel said...
Adam,
Imagine the safety issues with you changing your own lightbulb. That would have to be a pretty hefty ORM in order to allow you to do that. They probably wouldn't have been happy to see my Marines jerry rigging the power at my FOB to hard wire the toaster right into the wall wiring. Pretty shady.
January 7, 2008 5:53 PM
Why did they do that? The chow hall has plenty of toasters and pastries and ice cream and….oh wait. Marines. Yeah, You guys musta been made fun of for the luxury of having a toaster. Seriously though, mention the Choco Tot Tots again and I pull out the “How many Marine Intel guys does it take to turn on a printer….Yeah.
Nathan said...
Please tell me you didn't grow a mustache. I told all my guys daily how ridiculous their mustaches looked. As far as food goes, gotta love the hoobz baked in the backyard mud oven. This is Jeremy, but using Nate's account.
December 30, 2007 4:05 PM
See above threat. I'm serious. And use MAMs ONE MORE TIME...
Mom said...
I saw the mustache... you'll be getting a razor in your next care package!!
Love all the blog, but worry when a week goes by with no post... don't give your old mom even more grey hairs!
December 31, 2007 11:23 AM
It’s been 6 and a half days since my last post. Happy?
frank said...
What I'd really like to hear more about is how the Bears whipped the Packers... twice!
December 31, 2007 3:04 PM
Hmm….Connor is getting to the point where he can recognize words, so my post can’t say EXACTLY what I’d like, but let’s just settle on F-U.
btw funny article
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kass_bd23dec23,0,7416102.column
Burke said...
OK Cheesehead, this is Mr. Viking, I think perhaps you may remember us. Connor has is huge man! We haven't met your daughter, but we will! You take care of yourself Adam! The kids look great, but put some purple on them once in awhile... Lets hope the Pack does a better job of reping the Norse Div than those Bears did last year.. Ann is back in KFOR and I am soon to follow. We will stay in touch. Burke n Ann
December 29, 2007 9:02 AM
Samantha likes the Vikings. Connor spent an hour explaining to her that she needs to like Arizona ‘cause that’s where she was born, and he like the Redskins because that’s where he was born. He also has sat down with her and repeatedly gone over EVERY team and it’s helmet. Samantha always waits for him to finish and then says “Good Job, Connor!”
PolarBearZ said...
If you weren't such a slacker, you could probably get those extra credits done while you are deployed!
December 22, 2007 8:11 AM
What’s your point? Seriously. You wasted time posting that? We all know that. Don’t waste my time again I know you’re at Captain’s Career Course and bored, but still….
Alexander said...
Well, I'm first, goddammit. This thing is a great idea for us saps who talk to you like once a decade! Dude, I didn't know Kelli and the kids were in CO... I just got back from there! (work)
I'll keep it short here, dude. It's great to see you're doing well... I'll definitely be checking back. Hope you have as good a holiday as you can out there... I miss you crazy Hoffmanns! Take care, man.
- Alex "La Machina" Santiago
December 21, 2007 11:37 AM
Alex, all I can say is that Darwin was wrong, we BOTH reproduced before he could weed us out! Score one for the recessive gene!
PolarBearZ said...
In reference to your email: "Do, or Do not, there is no try!" - Yoda
December 21, 2007 1:26 PM
I think that was actually from Mall Rats, but I got ya.
Tschuss,
Adam
It was snowing.
Snowing.
SNOW.
First time it's snowed in Baghdad in over 40 years.
Ok, to motivate people to provide feedback, I have included all the comments posted with my replies. I know, some of you have emailed me directly, but that isn't enough for me to mock you publicly. On to the roasting...
mag said...
Hi Adam! I'm really loving your blog and feel that I should reciprocate. When you were in Kosovo I believe I kept you updated on Ally McBeal so just let me know which bad tv show you'd like recaps on this time.
As for your light bulb situation, I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere. How many 1st Lieutenants does it take to change a light bulb? None, they don't have the clearance.
(Sorry if this post shows up twice. I typed one and lost it somehow so had to type it again.)
January 11, 2008 7:46 AM
My dear. I have emailed tech support of this website to find out if the posted time is your or my local time. If it’s your local time, LT Graham and I came up with that joke hours before you. My lawyers will be contacting you. Even if you came up with it first (doubtful) our punchline is better: “It’s a trick question, it can’t be done without a work order and two KBR workers. As for TV shows I’m confused, you’re suggest Ally McBeal was “bad TV???” I’m very confused and might go see the Chaplain about this….Thanks, I didn’t need this. I don’t know how many times you expect me to say this, I know. I know. I shoulda picked you. Got it.
Alexander said...
Hey Meyer Lanskey ... We saw how effective a well-thrown chair is to get people moving in Hohenfels once. I suggest you try this tactic next time you need a bulb and/or linen. And about the liberating Cuba thing... when you do start that up, let me know... you know I'm down!
January 10, 2008 8:28 PM
Alex, the chair was thrown at an officer though..the analogy becomes scary for me at that point. The only thing I remember about that Hohenfels (was it that one? There were so many…) was the beer at 6:42 am…..Until the day I die, we will ALWAYS have that.
theweasel said...
Oh, and make sure on your next mission you pick up some Tiger Tails at one of the local markets. Stay away from Choco Tot Tot's though, they are horrendous.
January 7, 2008 5:55 PM
Tiger Tails? I’ll ask for them. Knock Choco Tot Tots one more time and see what happens. I’m serious, leave the Tot Tots out of this.
PolarBearZ said...
Ahhh, I'm sure thats the spirit that makes Us strong! Hand out bullets and bombs like candy, but gods forbid you want a lightbulb or sheets - can you imagine what one could do with those?!
January 5, 2008 7:29 AM
No, ‘cause I can’t get ‘em. Thanks for bringing that up again. Thanks. One time my parents made me pet a dog that bit me in the eye. Want me to relive that pain too? You’re a jerk.
Jacob said...
You couldn't have said it better Bro. Having been a former member of the Liberty community (we called it East LA - shortened from East LSA) I can remember well the frustrations with the dick-heads at the mayor's cell. Hell, back when the terps lived down in the tents behind the DFAC I was consistently harassed for visiting and drinking chai with them to the point that CI was looking into my "illicit" activities. So much for the unquestionable loyalty of an officer with 14 years of devoted service to his country!!!
January 5, 2008 11:16 AM
You sound like a guy who’d try and wash his feet in the sinks here. Despite the 5 signs posted over the sinks and urinals ordering us not to “by order of the CSM.” No repect for authority. Where'd you get your commison, some 3 month camp where they handed it out to anyone who showed up?
Yeah, me too.
theweasel said...
Adam,
Imagine the safety issues with you changing your own lightbulb. That would have to be a pretty hefty ORM in order to allow you to do that. They probably wouldn't have been happy to see my Marines jerry rigging the power at my FOB to hard wire the toaster right into the wall wiring. Pretty shady.
January 7, 2008 5:53 PM
Why did they do that? The chow hall has plenty of toasters and pastries and ice cream and….oh wait. Marines. Yeah, You guys musta been made fun of for the luxury of having a toaster. Seriously though, mention the Choco Tot Tots again and I pull out the “How many Marine Intel guys does it take to turn on a printer….Yeah.
Nathan said...
Please tell me you didn't grow a mustache. I told all my guys daily how ridiculous their mustaches looked. As far as food goes, gotta love the hoobz baked in the backyard mud oven. This is Jeremy, but using Nate's account.
December 30, 2007 4:05 PM
See above threat. I'm serious. And use MAMs ONE MORE TIME...
Mom said...
I saw the mustache... you'll be getting a razor in your next care package!!
Love all the blog, but worry when a week goes by with no post... don't give your old mom even more grey hairs!
December 31, 2007 11:23 AM
It’s been 6 and a half days since my last post. Happy?
frank said...
What I'd really like to hear more about is how the Bears whipped the Packers... twice!
December 31, 2007 3:04 PM
Hmm….Connor is getting to the point where he can recognize words, so my post can’t say EXACTLY what I’d like, but let’s just settle on F-U.
btw funny article
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kass_bd23dec23,0,7416102.column
Burke said...
OK Cheesehead, this is Mr. Viking, I think perhaps you may remember us. Connor has is huge man! We haven't met your daughter, but we will! You take care of yourself Adam! The kids look great, but put some purple on them once in awhile... Lets hope the Pack does a better job of reping the Norse Div than those Bears did last year.. Ann is back in KFOR and I am soon to follow. We will stay in touch. Burke n Ann
December 29, 2007 9:02 AM
Samantha likes the Vikings. Connor spent an hour explaining to her that she needs to like Arizona ‘cause that’s where she was born, and he like the Redskins because that’s where he was born. He also has sat down with her and repeatedly gone over EVERY team and it’s helmet. Samantha always waits for him to finish and then says “Good Job, Connor!”
PolarBearZ said...
If you weren't such a slacker, you could probably get those extra credits done while you are deployed!
December 22, 2007 8:11 AM
What’s your point? Seriously. You wasted time posting that? We all know that. Don’t waste my time again I know you’re at Captain’s Career Course and bored, but still….
Alexander said...
Well, I'm first, goddammit. This thing is a great idea for us saps who talk to you like once a decade! Dude, I didn't know Kelli and the kids were in CO... I just got back from there! (work)
I'll keep it short here, dude. It's great to see you're doing well... I'll definitely be checking back. Hope you have as good a holiday as you can out there... I miss you crazy Hoffmanns! Take care, man.
- Alex "La Machina" Santiago
December 21, 2007 11:37 AM
Alex, all I can say is that Darwin was wrong, we BOTH reproduced before he could weed us out! Score one for the recessive gene!
PolarBearZ said...
In reference to your email: "Do, or Do not, there is no try!" - Yoda
December 21, 2007 1:26 PM
I think that was actually from Mall Rats, but I got ya.
Tschuss,
Adam
Saturday, January 5, 2008
I Hate Us (Part I)
“I Hate Us.”
-CPT Adam Rivette
Those three words are the greatest testament to the love/hate relationship I have with the Army. I’ll tell you the background some other time, but let me first explain why it’s true right now.
I am typing this in the dark. I have no light on my side of the room. My light bulb burned out a couple days ago while I was on QRF. Since QRF takes me away from the Camp for 24 hours, I didn’t notice it until several hours ago. I went to the Mayor’s Cell to get a new one. The Mayor’s Cell is where the day to day running of the Camp is conducted. The theory is it allows the commander’s to focus on warfighting while someone else manages the rooms, linen, trash, etc…
I went into the Mayor’s Cell and asked for a new light bulb. “You’ll need to fill out a work order, you’re not allowed to change your own light bulb.” Notice the lack of “sir”? Yup, they are WAY more important and too busy for that. ANYWAYS, a work order? For a light bulb? I said I would do that if they could admit it was ridiculous. They wouldn’t. It made sense to them because “people were putting the wrong light bulbs in and blowing the circuits.” Did you hear the “sir” that time? Me neither. ANYWAYS, maybe if you GAVE them the light bulbs they wouldn’t put the wrong ones in? ANYWAYS, I lashed back the only way I know. Sarcasm. I took three paragraphs to explain precisely what I needed done. Change the light bulb. Hey, it said be specific. I was almost ready to be done when I noticed the note “Draw Sketch on back.” Not a Problem. I drew as concise and detailed sketch as I could manage, labeling everything from the beds, the lockers, the desks, my roommate’s light bulb (labeled as “works, don’t fix”) down to the “misc. boxes” on top of the lockers. For the Arlo Guthrie fans out there, it had “circles and arrows drawn on it to be used as evidence against me.” I didn’t want to risk it not being up to standards, so I asked the highest ranking worker in there to confirm what I needed done was clear. He was confused. “I’ve never seen anyone draw a sketch before, I don’t think you need it.” After discussing it with him for a few minutes he finally got it and said “sir, I can’t turn this in.” Why couldn’t he turn it in…because it was insulting to them. Yeah. He really didn’t get it.
Two days ago I got linen (sheets, a pillowcase, and a comforter) for my bed. I bought my own awhile ago, but I realized if I got another set I could rotate them through the laundry and not miss a beat. ANYWAYS, I thought I’d be a nice guy and grab a set for my roommate as well….can you see where this is going? What do you think the outcome was? Yeah, I have a commission from the President of the United States. I am charged with THE LIVES of 30 men. I have the mission of taking them into places where people want to kill them, accomplishing the mission, and then bring them all back safe and sound. Everyday. I am signed for and personally responsible for tens of millions of dollars worth of equipment. I am trusted with grenades, missiles, and enough weapons to liberate Cuba. Twice. Now…am I trustworthy enough to sign for TWO sets of linen?
C’mon...
I can’t even change my own light bulb.
I Hate Us.
-adam
-CPT Adam Rivette
Those three words are the greatest testament to the love/hate relationship I have with the Army. I’ll tell you the background some other time, but let me first explain why it’s true right now.
I am typing this in the dark. I have no light on my side of the room. My light bulb burned out a couple days ago while I was on QRF. Since QRF takes me away from the Camp for 24 hours, I didn’t notice it until several hours ago. I went to the Mayor’s Cell to get a new one. The Mayor’s Cell is where the day to day running of the Camp is conducted. The theory is it allows the commander’s to focus on warfighting while someone else manages the rooms, linen, trash, etc…
I went into the Mayor’s Cell and asked for a new light bulb. “You’ll need to fill out a work order, you’re not allowed to change your own light bulb.” Notice the lack of “sir”? Yup, they are WAY more important and too busy for that. ANYWAYS, a work order? For a light bulb? I said I would do that if they could admit it was ridiculous. They wouldn’t. It made sense to them because “people were putting the wrong light bulbs in and blowing the circuits.” Did you hear the “sir” that time? Me neither. ANYWAYS, maybe if you GAVE them the light bulbs they wouldn’t put the wrong ones in? ANYWAYS, I lashed back the only way I know. Sarcasm. I took three paragraphs to explain precisely what I needed done. Change the light bulb. Hey, it said be specific. I was almost ready to be done when I noticed the note “Draw Sketch on back.” Not a Problem. I drew as concise and detailed sketch as I could manage, labeling everything from the beds, the lockers, the desks, my roommate’s light bulb (labeled as “works, don’t fix”) down to the “misc. boxes” on top of the lockers. For the Arlo Guthrie fans out there, it had “circles and arrows drawn on it to be used as evidence against me.” I didn’t want to risk it not being up to standards, so I asked the highest ranking worker in there to confirm what I needed done was clear. He was confused. “I’ve never seen anyone draw a sketch before, I don’t think you need it.” After discussing it with him for a few minutes he finally got it and said “sir, I can’t turn this in.” Why couldn’t he turn it in…because it was insulting to them. Yeah. He really didn’t get it.
Two days ago I got linen (sheets, a pillowcase, and a comforter) for my bed. I bought my own awhile ago, but I realized if I got another set I could rotate them through the laundry and not miss a beat. ANYWAYS, I thought I’d be a nice guy and grab a set for my roommate as well….can you see where this is going? What do you think the outcome was? Yeah, I have a commission from the President of the United States. I am charged with THE LIVES of 30 men. I have the mission of taking them into places where people want to kill them, accomplishing the mission, and then bring them all back safe and sound. Everyday. I am signed for and personally responsible for tens of millions of dollars worth of equipment. I am trusted with grenades, missiles, and enough weapons to liberate Cuba. Twice. Now…am I trustworthy enough to sign for TWO sets of linen?
C’mon...
I can’t even change my own light bulb.
I Hate Us.
-adam
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