"Out in the West Texas town of El Paso,
I got some shots and got sick as a dog."
(To the tune of the Marty Robbins classic . . .)
Hail, a few words from the Rambling Rogue. We leave soon, can't say when. Been getting "processed" by the Army, which is similar to Arlo Guthrie's "inspected, injected, neglected and seee lected." (From Alice's Restaurant.)
I had most of my shots up to date, but bless the Army, they gave me more, and when taking the blood for the HIV test, left a massive bruise. It's still green. The Navy Corpsman who did it last week left nary a trace. Go figure. Have been sick as a dog for the last two days, not sure if it was the flu shot (which I did not need, season is over) or the small pox, or the rubella, or . . .
I qualified Expert, again, with the 9mm, 280/300, but was kicking myself for missing a target from "Being Hasty" and pulling versus squeezing the trigger. Pulled high and left, off target. Treebeard and my old pistol instructor would not be pleased. Musn't be hasty . . . however, I don't think that where I am going there will be much shooting. (crosses fingers)
Got some excellent gas mask training, and even better first aid training. Small group instruction is still one of the Army's strong points. I will say that our firing range safety and pistol techniques instructor is a little "zen" for my taste, but it worked.
Been watching the news, and a few comments:
Was gratified to see that someone used an F-16 and a 2000 lb bomb the other day to take out a sniper. Hmmm, proportional response. They oughta take out that bridge where the contractors got hung out to dry the same way.
The sale of US Army clothing at the Bagdad Thieve's market does not surprise me. Someone is bound to lose an item here and there in a fire fight . . . As far as the media's hype in re the chance for infiltration, etc, the same stuff has been for sale at "The Cavalry Store" for years. (A catalogue house that caters to folks obsessed with military paraphanelia, and knives in particular.) Heard on the same news show that a few dozen Humvee's are unaccounted for and that the media wag reporting that feels that is a security issue. hmmmmmmmmm We shall see.
The Bruhaha over "they should have been armoring Humvees long ago, what is happening now is too little and too late" puzzles me. The Humvee was never meant for MOUT. (Military Operations in Urban Terrain.) So, as the mission changed, and crept into nation building (which some of us predicted . . . .) the Army has to adapt, and they are doing it as quickly as time and money allow. That is nothing new. I am at a loss at the complaints in re zero defects expectations, but those who say "you should have planned for this" ignore the very real money limitations that the Army not at war faces in choosing how to spend money where. On the flip side, the soldiers emailing home that they feel like sitting ducks in a Humvee should be listened to.
Have heard some odd stories in re how the information age has changed the letter home. Apparently, some soldiers are getting a chance now and again to use a chat client to talk to the home front, not sure how it works. The Chaplain says it is a mixed blessing, as the immediacy of the chat bypasses the self censorship that letter writing often induces. In short, there were some incidents where the post chat led to depression due to a "fight." Saw that years ago in the Navy, on a MARS station (HF patch to Ham radio operators) when one of our sailors got into an argument with his wife "over the phone" that was so vitriolic that the Ham radio operator cut the patch.
Writing letters: good. Nagging and carping with the home front: bad. Getting a box of cookies from home: priceless.
El Paso. Nice place to visit, not sure I'd want to live here. The Mexican food in San Antonio is loads better.
Rogue out
I got some shots and got sick as a dog."
(To the tune of the Marty Robbins classic . . .)
Hail, a few words from the Rambling Rogue. We leave soon, can't say when. Been getting "processed" by the Army, which is similar to Arlo Guthrie's "inspected, injected, neglected and seee lected." (From Alice's Restaurant.)
I had most of my shots up to date, but bless the Army, they gave me more, and when taking the blood for the HIV test, left a massive bruise. It's still green. The Navy Corpsman who did it last week left nary a trace. Go figure. Have been sick as a dog for the last two days, not sure if it was the flu shot (which I did not need, season is over) or the small pox, or the rubella, or . . .
I qualified Expert, again, with the 9mm, 280/300, but was kicking myself for missing a target from "Being Hasty" and pulling versus squeezing the trigger. Pulled high and left, off target. Treebeard and my old pistol instructor would not be pleased. Musn't be hasty . . . however, I don't think that where I am going there will be much shooting. (crosses fingers)
Got some excellent gas mask training, and even better first aid training. Small group instruction is still one of the Army's strong points. I will say that our firing range safety and pistol techniques instructor is a little "zen" for my taste, but it worked.
Been watching the news, and a few comments:
Was gratified to see that someone used an F-16 and a 2000 lb bomb the other day to take out a sniper. Hmmm, proportional response. They oughta take out that bridge where the contractors got hung out to dry the same way.
The sale of US Army clothing at the Bagdad Thieve's market does not surprise me. Someone is bound to lose an item here and there in a fire fight . . . As far as the media's hype in re the chance for infiltration, etc, the same stuff has been for sale at "The Cavalry Store" for years. (A catalogue house that caters to folks obsessed with military paraphanelia, and knives in particular.) Heard on the same news show that a few dozen Humvee's are unaccounted for and that the media wag reporting that feels that is a security issue. hmmmmmmmmm We shall see.
The Bruhaha over "they should have been armoring Humvees long ago, what is happening now is too little and too late" puzzles me. The Humvee was never meant for MOUT. (Military Operations in Urban Terrain.) So, as the mission changed, and crept into nation building (which some of us predicted . . . .) the Army has to adapt, and they are doing it as quickly as time and money allow. That is nothing new. I am at a loss at the complaints in re zero defects expectations, but those who say "you should have planned for this" ignore the very real money limitations that the Army not at war faces in choosing how to spend money where. On the flip side, the soldiers emailing home that they feel like sitting ducks in a Humvee should be listened to.
Have heard some odd stories in re how the information age has changed the letter home. Apparently, some soldiers are getting a chance now and again to use a chat client to talk to the home front, not sure how it works. The Chaplain says it is a mixed blessing, as the immediacy of the chat bypasses the self censorship that letter writing often induces. In short, there were some incidents where the post chat led to depression due to a "fight." Saw that years ago in the Navy, on a MARS station (HF patch to Ham radio operators) when one of our sailors got into an argument with his wife "over the phone" that was so vitriolic that the Ham radio operator cut the patch.
Writing letters: good. Nagging and carping with the home front: bad. Getting a box of cookies from home: priceless.
El Paso. Nice place to visit, not sure I'd want to live here. The Mexican food in San Antonio is loads better.
Rogue out
"Think globally, drink locally."
