Update

Well just more fun and games here. We have been doing a lot of misc. training lately but we have been keeping busy. We are almost ready to pack everything up and head overseas. Tomorrow we are going out for a 6 day exercise. There we will combine all the training to this point into one exercise. It should be a good time.

Here we are bore sighting the scopes on our M4 rifles. This process makes it easier for us to zero in on the range when we shoot for live fire.

Just another sunset.

I thought that this was a good picture of the gunnery line in the setting sun.

Well more updates later. Right now it is passing the coming exercise and then waiting to head out.

There Are Some Nice Moments

While nothing will be the mountains of Idaho there are some great sunrises and sunsets here. Since I am usually up before the sun and not in bed until after the sun goes down I get to see them. The past few days we have been doing more of our gunnery movements. I have my truck and then I have been convoy commander as well. So it has been busy for me.

Once again SSG Dennis Shumway and I. I had my gunner take this picture from the top of my truck. I weight about 280 pounds in all my gear. I am getting used to wearing it. I usually weight 200 pounds so this is a bit of weight to shoulder. I can't wait to NOT wear it anymore.

SPC Owen Tapp shooting the 50 caliber machine gun in the morning sunrise. This morning was better than most because the night before there was a fire on the range. So the light rafraction off the fog and smoke make for a great sunrise.

Another picture here of the sunrise. I was trying to get a better photo but this was all I could get with my cheap camera. Like I said it is not the mountains of Idaho but it is nice.

Here is my Gun Truck Crew. SPC Casey Roberts, myself and SPC Owen Tapp.

Our "Classy" Living Conditions

Well we have all the good things in life here. Life just could not be better...let me tell you what.

Here you can see that we have the finest of coolers for ice cold water. And for coffee we have the finest the "lowest bidder to the military" has to offer, brewed fresh every morning. You might ask why is there no sugar and creamer around, with this coffee it is so good you don't need it.

Here you see that we have cozy living conditions. The bed feels like a hammock and the pillows are nice and soft. The roomy locker provides enough space for ones gear. Oh and I cannot fail to mention that it is an open area where 39 other soldiers live so I get to hear all of them snore at night! Can life get any better...I submit that it cannot.

AND THE FOOD. Oh my oh my is this great! Salad with dressing umm. Rice with something resembling brown gravy. And a slab of breaded veal. Top it off with a Styrofoam cup of Coke. And nothing better shows the manliness of a soldier like a piece of cake with pink frosting. This is just great. Who would turn this down?

I know this must look tempting to be a part of but it is a limited amount of people that get in on this action. Call your local recruiter to see if you have what it takes to live this glamorous life style. And if you are lucky you can have all this. Oh yeah and the best part is they can take you away from your family for an entire year.

If you couldn't tell....I AM NOT SERIOUS!!!

Camp Shelby, Mississippi

Well I have been in Camp Shelby, Mississippi for almost 3 weeks now. It has been quite an adjustment getting used to the heat and humidity. I also was given a small pox vaccination and I have a large sore on my arm from it. Too much fun.

The training has been ok; we have been shooting a lot bullets. It is early mornings and late nights. We have a bit of down time but it is spent talking with family, doing laundry, and clean weapons.

SSG Dennis Shumway and myself at the reflexive fire and room clearing range.

I got out the flag I was given for a little photo op.

Really nothing too much here. Just training before we head over in a little more than a month. I will work to post more pictures later.

Home for a few days

Well I have been home for a few days before I go to Mississippi. Nicole and I have been doing many things together before I leave. It has been great to spend time together. I sure will miss her.

Here we are at the Darryl Worrely concert in Boise. Darryl came to Boise just to put on a concert for the troops leaving to Iraq. It was a good time and it was great to see my wife after having been gone for three weeks.

Nicole made me this quilt while I was gone. I will take it to Iraq with me. This way I do not have to sleep in my sleeping bag for a year. She is so good to me.

I head out on the 21st of September for Mississippi. We will be there until the middle of November. I will post more progress on that when I get there.

Annual Training 2010

Well training in at Orchard Training Area for 3 weeks was not all that great but it could have been worse. The temperature wasn’t too bad and the living conditions were better than I am used to but we averaged about 4-6 hours of sleep per night. We were able to get a lot accomplished. We did weapons training, improvised explosive device training, among many other soldier tasks.

SSG Dennis Shumway, SSG Warren Smith, and SGT Russ Madsen.

After this training we are heading to Camp Shelby Mississippi for additional training prior to our deployment to Iraq. We leave for MS the latter part of September.

SSG Warren Smith SSG Matt Vanderen

The Orchard Training area is nothing special. It is flat, dusty and hot. I have spent a combined 6 months out in the OTA over the past 12 years of my military service. I learn to hate it more each time I go there.

SFC Paul Marley and SSG Warren Smith (Yes I am growing a mustache)



SPC Owen Tapp

Here we are getting ready to go out on a sustainment gunnery run. This is where we maintain our skills on operating the truck and weapon systems on the truck. It is pretty fun. Mounted on top is a .50 Caliber machine gun. We had a news crew ride with us on this run. He interviewed me and it was on the 10 o’clock news here in Idaho.