The Price...

I do not pretend to understand what it must be like to be gone as frequently as you. As I have previously stated, that I the main reason that I left active duty. I catch miniature doses of what you are referring to. I feel that it is part of the Warrior issue that we spoke of. We are placed in situations that require a type of person that few can become, let alone sustain. If you have seen, and lived continual conflict, it is my opinion that, it becomes a part of you. The Air Force has been at war/engagement for the close to two decades now. It puts an even greater stress on our families, I imagine it is like still being in love with your ex. They come around you fall in love with them all over again, and then they leave once more. I know that I feel like I don’t belong anywhere anymore. I don’t feel like I am a good civilian, nor a good warrior. Couple that with seeing that things work when you are not around, and at first they work better than when you are home, and it leaves me feeling like extra baggage. Or, I think that this is how a weapon feels between fights. We are used and battered; then repaired, sharpened, and thrown on a shelf until further need arises. I can only imagine how the vets from Vietnam felt. I know that as a force we are soft compared to others, but we are still warriors. Perhaps Odin really exists and holds a special place for us... of course Jesus will lead His army in the final battle; so, he may love us too. We all have our demons, don't allow them to make you ruin what is good in your life.

Hmmmm.....

Well my friend you couldn't be more correct with your assumption. Since being home it's like everything is a fog around me. Bad feeling of knowing things operate fine without you. Now don't get me wrong, I know that it's this way for the simple fact that I have been gone so much over the years, but it's just hard knowing you aren't needed for things to operate smoothly. Just a hard transition is all. Things will work I know. Just still venting out frustrations.
As far as Haynes replacement goes.....You absolutley can't fix STUPID! What a piece of work! Like i said in the past, i hated to leave you there by yourself, but i don't think I would've done well with a couple of those folks. Keep chipping away at the stone my friend. In this man's opinion you've done a great job! Get out of the riptide, it's time to start swimming back toward the beach good buddy!!

Great, you are alive!

Hola Amigo. I am glad to hear that you are home! I do know what you mean about the unsettled feeling. If I am reading you like it feels to me, it is like your home is no longer yours. I know that it passes, but when you are in it, it sure feels like it will never feel like home again. The BS is getting deep here, and mister nipple rings (Haynse’s replacement) is a true work of art, sculpted from pure fecal matter! That jack ass had the balls to allude that I needed to brush up on basic managerial techniques. He is also far from being above using the work of the other crews to make himself, and his people look good. The night crew is still plugging along, but I am sick of this place. I have, as have we all, been very busy. I take my math final today. I am nervous, but glad to be done. I do think that for the most part I have remained sane in this massive tidal wave of ravaging uncoolness. It did rip off my swimming trunks, drag me across the coral, and shove a conch up my rectum; but, I am not dead yet!

Unsettled.........

John, this is one of those times I miss our "official" office/paperwork how-to discussions. It would seem that when the dust settles, things still aren't clear and the sky isn't a "bright sun shiny day". Transition is hard. Much harder than it has been in the past. The small things that held together like concrete seem like paper in rain right now. Not sure where this whirlwind is coming from, but i feel very unsettled right now. Now don't get me wrong being home is great, but the repetitive motion of sleep, shower, chow hall and endless walking to the place of buisness seems to be where it's at right now. Just venting my friend. I'm sure since you know me you understand this rambling. Hope all is good there. Rock on good buddy! And by the way, 325 WSM is an awesome round. First hand knowledge speaking here. Fine round for any occasion in my book.

Hello!

Greetings my robust friend!!! I see the quest for the illusive t-shirt continues. Excellent! My trip home was "sporty" at best. With all the broken planes here and there to get on i thought home was becoming illusive...haha! Plus we have this top notch laptop which needs to be replaced. Tie that all in with visiting family and friends, and you have my first real chance to log into the almighty blog. Hope your new crew is cool. Obviously not as cool as the John/Wally connection :)
Hope all is well. Shoot me an email at my yahoo when you get a chance wally.gillespie@yahoo.com Looks fairly positive for the hunt this year! Talk to you later my friend. Remember, when in the sea of uncoolness swim sideways when you hit the inevitable riptide!

Push-up Quest!

I now have 7000 push ups completed. I am going for 15000 before I leave this place. They award tee shirts for 5000-10000-and 15000 push ups and/or sit ups. So far I have the 5000 tee one. Whooo!!! Soon I will impliment my plan to take over the push up world....

Most of us, in America, take the little things in life for granted. For your consideration, I present the restroom. Most of the time, when we deploy, we have what are called “Cadillac’s”. I have no idea where the name came from, but they are defiantly not Cadillac’s. Over here using the toilet, brushing your teeth, showering, shaving, etc, etc, becomes a time consuming chore.
If you work nights, the mid sleep trip to the rest room starts with the dreaded thought of “Oh no! I think I have to pee. I should stop drinking six hours before bed. But, if I do that I will get dehydrated. Maybe I can hold it… nope. Hell, now I have to put on all of my clothes so the uniform Nazis don’t catch me. Where are my piece of junk flip-flops? I hope they don’t break without any apparent reason”.
After you get fully dressed for your pit-stop, you open the door and are greeted by a light that is so bright it must be similar to the light that accompanies God on His journeys. Next you are greeted by a wave of heat. The scorching wave that assaults you is similar to the effect that you get when you open a hot oven door, lean over, and get a full heat wave to the face. So, now you are blinded, cooked, and you still feel like a kid that didn’t have to “go” at the last rest stop on your way to Disneyland. Dance, dance, prance.
As you attempt to gain momentum you are reminded of your woefully inadequate foot attire. The three hundred yard quest to the urinal seems too far to make, and remain in clean britches, but you press on, unsoiled. You finish the job at hand and return to your cool, dark cave, undress, and lay there waiting for the next three to four hours to pass. Sleep, for some unknown reason, has eluded you, again.
What does this have to do with shoes, namely the ones that are pictured? Well, I am glad that you asked. I am tired of having my aforementioned adventures foiled by the flip flops that blow out for no reason. I think that these shoes would alleviate that problem, and also prevent the baby oil on linoleum like effect that water produces on the shower Cadillac's floors.
So get them you say? Well, I have tried that. For whatever reason, the seller can’t seem to figure out how to mail the shoes to me. So now, I have purchased a fifty dollar pair of shoes, that I need, which are eluding my hooves. Oh, the agony of de feet!!!
Although this story is not nearly as bad as I have made it sound, there is a moral to the story: Waking up and having to pee, in the middle of the day, in a place like this, sucks. They say that the little things in life are what make you happy. I just want my shoes. Ok, ok. That is far from all I want, but it sounds better for the story to say that it is.
The End.

Sea of uncoolness.

Well, this is a bitter sweet night. I am glad that my compadre is heading home to see the ones that he loves, but hell, the picture says it best. You made me laugh at the way I had missed the obvious. You are clearly correct that the "FNG" only gets cellugulare signals. It seems like all the microwave, and infrared experiments was for naught. Well, I will have to get a manual out and see what to do next. You have been an awesome source of knowledge, and I will miss you expertise and wit. I hope that I see you in the fall, but if not this year, maybe next.

Whew!!!

Well, I officially got an email saying I was in my 48 hour window. Although I am thrilled at the thought of being with my family again, I am saddened at the thought of leaving my friend John. This was his night off and I stuck around to help the new guy out. Now, when i say I am sorry for leaving you in this "Sea of Uncoolness" John, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I am getting ready to leave the shop to finish packing, and I still can't quite figure out how I made it all night without going crazy. Really can't imagine doing two more months of it. Oh and by the way, it would appear that the new "out of the box NCO(SSgt type)" is only programmed to understand Cellular communications. I am truly sorry to leave you here by yourself my friend!

Happy 4th Everyone!

I am sure there aren't any words that I can include in this post that my articulate collegue didn't include in his below post. That being said i say Thank You to all who have served and those still serving. It doesn't matter if you're active duty or guard/reserve. Everyone sacrifices something to be here doing what we do, and defending the very beliefs and freedom we each hold dear in our hearts. I would also like to say Thank You to MSgt John Rasmuson for the light work load tonight. It was much appreciated. Until next time..............

The 4th of July

Well, it is the 4th of July. Here it is just another day. I have decided that our shift will have a highly reduced work load for the night. This is because it is my belief that the 4th is first and foremost a holiday to celebrate freedom. This freedom is due the hard work and sacrifice of men and women like the warriors I have the privilege of serving with over here. In my mind that equates to we should be able to have a day to tone down the stress level, and savor the gifts that have been provided to us, and what we, in turn, are providing to others. Our wheels have not stopped, but they are not going full bore.

Warrior: A man engaged or experienced in war, or in the military life; a soldier; a champion.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

In my opinion this is a word that has been cheapened by seemingly constant misuse. Many people have forgotten, or perhaps never knew, that being a warrior is something that the vast majority of people are not meant, or able, to be. Warriors are different from other people, the same way that astrophysicists, public accountants, etc, etc, are different. In our changing military I feel that the higher-ups have failed to realize that the Air Force has been in a constant state of war for almost eighteen, yes 18, years. If you have been exposed to a constant state of war for your entire adult life, you are going to be more aggressive. This is just a fact as far as I can tell. How can we expect our people to function as thought they were just a corporate suit wearing camouflage?
My point you may ask? It is simply this; we are warriors, so treat us like it. We are not neutered kittens at a petting zoo. We have sacrificed much for our beliefs, and for our beloved country. If you don’t want warriors in the military, what do you want? I love my country, and have the highest respect for my fellow warriors. Thank you fellow warriors, here is an honest salute to you.