Camp Funston

We finished inprocessing on Friday and moved down to Camp Funston. Camp Funston was previously a National Guard training and living area. Since the MiTT Mission moved to Fort Riley however, they have built new barracks, dining facilities and new offices. Construction is just recently completed however and they haven’t moved into the landscaping, sidewalk building and drainage phase. This wasn’t a problem on Friday when we moved because it was around 8 degrees and everything was under a layer of snow, however over the weekend temperatures were in the 50s and the snow melted and now it is a sea of mud. The POV (privately owned vehicle) parking lot where we park our cars was a grassy field; it is now a muddy muddy mess.
We are living in 30 man open bays with bunk beds. Each man has a footlocker and a wall locker to store all of the gear we were issued which I mentioned in a previous post. Needless to say, living conditions leave a lot to be desired. Imagine 30 pairs of muddy boots tromping through your kitchen everyday, and when it dries up and you try to sweep it up it just creates a dust cloud for about 30 minutes.

Going To Tal Afar

We found out earlier this week that we will be stationed in the city of Tal Afar, It is a town I became familiar with the first time I was over there. It is the town where SSG Mejia, one of my squad leaders got hit with an IED in this HMMWV. It was in the news quite a bit when the unit that replaced us, COL H.R. McMaster's, (the closest thing the Army has to a Superstar Franchise Officer) Third Armored Cavalry Regiment, built a wall around the whole city and used the strategy of Clear, Hold and Build. If you use Google News or Juan Cole to find out what's been goin on there, you won't find much. So, that's a good thing I suppose. Feel free to dig around in the included links for more information, there's alot of it linked in there, this article from the New Yorker is pretty informative on what McMaster accomplished. Also, his book Dereliction of Duty is considered mandatory reading for the Army's Officer Corps. There's also a large PBS Frontline Online Special containing interviews and videos which I highly recommend.
Peace

Inprocessing

Well, I've arrived at Fort Riley, its a bit strange to be here again, considering I was here almost exactly 8 years ago. Its still cold, but a lot of new buildings and facilities. Right now we are in processing, drawing equipment and meeting our teammates. Yesterday I drew 2 full duffle bags of gear at CIF (central issue facility) including my Interceptor Body Armor, (IBA) three pairs of new boots, a ruck sack, gas mask etc etc. Later in the afternoon I drew another full dufflebag full of equipment, including silkweight long underwear, nomex and gortex gloves, oakley sunglasses, dust goggles, and, two more pairs of boots. Also we received our ACH (Advanced Combat Helmet), which, according to the manufacturer...

The MSA Military Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) delivers the world's most
advanced ballistic and impact head protection, with unsurpassed comfort
for long-term use. The helmet's low-profile design reduces the risk of
interference in target acquisition and ensures compatibility with NVGs
(night-vision goggles), MSA's CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological,
Nuclear) Gas Masks, and MSA's communication devices.



An
innovative suspension system of movable comfort pads (which are
attached to Velcro strips on the inside of the helmet) provides
customized sizing and superior comfort. The sized pads conform to the
shape of your head to distribute the helmet's weight evenly and
comfortably. Simply adjust and move the absorbent pads for a flexible,
personalized fit.

Finally we were issued our M68 CCO, (Close Combat Optic), basically its an unmagnified rifle scope, designed for reflexive close quarters combat, when you look through it there is a red dot visible floating in the middle, wherever your red dot is, that's where the round is going, assuming you have it all zeroed properly.



So, all told, I now have four full duffle bags of gear and I still have another issue scheduled for Friday to include new uniforms etc.



Another interesting station in the inprocessing schedule is called ISO-Prep, or Isolation Preparation. It is designed to build a data base about you that only you know. It is used in case you are captured to ensure that you are who you say you are. We each had to divulge any distinguishing marks, as well as write 4 brief stories or statements which only we would know, for example... "My first dog was a black and white Old English Sheepdog named Ritz, and Aunt Janice hit him with a car and the mailman brought him to our house." So, now theoretically if I am captured, the rescuers my burst in the door and ask which of my Aunts hit my dog, and if I give them the right answer, I can be saved.

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