18 January 2007
For the past week, the three other LTs I arrived in Korea with and I have been doing nothing. Not a 'sit in this briefing room for a lecture on dirt' nothing, not a 'this will be your job for the next 11 months start learning it' nothing, a 'nothing' nothing.
Last Thursday we were told to take a bus to Camp Stanley for the in-processing we skipped because of the confusion in Seoul of us being part of 18th MEDCOM, but working in '2ID LAND' as Camp Casey is called. Last Thursday, however, was the Thursday before the Friday before the Monday that in the US is MLK day, and as US Soldiers we still get the day off, so our course was canceled. The Sergeant we were told to call, even though he had no idea we were coming, told us to come back the following Thursday for the course. So after getting up at 4:30 in order to catch the bus on time, we turned right around and were back in our rooms by 9 in the morning.
Someone within the unit three of us have been assigned to passed on a message that the Battalion Commander (BC), a Lieutenant Colonel, wanted to see us yesterday. Now mind you our entire unit was in the field, so after getting our issued cold weather gear (which includes a 'bear suite' which I will get pictures of soon because it makes me giggle) we packed a ruck to go out to the field. Now what does 'the field' mean? I haven't a clue.
What we would be doing? 'uh, I don't know, medical stuff'
What do we need to bring? 'uh, i don't know, your bear suit and poggy bait (candy basically, stuff to eat in the field other than MREs), ya bring lots of poggy bait'
Are we staying out there until Thursday, because you know we have our course to go to. 'Uh, ya i guess we'll pull you out Wednesday night'
So that's the kind of prep we got, but for the sake of having a positive attitude, we packed our rucks (with our bear suits and lots of poggy bait), drove out to the field with Specialist Womble (referred to by everyone in the unit simply as Cookie Monster, but by the four of us LTs, simply 'the specialist' and we are his 'lost LTs')
The 302 (the unit I'll be with consisting of eight companies and hundreds of soldiers) was doing a 'hop' meaning they were moving from one point in the field to another. So where did we meet them? In the middle of the main road just north of Camp Casey, stopping traffic and making a U-turn with at least 50 trucks. Now I'm not talking Ford Ranger trucks, I'm talking duce and a haves, LMTVs, fuelers, five tons, HWMMVs, and other huge military trucks that are honestly still here from the war. It was crazy.
But 'the specialist' finally got us out to the site where everyone was 'hopping' to for us to finally meet the BC. Unfortunately he was in the caravan that was stopping traffic throughout the eastern corridor (the area south of the DMZ) and hadn't arrived yet (we took a short cut) so we wondered around like the good LTs we are (you can't spell lost without LT is the only thing you need to know about the status of my rank) and talked to various people. We met our Company Commander (CO), a couple sergeants in our company, eventually a Major who had been in e-mail contact with us while in the states. He showed us around a little, introduced us to a couple people, one finally being the BC.
So this is pretty much how our meet and greet with the BC went:
All three of us: Salute - good afternoon Sir.
BC: returns salute - LTs! (as though he's so excited to see three more 2LTs!!!)
All three of us: we heard you wanted to see us Sir?
BC: You came to the field for that?!
All three of us: Well, uh...
BC: I like to put a face to names, even though I won't remember your faces
All three of us: politely, but uncomfortably laugh
BC: well it was good to meet you and I'll see you around back in the rear - walks away
All three of us: salute - look at each other dumbfounded.
BC: LTs! (He yells as we start walking away, figuring we aren't staying in the field)
All three of us: Yes Sir?
BC: This is the Command Sergeant Major (CSM)
CSM: LTs!
All three of us: Sergeant Major - shake his hand after taking off our gloves in the 8 degree weather.
CSM: See you in the rear
All three of us: Roger - walk away quicker this time!!!
So what we learned during this experience was
1. you can't go to the field until you've been to the safety course at Camp Stanley - we broke the rules
2. The BC wanted to meet us in the rear - but someone else was trying to be high speed so they sent us to the field
3. Always keep a ruck packed with your bear suit and lots of poggy bait!
After our 'field experience' on Saturday, we figured the best thing to do was hide. We didn't want to be told any more false information. That's what I mean about the 'nothing'. We stayed in our rooms, watched movies, attempted to learn 'the ville' which is the shopping area just outside Gate 1, and tried to talk through what we were going to do once the unit came in from the field.
Now, to bring you to today, since today is Thursday, our day to go back to Stanley for our safety course. We didn't need to check in until 4 in the afternoon, so Becca and I decided to go as late as possible, which proved to have some benefits. We rode the bus down which was a much more nauseating experience than I remembered it, charter buses were not designed for traveling 100 kph down narrow rodes. But we made it without anyone throwing up, Becca and I stood around in front of about 100 junior enlisted soldiers trying to look like we had a clue what was going on even though we couldn't find a single person to help us. Eventually we found the sergeant we'd talked to last week and this is pretty much how that conversation played out:
SFC Ham: Would you ladies hate it terribly if you stayed at Camp Casey and commuted here every morning?
Becca and me: uh...
SFC Ham: you'd have to take the 7 am bus and come straight to the class room - no stopping at the PX for coffee
Becca and me: giggle giggle - um, ya, okay, i guess
Aback up the hill we went to get on the bus back to Camp Casey. So, here i find myself sitting in my tiny little room with my bed and lazy-boy chair that did smell like Korean food, but luckily that smell has gone. Tomorrow morning, and every morning next week Becca and I will walk past all the Soldiers doing PT and get on a bus, hoping that we don't throw up, then walk in 20 minutes late to the class, as only 2LTs can.
But for all the joking and possibly negative sounding retelling of my last week - Korea is an adventure which is why I'm here. I should know exactly what my job will be when I get finished with Stanley. My room is livable - I was telling Dad that I'd probably have nicer accommodations in Baghdad, but I can sleep without a flack vest here so it's all good.
For the past week, the three other LTs I arrived in Korea with and I have been doing nothing. Not a 'sit in this briefing room for a lecture on dirt' nothing, not a 'this will be your job for the next 11 months start learning it' nothing, a 'nothing' nothing.
Last Thursday we were told to take a bus to Camp Stanley for the in-processing we skipped because of the confusion in Seoul of us being part of 18th MEDCOM, but working in '2ID LAND' as Camp Casey is called. Last Thursday, however, was the Thursday before the Friday before the Monday that in the US is MLK day, and as US Soldiers we still get the day off, so our course was canceled. The Sergeant we were told to call, even though he had no idea we were coming, told us to come back the following Thursday for the course. So after getting up at 4:30 in order to catch the bus on time, we turned right around and were back in our rooms by 9 in the morning.
Someone within the unit three of us have been assigned to passed on a message that the Battalion Commander (BC), a Lieutenant Colonel, wanted to see us yesterday. Now mind you our entire unit was in the field, so after getting our issued cold weather gear (which includes a 'bear suite' which I will get pictures of soon because it makes me giggle) we packed a ruck to go out to the field. Now what does 'the field' mean? I haven't a clue.
What we would be doing? 'uh, I don't know, medical stuff'
What do we need to bring? 'uh, i don't know, your bear suit and poggy bait (candy basically, stuff to eat in the field other than MREs), ya bring lots of poggy bait'
Are we staying out there until Thursday, because you know we have our course to go to. 'Uh, ya i guess we'll pull you out Wednesday night'
So that's the kind of prep we got, but for the sake of having a positive attitude, we packed our rucks (with our bear suits and lots of poggy bait), drove out to the field with Specialist Womble (referred to by everyone in the unit simply as Cookie Monster, but by the four of us LTs, simply 'the specialist' and we are his 'lost LTs')
The 302 (the unit I'll be with consisting of eight companies and hundreds of soldiers) was doing a 'hop' meaning they were moving from one point in the field to another. So where did we meet them? In the middle of the main road just north of Camp Casey, stopping traffic and making a U-turn with at least 50 trucks. Now I'm not talking Ford Ranger trucks, I'm talking duce and a haves, LMTVs, fuelers, five tons, HWMMVs, and other huge military trucks that are honestly still here from the war. It was crazy.
But 'the specialist' finally got us out to the site where everyone was 'hopping' to for us to finally meet the BC. Unfortunately he was in the caravan that was stopping traffic throughout the eastern corridor (the area south of the DMZ) and hadn't arrived yet (we took a short cut) so we wondered around like the good LTs we are (you can't spell lost without LT is the only thing you need to know about the status of my rank) and talked to various people. We met our Company Commander (CO), a couple sergeants in our company, eventually a Major who had been in e-mail contact with us while in the states. He showed us around a little, introduced us to a couple people, one finally being the BC.
So this is pretty much how our meet and greet with the BC went:
All three of us: Salute - good afternoon Sir.
BC: returns salute - LTs! (as though he's so excited to see three more 2LTs!!!)
All three of us: we heard you wanted to see us Sir?
BC: You came to the field for that?!
All three of us: Well, uh...
BC: I like to put a face to names, even though I won't remember your faces
All three of us: politely, but uncomfortably laugh
BC: well it was good to meet you and I'll see you around back in the rear - walks away
All three of us: salute - look at each other dumbfounded.
BC: LTs! (He yells as we start walking away, figuring we aren't staying in the field)
All three of us: Yes Sir?
BC: This is the Command Sergeant Major (CSM)
CSM: LTs!
All three of us: Sergeant Major - shake his hand after taking off our gloves in the 8 degree weather.
CSM: See you in the rear
All three of us: Roger - walk away quicker this time!!!
So what we learned during this experience was
1. you can't go to the field until you've been to the safety course at Camp Stanley - we broke the rules
2. The BC wanted to meet us in the rear - but someone else was trying to be high speed so they sent us to the field
3. Always keep a ruck packed with your bear suit and lots of poggy bait!
After our 'field experience' on Saturday, we figured the best thing to do was hide. We didn't want to be told any more false information. That's what I mean about the 'nothing'. We stayed in our rooms, watched movies, attempted to learn 'the ville' which is the shopping area just outside Gate 1, and tried to talk through what we were going to do once the unit came in from the field.
Now, to bring you to today, since today is Thursday, our day to go back to Stanley for our safety course. We didn't need to check in until 4 in the afternoon, so Becca and I decided to go as late as possible, which proved to have some benefits. We rode the bus down which was a much more nauseating experience than I remembered it, charter buses were not designed for traveling 100 kph down narrow rodes. But we made it without anyone throwing up, Becca and I stood around in front of about 100 junior enlisted soldiers trying to look like we had a clue what was going on even though we couldn't find a single person to help us. Eventually we found the sergeant we'd talked to last week and this is pretty much how that conversation played out:
SFC Ham: Would you ladies hate it terribly if you stayed at Camp Casey and commuted here every morning?
Becca and me: uh...
SFC Ham: you'd have to take the 7 am bus and come straight to the class room - no stopping at the PX for coffee
Becca and me: giggle giggle - um, ya, okay, i guess
Aback up the hill we went to get on the bus back to Camp Casey. So, here i find myself sitting in my tiny little room with my bed and lazy-boy chair that did smell like Korean food, but luckily that smell has gone. Tomorrow morning, and every morning next week Becca and I will walk past all the Soldiers doing PT and get on a bus, hoping that we don't throw up, then walk in 20 minutes late to the class, as only 2LTs can.
But for all the joking and possibly negative sounding retelling of my last week - Korea is an adventure which is why I'm here. I should know exactly what my job will be when I get finished with Stanley. My room is livable - I was telling Dad that I'd probably have nicer accommodations in Baghdad, but I can sleep without a flack vest here so it's all good.
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