Work is going ok.  Wish I was still a tanker though.  Was more simple but exciting.  The support unit I am in is nothing but drama, but I just keep a humorous attitude about it and drive on.  On a better note, I go to the promotion board on Saturday and once I do that and work on some more stuff to get promotion points I should be able to get promoted in January.  Yay!

I’d post some pix on flickr but the internet I have sux and I’m waiting for my friend to set up a better network.  I’ll post some as soon as I can though.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

A lil recap on where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to.  I moved from Germany to Ft. Riley, KS and changed my job from being a tanker to a human resources specialist.  Wish I would have stayed a tanker because it’s more fun.  I work with a bunch of females which was different for me because I was only used to working with guys in the military.  Luckily the girls I work with have similar personalities as me (crude) and we get along just fine.  I’ll give you the skinny on the peeps I work with (I won’t reveal their names just in case they stroll upon this):

Cpt. B – This is my boss.  He’s a tall, bald, sarcastic S.O.B. that hates his job which makes him cool in my book.

Ssg. C – My boss on the enlisted side.  She’s a short blonde firecracker from Texas.  Most of the things that come out of her mouth can make even me blush.

Sgt. K – My supervisor.  He used to be a scout that changed to human resources like me.  He is usually my partner in crime in all the pranks I perform on my co-workers.

Cpl. Q – My battle buddy.  She’s like the sister I’m glad I never had.  We used to sit in the office and fight like sibblings back in the rear.  My goal is to make her the butt of my jokes and pranks mainly because it’s easy, and also Ssg. C put out a “hit” on her and gave me free reign to inflict as much damage as I can.  It’s all in good fun and nobody gets hurt.

Spc. W – She’s pretty new to the crew, but seems pretty cool (she laughs at my jokes).

Pfc. H – This is my twin.  Apparently everyone thinks we look alike, but I protest!  I’m WAY cuter!  I usually crashed at his place back in KS when I had too much out at the bars.

Pfc. L – she’s pretty new too.  I like to mess up her hair because she spends a lot of time on it but it isn’t anything to brag about.

Pvt. E – He’s also new and is my roomate.  He’s a bit of a dork and lacks social skills, but with my help I’m hoping to remedy that.

I will probably be reffering to these people a lot through the year.

Things are going pretty good.  The rules are still stupid here, but I’m gettin’ by it.  This last weekend was pretty eventful.  It was the first time I went out to Columbia (the town near Ft. Jackson).  We celebrated my one friend’s b-day on Fri and Sat.  Fri he almost got in a fight with a guy that was mad cuz his date wanted to talk to him instead of him, but he backed down once I showed up (pussy), and I was the only one who really came out on top with a lady.  Sat we let him guide us to places he wanted to go.  We started that night at the Village Idiot, a pizza/bar that was a nice environment, but he wanted to try a dance club, so it was off to Club Ra.  We were the only white guys there.  We wanted to get our $20 worth cover charge but the “off-whites” were mean-muggin’ us so we bounced.  It was then to this one bar that was about to close.  William (the b-day boy) fell in love with the waitress and asked where she was headed to after the bar close and she said Kelly’s.  It was off to find Kelly’s.

We walked by this one bar that had a live band and the doorman tried to get us to come in, but we told him our destination was Kelly’s.  His reply was, “Kelly’s?  That’s a dyke bar guys, you need to come in here.”  We told him he was full of shit because he was just tryin’ to get us to come in, so we headed on down the road.  We then came to what seemed like a club and thought this might be the place, so Will stopped to talk to a chick by the rear exit and I could see a “female” in a bikini top about 75 yards from our position at the main door.  “She” turned to face us and that’s when I noticed (from that distance mind you) that “she” was a he…Club Fusion was discovered to be a gay bar.  On we traveled.

We finally came to our destination of Kelly’s and everyone of us had to piss by this point, so it was off to the latrine.  There were more girls to guys in this bar, but not by much.  We did our business and came out to check out the scene.  That’s when we noticed that some of the “guys” were females dressed the same as us and Lady Marmalade came on and the actual guys started dancing in a manner that could not be confused as a masculine dance.  Kelly’s was in actuality a dyke bar.

We had given up hope and were going to head home now, so was started walking back the way we came.  We went past that bar where the doorman warned us of Kelly’s and we told him he was right.  He was so amused that he told us he’d let us in for free, so that is where we ended up.  That bar was uneventful, but fun.

So that was my weekend in a nutshell and we’re hoping to run into some more interesting situations.

Quick update:  got back from Iraq, broke up with the fiance (that went well by the way), went on a 2 1/2 month drinking binge, burried my grandma, and now I’m in Ft. Jackson to reclass from an M1A1 Abrams tank crewman to a human resources specialist.  Pretty short update since I haven’t been on in a while, but if anyone pops by and wants to know more, leave me a comment.

Ft. Jackson sux.  The standards on how to instill discapline to new soldiers has seriously decreased.  You’ve got privates runnin’ their mouths of to anyone in a higher rank.  When I went through initial training and had done that, I’d be doing corrective PT (physical training) till probly this day and get called every derrogitory thing in the book.  Harsh as it may seem, you learned respect.  Now that I have been in for a while I know why the young privates need to respect higher ranking soldiers.  They’ve been here longer and know how to operate smoothly.  That comes with knowing your place and doing what you’re told because it might just save your life someday.  These privates don’t get it and WON’T get it until they get to their next unit probably.  I know that once I get to my next unit, I won’t put up with any of it.

It has me all irked because if I was in regular unit and not in training, I would be able to make corrections as they needed to be done.  But here, those of us who are reclassing and have to share classes with privates, can’t do or say anything.  It’s as if all military standards and practices don’t even exist.  Like the rank I worked my @$$ off to attain means nothing.

Well my instructor is back so I need to jet.

Haven’t really followed football for the last few years because to watch any of the games I’d have to stay up way too early in the morning to watch them.  It’s still the Superbowl though and it would have been nice to see it.  I was rooting for da Bears of course, but I also like the Colts, so I’m not too disappointed.  Glad I didn’t put any money on it….lol

There was a little side room that had a working shower at one time, but this room was now the trash room.  It had about two feet of trash in there and a powerful smell to boot.  Rotting cans of sardines and spit bottles were what we came to the conclusion the smell was coming from.  We started picking up the trash and found a cut in the wall at the bottom where the drain was located.  It naturally was packed with trash so we used a broom stick to start getting it out.  That’s when we found the power behind the smell.  In that particular pile of trash we found close to a dozen dead rats.  A couple of my battle buddies almost lost their breakfast at this aroma, so we went to the medics to get respirators.  We then cleaned it all up.  Hooah.

And I thought Iraqi’s smelled bad…..

While on the topic of awards, I’m rather disappointed on what awards are being given out.  First I should give a little lesson on awards.  The lowest one you can recieve out here is an AAM (Army Achievement Medal).  Next is an ARCOM (Army Commendation Medal).  Next would probly be MSM (Merritorious Service Medal, hard to get).  Then it would be the Bronze Star.  I recieved an ARCOM and I pretty much deserved only that for this deployment.  I really didn’t do much.  But that’s basically all that below a platoon SGT recieved.  A platoon SGT and above all recieved a Bronze Star.

This is pretty unfair in my opinion because those people give out the orders that the lower enlisted must perform.  Most of the time with their life on the line.  Example:  there was a soldier out in sector a while back on patrol and got shot in the neck.  Granted he recieved a Purple Heart, but at the end of our stay here, all he will recieve is an ARCOM.  The only way we lower enlisted can recieve a Bronze star, is to die in the line of duty.  The leaders these days, just really don’t take the time to sit down and look at each soldiers contribution to the unit out here.  Some do, but when it reaches higher to recieve that approval, it gets downgraded.

Now I’m not saying that the leaders don’t deserve a Bronze Star or something of that degree, but I think more consideration is needed when deciding the lower enlisted awards.  The leaders may make the plans, but we are the ones to execute.  A plan is only as good as the ones to execute it, in my opinion.

Some may say that I am jealous because all I recieved was an ARCOM like most, but that is hardly the case.  Like I said, I really didn’t do much to recieve this award than to survive a year out here and not get into trouble.  I accept it of course because it’s promotion points and that is something I need.

But when it all boils down, I’m just a Specialist and my voice doesn’t really matter.  Hooah.

All in all though I can’t wait to get to my new unit and get everything settled in with my bride-to-be and the kids.  It’s gonna be a big adjustment for them coming into the military life.  I’m hoping my past experience with moving to strange new places will afford me the knowledge to reassure their fears or doubts.

Things here have been going ok for the most part.  I really need to stop watching movies like the World Trade Center because it gets my blood boiling and I get a bloodlust thing goin’ on.  Makes me wish I was in a tank out in sector, or going on raids bustin’ terrorists and insurgents.  Boy….I’m glad I’m getting out of a combat job so I can’t be acting on those impulses anymore  lol.

Oh, and I’ve got some more pix if anyone wanted to see some.  If anyone still reads this  lol.

Not much has happened in the last few months (well, that I can talk about at least).  It’s colder out and it sucks bein’ out there for guard, but hopefully we won’t have to be doin’ this for too much longer.  Anyone wondering when I’ll be home from this deployment will have to wait till I’m home cuz I can’t tell y’all.  I will be home to the states at the end of May for my PCS (Permanent Change of Station) leave.

Not much else to say.  I’ll post some more pix later.