Replacements in Place - Getting Their First Taste
The first replacement troops have moved into the operational area of the 1-14 Cavalry Squadron. The 1-14's work is almost done. They are coming home! Now the 2-14 is there to take over.
They arrived this morning - Thursday morning. And they were properly welcomed by the 1-14 plus they got a nice welcome from Iraq and from the Iraqi's.
It rained Thursday morning. Not a sprinkle, not a shower - a downpour. Iraqi sand became Iraqi mud. It sticks to everything. It's ankle deep, everywhere. The 1-14 is familiar with the mud of Iraq but the men of the 2-14 learned the hard way. Vehicles stuck. Mud caked on everything.
And then Thursday afternoon they learned that a supply convoy was hit by an ambush and now the 2-14 gets to experience their first food shortage and the 1-14 gets to experience their last. When you first get to Iraq the MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat - or - Meals Rejected by the Enemy - take your pick) suck and after you've been there 11 months they suck even more.
And just a few hours ago, about 8PM Iraq time, the FOB was hit by a rocket attack. The 2-14's baptism by fire. Though done with "work" he had to report back in after the attack to let headquarters know he was OK. He can sit back now. Sit back, but not relax. He can sit back and watch his newbie counterparts adjust to life in the FOB, adjust to life in Iraq but at the same time the rockets and mortars don't know he's off duty.
Plus, it's a small world. One of the men he went to Basic with at Fort Knox is there in Mosul with the replacement force. He was surprised to know somebody in the follow on troop - it was good to see a familiar face. They sat down. They talked. He gave this Soldier the same advice he was given when he arrived. "All the dumb ones are dead. Watch your back, never let your guard down."
He's coming home. We were given the date like this... "I'm leaving here ten days after my birthday but the month before." Operational Security dictates the "code" we used to pin-point the date. The Army doesn't want the enemy to know when our force will be it's "weakest" and most in-experienced so actual dates can never be spoken, written or transmitted. We keep them guessing.
mud!
They arrived this morning - Thursday morning. And they were properly welcomed by the 1-14 plus they got a nice welcome from Iraq and from the Iraqi's.
It rained Thursday morning. Not a sprinkle, not a shower - a downpour. Iraqi sand became Iraqi mud. It sticks to everything. It's ankle deep, everywhere. The 1-14 is familiar with the mud of Iraq but the men of the 2-14 learned the hard way. Vehicles stuck. Mud caked on everything.
And then Thursday afternoon they learned that a supply convoy was hit by an ambush and now the 2-14 gets to experience their first food shortage and the 1-14 gets to experience their last. When you first get to Iraq the MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat - or - Meals Rejected by the Enemy - take your pick) suck and after you've been there 11 months they suck even more.
And just a few hours ago, about 8PM Iraq time, the FOB was hit by a rocket attack. The 2-14's baptism by fire. Though done with "work" he had to report back in after the attack to let headquarters know he was OK. He can sit back now. Sit back, but not relax. He can sit back and watch his newbie counterparts adjust to life in the FOB, adjust to life in Iraq but at the same time the rockets and mortars don't know he's off duty.
Plus, it's a small world. One of the men he went to Basic with at Fort Knox is there in Mosul with the replacement force. He was surprised to know somebody in the follow on troop - it was good to see a familiar face. They sat down. They talked. He gave this Soldier the same advice he was given when he arrived. "All the dumb ones are dead. Watch your back, never let your guard down."
He's coming home. We were given the date like this... "I'm leaving here ten days after my birthday but the month before." Operational Security dictates the "code" we used to pin-point the date. The Army doesn't want the enemy to know when our force will be it's "weakest" and most in-experienced so actual dates can never be spoken, written or transmitted. We keep them guessing.
mud!
posted by deesci | 6:41 PM
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