FT HOOD

We have been here pushing a month now and everyone is fairly ready to leave. We get a pass in 2 weeks to go home for 4 days, return and then leave for Kuwait. The time here has drug by, I have validated all of my training requirements and am done...I spend my days walking with the walkers club (4 guys that walk the backroads every day at 4pm, one of which is our command Chaplain) we have shared much fellowship and mutual complaints about all of the excess time spent at FT Hood. Running, and self development things...reading, online military classes ect. I have lost 25 pounds since November which is great...running alot. I am ready to get a break and come home...this is a pretty boring place. I wish I had more interesting things to write, Im sure I will later.

A message about the ice storm from a man in Owensboro

The ice storm of 2009 did one thing for> everyone in it’s path – it got our attention!> For the multiplied thousands of> residents who lost power, heat, water,> trees and not a little sleep, it was a> storm to remember. But hopefully,> we’
ll do more than remember; we> should also learn to listen when God> speaks in the storm.> We’
ve been saddened by the loss of so> much beauty in our community. The> magnificent trees that line our streets> and shade our homes; the great oaks,> maples and pines that adorn our countryside> will never be the same. They> look like a scene taken from war. And> it is right to be sad, because those trees> are God’s handiwork and were stamped> with something of His glory as creator.> Now they are twisted and broken. But> our sadness ought to be tempered with> knowing that they were only meant to> be temporary anyway. This world is> not supposed to last, and its true beauty> will one day be forever eclipsed by the> unstained beauty of the new heavens> and the new earth. If we are too sad> about the trees, it betrays in us an inordinate> attachment to this earth and a> failure to see past the trees.> We’
ve all been touched by the many> expressions of human kindness this> week. People have opened their homes,> volunteered to man shelters, transported> the elderly, checked on shut-ins, shared> resources and generally looked out for> one another. Crews from many states> have come to our aid. It has been an> overflow of kindness and compassion!> We call that common grace from the> hand of God. But the great sadness is> that many will only see the triumph of> the human spirit rising over adversity> and overcoming this bad turn of> “luck.” Man will be the hero rather> than God as the giver of every good> thing.> The danger we face, greater than the> loss of thousands of dollars of property,> food and resources, is that we won’t be> humbled by this stroke of providence> from the hand of God. A little rain,> dropping temperatures and a few inches> of snow undid us. It reduced us to near> helplessness. We
couldn’t stop it. With> all our technical
wizardry, pinpoint> forecasts, government agencies and> emergency response teams we simply> could not stop it. We could not will it> away. We watched the flash of exploding> transformers and listened all> through the night with cringing fear as> trees far older than the oldest residents> of our community were stripped of their> limbs by just a coating of ice. We were> at God’s mercy, but were we humbled?> Did we repent? Did we even think of> that day when the elements will melt> with fervent heat and all men will stand> truly helpless before God? Did we see> the storm as a call from God to abandon> our self-reliance and throw ourselves> upon His mercy? Or was it just another> feather in our collective cap that we> made it through another crisis on our> own?> The ice storm of 2009 is a serious call> to humility, repentance, renewed dependence> upon God and an appreciation> of what is to come at the end of the age.>

New Assignment

I have now been re-assigned to the Army Contracting section. I will be a contracting officer in Iraq. This entails what you might imagine, contracting for infrastructure improvements on different bases in Iraq...or any other projects that the US military contracts out, (which seems to most every funtion anymore) Ill be a contracts administrator, doing bid lettings and assigneing contracts. The assignments keep changing prmarily because as folks get dropped from this deployment for medical reasons or security clearance problems, they have to shioft everyone around again. The "drop dead" date for sending folks home is a few days away so the roster should be getting pretty solid. I may be going temporary duty (TDY) to Ft Carson, CO for the contracting course week afetr next...who knows. Anyway, I have cleared all my hurdles and am actually in the minority...the Army makes it pretty tough to mobilize, between medical requirements, security clearance issues, training qualifications ect, if you dont hit every mark...they send you packing. Anyway, I am good to go. getting a 4 day pass in March to go home before wheels up to Iraq. In Iraq, well be assigned to the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command (Sustain the line!! is the unit motto) based in........FT Knox, KY!! and when they leave, well get assigned to the 13 ESC..so I should earn two different combat patches for serving with both units. Gotta go for now.

Bryan

North Ft Hood...continued

Last few days I have been in the Army Blue Force Tracker operator course. Its a complex computer system that is like a GPS tracking system for units on the battlefield...I don't know how much more I can say about it, but its really high tech..Ill be an operator for the system tomorrow after a 4 hour final! Life is the same at Ft Hood, up at 04:45, eat, formation and go to work/class/training...what ever you have for the day. Its pretty uninteresting right now...we have been given fairly firm time frames for departure to SouthWest Asia, which are about what I have shared with most everyone. We have been in language lab learning basic Iraqi language and some regional customs, dos and donts when interfacing with the population. I have been re-assigend to the Redistribution section in Support Operations..Ill be in charge of an Air Force team that will go out and close down a FOB (forward operating base) in Iraq. When the govt of the USA leaves a FOB, it is handed over to the Iraqis, however the US pulls back all of the serviceable equipment on the FOB to redistribute to other areas or inventory and ship back home. Ill be involved in this operation, I have been told I will have ample opportunity to "chopper or convoy" to these areas throughout my commands area of responsibility and assist in the closing of the FOB's. Sounds interesting. With Obamas pledge to pull back troops, this job will likely be pretty busy, especially the second half of my tour. Anyway gotta go for now.

Bryan