Back in Time for 2010

This post is about 4 weeks late, but I'm back from Basic and AIT. Most of you who read this blog are well aware of this fact, but I figured I had to blog about it to make it official.

I graduated and received my castle on December 4th, 2009. I am a combat engineer and damn proud of that fact.

Combat engineers perform a number of different jobs in the Army, but for the last few years the majority of them have focused on route clearance. This basically means finding and destroying IED's. Engineers are also used to breach doors or walls using explosives, shotguns and chainsaws. Engineers also set up security barriers/razor wire to protect operating bases.

AIT covered all of these things plus mine detection, personnel searches and a few other things.

Basic was difficult and I'm proud I completed it. It was harder than I anticipated and I definitely pushed a few of my limits. However, it was never impossible and with the support of my battle buddies, I always felt ready to take on the next challenge.

Now that I've completed Basic and AIT, I have my regular Guard duty of one weekend a month and two weeks a year. This month and February I will drill with my RSP unit at Tupelo. I will then be handed off to my new Engineer Unit in Houston, MS and will begin training with them.

I was lucky enough to have 2 battle buddies in my platoon who will also be in the Houston unit, so I'll at least know a few people when I start.

I'm unsure about deployment, but I think the Houston unit just got back in 2008 from Iraq, which means it should be 2012 before they are deployed again. Of course given today's environment, anything could happen.

I'm still working on adjusting a little to a weekend warrior lifestyle, but easing into being home with my family took no adjustment at all.

I plan on blogging about how incredible everyone has been towards me and my family, so for now I just want to say "thanks" to everyone for everything.

Essayons!

So Long And Thanks For All the Fish!

I've been blogging in my head about the Army now for almost two months. Unfortunately that's translated into about two actual blog posts, so I suppose I'm a little over due.

I'm leaving shortly to head for Basic Training and my blog will be silent for quite a while. This will come as a relief to the people who hate corny puns and value grammar.

Basic Training is the same experience for everyone in the Army. It doesn't matter if you're in the Guard, Reserves or Active Duty. There are numerous Forts where training is held, but it's still pretty much the same, with some variations here and there. Check out youtube for some videos/picture collages of basic training set to some "angry music" to get a feel for what I'm about to go through.

I'm hoping to keep some semblance of a journal while I'm there, but I'm guessing I'm not going to have a lot of free time. Oddly enough, blogging isn't one of the skills stressed at basic training.

I'm a little apprehensive and anxious at the same time. I'm ready to start the pain and get the experience behind me, but I'm obviously not really thrilled at the idea of running until I throw up or sitting in a gas chamber breathing in tear gas. I'm not thrilled about missing the births of my best friends' first child and the birth of my first nephew. I'm also not real thrilled about missing the most promising Ole Miss football season since Eli's senior year.

I'm definitely going to miss my family. I've been trying to give the kids extra attention and encouragement. My wife has been incredible and brave. I definitely could not do this without her. She is amazing and everyone should be impressed.

I also couldn't do this without our very supportive family, community and work. Holy crap, y'all are awesome. Small towns are good because they're small towns and it doesn't take a national disaster for people to support each other.

I've been absolutely shocked at the amount of people that have supported me just for making the decision to enlist and I am extremely grateful and humbled for how much love everyone has already shown my family. It really means a lot to me. See everyone on the other side.

Things That Have Changed Since Joining the Guard

And all I have done is enlisted and attend a couple of weekend drills. I really don't consider myself as being a real "soldier" until I get back from Basic. But here is how my perspective has already changed.

1. World politics are a whole lot more important and scarier. Every major conflict I read about now comes with an ominous sense of doom as I judge the probability of myself being shipped to some country for what ever various reason. Hopefully the next country we decide to invade will be the Caymans.

2. I have much more respect for the enlisted man. There are about a million reasons (some good, some bad) why the Army can decide that you're not fit to join. It's much more difficult to join than I had previously thought. It's also a lot more physically demanding than I had really expected. Running 2 miles in under 17 minutes and doing 40 push-ups in under 2 minutes is a lot harder for this 31 yr. old than I had anticipated.

3. 7:00 AM is no longer early. It's actually sleeping in now.

4. I feel like I have been given some sort of secret decoder ring. There are a lot of people that I've known for years who I'm just now learning have served in the military. There are a lot of ex-military.

5. I have an extremely high metabolism. I'm putting on weight and gaining some mass, but it's a definite struggle. I don't see how people could ever think that Barry Bonds was a result of just exercise and nutrition.

6. It's a lot easier to recover from a night of drinking now that I'm exercising so much more.

7. Camouflage gear is suddenly cool.

First Day of School

Charles starts 2nd grade tomorrow. We had open house today and met his teacher, signed him up for the bus route, and got some information about the cub scouts. They grow up quickly, etc.

I'm extremely proud of him and could not ask for a better son.

I'll try and take some pictures of him waiting for the bus early in the morning. The bus was debatable. Charles has been dying to ride the bus since 4k. Mom and dad were not so excited about the prospect of our kindergartner riding with high school kids on some giant yellow monster with no seat belts. Never mind the interesting corruption that would occur on the back of the bus, what if someone was mean to him?

Anyways, he has friends that ride the bus and do just fine, so we decided to let him try it this year. I'm guessing the time being stuck on the bus (an hour and 15 minutes) each day will eventually wear him down and he'll decide to become a car rider again on his own. We're trying to be respectful of his independence and let him make some major decisions. However, if he comes home with any prison tattoos, it's a deal breaker and he's back to riding in the car.

Edit: Pictures. And since my dad doesn't have facebook, pictures of the truck.

Global Warming the Cockles of my Heart

It's not widely known among my liberal friends, although I believe a few suspect that I'm a closet Republican, but I do not believe in Global Warming in the same way Al Gore believes in Global Warming.

I know that sounds like blasphemy coming from someone who voted for Obama and loves promoting solar technology and electric cars, but it is true. I do not believe that man-made global warming is actually occurring, or at least not in any significant amount to actually impact the environment.

Having said that, let me clarify a few points.

1. Is the Earth getting warmer? Yes, I think that's easy enough to demonstrate.
2. Is pollution bad and should we lower carbon emissions? Yes. Nature is a beautiful thing and we should do all reasonable things we can think of to preserve it and ourselves.
3. Don't you love polar bears? Of course. I've loved polar bears since watching Binky the Polar Bear at the Anchorage Zoo throw a pink bowling ball around like a leaf.

So, why is the weather getting all crazy and why are temperatures so high and how do you explain increased carbon levels and polar caps melting?

A geologist convinced me, quite by accident, that most (99.99%) of the temperature changes we're currently seeing are related to natural occurring fluctuations in the earth's temperature.

The geologist was trying to explain why global warming was man's fault and I was quite eager to believe him. Up until this point, I did believe global warming was our fault.

Using charts and graphs, the geologist explained that every 100,000 years the earth goes through a long cycle of cooling (ice age) and warming (interglacial warm period).

Looking at the graphs, I thought to myself well then surely we must be in the warmest period of the Earth, thanks to pollution. Nope. Warmest period was a while ago (few thousand years ago, way before LA traffic).

Ok, well maybe we can see a trend shift where we should be in a cooling period, but we're not. Nope. We're actually right on schedule and in about 2,000 years should be heading into the dreaded ice age.

Well damn. So what's the problem again? Well there are increased carbon monoxide levels in the atmosphere and this was probably the only compelling chart in favor of man-made pollution having a global impact on temperature.

However, it wasn't strong enough to prove a direct causal relationship between pollution and global warming. If anything, the other charts proved yet again that man has overestimated his impact on the earth and mother nature.

So, I remain convinced that we should stop polluting, but also stop believing that we're baking the earth with greenhouse gases. We should stop polluting because it's killing our lungs and causing us to be heavily reliant on finite resources. However, way too much energy, time and resources are being devoted to something that is probably way out of our control.

Which leads me to the fun part. What should we be doing with those resources? Let's stop for a moment and assume that the extremists on both sides of the argument are correct and the world is doomed (either hot or cold).

Then perhaps we should be figuring out a way to live in that type of environment.

"we must not allow a mine shaft gap!"

Or we should concentrate on getting off the world and onto another planet where we won't freeze/burn and be able to grow something to eat?

Just a thought.

Hon Dur As, Hon Dur As, Hon Dur As!!

This was the prevailing Honduran cheer during the World Cup qualifier game in Chicago where the US National Men's Team beat Honduras, 2 to 1, in an excellent match. Daniel and I traveled to Chicago to watch the game and hang out with our good friend Jim and his girlfriend Krista. It was my first professional soccer match and I can't wait to go to another one.

When the taxi drove up to Soldier Field, I could not believe the amount of Honduran fans. The US fans were easily outnumbered by a 3 to 1 ratio. Fans holding baby blue and white flags were everywhere blowing horns and chanting, "Hon Dur As, Hon Dur As!"

I immediately wondered what the population of the country was (7.5 million) and if they all came to Chicago to watch the match (no, a few stayed home). I had to admire the pride and support they showed for their team and country as they jovially wandered about cheering and posing for pictures.

The US fans were hard core as well and deserve a great amount of respect for their level of support.

The whole event reminded me of the Grove and I would randomly shout "Let's Go Rebels!" and "Hotty Toddy!" to add to the chaos.

After the game the Honduran fans remained in good spirits despite the loss to the US team. Satisfied smiles were on every ones faces as we followed the winding river of fans back to the city.

I think about the fans and how their good spirit must contrast greatly with how they're feeling now as they watch their country go through a military coup. I wonder which political side they land on, if any, and how they must worry about their relatives and friends in Honduras.

I'm reminded once again why the United States and the stability and peace it represents makes it the popular landing spot for immigrants across the globe. I remember again not take this country for granted and to appreciate the opportunities I have.

"USA, USA, USA!"

and my heart goes out to you Hondurans.

I Joined the Army National Guard

On May 21, 2009 I swore an oath that "I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the State of Mississippi against all enemies, foreign and domestic," and enlisted into the Army National Guard.

Since enlisting, I've been getting a lot of questions and so I thought I would cover the standard ones here.

1. Do you have to go to boot camp?

Yes. It's called Basic Combat Training and I have to attend that plus Military Occupation Specialties (MOS) training or Advanced Individual Training (AIT).

2. How long will you be gone for?

Basic and AIT will run about 4 months. I will be away from my family for a very long time and miss them dearly. I will have limited ability to contact them and after 9 1/2 weeks of Basic they can come visit during graduation. Other wise, I will not have much contact during that period. I think I will have more freedom to call or possibly even email during AIT, but I'm not sure.

3. Where will you be at?

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for both Basic and AIT.

4. How long is your commitment to the Guard?

8 years.

5. Will you go overseas?

Yes, it is very likely. I am with the 288th Sapper Company out of Houston, MS. They have been deployed to Iraq at least twice since 9/11.

6. What will you do in the Guard?

I chose 21-B, Combat Engineer as my MOS and I will learn to build structures and blow them up in combat situations.

7. Will you be an officer?

Not currently. I have enlisted as an E-4 (Specialist) because I have a college degree but have not decided about becoming an officer if given the opportunity. Officer Candidate School (OCS) represents a large commitment for both me and the military. I would prefer to learn more about the Guard before deciding on becoming a leader in the Guard.

8. Are you quiting your job?

No. I will return to work with FNC Inc. once I have completed my training. FNC has been extremely supportive of my decision and I cannot thank them enough for everything they've done.

9. Is Corinne ok with this?

Yes. Corinne and the kids are very proud and excited for me. It was a decision we made together and she has always been supportive.

10. How old are you?

Surprisingly, I get this almost every time I tell someone or they find out I have joined. I'm 31 until January. The cut off age for the Army is 35.

11. Was your dad in the military?

Yes. My dad was in the Air Force as a MP during Vietnam and my grandfather was a Marine during WWII.

11. Are you crazy/stupid/suicidal?

Uh, No.

I've been thinking about the answer to this one for a while and have been answering it a little bit differently each time.

Basically, joining the military is something I've always wanted to do. I almost joined right out of high school, almost joined after college and almost joined before my first child was born. School, family and career have a way of moving priorities and setting paths for you. And yet despite all of these things, the desire to join has always stayed with me.

When I turned 30, I realized that I may never join and that I'd regret it for the rest of my life. As it is, I'm very much regretting not joining earlier. This has not been an easy decision nor one that I made on a whim because I was feeling "old" or having some sort of 30 yr. crisis. I have been physically training for over 6 months and we have been financially preparing as a family for over a year.

Yet, this still doesn't answer why.

I love this country. I know the complaints and I have plenty myself but there is no other country that values freedom and equality more than we do.

Many people take this country for granted (both red and blue states), but I am not one of those persons. I love it and I'm willing to sacrifice and fight for it, to keep it safe and to ensure my children have those same rights or even take it for granted if they so choose.

There are lots of ways to serve your country and I make no judgement one way or another. But for me this is the true test of my commitment. How much do I love it? How much do I mean it?

Enough to enlist and to accept all of the things that come along with that decision.