Jacks Of All Trades - 23 April 2009 - 1330

It’s now been 3 weeks since I arrived in Leatherneck. Not much has changed. The temperature has gone up a bit I suppose. Our destiny still appears to be the Base Slaves for the foreseeable future. They aren’t sure if we will even start receiving Army ammo during our entire time here. We were told that we are laying the ground work for future units to come in our place. That’s all well and good, but I’m relatively certain we aren’t the only Army unit out here. Whenever a big project comes up we start the morning with like 20 people from our Battalion and like 20 from us. By the end of the day you look around and everyone from the 100th, save 3 or 4 have strategically snuck off during the day. We have now set up around 15 or so tent only 1 of which was actually ours. Again we were told we would be helping, but to me help implies that we are assisting another group, not acting as indentured servants. 1st squad is our wood construction squad. They build floors for all the tents that my guys put up, floors for other peoples tents, and desks and tables and such for various units. One Soldier approached one of the 1st squad guys and asked how they could get a desk built by our carpentry unit. People out there don’t even know what we are supposed to be doing. I really don’t mind a long, physically demanding day of work even though I was supposed to be over here sitting behind a computer the whole time, but it really gets me worked up when we are the only ones out there working. Yesterday we finished building two gym tents and setting up the equipment. After that 3 of us got roped into digging 3 trenches for some internet cable through the rock with a pickaxe and a shovel. Not easy work, but it was for our office tent and our Battalion office tent so I really didn’t mind doing it. If we had to dig trenches for the rest of the tents we put up without assistance, it would be a different story. Recently a Sergeant Major move into across the street from our tent. We have been getting railed by him over not being in “proper uniform”. Before he arrived the whole base was doing PT (physical training) in their pt shorts and our normal brown work t-shirt instead of our PT shirt. Reason being, we only get 1 – 2 pt shirts and if you’re working out in them you have to do laundry like every other day which doesn’t fly when there is only like 8 washers. Also, the policy in KAF and Leatherneck (before SGM arrived) was brown t-shirts authorized. Well when he showed up he just started busting chops without letting anyone know that he was changing the policy. We were also hammered on several other issues which were easily fixed. It’s frustrating though when you’re working your ass off for these people and they bust your balls for doing thing the way you were told, especially for something as small as walking to the bathroom in a brown t-shirt. So that along with some of the crappy tasking that are coming our way, and our HQ acting like we have 100 Soldiers instead of the 40 we have at any given time, we are stretched thin and moods have been a little edgy. On a lighter note, tonight at 2000 Toby Keith is playing a USO show like 50 feet behind my tent. Even if I don’t go, which I probably will, I should still be able to hear it from my tent. I know a lot of you have been asking what I could use here in a care package. Well, 1st and foremost is coffee. We burn through coffee like it’s going out of style. We like whole bean since we have a grinder. Our favorite is the Starbucks Sumatra but really as fast as we go through it and as often as we are out, we would take about anything at this point. Also, Kool-aid Singles are always a good. Everyone is always after my orange and grape so those are good ones to send. Jerky is always good too, any kind any brand. Also, calling home isn’t cheap and neither is calling me from the states. I have to have a special Afghani phone card so I let Sarah call me most of the time since they are hard to come by, but her calling me is kinda pricy. Anyone looking to donate phone cards we would greatly appreciate it. Those would have to be sent to Sarah though. Any other junk or snack food that you send is welcome too. If someone gets something in that they don’t really like it goes into a central pot for everyone else either in our living tent or in our office tent for the whole Platoon. During Easter our candy stash runneth over. As for pictures on here, the internet café is incredibly busy at any hour of the day and by the time I catch up on my emails and upload pics to my Facebook and such I just don’t have enough time to get more photos on here right now. Sorry for those who don’t have my Facebook. I’ll try when I can but no guarantees. I got my hair cut at the new barber shop two days ago here on post. It’s like being at a Cost Cutters or something similar back home only all the barbers are Russian ladies. Anyway as I sat down in the chair, I looked at myself in the mirror and realized how long it had been since I had really seen myself. There are mirrors in the bathroom but they aren’t great and I usually still haven’t wiped the sleep from my eyes when I’m in there. I shave with an electric razor at my bunk and brush my teeth outside the tent with a bottle of water everyday so I really don’t check myself out very often. It was just kind of strange. I looked weathered and my face looked heavy. I also got a pretty sweet sunburn the other day on my arms and face while we were setting up tents so I have any awesome raccoon mask from my shades. Above all else, I just looked tired. It’s been some long hard days in the sun lately and I’ve been taking a bit of a beating. I can’t wait to get back to the states on R&R. We get 2 weeks at home, but after all the traveling to and from, it will be closer to 3 weeks away from work. I know it will go by fast but even so, that will be 21 days closer to being home for good.