CRC Day 2

Cloudy and cool, just like home.
Formation was late at 0800. We were supposed to walk up the hill to the training site (8 minutes one way) but, due to CRC policy, we had to be bused up to training due to the rain. 4 trips and 30 minutes later we were on our way. 2 more briefings and then 5 soldiers at a time were fitted with fire-proof ACU's (Army Combat Uniform, the new BDU's, the newer "fatigues" if you go that far back). You have to keep up with the acronyms if you want to talk Army....HHHOOOUUUGH

200 soldiers divided by 5 at ~10 minutes per fitting = more wait time. Fire-proof ACUs look almost like normal ACUs except they are, you guessed it, fire-proof. (theoretically, but I'll take their word for it) We also tried on cool undershirts that you wear under body armor and boonie hats (google it).

Armed Forces blood services was there accepting donations. This blood goes directly "down range" exclusively for our troops. If the Army runs out of blood, it has to BUY it from the Red Cross. Having gone through all of the prep work to give, I was turned around right before the needle because it had been 7 days less than a year since I returned from the Dominican Republic mission. Bummer, but they gave a tee shirt anyway!

Quick lunch at the DFAC (dining facility; remember, I'm going to define an acronym once) and off to formation in ACUs. 468 of us walked up the hill to get more briefings, fill out paperwork and avoid SERE training(Search, Evade, Resist, Escape) if you had done it prior to CRC like yours truly. That meant a walk down the hill and released at 1630. Ran into a med school classmate of mine (Paul Pasquina who just returned today from 90 days in Iraq as well as a dentist from my unit, also returning from Iraq)

I used my time wash a load of clothes, organize my stuff to take to Afghanistan, send home to be resent to Afghanistan or send home because it just won't be needed. We will be issued 3 duffel bags of gear in the next 2 days and you're allowed 4 on the flight out. Had to consolidate. Thanks to the suction bag packing done at home it was pretty easy.

Formation for health care providers is at 0545 tomorrow so I gotta get some shut-eye.
Until tomorrow

CRC Day 1

Continuing on from travel day...
Got my gear somewhat squared away in my room. I was assigned a 10x10 room with a bed and a wall locker. It's not much, but I'm by myself. Most folks were assigned to 4 person rooms (2 bunk beds). Remember when I said, "rank has its privileges", well this is one of them. Our first formation was at 1500 and we marched "up the hill" to the training facility where we had to take a computerized test to assess our brain function. With so many traumatic brain injuries occurring, the Army wants a baseline of everyone deploying. I bet we'll be tested upon return as well. We then went back down the hill to sign into a computer system that tracks our movement (accountability). We then gaggled around until 1800 and then back up the hill for commander's briefings. We were briefed on how the week is going to work, do's and don'ts, etc. We then started filling out paperwork (and more paperwork). This lasted until 2030. Back down the hill in the dark and off to the DFAC (dining facility) for dinner. Since all I'd had to eat all day was some beef jerky, the fried fish, rice and beans tasted great. Back to my room to call Jolene, read some e-mail (love my Verizon wireless card!) and off to sleep...
3/21/10 Shout out to Jolene with the grammar check. Did you know her grandmother was a lay-reader? It's true...

Travel Day (night)

Uneventful flight to Atlanta arriving at 0600. Connecting 20 minute flight to Columbus GA was delayed an hour and then as we backed out of the gate, the pilot notified us the flaps weren't working and we had go back to the gate. Rather fly a plane that works, right? Another hour delay and I was quickly to the tiny Columbus airport. Nearly 3/4 of the flight was heading to Ft Benning, so we loaded our gear onto the bus and off we went. Arrived at CRC ~1230, obtained my billeting and linens and off we go...

Some tidbits regarding Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan)...
110,000 troops present, 40,000 more coming by this summer, a combination of U.S. and NATO forces. Across the various campaigns, Reserve soldiers comprise 57% of the fighting force. Think about that for a second...

Your store clerk, auto mechanic, doctor or dentist who serves in the Reserves represents a majority of the fighting force in Iraq and Afghanistan.... Warrior-Citizens!!!

This is now the longest war in U.S. history...

Pray that it ends soon and all Warrior-Citizens can return home safely to their family, friends and co-workers.

BOG or "Boots on the Ground"

What's it mean?
Army Reserve docs, dentists and nurse anesthetists are deployed to theater on 90 day "boots on the ground" orders. We travel to our in-processing station, deploy to theater and then out-process. I'm told, the entire time away averages 114 days. So, once my boot touches ground in Afghanistan, the 90 day ticker starts. Unless I am a commander, DCCS (doc in charge of all the docs) or voluntarily extend, 90 days is it.

This came about in response to multitudes of docs and dentists losing their practices after they were away for up to 2 years serving in the first Gulf War. Flip side is that we can be activated every 18 months as a "BOG-er". I've been in the Reserves for nearly 8 years and this is my 3rd activation and 1st deployment. Also my last, as I can retire in May, 2011. More on the Reservist's role in my next post...