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Looks like I'm goin' to the Gulf for a Year...
An ex-Squid
Elite Ranger
in Zocalo v2.0
As those of you who've seen my sig may have noticed, I've been in the U.S. Naval Reserve for quite some time (since January of 2001, to be exact). Given what has happened since then, I've pretty much been expecting to be recalled at any time.
Needless to say, that time has come.
Two weeks ago, I received a phone call from the Naval Reserve Center here in Albuquerque notifying me that I will be reporting for active duty on the 27th along with 300+ others from my Fleet Hospital unit. This wasn't a complete surprise, as I already knew that we would be sending this group over as far back as August; what I didn't expect (and probably should have, especially after having been both an Army brat and an active duty sailor) was that I'd be part of that group, since I'd received word that there wouldn't be many Electronics Technicians (ETs; God knows I'm gonna hear "ET phone home" a million times after mentioning [I]this[/I] acronym:D ) going along. Either that info was just a tad bit off, or somebody at HQ figures I'm one of the best ETs in the unit (naturally, they're only taking the best people for this;) ), [I]or[/I] I must've pi$$ed off someone.:eek: :D
We'll be taking over medical operations in Kuwait from another group from one of the Naval Hospitals; although this is hardly the first time a Fleet Hospital has done something like this (another Fleet Hospital was sent to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm), it [I]is[/I] the first time a [I]Reserve[/I] Fleet Hospital has been called up to do this, and we will certainly receive a lot of attention from the top brass in Washington.
Thankfully, we won't have to put up with the violence that our fellow soldiers, sailors, and Marines in Iraq are facing, as Kuwait has been one of the few places in the area where terrorism against U.S. personnel and facilities [I]isn't[/I] common; either folks there still remember Desert Storm or the Kuwaiti government has done a far better job of controlling would-be terrorists than their counterparts in Saudi Arabia. Better yet, the base we're going to is more like a stateside base (there's even an Internet cafe, believe it or not:cool: ) rather than the "tent cities" that are the norm elsewhere in the region. (There's even supposed to be "girls in bikinis" at the outdoor pool there. ;)Naturally, they'll be military personnel but that's fine, since we have quite a few female nurses and hospital corpsmen who can fill out a bikini [I]very[/I] well.:D ) The fact that I won't have to pay taxes on what I earn while over there certainly ain't bad, either.:)
Of course, the downside is trying to take care of the myriad issues at home (bill payments, placing the car and/or other items in storage if needed, having someone take care of the house/apartment or terminating the apartment lease, etc.). Most of that stuff isn't a big issue as I can set up automatic bill payments and monitor/adjust them via the Web and I will have plenty of help from the guys in my unit with the rest. My main concern is with my father, who has been in a nursing home due to a recent stroke which caused him to lose much of his eyesight and hip replacement surgery due to a fall caused by that loss of eyesight (he'd rather be at home, of course, but the Department of Veteran's Affairs won't pay to have someone help him out at home with insulin and other medications and anything else he might need, even though they might save themselves a couple of thousand dollars; go figure:rolleyes: ). He's also supposed to be moving to another facility as soon as it has a place for him; unfortunately, that's not likely to happen before I leave. Thankfully, both nursing homes are very good facilities and are under the same management/ownership, so I shouldn't have to worry about his moving (or any other related issues). My unit will also help out with getting him clothes from home (or buying any that he may need) and getting anything else that he may need (or want).
My father isn't too happy with my going, but he does understand the situation since he served three tours of duty in Vietnam; needless to say, running away wasn't an acceptable option for him, nor is it for me. I could probably use my father's situation as an excuse not to go; however, I know a lot of others who are going with me who have similar issues and they are certainly [I]not[/I] looking for or giving excuses to stay behind. Moreover, I knew and understood that this could happen and accepted it when I joined the Reserves (just as I accepted the fact that I could end up going to war and being killed when enlisted in the active duty Navy back in '89); this is just the price of wearing a funny outfit one weekend a month.
Sorry if I made this too long; this is something I just had to get off my chest (so to speak), plus I figured it would be a good idea for some folks here to understand what those of us who wear the uniform full- or part-time are going through right now.
BTW, I won't be going "beyond the rim", since I will have Internet access; I just won't be showing up here quite as often (so if ya thought you were getting rid of me, think again; I'm not that easy to get rid of;) ).
Needless to say, that time has come.
Two weeks ago, I received a phone call from the Naval Reserve Center here in Albuquerque notifying me that I will be reporting for active duty on the 27th along with 300+ others from my Fleet Hospital unit. This wasn't a complete surprise, as I already knew that we would be sending this group over as far back as August; what I didn't expect (and probably should have, especially after having been both an Army brat and an active duty sailor) was that I'd be part of that group, since I'd received word that there wouldn't be many Electronics Technicians (ETs; God knows I'm gonna hear "ET phone home" a million times after mentioning [I]this[/I] acronym:D ) going along. Either that info was just a tad bit off, or somebody at HQ figures I'm one of the best ETs in the unit (naturally, they're only taking the best people for this;) ), [I]or[/I] I must've pi$$ed off someone.:eek: :D
We'll be taking over medical operations in Kuwait from another group from one of the Naval Hospitals; although this is hardly the first time a Fleet Hospital has done something like this (another Fleet Hospital was sent to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm), it [I]is[/I] the first time a [I]Reserve[/I] Fleet Hospital has been called up to do this, and we will certainly receive a lot of attention from the top brass in Washington.
Thankfully, we won't have to put up with the violence that our fellow soldiers, sailors, and Marines in Iraq are facing, as Kuwait has been one of the few places in the area where terrorism against U.S. personnel and facilities [I]isn't[/I] common; either folks there still remember Desert Storm or the Kuwaiti government has done a far better job of controlling would-be terrorists than their counterparts in Saudi Arabia. Better yet, the base we're going to is more like a stateside base (there's even an Internet cafe, believe it or not:cool: ) rather than the "tent cities" that are the norm elsewhere in the region. (There's even supposed to be "girls in bikinis" at the outdoor pool there. ;)Naturally, they'll be military personnel but that's fine, since we have quite a few female nurses and hospital corpsmen who can fill out a bikini [I]very[/I] well.:D ) The fact that I won't have to pay taxes on what I earn while over there certainly ain't bad, either.:)
Of course, the downside is trying to take care of the myriad issues at home (bill payments, placing the car and/or other items in storage if needed, having someone take care of the house/apartment or terminating the apartment lease, etc.). Most of that stuff isn't a big issue as I can set up automatic bill payments and monitor/adjust them via the Web and I will have plenty of help from the guys in my unit with the rest. My main concern is with my father, who has been in a nursing home due to a recent stroke which caused him to lose much of his eyesight and hip replacement surgery due to a fall caused by that loss of eyesight (he'd rather be at home, of course, but the Department of Veteran's Affairs won't pay to have someone help him out at home with insulin and other medications and anything else he might need, even though they might save themselves a couple of thousand dollars; go figure:rolleyes: ). He's also supposed to be moving to another facility as soon as it has a place for him; unfortunately, that's not likely to happen before I leave. Thankfully, both nursing homes are very good facilities and are under the same management/ownership, so I shouldn't have to worry about his moving (or any other related issues). My unit will also help out with getting him clothes from home (or buying any that he may need) and getting anything else that he may need (or want).
My father isn't too happy with my going, but he does understand the situation since he served three tours of duty in Vietnam; needless to say, running away wasn't an acceptable option for him, nor is it for me. I could probably use my father's situation as an excuse not to go; however, I know a lot of others who are going with me who have similar issues and they are certainly [I]not[/I] looking for or giving excuses to stay behind. Moreover, I knew and understood that this could happen and accepted it when I joined the Reserves (just as I accepted the fact that I could end up going to war and being killed when enlisted in the active duty Navy back in '89); this is just the price of wearing a funny outfit one weekend a month.
Sorry if I made this too long; this is something I just had to get off my chest (so to speak), plus I figured it would be a good idea for some folks here to understand what those of us who wear the uniform full- or part-time are going through right now.
BTW, I won't be going "beyond the rim", since I will have Internet access; I just won't be showing up here quite as often (so if ya thought you were getting rid of me, think again; I'm not that easy to get rid of;) ).
Comments
Im guessing its the fact that I applied for, and recieved VA disability myself. I tore the ACL in my left knee at least twice while I was in, and just kind of ran through it. Granted, I fell a lot when we played basketball since I had no support on that side of my leg.
To be honest, at this point in my life, I dont think I could go back to the military. Ive had to have surgery on my knee and that was only done about 6 months ago. Im no where near a shape the Marine Corps would want me in any more. My runners figure has long since turned into a much more round version of myself. And then, theres the money. My last full year in as a Cpl, thats E-4, I made a whole 18k. I cant go back to that. Id never be able to make my house payments on that.
Anyways... Good luck mate. I know its not an easy situation. Well be waiting for you to get back. On a side note, your an ET in a hospital unit? Are you a Bio-Med? If so, Im in Diagnostic Imaging myself, specifically GE series MRI, and my company is always hiring Bio-Meds and general rad guys, and they pay pretty well. If anything stupid happens like your job isnt there when you get back, drop me a line.
[B****e, best of luck with the war and the women. :p [/B][/QUOTE]
Arent't they the same thing?;)
Best of luck mate, stay safe!
I hope your father gets better soon.
[B]Off topic, but why the F*** did the forum censor part of SD's quote? [/B][/QUOTE]
I don't think it was the forum...
;)
(As in, he changed the quote, like I did)
[B]Arent't they the same thing?;)[/B][/QUOTE]
Well... doesn't it mean trying to stay away from former (/war staying away) and opposite for later in this case.
Good luck!!
And THANK YOU for your service!!
P.S. We'll try to get you out of there as soon as possible.
:shadow1:
SpiritOne: I work in the "comm shack" maintaining the comms hardware. The HMs are the ones who work on the medical equipment. I may become a radiologist (and cross-rate to HM) later on, though...
A#: I've lived in areas with hot weather all my life, so my being "char-broiled" ain't too likely.:)
Bekenn: I'll keep the "ex-"; I'm not likely to end up back on a ship anytime soon (if ever). I'm certainly more of a GROPOS type these days (you could say I've gone from the "blue-water" Navy to the "dirt" Navy - or the "sand" Navy in this case:D ).
[B]God look over your Squid, If you see any Al-Queida Shoot first ask questions later. [/B][/QUOTE] Believe me, asking questions will be the one thing that I [I]won't[/I] be doing if any of those creeps show up...:whip:
[B]Believe me, asking questions will be the one thing that I [I]won't[/I] be doing if any of those creeps show up...:whip: [/B][/QUOTE] :D :D Good :)
Oh also tell us if ya need anything. I am doing fairly well cash wise & I could probably help ya with something reasonable.
Camp Arifjan has a fairly well-stocked BX/PX, plus I can get most anything I'm likely to need or want (within regs, of course;) ) via the Web (I'll also be getting quite a few "care packages" as well); also, I won't have to worry about paying taxes on the $40,000 or so that I'll be making while I'm over there. Needless to say, my needs should be well taken care of (I certainly do appreciate the thought, though:) ).
[B]This is true. Ask, and we'll get it to you the day before you ask. :) [/B][/QUOTE]
Using our Vorlon technologies of course :)
Seriously, though, I doubt I/we will need to ask as we'll certainly be able to get whatever we need or want (as long as it's legal, of course:D ) plus we'll certainly be getting stuff from home. Still, I do appreciate the gesture, and I won't hesitate to ask if the need does arise.:)
Dont play with fire, and keep your eyes open..
Still, I fully intend to do my part to help (indirectly or otherwise) those who will need it. I'm a communications tech, so I won't be in on the medical side of things; nonetheless, communications are just as important since the outlying clinics as well as the main facility at Camp Arifjan would be totally screwed without it (as anyone who's served in the military can tell you). Needless to say, that makes yours truly and the other comms techs [I]very [/I] important; it also means that we'll be based at Camp Arifjan proper, although it's not too likely that we'll be spending much time there. As one of the hospital corpsmen I know put it, "I see a helicopter in your future".;) (My response to that was, "Yeah, that and a half-dozen Humvees".:D )
I'll certainly be keeping my eyes (and ears, and nose, and...;) ) wide open and I'll definitely keep [I]both[/I] ends close to the ground...:)