Well the title pretty much sums it up. The only questions I will not answer or will be vague about are OPSEC or personally identifiable information related. Other than that I will do my best to answer your questions fully.
Please ask away.
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17 comments:
What is the weather like in your location?
Does the altitude affect you/the weather where you are located?
How far is it from time to time?
Is the sand or dust a problem in your living quarters?
How does it feel to be so far away from your Commander-In-Chief?
Feel free to answer any three! ;)
irontomflint
Thank you for your service to our country. I pray you will return home safe along with the other men and women of our military.
If you were dependent on eye glasses, would you get LASIK or stock up on glasses from a prepper standpoint?
Do weapons have to be stored in specialized ways due to the sand? How does the sand and heat impact weapons cleaning, electronics, etc.? Stay safe, sir.
How would you like to be treated when you return to the USA? Is it okay for strangers to come up to you and thank you for your service or would you prefer to be left alone? How do you feel about companies that offer "veterans discounts" and other goodies?
Also, what can ordinary civilians do to improve your current situation? Can we pray for you? Send you stuff? Which charity organizations are the best in terms of helping soldiers?
Thanks! I love this new "ask me anything" feature!
Sam, not in trailer park
A series of freak misfortunes wipes out all of your survival gear and backup plans. You're on your way to rebuilding: you have a small but comforting store of food and water squirreled away, and other essential "mundane" stocks, but guns and ammo are a budget-drainer.
Based on your regional needs and your current battery, you've decided to add a semi-auto rifle in a full-powered .30 caliber cartridge to the battery. You can budget about $1250 for the initial package; you'll accumulate a large stock of ammo and magazines over time, but this sum is just for the startup gear. You expect to be on a strict (but not poverty stricken) budget for the foreseeable future, so ongoing expenses are also a consideration.
Your state's gun market is good, but not great, so finding the right used gun is a challenge unless it's a very common type. There is no local AWB.
What rifle and support gear do you choose?
Do you prefer the digicam or multicam uniform, and what do you think is better for urban vs more woodland/hills terrain.
Yes, assuming you have experience with both. I'm just kind of torn on the look for the mulitcam.
There, a question!
My good friend, Arsenius sent me over. Seems we're old friends as I read your blog a while back...my old computer crashed and I lost you. Nice to be back.
How much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood? : )
Seriously, what is the prevalent mood amongst y'all over there? Do you really feel what your doing is worth the cost?
Weather: I got here for the tail end of winter and it was about ave 32 lows around 25. Spring was actually decent for like 2 months. Then it got warm like in the 80's-90's around April. Since then it has been 105-110+ pretty much every day. I do not like it this hot. Summer temps occasionally hitting the 90's is about good for me.
Altitude, We are higher than most of the US but not high for Afghanistan. Not noticeably.
The time zone difference. We are UTC + 4.5 I believe which puts us 12.5 hours ahead of the west coast.
Yes it is a problem, significantly worse than in Iraq. This place is a dusty hell hole. There is a sort of thin moondust on everything pretty much all the time.
-TOR
@Rob " You are very welcome".
@Anon 6:05: Based upon how old you are and your prescription lasik might not be a great option. Also it depends on money and if you are willing to undergo (mildly invasive) surgery. If you are younger and have the cash lasik is a good option. If not stock up on glasses.
@Lynda K: Stored not really. Weapons you are storing that are in a sealed (tight door with a seal) cabinet or safe have few issues. Weapons you use and need accessible just need to be cleaned more often and lubricated a bit lighter. Think not bone dry instead of wet. Really it isn't an issue the weapons we use are far more reliable than some folks hype them to be. As for electronics the dust plays hell with them.
@Sam who is not in the trailer park, Think American soldiers liberating Western Europe. I think it is fine if someone wants to say hi and thanks so long as they don't want to hold me up for a half hour if I am trying to get somewhere (now if we end up chatting while waiting for a plane that is another thing). I like discounts.
As for improving my/ our situation. Pray to whomever your chosen god is. If you are inclined to donate there are all sorts of any sailor or soldier type programs out there. Also the USO is a great one. They are a great organization who help all over, especially for how much we have to travel. They are a great help for everyone especially lower enlisted soldiers who do not have a lot of money. Lastly vote for political leaders who will use us with the appropriate amount of forethought and caution.
@Max, Multicam. It is actually camoflage. Though the cost is much higher (don't know why) and the uniforms seem less durable.
@ Stephen, Welcome back. Thanks for coming by.
@ Craig, For most people our views are fairly narrow. Definitely a keep your head down and do your time kind of thing. As for the broader picture I will categorize it under "If you don't have anything nice to say..."
I am really interested in hearing more from and about your wife. Could she be talked into writing occasionally? How is she handling the separation? How has having a kid changed your prepping plans? I understand if this is too personal but I'm just curious.
like Stephen, i was sent here by Arsenius (both he and Stephen's are blogs i truly enjoy! as well as Mayberrys' - although he is Craig Cavanaugh now....i digress...anyway...).
i have only glanced at a few of your posts and really like what i see so i will go back and re-read all of them from the beginning.
i just wanted to say that i served my country, Canada, for 10 years and am honoured and proud to have done so (mind you - i was never sent to the sandbox thank goodness!). during my time in the army (Go Army!), i spent many a temporary duty posting down in the states on several of your bases and every American soldier i met was a shining example of your country's best - as you appear to be! i hope and pray that your time passes quickly and that you are home with your wife and baby and loved ones soon!
my questions are: how long have you served? when are you coming home? what branch are you - (i know that your country has branches that are different than ours - we have army, navy and air force...i know that you have a bunch of others)? what is your trade? do you plan to stay in for a full 20yr career? if not, what do you think you will do when you get out?
next round of questions - does your wife have friends and family nearby? how is she managing with you being away?
do you get to meet many locals where you are? are you near any towns where you can do some sight-seeing? do you get any R&R after 3 or so months?
from the bottom of my heart - thank you for your service. without people like you - where would we be?
i will be back...and looking forward to your answers!
stassja
About to start my own sea bag drag over there,
Take care Sir, Doc.
@ Stassja
Hi, Welcome to the blog and thank you very much for the kind words. By all means dig through the archives. If you are interested in a specific subject the search feature and tags may help you find the right needles in the haystack. I will do my best to answer your questions.
-Around a decade, part reserve/ part active
-Scheduled to redeploy early next year
-Regular Army
-Right now my trade is being an officer in the US Army.
-As for doing 20 or not. I am still officially undecided but leaning towards staying in. My decision point is in a couple years. It is a decision Wifey and I will have to make a little further down the road.
-What exactly would I do if I got out before 20. I would move back to the PNW and settle down. For work I am not entirely sure what I would do. My background is somewhat random so it could be applied in a few different directions. I would buy a modest house with a wood stove and a basement on a few acres and go from there.
-Wifey is at home with family so she is surrounded by friends, family and all that stuff.
-She misses me a lot and having Walker to take care of 24/7 is rough for her sometimes. All things considered she is doing well though.
-Yes, I have 'gotten' to meet some locals.
-There are towns but I am not convinced there is anything worth seeing in this country.
-Yes I will get leave. Since our deployments are a year it is pretty spread out. Some folks get it early, others in the middle and some kind of late. Mine will be in the fall.
You are very welcome and I look forward to hearing from you again.
Ryan - thanks so much for replying to my questions! i am very glad that your wife is surrounded by friends and family --- i hope that you are surrounded by some good friends as well???
anyway - i am enjoying going through all of your old posts and look forward to your new ones!
again thank you for being brave enough to do what you do - there are many libertarian-minded folk in many other countries who appreciate that!
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