I'm back in class. I won't lie...it sucks. I was fine with being here until I realized that people have adult conversations outside of this place. I'm with lots and lots of very immature guys. Body function jokes, sex jokes, and "that's what she said" jokes dominate the conversation here. Needless to say these are far from my favorite discussion topics, so I often try to steer the conversation into other directions...making me Chief Counselor here. I can tell you the souse names, kid names, what's going on at home, and all kinds of other details about almost all of my guys here. And I'm perfectly good with playing that role. But what I miss is someone asking me how my husband is or how I am doing. Peers do that. I don't have peers here.
What I do have are some freaking amazing Airmen who want to teach me some killer tricks. So before we head out on deployments like this, the Air Force gives us lists of stuff to pack. They give us weird lists that don't include the real items you would need at a place like this. I thought you'd get a kick out of hearing about some of the funny survival techniques I've learned here:
-- Oakley actually has a website for military members where we can get amazing sunglasses for about 50% off. It's important to have good sunglasses (I am going to the desert) and the ones the AF issued me are garbage. So I went to www.usstandardissue.com, registered for an account, and bought one pair of regular sunglasses and one pair of ballistic glasses. (I'm claiming reimbursement for both when I get back from the deployment)
-- I will spend 6 months with an M9 and an M4 strapped to my body. I went to www.blackhawk.com and with one of the guys watching over me, I ordered an M9 holster that mounts my weapon directly to my protective vest.
-- Funny thing about that protective vest...it's heavy (okay, mine isn't, since it's a size extra small) and it's made of molle, which means you weave things into it like you weave a basket, basically. D-rings and caribeaners like you'd use for rock climbing are perfect to attach things to that vest (gloves, water bottles, etc). I can only use military colors (sad!) but wow, that was a great trick.
-- Speaking of things to fasten to that vest, a small flashlight would be perfect (I'm still working on that, and I'm almost there), and a few Sharpie markers.
-- Then there's the water bottle. I can't drink from a Camelbak - I think it's too disgusting. Apparently so do a huge majority of the people here. I brought actual Nalgene water bottles. Much more manageable. Tastes better. Easier to clean. Big difference.
-- Wait until you see a picture of my new bed! I'd take one now, but my room is a wreck. I bought sheets from the kiddie section in Target. They are awesome!
-- Crocs. Wear Crocs. Don't bring disgusting flip flop shower shoes. Crocs protect your feet better and are easier to clean. I'm still working on that, too!
-- Some type of music player. I tell you that, after watching oodles and oodles of Grey's Anatomy, I think Christina and Meredith had it right...on the very worst days, you just have to dance it out. Music is very helpful in that regard. And many others.
--- And while we're talking electronics, bring the biggest volume (empty) portable hard drive you can find. Once you get here people will load you up with movies, tv shows and music to help pass the time (and keep you sane).
There are all kinds of tricks. But my favorite trick so far goes right along with the best piece of advice given to me by Rangerboy before he left..."Stop trying to prove yourself and just BE yourself." Find the thing that makes you happy and keeps you sane (for me...coffee dates with my cell phone) and keep doing that the entire time you're out of your normal environment. As long as I know that Sundays are long run then coffee, I can stomach just about anything during the week. Almost :-)
What I do have are some freaking amazing Airmen who want to teach me some killer tricks. So before we head out on deployments like this, the Air Force gives us lists of stuff to pack. They give us weird lists that don't include the real items you would need at a place like this. I thought you'd get a kick out of hearing about some of the funny survival techniques I've learned here:
-- Oakley actually has a website for military members where we can get amazing sunglasses for about 50% off. It's important to have good sunglasses (I am going to the desert) and the ones the AF issued me are garbage. So I went to www.usstandardissue.com, registered for an account, and bought one pair of regular sunglasses and one pair of ballistic glasses. (I'm claiming reimbursement for both when I get back from the deployment)
-- I will spend 6 months with an M9 and an M4 strapped to my body. I went to www.blackhawk.com and with one of the guys watching over me, I ordered an M9 holster that mounts my weapon directly to my protective vest.
-- Funny thing about that protective vest...it's heavy (okay, mine isn't, since it's a size extra small) and it's made of molle, which means you weave things into it like you weave a basket, basically. D-rings and caribeaners like you'd use for rock climbing are perfect to attach things to that vest (gloves, water bottles, etc). I can only use military colors (sad!) but wow, that was a great trick.
-- Speaking of things to fasten to that vest, a small flashlight would be perfect (I'm still working on that, and I'm almost there), and a few Sharpie markers.
-- Then there's the water bottle. I can't drink from a Camelbak - I think it's too disgusting. Apparently so do a huge majority of the people here. I brought actual Nalgene water bottles. Much more manageable. Tastes better. Easier to clean. Big difference.
-- Wait until you see a picture of my new bed! I'd take one now, but my room is a wreck. I bought sheets from the kiddie section in Target. They are awesome!
-- Crocs. Wear Crocs. Don't bring disgusting flip flop shower shoes. Crocs protect your feet better and are easier to clean. I'm still working on that, too!
-- Some type of music player. I tell you that, after watching oodles and oodles of Grey's Anatomy, I think Christina and Meredith had it right...on the very worst days, you just have to dance it out. Music is very helpful in that regard. And many others.
--- And while we're talking electronics, bring the biggest volume (empty) portable hard drive you can find. Once you get here people will load you up with movies, tv shows and music to help pass the time (and keep you sane).
There are all kinds of tricks. But my favorite trick so far goes right along with the best piece of advice given to me by Rangerboy before he left..."Stop trying to prove yourself and just BE yourself." Find the thing that makes you happy and keeps you sane (for me...coffee dates with my cell phone) and keep doing that the entire time you're out of your normal environment. As long as I know that Sundays are long run then coffee, I can stomach just about anything during the week. Almost :-)
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