Training, Training, Training

Holy crap we've been busy. In the last week we've had three big missions. It took one day each to rehearse them and then a day each to implement the plan. For each mission my job was to sneak out to the objective before the rest of the unit arrived. I'd have to find some cover where I couldn't be seen and use binoculars or a night vision scope (depending on whether it was a day or night mission) and report back to the higher ups what the bad guys were up to. Of all the jobs I could have I much prefer this one. I like being able to go off on my own without being micro managed by some guy who thinks that his rank means that he has a clue what he's doing. I also like the recon job because it actually feels like I'm doing something important. Before everyone rushes in to sweep the village for bad guys they call they rely on the information I give them because I'm able to see what's going on before they get there. Last night's mission was torturous though. Myself and my spotter had to lay on the ground looking through a scope for four hours before the rest of the unit arrived to conduct a raid. We froze to death. A few more minutes laying there and I'd have lost some fingers and toes to frostbite.

Now our training is winding down and an end is in sight. We only have a few weeks of training left until we start backing up all of our stuff to leave Texas for good. Then it's back home for a few weeks of relaxation and then a month or so later I'm off to "the Sandbox." A week from today the Army is giving us a few days off for Thanksgiving. Meghan is flying over to spend a few days with me and I can’t wait to see her. It’s going to be so great to see a familiar face. I’m not sure if it’s going to be more difficult to get back to training. I might feel rejuvenated by a few days of happiness and relaxation or I might just long for home even more than before. Either way, it won’t be long until I’m back with friends and family. I hope they all know what having that time with them means to me. I look forward to nothing else.

The next and final phase of our training here is going to be convoy operations. That’s kind of a military term for drive by shooting. We’ll practice up on firing from our Humvees and on driving “tactically,” whatever that means. It should be good stuff, and at the very least it will make the days go by faster.