Kuwait

Kuwait was 28 hours of hurry up and wait with a really really hot sun added in (it's hotter in Kuwait then Iraq, all the sand probably). Game plan for this part of our trip? Load on one bus, take it to another base that does the out processing, where they stop all the special pays, take our carry on gear through customs and load on another bus to take us to an airport.

This is actually what happened. We got off the C-130 and were bused to the base that handles the out processing debriefing, it was dark out so the bus dropped us off at a holding tent with our carryon baggage. It was 8:30 PM and across the way was a Subway and a Hardies. Mmmm… So everyone rushes out, while I am hungry because I didn't eat I had a blog entry to write plus I know how the food trip is going to go. First thing military people do after getting off a ship or getting back from a trip is to go out and get what they were missing, in this case Subway or Hardies. Of course they'll get more then they can eat and they'll be back, so I site quietly hungry and 45 minutes later people come in that had bought something crazy like 2 foot longs. They pig out for a couple of minutes and I find myself the owner of three 6 inch subs that people couldn't finish. Why not take advantage of human nature? Heh heh.

Believe me I do plan on going out but after I'm done typing, for out there is also an internet cafe just waiting for me to plug in my laptop. By the time I finish typing the first half of the trip it's 11PM and I head on over. Ended up staying for 2 and a half hours. Nice no lines but you have to pay 5 bucks per hour.

It would have been nice before we came out here to know that we would be spending the night I would have brought some shower shoes, more clothes, towel and my pillow that I left behind. If you have the huge noggin that I have, pillows take up a large part of your thoughts around bedtime, I made do with my back pack and fell right asleep.

We had a formation at 10:30 the next morning, I woke up at a comfortable 9:30, time enough to eat, turn in my ammo and clean up.

We form up out side with all the other units, it's blazing hot and we stand there till the unit that forgot to turn in their ammo that morning turns in all of their ammo, yawn. I' sure everyone doesn't want to smell my sweat on the plane.

From there we load up on the bus and sat for another ten minutes, idling with the A/C on. Some of the guys figured we would be on the buses for a while, might as well get comfortable and took off their blouses and boots. The bus started moving, went 50 yards up the street, took a left went another 300 yards and parked and we were asked to leave. Figures, glad I didn't get comfortable. We waited till everybody was dressed (to stay in the A/C longer) then followed them out.

A brief inside of a circus tent about customs and what we were and weren't allowed to take out of the country then off to customs where they take apart our carryon bags and pat us down then to a holding tent where we're planning on staying for the next 8 or so hours. We're there for an hour and a half when the generator goes out and we're back in the briefing tent where I catch a nap sitting up on a bench. I've found sleeping in uncomfortable places doesn't bother me as much as not getting to sleep in an uncomfortable place.

After 2 hours we load on a bus and are taken to the Airport where we have another 5 hours of waiting. It was well into night when they gathered us all up by rank and we started loading on the 747, lower rank to the rear highest ranks in 1st class. After 20 minutes more of delays we took off.

I remember Sean from Turningtables writing about this when he flew our, the unreality of actually leaving. Me? It was just another takeoff, nice to be going but I would be lying if I said it was a horrible deployment. Then again it wasn't my first deployment. It's all what you make of it. I had a good time most of the time I was over but I'm a dork and have a good time most places you could send me, I'm not a heavy drinker so I didn't miss alcohol, never watched much tv, so I didn't miss that much either and I read a lot and there were plenty of books. My judgment probably isn't the best.

Next stop Germany.