Military
What does 87 Billion Dollars Look Like?
Sep 25th
Thanks to Xxoozero’s posting on Shoutwire we can know know what $87 Billion, and more, looks like. The page is about the physical size of the amount of money spent on the Iraq war.
Photos of Huge Factory Concealed During WWII
Aug 31st
Think or Thwim has an article depicting pictures of the Lockheed Burbank Aircraft Plant before and after being camouflaged to divert bombing attacks during World War II. Read the article for the rest of the neato pictures.
Before
After
NCO of the Year Part III
Aug 16th
I actually slept good that night. Rise and shine time was about 0530 which left me enough time to not have to rush. I did the usual: brush teeth, shave face, stand around and talk to people… After getting dressed and doing some final checks I headed off. Since my tire was about to explode the Commander let me use his truck.
I barely made it out of the parking lot when I was nearly T-boned (broadsided) by a little oriental guy with a bunch of kids in his car as he ran the red light. Good thing I wasn’t in a rush, or we’d all be rushed off to the hospital. Traffic wasn’t so bad on the drive there. Even though I HATE McDonalds there were no other places with breakfast food, I pulled through for a coffee and mcmuffin (it didn’t satisfy)
The board was held at battalion and battalion’s building was next to a Reserve’s center. It seemed like everyone from both units had duty that weekend as there were no parking spots for several blocks. No sweat, still on time. Inside of battalion was a family day event. There was a big inflatable jumper, a band, some speakers and representatives from various commercial interests.
All in all about six to eight guys showed up for the board. I was still reading from my review sheet now and then but altogether anxious to get it done. This was the first board I was attending and the last board I had proximity to was on active duty and they really sweated the guys. There was no A/C in the main part of the building where we were waiting so the sweat started coming.
After a little while the Sergeant Major brought us into a room for a written test. It was partially multiple choice, part fill in the blank. I love multiple choice! He gave us an hour but ten minutes later I was done. After the others had finished we were again asked to wait around outside. That is how it is in the Army, hurry up and wait. Since I was in no hurry this day the waiting wasn’t so bad.
After about 30 minutes the board was ready and started taking people. The first four guys took anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes during their board appearances. Meanwhile the rest of us were still outside sweating. My coat was tight (the one from basic) and I was really starting to get anxious, I just wanted to get it done.
My turn to go in: I walk up to the door and knocked like I was trying to wake the dead, BOOM BOOM BOOM. “Enter”, I marched straight in and reported to the board president, the Sergeant Major. They had me do some facing movements and then sit. Then I started freezing, the A/C was on full blast in this room. All the sweat was turning into a cold nuisance now. The board members started with some conversational like topics so I took the opportunity to slip in some jokes. This is perfectly okay because it is part of your candor. I’m not talking about Knock Knock jokes or ‘three guys walk into a bar’ but casual humor, just enough for some chuckles.
When the questions finally started I was relieved. I knew the answers, a few times I answered before they were even done answering the question. There were about 5 questions I didn’t know but I didn’t let that phase me, I’m human. At the end the Sergeant Major closed his notebook of questions and asked if I had somehow got a hold of the questions in advance. Nope, after the main interview there was some very positive feedback. I walked out of there feeling like I smoked it.
Later that day I found out I won. That felt good. Hey look at me I won (waves hands) I’m not done yet though. Next up is the Brigade board where the caliber of NCO I will be competing against is higher. From what I understand it will be similar to the first except with qualification, PT test, road march and a land navigation course thrown in. Should be fun. All those things are what I am good at.
NCO of the Year Part II
Aug 7th
Traffic going into the LA area gets increasingly worse and worse the closer you get. In comparison to Phoenix Metro Area drivers LA drivers do drive quite a bit faster. I think it has something to do with the lack of snowbirds. Phoenix freeways have improved over the years but no matter what they do there are always those older people who think its their job to drive in the fast lane and slow everyone down, thinking they are doing everyone a favor. My advice to them is to reread the driving manual for AZDOT. It does say “Slower Traffic Keep Right”.
Anyway, after a good dose of asphalt I finally arrived at my unit. I got out of my truck and took a look at my tire. Apparently I was being watched over because my bad tire had no tread, no rubber on it anymore. It was just the wire mesh where it meets the road.
With all my careful planning there is always one thing that gets overlooked. Most of the time it is something I can do without but as Murphy’s Law states, the more important the occasion the more catastrophic failure you can experience. The tire going bald to the mesh doesn’t count as catastrophic because it didn’t blow and I still got there so the universe found something else. I had forgotten my shiny dress shoes in AZ, it was LA rush hour time and the closest Clothing and Sales was going to close in an hour and it was 45 minutes away, don’t forget the tire was ready to die.
Luckily my boss was there and volunteered to take me in his vehicle. So after a nice little rush hour drive my uniform was set and all that was left was some studying before the big day.
I got ready for sleep and jumped into my cot with the study guide. Instead of front to back I would open to the table of contents and pick a subject I didn’t know that well. I fell asleep reading…(to be continued)
NCO of the Year Part 1
Aug 6th
Several weeks ago I get a call from my unit saying I need to go to the Soldier of the Year Board for our Battalion. As if if triple full time summer school wasn’t enough. So first things first I needed to get my uniform in order. For an Army Board the uniform is only part of the points you can earn but honestly it is one of the more important categories. First impressions last and appearances are a major part of impressions.
 It had been a while since I updated my ribbon rack with my new awards from Iraq so I visited the National Guard shop at the base near my house. It cost quite a bit to put this new uniform together. The lady working there was very helpful and knowledgeable.
 My biggest stressor in the weeks prior to the board was the actual uniform itself. Several months ago I purchased new pants and shirt for a Military Ball so no worries there. However my coat, the piece that ties it all together, was the same coat that I was fitted for in Basic Training, 10 years ago.
 When I entered the service I weighed in at 135 lbs soaking wet. After graduating AIT I weighed 150 lbs, after Bosnia my weight was 165 lbs. After Korea I weighed a fit 175 lbs, best shape I had ever been in. When I returned from the Middle East I was a hefty 190 lbs. You can see there was some weight gain. Most of it was healthy except for the last 20 lbs.
 Well, I did notice this weight gain and had been slowly doing something about it. Luckily I had returned to 175 (but not as fit as before) and my coat was a shapely tight fit. The reason this was such a big deal was all the stores near me no longer carried the same coat in my size as the army had begun switching over to a new dress uniform. I didn’t have the money to shell out for an entire new uniform and would barely be able to afford a proper fitting coat of the old style. As of now, we can still wear the old style while the new style is being phased in.
 One week before the board my unit tells me that I had been switched over to the NCO of the Year Board which was a bit more fitting. So I had a few more things to study, no problem. I had my uniform in order 4 days before the board and began studying.
 Army boards traditionally test a variety of categories. From Military History and First Aid to the NCO Creed and Current Events. There is a lot to know and one of the key failure points for board appearances is forgetting things while they are being asked. Luckily I have had plenty of experience so many of the categories were thins I KNEW so I didn’t have to memorize them.
 My unit is in California and I live in Arizona. I drive about 900 miles round trip to attend a weekend drill and I do not get travel pay. With the way gas prices are now I essentially work for free. You may ask why I would do that when there are closer units, but that is a story for another time. A few weeks ago while having my truck serviced my advisor recommended I get new tires but I could only decline at the time. So before leaving I ensured all my tires were properly inflated and one tire was in exceptionally bad shape. I prayed it would make it.
On the drive out to California there must have been at least 10 tires that exploded on the road right in front of me. It felt like I was driving through IEDs again with all the debris flying around. They served as a constant reminder to the bad shape my own tire was in. I did not have a spare so I was praying to Saint Mad Max to watch over me… (to be continued)
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Catch Up
Jul 15th
Hi There!
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Yes, I know it has been awhile since anything REALLY worthwhile has been posted here. That is okay though because I have been busy, busy, busy. Busy with what you ask? School, National Guard, the HOA…
For spring semester I was working on 15 credit hours and pulled in a 3.666 gpa. I got 3 A’s and a B in Pre-Calc. I am okay with the B because it was a tough class. The first summer session of this year I started taking more physics and calculus. These explain most of my business.
Between spring and summer semester, my company had Bradley Gunnery at Ft Irwin for 3 weeks. So there I was getting all dirty and sweaty, serving the nation. It was a great time actually. I am the Company Commander’s Gunner. My crew is awesome, I am not going to name any names (to protect the innocent J ) but our driver is probably the best I have ever seen. He is always on top of things and ready to learn more and do more. Very motivated and very bright. He was truly an asset. The CO on the other hand has been one of the few commanders I have ever had that actually motivates me to do better.
A Bradley. As a gunner I would be the guy on the right (from your POV)
Here is an easily understood page about the Bradley.
In Bradley Gunnery, crews maneuver and shoot through various tables (kind of like contests). Targets vary from 300 meters to ~3000 meters out. The crew engages these targets through different optics, different control stations and with different weapons systems. The variety is to simulate different battlefield conditions and trains the crew to proficiently use the Bradley Fighting Vehicle to suppress and destroy the enemy. In other words, to TRAUMATIZE THE ENEMY! One BFV is bad enough, but a platoon or a company of Bradleys moving in on you is not to be taken lightly.
We shot perfect on all the tables up to the last table where I missed one target by 6 inches. It was night, using thermals, manual traverse/elevation, and the target was ~1200 meters out. So we only got a Superior rating. L It was still fun, I learned a lot and got to work with a great crew. In the end my company got more higher qualifying scores than the rest of the battalion put together! clink…clink
Maddog Platoon Patrol Video Baghdad Iraq
Mar 22nd
For those of you that have not seen it. This is a video I made of one of our patrols while in Baghdad. EnjoyÂ
Catch up. What is new this year.
Feb 21st
I thought I might catch everyone up on what is new this year in my life without giving too much away. I became President of the HOA where I live as the other President stepped down. This is both good and bad. The bad comes from being the figure head of what everyone hates about an HOA. The good is that I take an active part in the welfare and wellbeing of my community.
National Guard wise, I have been made the Commander’s Gunner. Good position to be in. If you are not following, I am mechanized infantry (all the way through) and we operate Bradleys. There are various simulators used for training and more recently, the CO (Commander) and I were in the UCOFT, an older simulator. We shot all T’s for our engagements. From best to worst the training skill at this stage in the game is T, P, and U. T meaning Trained. So I was happy about that. We have a military ball next month so I am still deciding on whether I should shell out some dough and get a new dress uniform or not.
Additionally, I received my formal letter of acceptance into the Honors Program. I like tooting my own horn about this because it is solely my achievement and I deserve it. There are perks with Honors. For example, I will be attending the Symphony tomorrow night courtesy of the Honors Program. Life is good and it is important to stop and enjoy it from time to time.
Last but not least, I have a new writing gig. I will be doing reviews for PocketNow.com, They have been well established in the Pocket PC world for many years now, and provide many great reviews on everything from PDAs and software to the accessories that make them so great. I will get to review many of these as time goes by. Needless to say, I am very excited about this opportunity and my first review will be live in the next few weeks. I will keep you posted about the reviews by linking to them on their site, so stay tuned.
Taking everything into perspective, life is off to a great start this year. Gratitude.
National Guard Drill
Jan 21st
I had a Drill weekend the last few days. What that basically means is for 2 days and a night a bunch of other soldiers and myself get to train up on various tasks. Usually it can be quite enjoyable and a nice break from normal life but this weekend was not the best. The wind blew constantly and the temperature was hovering somewhere above freezing. Since we were out in the middle of the desert the wind insisted on blowing dust into my eyes for as long as they were open. Sleep was inadequate and light and the chow was lukewarm and tasteless.
However I must say that my platoon is grand. Recently our company was mishmashed together out of all kinds of different job qualified soldiers (if that statement makes any sense, do let me know 
) Most were Tankers, sosme Scouts and a smidgen of other MOS’s. At first I was reluctant to believe that these troops could become ‘Infantry’ but as it turns out it hasn’t taken long for us to break’em in . During downtime, nothing but laughter and conversation could be heard from our group. Moral is high.
Oh yeah, the sand decided to stay in my eye on the drive home. My drive is about 4 – 5 hours from the Armory to my house one way. It really is unpleasant to drive at night with a constantly watering pained eye. The sand refuses to come out as well. I have flushed my eye with lukewarm water half a dozen times. I give up. Hopefully it will come out in my sleep.
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