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Spc. Missick
319 Sig Bn, C-Co
APO AE 09327
Blog
initiated on April 7, 2004 at Camp Virginia, Kuwait
Blog
continued April 22, 2004 from Camp Navistar, on the Kuwaiti/Iraqi Border
April 23, 2004
"In Iraq our national
security interests and our national values converge. Iraq is truly the
test of a generation, for America and for our role in the world. Faced
with similar challenges, previous generations of Americans have passed
such tests with honor. It is now our turn to demonstrate that our power,
ennobled by our principles, is the greatest force for good on earth today.
Iraq's transformation into a secure democracy and a force for freedom
in the greater Middle East is the calling of our age. We can succeed.
We must succeed." - Senator John McCain
I felt
this was a great quote to start todays blog off with
The wind rages and the
sky still threatens us with late spring showers and imminent sand storms.
The preparation has continued in our efforts to take over the signal mission
here. Driving to the other site, just across the freeway that leads over
the border, two arches reminiscent of the San Ysidro crossing in San Diego
lay only meters before me. The flags are Kuwaiti and the guard posts and
soldiers that protect the border from terrorists seeking to disrupt operations
for us here, remind me how thankful I am for the job they do, which allows
me to focus on the job I must do. As a signal soldier, I am an expert
in signal transmission and radio communication. Establishing an efficient
commo network for the Army is an extremely important job for me and for
the soldiers that rely on us to get the job done right the first time.
There is no room for error, no mistakes that can simply go unnoticed.
We are either providing phones for the echelon above corps elements, or
we are not. Seeing the tired soldiers and the ones eager to reach there
destinations, sprawled out on cots trying to catch up on sleep or playing
a game of basketball to relieve some stress, I am even more dedicated
to the job at hand. The official handover takes place soon and then this
is our small elements show. I know we'll do the job well, we haven't failed
yet.
April 22, 2004
Our convoy arrived at
our new basecamp on the Iraqi border shortly before a major sandstorm
rolled in like a morning fog that blocks the sun and leaves visibility
so small that only a few feet in front of you it becomes hard to recognize
the objects or the persons standing there. We knew it was coming, the
sky looked similar to those familiar images of Southern California during
the majors fires of 2003. Everything was orange and brown and once the
wind came to welcome us to our new location, the climatic metaphor for
the chaos just meters away was all too appropriate. Like Camp Virginia,
our new camp is relatively secure. We are able to go to the chow hall
and use the recreation facilities with few worries of attacks, but the
atmosphere of this base is much different. With rumors of the mortar attacks
that frightened but did not injur anyone from the group we are replacing,
and the eyewitness accounts of the gunfight that took place at the gates
of the border several weeks ago, everything seems much more serious. At
the same time, there is a much more relaxed atmosphere when it comes to
the areas of garrison military life we are used to. Back home, uniformity
is the crux of military appearance, but here in the desert, you make do
with what you have. No two military vehicles look alike as each is a hodgepodge
of lumber and steel used for vehicle reinforcements, and positionings
for the crew serve weapons such as the M249 and M60 machine guns, and
the beast of all gun truck crew serve weapons, the 50 calliber machine
gun. Vehicles regularly pull into be serviced that have faced the improvised
explosive devices (IED's) that litter the highways, and other damage from
small arms fire inflicted from the innumerable AK47's in Iraq. I am still
very far away from the fury of the Baghdad streets, but much closer to
the solemnity of this war.
April 19, 2004
Today, I found out that Camp Virginia will no longer be my home away from
home as of Thursday morning. We are moving North, to a position right
on the border, to provide a network and computer help desk, as well as
increase their telecommunications abilities. The camp I am going to is
still relatively safe, but the stories are well known here, that the further
north you go from any point in this particular region, the greater the
danger. I honestly anticipate no problems, I know that my safety is provided
by a power much greater than mine. I have heard that internet access is
even more sparse up there, and so I can't wait to check it out and verify.
If so, my blogs might be posted less frequently, but the updates will
continue to be written on my laptop and uploaded when I have a chance.
April 18, 2004
Let me begin by a simple story that reminded me that no matter how desperate
it may seem here from time to time, we are truly lucky to be Americans.
Over the course of the last 48 hours, I was required to serve a 27 hour
shift with 14 of those hours taking place with the Third Country National
guard detail, and the remianing hours covering my shift in our telecommunications
system. Early in the day on the 18th, I spoke with a middled aged man
from India. A great majority of the foreigners here to work are from India,
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. desperate economies lead them to look for work
elsewhere. it is here in Kuwait that this young man was hoping to get
back on his feet. In the evening he work at Subway, and in the daylight
hours he worked in a traveling trailor that sold European sandwhiches.
On average, he makes $240 a month, of which, he must support himself and
his father, mother and two sisters back in India. His father had been
injured when he was young while he was working, and this young man was
forced to leave school and take care of the family at 13 years old. His
story is one which can be told many times over, and in fact is by many
of the TCN's here. It reminded me however, as I sat and spoke with him
still full from the days breakfast and fully confident that I was in fact
saving much more money while I am here than he will make in ten years,
that even in a place as close to hell as you can find on this planet,
the blessings bestowed on American's are immense. It reminded me of the
pride I have in my country, and the honor I have to serve her flag and
the well being of her people, here on the other side of the world.
April 13, 2004
It seemed to appear from
no where this afternoon, a freak sandstrom with gusts that shook our tent
and felt like needles on any exposed skin. Many of us prepared for the
typical Kuwaiti sandstorm that can last for days, but fortunately this
died after only a few hours. It served as a poignant reminder of the intense
weather that is just around the corner. It also served as a reminder of
how quickly life can change around here. I was reminded of just how fortunate
I am right now, when I heard word this afternoon that one of the units
that had been here a few days back had left on Saturday to head north.
In transit, they were hit and lost several soldiers. It struck me that
these were soldiers I was eating next to just a few days back, men and
women who I waited in line behind and in front of at the phone center
just to get a few moments of delayed and echoed phone calls with our families
back home. It leads me to ask so many personal questions, to evaluate
so many things. Why am I here when things are getting so bad up north?
How does it seem like I have escaped the worst of the attacks since the
end of combat operations, and yet others are still moving up north in
droves everyday. Truthfully, I don't know what the next few months brings.
I know our mission, and that our tenure here has a date on it that brings
me comfort, but the existential questions continue to nag me in the same
way they have nagged soldiers of every generation who seem to be "lucky."
I chalk it up to a blessing for now and thank God for listening to all
your prayers. In the meantime, I'll maintain all military bearing, do
my job well and know that whether we are in this location or one that
presents even more danger, I have battle buddies I can rely on and divine
plan for my life. Those are things all soldiers can take some solace in.
On a different note, I want to thank all of you who responded that you
ahd seen the site. As I said, I hope this will make it easier to keep
in touch with many of you and keep you updated on what life is like. Incidently,
our convoy the other day went smoothly and we returned to the base after
a very long day.
April 11, 2004
Holidays are always an
extremely important time for my family. Growing up, I remember all sorts
of mini-rituals that occurred within my household, that fell under the
umbrella of the larger, macro-social rituals connected to holidays like
Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter. Halloween for example, always witnessed
my mother preparing a special family recipe of "Dodgers", a
donut like pastry that is fried and coated with sugar. Christmas morning
could never begin without my father first entering the living room, turining
on the Christmas lights and preparing the family for the first perfect
moment when we would come out of our bedrooms to explore and enjoy the
gifts that awaited us. Easter was no different, with the Easter Baskets,
new clothes and a morning spent at church. These rituals are not forgetten
when you where the uniform, if anything, they are appreciated even more
because you simply do not have them. Even though we may go to those moments
in our minds, they are never lived in practice. The days all blend together,
none more essential than the one that preceded it or the one that will
follow. It doesn't matter what day of the week it is, because you will
probably be working. For a military where time is absolutely crucial for
soldiers, dates become a different story all together. This morning, on
my way to chow, I passed the chapel. It wasn't until I reached the chow
hall and saw the handbill advertising a special Easter service that I
realized that this was a sacred day, not just another blur of hour hands
walking in a sphere. The military has a way, they say, of making a man
of you. I wonder if this is necessarily what it is to be a man however,
to be so far removed and increasingly desensitized of the life's landmark
days and important moments. It is not that there are no longer important
moments, it's just that those moments don't involve family and generally
involve a relief that a mission was completed without any injuries. These
are the moments that become important, the ones that pass and usher ina
relief that the day has passed and that perhaps your daydreams are closer
to the realities they once were. Forunately, most days are not filled
with fear for me here, but fear or at least an extreme sense of caution,
does come when certain duties call. I thought today would be one of those
days. Another convoy was planned, and I was nervous that the Christian
holiday would make some over-zealous anti-American's more eager to act.
If they are out there, they will not have the chance to act today with
my unit however. The convoy has been postponed, and on yet another rare,
cool, drizzly day in Kuwait, I will enjoy some time to myself, and celebrate
Easter. Happy Easter Mom, Dad and Matt. I wish I could be there...
April 9, 2004
It was a surprisingly
cloudy and drizzly day here in Kuwait. Still getting situated with our
site here and our communications set up, I spent a portion of the day,
of course the only portion it actually rained, setting up camouflage over
the generators. The rest was a typical rigamorale of tasks such as inspecting
the equipment and vehicles, and maintaining the communication link.
April 8, 2004
On my camp, as well as
most camps over here, there are the duties you perform according to your
mission, and duties you perform that are assigned by your chain of command
known as details. I was assigned to a detail today, the 13 hour stretch
of TCN, or Third Country National. The duties with this detail are essentially
to drive around base with the foreign nationals who come to service the
generators, clean the innumerable "port-o-johns", work in the
chow hall... It was my duty to accompany a small merchant group who had
set up a table outside the PX to sell Gameboy games, and imitaion watches
and sunglasses. It seems here that there is an endless supply of items
that appear legitimate, but on closer inspection are obviously fakes.
I spent the day, partially making sure no soldiers stole items from them,
and part of the day making sure they were legitimately on post to make
sales. It was rather humorous to here the three merchants of Indian origin
beconning for customers with aceented phrases like, "I'll hook you
up my brother." They used a variety of other phrases in American
street jargon that gave the soldiers walking by a smile and made them
more willing to stop by and talk and shop. I have noticed that alot of
us have confronted many third country nationals in variety of locations
and enounters that were less than friendly towards American's, especially
individuals in uniforms that had block lettered type of U.S. Army on the
chest. It seems that a friendly TCN is extremely inviting and welcoming,
and though we are always on constant guard prepared for whatever may happen,
it helps put us at a bit more ease. For my assistance with the merchants,
they gave me at the end of the day a great Zippo with the Army seal on
it...it was a fake of course.
April 7, 2004
The launch of my first
ever blog has finally taken place. Over the course of the last few months,
it has been very difficult to communicate with many of you back home.
Since October, when the activation orders came down and this arduous process
began, my life has been the military 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It
is a situation I had never anticipated as a child. I was never one to
have foreseen the military in my future, I was never the kid who emulated
his action figures. With that said, the experiences offered have been
invaluable in forging discipline and above all patience! The thing I have
realized even more than I ever had before, is that it is not so much the
things back home that I miss, but the people, all of you, and the memories
we have together. Hopefully this site will allow me to keep in touch with
many more of you all at once and help me keep you informed of how things
are going over here. For the time being, rest assured that my unit and
I are fairly safe and secure in Kuwait, supporting the Army's Echelon
Above Corps. communication needs. We are providing data and voice communication
for the war's architects and "brass", and as a result are placed
in the rear of alot of the urban warfare currently occuring just north
of us. I am grateful for the security and peace of mind this offers me
and my family. As a soldier however, there is always the desire to do
that much more, to be that much closer to the line and to help solve the
problem. That is not my part at this time however, as we will be serving
this mission for some time. I know my job, my specialty as a multi-channel
systems transmissions operater/maintainer, and I will do my job with pride
in the year ahead as I operate as a cog in the great machine known as
the United States Army.