Happy Veteran's Day

Last week I got back from a month in the desert around Yuma, AZ.  Things I did during that month:

• Sweat
• Sleep in a tent
• Sweat while sleeping in a tent
• Subsist on MREs (snacks only), Date Shakes and sand
• Displace five times
• Participate in three convoys
• Attend an unknown number of late-night briefs
• Experience some of the best the MST has to offer
• Set my personal (albeit humble) record at 10 days in a row without a shower 

Naturally, I had a great time.  Why?  Well...

If you noticed the guys on the hilltop controlling aircraft (from about the 2 minute mark on), that was at a position called OP (Observation Point) Feets, and it's where I was working for the first week of the exercise.  Here are a few of my own pics and vids from there:

 Controlling atop OP Feets (note the field 'stache already coming in)

Cobra inbound 

Cobra gun run

Cobras rockets and guns
(it was extremely windy on OP Feets, probably 50+ mph winds at times)

Mock-up targets

Sunset at Feets

Cobra attack at dusk

Tracers

Rockets.  Held an NVG (night vision goggle) over the lens.

More rockets and guns in the dark

More NVG action

Fixed-wing ordnance.  Boom.

OP Feets - not a fun climb

 Resupply

Weather inbound

 

The second week we controlled from various LZs and FARPs (Forward Arming and Refeuling Points).

LZ Star

CH-53's with some externals

KC-130

CH-53E conducting mid-air refueling with the KC-130

KC-130 dumping extra fuel before returning to base

At FARP Star a few days later... 

UH-1 Huey

Three Cobras, just after getting jumped by two Hinds

A Hind

Getting "strafed" by a Hind

Moonrise over the FARP

"Devastate Bravo"

For the second two weeks, I was back with the main DASC as we displaced from one garden spot to another.

Tent living

Getting dirty

Desert dwellers

On the firing line at Fire Base Burt 

Taking a break during a convoy

At least there are nice sunsets in the desert

Well time to go enjoy the rest of my 96.  Happy 236th, Marines, and Happy Vets Day to all!