BRB

Well I'm heading out for a bit - be back before you know it. Pretty much the first question everyone asks on learning this is "how do you feel" or "are you excited" so here's how I feel: excited.

This is after all what I signed up to do. Out of the five other people I shared a room with at TBS (to pick a random sample of newish Marines) I'm the first to get to go, and I feel lucky to have the opportunity. I think we are doing far more good than harm in Afghanistan, both for Afghans and for our own interests, and I hope we can maintain our initiative there long enough to make our positive impact a durable one. I respect others' opinions but that's mine.

A little background info: I'll be in the 'stan for 13 months or so, arriving around the end of this week. Things will be intense at first but should ease up after a few months. I'll be in Helmand province, which is in southern Afg where the recent push in Marjah took place.


Hopefully I'll be arriving just in time to have the Pesach Seder in country. A Rabbi comes several times a year for the holidays, but when he's not there I've volunteered to be a Jewish lay leader, which will help keep me connected to my Judaism in a place not overflowing with Yiddishkeit.

Things I'm having a hard time imagining:

• no weekends for a year. war's a 24/7 kind of thing, apparently.
• the wind of 120 days
• life without my car
• missing the 2010 season (and #28)

Things I plan to do in my free time:

• Learn some Pashto
• Eat some authentic Afghan cuisine
• Finish my book
  
• Start a Kandahar branch of jdate

Things I'll do when I get back:

• Take a one month vacation
• Take a two month shower
• Rock the House harder
  
• Volunteer for a MEU (not right away)

Best show on TV

Many of you have generously asked how you can send me stuff while I'm there. I'll have all the basic necessities and then some, but if you think a tin of home-made cookies will raise my morale and that of my friends, you're probably on to something. My address:

2ndLt Me
MWHS-3 Det A (G-3)
Unit 41007
FPO AP 96427-1007

Packages take 3-6 weeks to arrive I'm told. Letters take from a few days up to ten. As for what to send me - use your imagination. The more personal it is, the better.

You can send me "instant" letters via www.motomail.us. I think this is more for Marines who don't have regular access to e-mail, which I should have, but hey if you want to use it, go nuts. Someone in Afg prints your message and it gets delivered to me like regular mail.

My cell will be shut off for the next year. If you call it you should get forwarded to a voicemail service which I'll be checking, but we'll see if that all works like it's supposed to.

I think that's about it. I'll post again next chance I get!

No better friend, no worse enemy.

The Green Prince: A True Palestinian Hero

Wow. If there were more Palestinians with Mosab Hassan Yousef's insight and courage, there would be peace in the Middle East already.

Haaretz exclusive: Hamas founder's son worked for Shin Bet for years

G-d, Country, Corps

From a Jewish retired Marine Col. I know:

A United States Marine was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
One of the courses had a professor who was a devout atheist.
One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, “God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes.”
The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, “Here I am God. I'm still waiting.”
It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him, knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold. The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently.
The other students were shocked, stunned, and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, “What the heck is the matter with you? Why did you do that?”
The Marine calmly replied, “God was too busy today protecting American troops who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot. So, He sent me."

-----

As promised, I'm going to try to keep these updates more regular. I've added fiber to my diet, and that helps.

I'm back from EMV (Enhanced Mohave Viper, the big exercise in the desert). It was a great learning experience, and I got about 100 hours of controlling under my belt. The TRAP mission I mentioned last time was awesome - I got dropped off in the middle of nowhere with a Harrier pilot who was playing a "downed" pilot. Some Hueys came by, shot up some "enemy" near us (not too near) with rockets and guns, swooped in to pick us up, shot up some more enemy, and went home. They don't seem all that flashy but hueys, I learned first-hand, are very capable and maneuverable platforms.

I didn't have a camera with me, but google images did, so here's a huey...ours weren't nearly as clean and new-looking:

UH-1N Huey

The last few days of EMV were the best. The air traffic picked up, so I had to pay more attention to make sure I deconflicted aircraft from each other and from mortars/arty. We also did a few mock casevacs, which meant I was briefing a pilot on where he was going and other such info as he was lifting zone and en route.

In other news, it rained, biblically, in CA last week. There are large ponds in the desert where there was previously dust, and the mountains are snow-covered.

The desert

It's cold in the desert!

Also went to Palm Springs and played blackjack. I just can't lose at this game (I know, famous last words). Won back for my friend the $ she'd lost and called it a night.

Next week I start pre-deployment stuff down in Miramar. Oh yeah. I met my Gunny at 29Palms (the one who will be my chief in my wing billet) and he's great. 18 years in the Marine Corps and lots of experience in the kind of work we'll be doing. Any good 2ndLt knows how little he knows, and how much he needs dependable SNCO's to help and teach him, so I think I'm in good hands.

The adventure continues...

Sunset in Twentynine Palms

The adventure begins

Welcome...or welcome back. It's been a long time since I posted, but I wanted to start (again) using this space to bring people along for the Marine Corps ride that I've been on since the fall of 2008.

Since we last saw our hero in this here blog, a lot has happened. A quick (haha, you know me better than that) rundown:

In May, while still a student at The Basic School, I got my MOS. I am a 7208: Air Support Control Officer. Actually I got my top choice first - intel - but higher powers determined that with my many connections abroad, it would take too long for me to get clearance. My next choice was combat engineers but that was extremely competitive and I ended up with #3 (still not bad). The job is awesome and one to which I think I'm well-suited. Just as an air traffic controller (ATC) controls aircraft over the airfield, my job is to control aircraft over the battlefield, deconflicting them from one another, from other supporting fires and from enemy threats, in order to get them where they're needed (e.g. close air support, CasEvac, assault support, etc.). It's not a terribly difficult job under most circumstances, though in a high-tempo environment it can be challenging.

I State Your Name, Do Solemnly Swear...

In July, I graduated and took leave to see family, and then drove cross-country in 3 days (plus one spent at the Grand Canyon) to s. cali. If you've never seen the desert, I highly recommend it. I've never seen anything like sunset on the red rocks of Sedona, AZ.

The Grand Canyon

Sedona

In August, I reported to my unit - Marine Air Support Squadron 3 (MASS-3) based in Camp Pendleton, CA.

In September, after 6 weeks of on the job training at MASS-3, I went to air schools in 29Palms, CA - about two hours inland in the high desert. I learned a lot about friendly and enemy air assets, how to control aircraft without being able to see them (we don't use radar, which makes us a lot more versatile and expeditionary than we would otherwise be), and related stuff. I went to Vegas and gambled for the first time in my life, and somehow came out ahead. I watched the Yanks win #27 and lost my voice.

It's hot in the desert

In November, I finished air schools and went for a quick visit to Atlanta/Montgomery for Thanksgiving, where I went hunting for the first time and dropped a deer within my first hour (ok maybe 70 minutes). Watched my brother miss a buck at 50 yards, scope notwithstanding. A marksman not is he. Watched him and his wife have borderline coronaries before Alabama finally put away Auburn.

In December I went on leave again for the holidays and got to see my whole family for once. Watched Tebow cry. In NH I took the brothers to the range where I taught the middle one the basics of marksmanship (brass to the grass, pointy end toward the enemy/deer). In his defense I should say that he is pretty good with a bow, having killed numerous stationary targets (but no deer) in the eight years he's been using one. The youngest brother is no doubt a killer with his IDF-issued bullpup, but should not be allowed near a pistol. But I digress.

The youngest bro with his bullpup

While on leave I was offered - and accepted - the opportunity to deploy not with my unit, MASS-3, but with the Wing - the air equivalent of a division - in a billet outside my MOS. Erring on the side of caution, I won't post specifics here but just say that it's an opportunity I've been waiting for, in which, I'm told, I'll be working with and training Marines on security-related matters. The one drawback that I identified in my MOS even before I left TBS is that you don't get much of an opportunity to lead Marines - to train them in a specific mission and help them execute it. I think I'll have that chance in this billet.

So now it's January. Last week, I watched Alabama win #13. The tide rolls on. Now, I'm out at 29Palms again, this time supporting Enhanced Mohave Viper (EMV), the Marine Corps' biggest training exercise. My job is pretty easy - I talk to pilots and get them from point A to point B safely so they can support the troops on the ground. Two days ago, I got to go out with a FiST (Fire Support Team) and watch how they integrate supporting fires from mortars, artillery, and fixed and rotary wing aircraft. A day observing what they do, how they do it and what challenges they face in doing it is worth all the classroom instruction I've ever gotten on the FiST, and helps me understand what I can do in the DASC (Direct Air Support Center - the agency I work for when I'm controlling aircraft) to make their jobs easier. On Monday (MLK day) I'll watch choppers practice evading/returning ground fire, and then watch a TRAP mission (tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel). Cool stuff.

In February I'll leave EMV and actually get to sleep in my apartment for more than a few nights in a row, as I report to Miramar for pre-deployment training. Then, some time shortly thereafter (it's best not to be too specific online though it's hardly a secret) I'll deploy to Afghanistan. I'll do my Wing billet for six months and, if everything goes according to plan, transition to doing my actual job, controlling aircraft, for six more months. In all the deployment will be around a year; not more than 13-14 months at the most I would think. It's the equivalent of two back-to-back deployments for most Marines, but it allows me to get experience both in and outside my MOS - something that every Marine wants and needs but few get so early on.

Ok, as always I've gone on far too long. I promise to try to make future posts more frequent and thus shorter. One final note on my safety, because I know many people just have a vague picture of Afghanistan as an unsafe place. Like any place, there are parts that are "better" and parts that are "worse." I'll be spending most of my time in the "better" parts, trying to support the Marines who are in the "worse" parts. My challenges will be those of most Marines and other troops in Afghanistan - trying to stay productive amidst boredom, connected despite distance. So no matter how inconsequential it seems to you, trust me, I want to hear what's going on with you while I'm away. Check back here for ways to reach me once my deployment date gets closer.

Semper Fi

it's 5:09 AM...

and thanks to an f-ed up night I'm wide awake, stone sober and sitting on the balcony of our hotel room overlooking VA beach, typing this. But if my night turned out to be a complete waste (not in the sense I'd hoped), maybe my pre-dawn will atone. It has, after all, been a long time since most of you heard from me, though a loyal few keep calling and for that I'm grateful. So until I can call you back, I hope this little update will do.
Let's see. We're definitely past the half-way point in the POI (program of instruction) at the basic school, and it feels even further than that because we really only have a few major events left: some field exercises/urban combat stuff, the 15 mile hump (this Thursday), a few exams. Today (actually yesterday) we went out to the range and got "familiar" with some crew-served weapons we'd been studying for the past week or two. We fired the 240B med machine gun (dinkadinkadinkadinka), the 50-cal heavy MG (thwack thwack thwack thwack thwack) and the MK-19 automatic grenade launcher (thunk thunk thunk...whomp whomp whomp). It was, in a word, awesome. Of course, for 2 minutes or less of trigger time each we waited around about 8 hours or more (of course wearing flaks and fliks and all that jazz), so all in all a pretty average day here at TBS (The Big Suck). But we're finally getting to the good stuff - big guns (I fired a 155mm howitzer the other day), platoon-sized evolutions, fire and maneuver (instead of what amounts to a bonzai charge every time we spot - or think we spot - the enemy), setting up a defense (read: digging holes and filling sandbags), and in just a few short weeks - MOS's.
MOS stands for Military Occupational Specialty - your job in the Marine Corps. There are 22 MOS's open to active duty Marine Officers such as myself - everything from infantry to PAO (public affairs officer). There are a set number of slots for each. I'm going for intel, with my main back-up being combat engineer. There are more slots for each than I expected, but it's still going to be extremely competitive. I got my 1st command eval today and my SPC (staff platoon commander, a captain) thinks I'm doing a good job. He thinks I'd be a good fit for intel, but also for comm or logistics. I think not...but I told him I'd think about it, so who knows.
Anyway, we find out our MOS's in about a month, or a little less. If I get intel, I'll be training at the Navy/Marine Corps Intel Training Center in Dam, Neck, VA, which is probably a five minute low-crawl from where I'm sitting right now (incidentally, starting to watch the sun rise over the shore - life could be worse). I have no idea when I'd start there, so I might be doing some temporary duty in DC or theoretically even with my 1st unit, while I wait for the next class to start up. Regardless, I graduate TBS on July 2 (note the change from July 3 if you already had it on your calendar), all dressed up my blues and sword and the whole schtick. So that's my way of saying - come! In just a few short months I could be on my way to Afghanistan (or Hawaii, you never know), and it's been far too long since I've seen most of you anyway. So while you'll definitely be getting a bit more personal of an invitation, I just wanted to let everyone know when it is in the hopes that you'll set aside the date and join me for it. It's in Quantico, VA of course, about 40 minutes south of DC.
Two teens just skate-boarded by me down on the board-walk. It's 5:47 AM. One was wearing a kippah. We're entering the realm of the bizarre, and I think it's time to sleep. Hope to hear from you!

Cold enough for ya?

How cold was it this week? It was so cold...

• within an hour or two of leaving the barracks for the rifle range, the water in our canteens/camelbaks was frozen solid
• despite wearing some 4-5 warming layers (underarmour, polypro, fleece, gortex) we were still shivering and stomping and blowing like spastic, rabid horses
• I heard one guy trying to give away a block of ice disguised as an apple
• thanks to uselessly numb fingers, during pistol cleaning we sent multiple spring-loaded parts whizzing past unsuspecting ears
• even Sgt. G put on gloves

One of my roommates captured the mood perfectly while we were shivering in the pits (running the targets up and down for other platoons) when he said simply, "fuck everything." Indeed.

But...I can't complain. Miraculously, on Friday, the actual day we qualified on pistol/rifle, the clouds parted, the sun came out, and it was a balmy 45 or so degrees. We felt, as someone else in my platoon put it, like we'd won the damn lottery. And most of us shot better as a result. I got "expert" on rifle (the top ranking) and missed it by 3 points on pistol, getting "sharpshooter" instead. I'm definitely happy with those results, though I'm looking forward to getting more practice on the M9 Beretta.

Aside from the cold, the past few weeks have been pretty awesome. We earned our tan belts in MCMAP (Marine Corps martial arts program) a few weeks ago by throwing one another around (and into the ground comma frozen solid). While I initially hated MCMAP because the fundamentals are much closer to boxing than to the fluid, low-center-of-gravity techniques I'm used to, I've grown to like it, especially as we learn techniques that are straight out of Aikido. MCMAP is supposed to combine the best and most martial elements of all the other arts (while leaving out impractical, sport-oriented stuff) and I'm starting to see how, at the higher levels, it does exactly that. I'm hoping to find the time to earn my grey and green belts while I'm here.

Next week, we do some more advanced rifle stuff - moving targets, etc. It will still involve early mornings, the 3 mile pre-dawn hump out to the range and whatever temperatures G-d throws at us, but I'm looking forward to it.