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Calgunners in Service This forum is a place for our active duty and deployed members to share, request and have a bit of home where ever they are. |
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#1
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Ask a deployed soldier anything
Soldier 415 had an amazing thread going while he was deployed - same title as this thread. I thought it would be fun if it continued - except this time any Soldier (I use the term generically to encompass all branches) who has seen deployment can answer questions. I know I learned a lot from the last thread!
Okay, I'll go first. In Iraq/Afghanistan, where do the servicemen go to get their hair cut? I notice that even in spite of heavy fighting and distant FOBs, the men in the pictures are still sporting regulation hair cuts. Is there a barber available or is it DIY with an electric clipper? |
#2
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Locals are hired for many functions such as fast food (while there), barbers, uniform pressing, etc. That is, if you are at a decent sized base. But even some of the smallest bases have locals who would love to earn some American money doing menial work.
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#3
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As Win above stated, most bases hire locals or TCN's (Third Country Nationals) to cut hair. If you are on a COP/CAP, police station, etc there is usually at least one guy per platoon who can cut hair. He becomes the un-designated plt barber.
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#5
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Haircuts from locals or DIY. Usually bic my head, but let a local barber do it once with a straight razor, talk about be nervous in the chair!
As for calls, most fobs have call centers and some units keep sat phones. |
#6
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I emailed home all I wanted when the net was up. I had my own laptop, but if you do not have one them you get to wait at the USO for a desktop to open up. You can wait hours and have nothing available, then when you do get a computer it can be the one that has issues.
When I was in Bosnia it was about $1 a minute to call home. AT&T gave out calling cards with 5 mins each to help out. Today with cell phones, google voice, skype, etc, there is really no reason to not stay in touch. |
#7
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Our TOC/HQ had a DSN line in it, so during "off" hours (ie. non-business hours), you were allowed to make a "morale call". Most of the fobbits used it daily. The guys heading outside the wire either used it before mission or not at all.
I had internet access on my downtime, but rarely contacted family. The less they heard from me, the less they would think something went wrong in case I missed a "scheduled" e-mail or call. I usually sent one mass e-mail a month and made one phone call every other month. |
#8
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Here are some thoughts I had while deployed, so you can see what may go through one's mind.
When you drive, you hope gas prices don't go up today. When I drive, I hope my vehicle armor is thick enough. When you pay taxes, you wonder if the money is wasted. When I pick up a firearm, I thank you for arming me with the best weapon available. When you get vacation time off, you wonder how far away you can get. When I get vacation time off, I wonder how close to home I can get. You feel in a rut when you have to go home to the same old life. Sometimes I feel hollow because I will never have the same old life. You see dirty children and worry they may be tomorrow's welfare recipients. I see dirty children and wonder if they may be tomorrow's killers, or victims. A stranger asks you for $5 and you flip him the bird and tell him to get a job. A stranger asks me for $5 and his eyes say he will not live through the night. You feel that receiving $50,000 can calm all the concerns in your life. I'll give you $50,000 cash right now if you can calm just one of mine. You look at all blank spots in your passport and wonder if you will ever travel. I look at the full pages in my passport and wonder if my traveling will ever stop. You worry about your auto insurance coverage and don't give a second thought to life insurance. I worry about my life insurance coverage and don't give a second thought to auto insurance. You wake up and say "Oh God no not another day." I wake up and say, "Thank God I have lived to see another day." You get upset at all the junk mail you receive. I see junk mail as one more link to home, and read it all. You define convenience as fast food, Tivo, central heating, and a comfy chair. I define convenience as a Choice MRE, a complete rifle cleaning kit, finding an extra postage stamp, and a foxhole someone already dug. You carry an iPod to hear the tunes. I carry an E&E radio to hear the alerts. You know old people who die. I know people who die who never got to be old people. |
#10
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Okay. Question: As an armed force in a foreign land, Is there or has there been any native citizen that you really trust?...or is everyone generally working some angle? .
__________________
The deterioration of every government begins with the decay of the principles on which it was founded. Charles-Louis de Secondat (1689-1755) Baron de Montesquieu In America, freedom and justice have always come from the ballot box, the jury box, and when that fails, the cartridge box. Steve Symms, ex-U.S. Senator, Idaho |
#12
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We put the uniforms in our laundry bag, tag our name on it, do an inventory count when we turn it in, them come back 2-5 days for later and pick up folded, pressed, nice smelling uniforms. I guess the locals do it. The smaller the sector the better service you usually get. At the FOB the line is way long. :-) For the times that you are away from such facilities, well I can attest that you can go a good 7-10 days in the current ACU uniform without too much of an issue. Air out the t-shirt, wash it with extra canteen water, and you are good to go for another few days. It's not that we smell, we probably do, but we just don't care. Once you get back into camp and clean up, WOW is the difference evident! |
#13
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How much training do you actually go through? What happens after boot camp? Do you have educational opportunities? Why would a college student that never went to ROTC consider enlisting over going to OCS?
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#15
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After boot camp you get your MOS school and then go on to your first unit of assignment. Mine was in Panama. After a tour (2 years for Panama) then you go on to your next assignment. It may even be the one you want! As for enlisting vs OCS, hmmm. Maybe he is not officer material. Maybe he thinks making E-9 is better than making Colonel (some officers feel it is!). Officers definitely get better pay and prestige. I stayed enlisted so I cannot answer that one. I guess my calling was to be enlisted. :> Quote:
But I digress, sorry of I got on a roll there. :> VERY much missed TV and radio, and SUNDAY PAPERS of all things. |
#16
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Locals:
Some good, some bad. Good ones stick around, bad ones get weeded out. Some are out for money, some for a chance to travel to the US and some are there to help us help them get thier country back in order, those are the ones I liked the best. Laundry: Either bucket wash em or send them back the fob with your resupply. Uniforms can go a for a while without needing to be washed, its your underwear, socks and t shirts that you really want clean. I would buy new socks, underwear and t shirts every chance i had, just so i can feel that brand new, fresh out the package feeling, makes you feel good for a couple days. Training: Always training. Doesnt stop with basic training and ait, you keep on training for as long as you are in the Military, even when you are deployed. Got some down time? We are gonna train. Heading out on a mission, we are gonna train. It never stops, nor should it. Education: Everyone has education opportunities but not everyone takes advantage of them. In the Army, you have to get a civilian education to stay competetive for promotions. Wanna make First Seargent or Seargent Major? Get a degree. College students: Most people (college students included) do not qualify for officer programs. College doesnt make you smart, it just gives you a degree that gives you the illusion of being smart. However, for those that do qualify but choose not to take the officer route... Everyones reason is different. Most commonly, its because they want to do the cool stuff that officers dont get to do. As an enlisted Soldier, you spend most of your career working with the troops, you are a leader, trainer and a mentor. As an officer, you spend alot less time "on the line" and a lot more time politicking and doing paperwork. Officers in the Military may issues the orders, but its the NCOs (enlisted leaders) who actually make things happen. |
#17
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My personal guns since the army will not let me use them in a deployment.
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#20
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training ALL THE TIME.....school is on you how much sleep you want to give up....ocs not sure
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#21
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Thank you for your service - thank you all. |
#22
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this is from me not my unit: they suck, they will not do much for them selfs, they smell so bad, they treat there women so bad when i get done with this mission hit me up i tell you what i saw in and around our AO and FOB, it will blow your mind...it also seems that they are on the take from both sides , you go help them with H.A they chuck rocks at you. the kids are bad they act like gang bangers with there foul months..
Last edited by goathead; 05-13-2010 at 7:26 PM.. |
#23
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the best of the Afghan people are the ANA,some of the ANP, and the ASG are good people willing to dye for you!!! if the afghan people were all like that they would one of the best countrys in the world
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#24
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What is H.A.? Also, another question....how much interaction do you have with the contractors, and what is your relationship to them as most are former mil but are now making way more $$ and have more freedom....is there resentment? Also (odd question) Have you eaten any native Afghan food (what the Afghans eat) and is it any good? |
#25
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Who decides who goes where?
Who decides who goes to Afghanistan, Iraq or to the bases around the world like South Korea, Italy, Germany, Guam? Did you go into bootcamp knowing where you were gonna go? How is that decided? I've always wondered.
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Last edited by FNH5-7; 05-13-2010 at 8:07 PM.. |
#27
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i eat the food all the time, out on the street and on base... chow hall sucks after a while contractors??? like work kinda of work dont you mean |
#28
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Did you go into bootcamp knowing where you were gonna go... i went 15 year ago i have been in for awhile there was no war,, but i guess when i did joint i was hoping Last edited by goathead; 05-13-2010 at 8:31 PM.. |
#29
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Last edited by CavTrooper; 05-13-2010 at 8:20 PM.. |
#30
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Thanks for answering.
I've always wondered why some go directly to Afghanistan/Iraq and some go to military bases around the world.
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Last edited by FNH5-7; 05-13-2010 at 8:53 PM.. |
#31
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No one goes directly to Iraq or Afghanistan after training, everyone has a permanent duty station they deploy from.
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#32
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But there are some real cush deployments like Korea, etc. How do other soldiers look upon those who get selected for deployments where they almost certainly won't see combat?
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#33
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Bingo, that's what I was trying to ask, just couldn't phrase it correctly.
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#34
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Korea is by no means cush from what Ive been told (never been stationed there). They train hard in horrible conditions for a good portion of the year and until recently (maybe still is) Korea was considered a hardship tour. Every assignment has it challenges and its benefits, the only people who really get looked down on are those who have "homestead" at a training base, changed thier MOS to "recruiter" (as opposed to being temporarily assigned to recruiting detail) and people who do everything they can to get out of deployments. |
#35
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Getting stationed overseas can be pretty damn cool. Going to Germany, Okinawa, Hawaii or Alaska to name a few.
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#36
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1) i missed my dog for one. 2) i missed my friends and wondered what they were doing. 3) i missed going to the movies with a good friend of mine. 4) my job i like my job and it is a good on to this day. 5) going fishing and hunting 6) just being home in general. day to day factors of life in the war zone. going to work and thinking all of the sudden what is going on at your house and wonder if it will be standing when you return. losing a friends you make while there. that is the tough part. going out on missions whether it be a raid or just a CA mission i was always as ready as i can be. what is strange when you return home everyone's lives has moved on. you on the other hand have pretty much stood still in time as things you have been doing at home stopped and you changed your routine and have to come home and readjust to being home. and your friends looking at you a little more different than before you left that sometimes bugs me. but if they are truly good friends they will understand you.
__________________
http://govnews.ca.gov/gov39mail/mail.php Thank your neighbor and fellow gun owners for passing Prop 63. For that gun control is a winning legislative agenda. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6Dj8tdSC1A contact the governor https://govnews.ca.gov/gov39mail/mail.php In Memory of Spc Torres May 5th 2006 al-Hillah, Iraq. I will miss you my friend. NRA Life Member. |
#37
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Not yourself, that's for sure. After basic training (bootcamp) and before you graduate MOS training (AIT), you can submit a top 3 wish list that you want to go but it's not guaranteed. Mine was Italy, Germany, then Hawaii, and I ended up in Hawaii. Most people usually get what they choose if it's a big division so unless you asked for some weird location that are limited in size, you'll probably land in your top 3.
Quote:
Korea, Italy, Germany, etc... can be volunteered for (or voluntold) during AIT or if your time is about to be up, you can reenlist to go to certain areas. Last edited by socalshooting; 05-13-2010 at 9:21 PM.. |
#38
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We received instruction, oh, I'd say around February, telling us that H.A. is no longer the approved term. It is now PSP. Population Support Package.
NTM |
#39
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This is my personal opinion but every soldier, marine, airman, sailor has a function and a purpose since all their services are needed. I've known a few guys coming from korea near the DMZ and back then it was still considered hazardous duty (don't know if it is anymore) and they were just as sharp as any other soldier. They also do PT in the freezing snow. The only people that I frown upon, like cavtrooper said, are ones that signed up (for the bonus and college money) but don't want to do their duty when it comes time for deployment and try to get out of it. Fobbit officers that hoard all the cr123 batteries for their flashlights so they can find the portajohns at night annoy me as well. Pretty much any deuchebag.
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#40
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so do you miss afghanistan yet Sir
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