It's been quite a while since I updated the website, for which I do apologize (assuming anyone cared).

Not much has been going on. A few hikes, a couple days in the field, a battalion run. But just when I thought I was going to get back in the swing of training, I find out I've been selected for three months of guard, ending in the middle of February. I was a bit disconcerted by this at first, since I haven't participated in a major field operation, or utilized my crew served weapon, since May. But I figure if no one else thinks that's a concern, I shouldn't either. It'll give me a chance to save some cash, make new enemies and forget old ones, perhaps create a pt schedule for myself.

That's the other thing I did...I ran a pft last week. I did the same amount of pullups and crunches (eight and one hundred, respectively) and I dropped my run time from 19:45 to 19:36, so I gained one point (231, whoo).

Well, that's about all the info for now. Enjoy Thanksgiving, and look for an update the first week of December...or so.
--posted 001119

Hi people. I've got my computer running again, after replacing my dying 16 gig Fujitsu hard drive with a speedy new 40 gig Maxtor. I did a clean install of Windows, and everything is peachy except IE won't display any java for a yet undetermined reason. I've sunk about $500 into memory, a sound card, speakers, and a hard drive over the past three months, so I'm going to hold off on further upgrades for a little while.

I haven't done much with the website lately, but I did redo the pictures page. I added a couple pictures, and I made a separate page for pictures of my friends in 2/4. Hopefully I'll be able to start making mini-albums of pictures (a page of pictures from a specific field op, for instance). But time will tell.

I also added a couple pictures of myself (aren't I vain). One above, and another near the bottom. The latter was created either by my friend Dan (who was somewhere in Australia, the last I heard from him), or by Frappy, whom I haven't seen in forever.
--posted 001018

Just a note, I've moved updates from June and earlier this year to a separate page. This can also be accessed from the navigation buttons at the top of the screen.
--posted 001007

Over a month has passed, and I've decided I should make an attempt to update the website. We got back from Idaho at the beginning of September, and haven't done much since then. We changed battalion commanders (we haven't gotten to see him in action yet, but he seems to like giving us time off), acted as a focus group for some people trying to redesign our cammies (I voted for megapixel), and got block leave.

I took eleven days of leave, because I bought my plane ticket as soon as they told us the leave dates. The only problem with this was that they changed them a couple days after that, and I could've taken about eighteen days otherwise. But it's all good. I went and stayed with my brother in Columbus (obviously Columbus Ohio, it's not like I'd be from Georgia) and relaxed.

This past week we're preparing for a mini-squad evaluation, which for me will consist of four mortarman together with the platoon commander. So I'm not sure how productive that will be.

In the meanwhile, I'm trying to keep my computer on artificial support. The hard drive is very sick, so occasionally I'm greeted with blue screens and 'cannot write to C:' errors. But that should be replaced within a week.
--posted 001006

I have returned to southern California, after nearly a month's absence. We got up at 0300 on the morning of the 1st and arrived back at Camp Pendleton around mid-afternoon. There was an interruption at the Twin Falls airport, where Idaho governor Dirk Kempthorne thanked us for our efforts. He told us about how he was responsible for us getting goretex jackets and trousers when he was on the Senate Armed Services Committee, but he didn't say whether he voted for the Osprey, or why we didn't get more pay raises.

The past couple weeks have been uneventful, mostly mopping up hotspots and moving hose. We spent all but a couple days living at a converted girl scout campground. Twice they brought us back to main camp and then told us 'oh, you're going back there tomorrow, don't bother unpacking.' We didn't find that too amusing, but apparently someone thought it was a good idea.

The only thing noteworthy was the last two days, when it seemed we were going to die at the hands of the Idaho National Guard drivers. We started off the month with the best driver there, 'Sarge' Hobson, who immediately was placed in charge of directing the other trucks. We ended up with a driver who started the day by putting the two and a half ton truck in reverse and slamming it into the truck behind us. He spent the rest of our trip looking for large rocks to drive over (anything over a foot in diameter was good). But as far as we know he didn't file his teeth.
--posted 000902

A High Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicle of the Idaho National Guard posted at a roadblock.

I'm updating my website from the public library in Salmon, Idaho. We've been here just about two weeks so far. I'm having a great time myself, hiking up mountains, cutting down trees, digging ditches. It's nice to do actual work for a while, and for once there's a purpose to it. Also, we're appreciated, unlike in southern California. I've been taking a number of pictures here, so hopefully when I get back I'll be able to post a number of them.

The first week was pretty uneventful. Before we left on the night of the fourth, we got issued some brand new and very uncomfortable boots and a bunch of NIFC gear (all pretty and new) to pack, which meant we didn't need to bring our military gear (definitely a plus). Then we got a few hours off to say goodbye to our loved ones (or in my case, lock up my valuables). Then came the bus ride to March Air Force base. Things went pretty smoothly there, except for when they told us we were allowed to sit on the cots and sleep, but under no circumstances were we allowed to lay down while awaiting our flight. But in a couple hours we were all packed into a C141 like sardines and on our way to Twin Falls, Idaho. From Twin Falls we loaded into buses and headed to our main camp just outside of Salmon. This camp is like nothing we've seen in the Marine Corps. It consists of a kitchen (which produces food one hundred times better than the chow hall back home), showers, a bank of ten or so phones which we aren't charged to use, and since we've arrived, a whole lot of tents. We spent the first two days training to do basic things, such as digging lines for the purpose of containing the fire, and finding and eliminating hotspots where there might still be fire underneath the ground. The rest of that week we spent walking through already burnt portions of the Salmon-Challis National Forest eliminating hotspots, some days finding more and more over areas we had covered the day before. We did spend a couple days digging a line up a very steep mountain, which was kind of fun, as long as you were in better shape than the people setting the pace, and you didn't have a problem dodging rocks larger than your head.

Our second week started with a change of pace when we got to clear out an area for backburning (cutting off lower limbs and small trees, so that the fire will sweep through an area while leaving most of the larger trees intact). The past four days we spent moving between two smaller camps (lacking the showers and other amenities). The highlight so far came on the night of the sixteenth, when we got to hold a line during a backburn. This basically involved watching a hotshot crew and a handful of marines (one of which was myself) set a hillside ablaze and make sure that no debris flew across to the other side of the line and started a spot fire. It was quite a site watching it burn, but by the time I got to sit back and watch I was more concerned with finding some fresh air. We spent yesterday clearing another area and gettings lots of sleep, and today we're spending our day off (probably the only one until we leave) exploring the town of Salmon. The battalion won't let us go into any bars, which doesn't bother me, but it makes it a bit uneventful (it's a town of 3000, what can I say?).

The current word right now is that our window to leave is the thirty-first of August through the second of September, so that'll probably be the next time I get to update. Rumor so far is that we'll be doing a lot more of what we did the past week, but we'll see. I've been taking a lot of pictures which probably won't come out, but I'll try to post a handful when I get back.
--posted 000818

Two of the helicopters which made frequent water drops over the area.

It's official, I'm heading to Idaho on the 5th, working under the direction of the National Interagency Fire Center. We're supposed to come back on the 8th of September, but naturally that's subjective to the status of the fires. So that means I won't be going on leave, but hopefully I can get my ticket refunded and take leave when I get back.
--posted 000803

Well, the only thing that people really say they want more of is pictures, and slowly but surely I'm adding some. I have three photos new to this page, which have been placed at random below, and one on my pictures page. I also added another poem, which in reality has been sitting around for almost two weeks, but I finally sat down tonight and came up with a title for it.

Our guard period was extended three more days until the 18th of August, but the current rumor is that our company might go to Idaho to cut down trees and dig firebreaks (whee). If that happens, some of the guard force might have to go as well. These rumors come up frequently though, so I'm not expecting anything to come of it.

That's about all that's going on, although I did take note tonight of reaching my goal of 400 website hits for the month of July (402 to be exact, up from 376 and 382 in June and May, respectively).
--posted 000731

The battalion is back, and I'm still on guard. I could not be happier, at least about that. I'm on for another month, at which point I'll hopefully be taking ten days of leave. I'm kind of worried about that, but I won't get into it here. Anyway, if I do, that'll be the first leave I've taken in a little over a year, and I am looking forward to it.

Not much has been happening on guard. There was one incident, but I wasn't working that day. I just put a new sound card in my computer (SoundBlaster Live Value, the OEM version, for $60). Now I can play games and listen to music at the same time. I looked at speakers, but I'm not sure what I want to go with yet.

I got a camera a couple weeks ago, so hopefully in a little while you'll see some new pictures, since that's what everybody says my page is lacking most in. I will keep you informed.
--posted 000715

Whoo. You probably won't notice it, but the past two days I have been absolutely slaving over this website. Come to think of it, I don't know what was so hard, but I added a page of poems by my good friend Jaime which I think most of you (at least those who take the time to read my own) will enjoy. You'll also notice at the bottom of that page I have a banner linking to a really great website with some awesome writing. I hope you take the time to peruse both of these.
--posted 000628

I'm lucky to be so photogenic.

Well, 23 days of guard have passed uneventfully (except for the dude that passed out while on post). I haven't been up to much. I put more memory in my computer, but I probably won't mess with the audio until the middle of July.

I'd like to say thanks to the twenty readers so far who have filled out my survey, and also to Brian, Rachele, Nay, and 'Ice' who took the time to send me emails after perusing the website. I would hope that more of you would take the time to do so, and I would especially hope to continue receiving your suggestions for improving things. Most of the recent changes to the structure of the site have come from reader suggestions (splitting the updates up over multiple pages, reversing the order the updates are displayed in, the navigation buttons, etc., etc., etc.), and I hope this continues to be the case.
--posted 000623

I have my computer, finally. 'Tis a bit shabby in it's current state, but I plan to have it tripped out in a short time, starting with 128 additional megs of memory this coming payday. Currently I'm in the process of reacquiring my mp3 collection (I'm at 834 so far), fixing my website (if you're a frequent visitor, you'll note the reappearance of the counter), and generally whatever I can to avoid sleep. It's working so far.

In February, I made a vague reference to a training evolution in Bridgeport, CA. Well, I'm pleased to announce I lied. I was one of 76 marines in my battalion selected for guard duty from June 1st through August 1st. Some people don't like guard, but I'm all about it. I only end up working 31 days out of 61, and the days I do 'work' I'm only on post for a maximum of 8 hours. It's also very laid back, especially this time, because the majority of the people on guard have 4 or 5 months at most left in their respective enlistments (meaning they don't really care).
--posted 000611

Well, it's time to say hi to whoever might be reading this (not that I have any idea who you are, since Terrashare has disabled my trackers). Not a whole lot has been going on, but I've come to a conclusion or two. First of all, I'm semi-actively pursuing a career change. I've had a lot of fun in the infantry, and I'm glad I came here, but now I'm ready to do whatever it takes to get out. I've decided that I need a job, and the infantry is the furthest thing from having a real job. We have it much much easier than people with real jobs. But it's driving me insane. I want to go to work and accomplish something, or at least know it'll be closer to being accomplished by the time I leave.

I would like to do a lateral move to another MOS (perhaps intelligence), but I haven't gotten my hopes too high. My platoon sergeant tried to hook me up with a job as a driver, but stupid me doesn't have a driver's license. Oh well.
--posted 000527

My friend Rich and I standing in front of one of the houses we got to beat up at George AFB.

If you're paying attention (and most people don't), I removed a significant portion of text from my website. This is due to the realization that due to who I am, it is not my place to make some of the statements I had made. If you have any questions or comments about this, please email me.

I got back from George AFB on the 4th. That was a lot of fun. Sort of. I was completely unmotivated to go out there, which is not at all like me. Our platoon went out there with a total of 12 to start with, and the rest trickled in from funerals around the country. We spent two weeks doing mout (military operations in urban terrain) training, breaking windows and kicking in doors. It was kind of fun after a while, except for the night I spent two hours freezing on top of a roof with night vision goggles. And I finally got promoted to Lance Corporal, which means nothing more than about $40 extra a month. I also finished a new poem the other night.
--posted 000511

On the night of April 8th, an MV-22 Osprey aircraft exploded while attempting to land at an airfield in Marana, Arizona. The following 19 marines were killed:

On the 29th of March, my company left for WTI (Weapons and Tactics Instructors something or other) in at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. WTI was basically a training operation for pilots. Some ops involved young pilots who had little experience flying with fully loaded aircraft, and others such as the flights with the Osprey involved experienced pilots in comparatively untested aircraft. We participated in a total of three operations. The first planned operation was canked because the pilots were deemed unsafe to fly. So we simulated it by having the entire company run on and off the same helicopter (taking about six trips) as it sat on the deck. We all felt rather dumb. The first actual operation involved two Ospreys and several CH-53s. One of the 53's suffered a mechanical failure of some sort, so four marines from my section, two machine gun teams, and my platoon commander (who would later perish in Saturday's crash) ended up flying in the MV-22 without incident. The Ospreys didn't participate, they just sat on the deck for the operation. The rest of us ran off, set up a 360 defense, sat for about an hour, and then ran back on and came home. I didn't really participate in the second op. The mortar section drove out to this abandoned airstrip with Sgt. Alvarez so we could be aggressors against the other platoons. Unfortunately, we had to lay out in the sun for 10 hours so the snipers wouldn't see us, and where they made us set up was so far away from where the platoons landed that they didn't even hear us firing blanks at them. The third operation, a NEO (Noncombatant Evacuation Operation) that simulated American troops evacuating American citizens from a foreign country, used mostly CH-46's, in addition to 4 MV-22's. Three platoons were involved, each landing at a different airport. The entire mortar section was attached to third platoon, we landed at a small airport in Phoenix. First platoon and their attachments were to land at Marana. 1st and 2nd platoons were to land in their respective areas, process their citizens, and send them to Phoenix, where they would finish processing and leave the 'country'. We boarded the helos at roughly 1745 (bear in mind these times are just my recollections from three very long days ago, and are likely inaccurate), arrived around 1820, and set up the stations and set ourselves into place to assist third platoon in processing. I manned an observation post with another member of my section. Around two hours later, someone came up and told us that it came over the radio that an Osprey went down. A few minutes later they told us we were leaving, so we went back and waited what seemed like forever to go home on a 46. We never got any official word about the crash until 0230 Sunday morning, when the CO told us a helo had gone down and read us the names.

This article taken from the Camp Pendleton newspaper

---posted 000411

Llanos and myself getting ready for the parade.

Well, another month has passed, and nothing has happened. We're getting ready to head to Yuma on the 29th, which we get back from on the 15th of April, and we get an entire week off before heading to the (abandoned) Air Force base.

I can't remember doing anything of consequence lately. A week ago our section had a party at the state beach here. It was alright, but since I was the only sober person there they requested that I stay all night and make sure the drunks didn't get into more trouble (like when they were using the water balloon launcher to shoot at the guy who supposedly had the brain tumor, or something like that). Although I got to punch one of my corporals in the jaw pretty hard, so that was nice.

My roommate finished up his restriction time on Monday night (he missed the party), so now I live alone, or rather with the stuff he hasn't moved out of the room yet. This means I now have to bite the bullet and pay $60 a month for cable if I want the good stuff.

We found out Thursday our platoon is getting an officer for a platoon commander (our platoon commander, a sergeant, got bumped down to platoon sergeant and we have a 2nd lieutenant as our commander now). They say this particular lieutenant is pretty cool, but I don't like officers.

Oh yeah, I was in a crappy parade today. Some master sergeant was retiring after 22 years, so they had a battalion parade with the 1st div band. I would've enjoyed it if I wasn't so busy screwing up movements.

That's about it for now. Just wanted to drop a few lines before I head out again. One last note, I've noticed on average I get a little over one hit per day on my website. That's a lot more than I expect considering the target audience and the frequency of updates. If you have the time, do me a favor sometime when you visit my site and send me an email, so I'll know who's visiting the website, since it's obviously more people than I talk to.
--posted 000324

A caricature of myself drawn by the late Alfred Corona.

Well, it's been almost two months since you last heard from me. Since then, I've 1) spent the Christmas leave period here, something I now regret, 2) possibly alienated my one good friend, 3) avoided the scourge of alcoholism which plagues my platoon, and 4) received my tax refund.

My bike is currently out of commission (needs a tune up), and spending weekend after weekend on base, I'm starting to lose my sanity. This may be due in part to the fact that nothing's happening. The leave period ended January 9th, and we did nothing at all the rest of the month. We went on guard the first two weeks of February (boring, except a guy from my section got a medal for preventing the theft of a truck from the motor pool), which was a nice little change of pace. We had a neat little hike involving an extremely steep hill (mountain) named Old Smokey, which according to rumor is actually off limits for training. I guess I fared pretty well, better than many in my platoon, but I was having a bit of trouble keeping up at the end. Other than that we've been preparing for the CGIP (Commanding General's Inspection Program). Basically a bunch of staff NCO's run around Camp Pendleton checking the status of the 1st Marine Division. Out of the battalion, each company has one thing they get tested on. The kicker being that we wouldn't know until a few days before hand which it would be, so we had to prepare for each. The major one (there were four or five) was the locker inspection. This required most marines in the company to spend at least a hundred dollars, and much more in some cases. Myself I spent about $200, and was getting ready to spend another $80 or so when we got word that we would be standing the alpha uniform inspection instead. But as it turned out, I didn't get inspected at all. They only needed 3 platoons, and as our company has four, weapons platoon didn't go, except for a few that got loaned out. I was just as happy to stay home.

That was Friday (yesterday). Wednesday we had the Run 'n' Gun. Two ranges (M16 and SAW), a bayonet course, a really horrible trip to the pool, and we had to carry a water jug, a sand bag, and a stretcher with our heaviest man (not me) up and down a hill. This was all made much more enjoyable by a large amount of rain. On a high note, our squad finished dead last out of eight.

The next few months look to be busy. We'll be spending three days a week in the field for four out of the next five weeks, I believe, before heading to Yuma, AZ and George Air Force Base in April. Then we go back on guard and get off just in time to head to Bridgeport, which sounds like it's gonna be pretty awful. I might try to take some leave or get recruiter's assistance in July or August, but that's always doubtful. Well, I bid adieu once more. Keep in touch.
--posted 000226