New Year's 2008...

from a hot and steamy Miami!

Burnie and how to sway hips

Miami Heat

Dwyane Wade scores 48, the game goes into overtime, and the Heat lose! At least there were the cheerleaders... and Burnie!

Stuck... get me out of here!

It is now Sunday evening and I have now been at KCI (Kansas City International Airport) for over 24 hours. It all started when I boarded my flight on Saturday around 1:45 pm with snow falling outside, heavy snow. This caused the ground workers to take more time loading the bags onto the plane, and the snow turned into snow and ice and prevented us from taking off. We waited on the plane for a 2-3 hours with the hope that the weather would clear but to no avail. A few minutes after 4 pm the flight was cancelled and we were left to rebook on a Sunday flight, in my case leaving KCI for DCA (Washington, DC Reagan National Airport) at 7 pm, 30 mins ago and counting. It appears that the flight going to DCA is coming from LAX (Los Angeles International Airport), and that flight isn't scheduled to arrive before 10:20 pm. All this is due to Saturday's weather which has caused a domino effect resulting in delays on just about any flight. But now that I think about it, the weather started getting better late Saturday night (ie it stopped snowing) and was sunny today, so this domino effect has some rather far-reaching effects in my opinion.
Anyway, I will wait for the flight, and as long as I make it to DCA before 7:25 am Monday morning so that I can catch my flight to FLL (Fort Lauderdale International Airport) I will be content. In the meantime I will enjoy all the amenities KCI has to offer which I am afraid to say are rather bare!

At War

Documentary coming out in 2008

Monday on the range

We spent all day Monday outdoors qualifying on the M-4 weapon (M-16 replacement). We had to shoot at targets in daytime and nighttime, and couldn't leave until everyone in the group passed the nighttime qualification. Shooting in the dark required the use of night vision goggles, those contraptions that turn everything green. A lot of fun but rather cold, fortunately the wind was almost not present. And we made it back to the barracks shortly after midnight. Oh, and lunch consisted of a beef patty with western style beans MRE (meal ready to eat). Doesn't a cold beef patty in a plastic bag sound appealing?

on the range

After a long day outside on the range, qualifying to shoot the M-4 (rifle) in daylight (23 out of 40 targets) and at night (29 out of 40 targets, with night vision goggles), waiting for everyone to qualify. We made it back shortly after midnight, and up again the next day for M-9 (pistol) qualifications!

getting acquainted

We spent Saturday morning getting acquainted with our weapons, calibrating them to our eyes (including the awesome scope that came with the M-4) and test firing them. The only negative aspect was the frigid temperature.

Thursday evening

I had to eat dinner early, and I mean very early (before 5 pm), and when I was done and walked out this is what I saw...

the sun shines again

Day 3 following the ice storm and after 2 overcast days the sun shines again turning all the trees into crystal, or so it seemed!

the Scurvy Dogs

getting ready to go on a health walk with most of our gear, an added 40lbs, give or take 1 or 2 lbs!

the ice age

Colder than yesterday, more ice. And it's too cold for the Army to teach us anything so we are for the 2nd day in a row stuck with nothing much to do. Makes for a long day!

with Georgy and Betsy...

...in the ice storm. Little did I know when I went through submarine training I would ever end up having to carry two weapons around!

Deep Freeze

Weather today in Kansas...

Saturday Night

Not much more exciting than Friday night when we went to the convenience store on base to get some munchies to snack on. But I wouldn't want to be driving on the icy roads out there right now, it is cold and will only get colder tomorrow.
So as I reflect on this predicament I am in right now I can say that while I didn't volunteer for this, nor would I ever have volunteered for it (but I guess that since I am a navy reservist I somehow did volunteer for this), I can look at the benefits. One of these being the people I get to meet, from very different backgrounds, and there is a good mix of active and reserve people. And no, most of us did not choose to go spend 9 months in Afghanistan, after 3 months in frigid Kansas. I also am with the people I will be spending my time in Afghanistan with and I am none too thrilled. One member, a lieutenant, is weird, I can't explain but the fact that he is Chinese may or may not be a factor. Another lieutenant in my group is a little clueless, he has been in the reserves for 6 years and never went to see (never was active), so I can see how any sea time is beneficial in helping to handle this situation, especially now that I live in a bunk bed with just a locker for my stuff. Incidentally, we had some extra bunk beds and I took possession of a lower bunk bed, hopefully also further away from the symphony of snores I had to listen to last night.
Lastly for this post, the training we are about to go through will be fun for the most part, except for the frigid weather. We will shoot weapons, a lot of time will be spent waiting for our turn outside in the cold, and we will also learn to drive a humvee and then get around the base only in humvees, to include night driving with night vision goggles. There will be some other training, language classes and combat lifesaver training during which I will get to administer an intravenous to a fellow classmate, and have the same done unto me. I am also looking forward to getting my small pox vaccine but will wait until after Christmas, the month following the vaccine is none too pretty!
This is all for today...

Mailing address

LT Eric Betanoff
Delta Company, 101st FSB
Class #37, URF# 8644
Fort Riley, KS 66442

Moving day

We moved from our single room into our 40 man barracks room. I must admit it is a lot nicer than I feared, and I had a hot shower this evening as well. Hope it lasts!
My bed is the top one.

What I want for Christmas...

camouflage uniforms... got 4 pairs
waterproof jacket... got several
waterproof pants... got at least a pair
hot weather boots... got two pair
cold weather boots... got one pair of those
cold weather gear... got a bunch of different things
kevlar helmet... managed to get one big enough
body armor... got a set
M9 pistol... have one
M4 rifle... have one of those too
9 month all expense paid trip to Afghanistan... yep!

So it would seem I already have all I want!

Ft Riley

There aren't many photo opportunities around this very boring and depressing place, and besides it is too blisteringly cold to do much outdoors. We start our training next week, and besides a lot of shooting practice we'll also have to drive around in humvees, it'll be our only mode of transportation. The 40 man open bay barracks don't sound too appealing though, nor do the probable cold showers that most of us will end up having to take.
The only two pictures I might end up taking as a souvenir of a place I hope never to come back to!

a good motivational movie...

and I can't believe there is another one in the series!

Georgy and Betsy

Time management could not be any better, we are scheduled to do stuff for 2-3 hours every day, and we can do whatever we'd like for the remainder of the day. And let me tell you, there is so much to do on an army base!
So this morning I was introduced to my two partners I will be spending the next year with, Georgy and Betsy. Georgy is my M-9 pistol, pretty much worthless (I would have called it George but tradition wants for it to have a female name, Georgy is close enough) and only good in close quarters situations. Betsy is my M-4 weapon (successor to the M-16), she is quite nice looking and has this awesome sight that pretty much guarantees a shot on target when aligned properly. I will enjoy shooting these weapons even while it will be freezing cold outside, but only in a training environment and hope to never have to use them in Afghanistan.
On another note, there is something eery about hearing artillery being fired throughout the day and even into the night. Once again, hopefully something I won't be hearing after I leave lovely Fort Riley. And army people are weird, I was saluted by some guy in his work-out outfit, I take it that's a uniform for them!
Anyway, looking forward to another fun-packed day tomorrow, briefings all morning with nothing in the afternoon!

Christmas Break

I learned today that our Christmas break will be extended, it originally was scheduled from 22 Dec until 2 Jan, and it now will be until 6 Jan. That is 4 more days to spend in Miami (assuming I can change my tickets as the Navy will pay for me to return to Washington, DC, my point of origin for my year-long sabbatical). We will also have a couple long week-ends (MLK, President's day), so I might be able to leave this beautiful area once or twice more before departing for the Middle East.

Like a fish out of water...

We left San Diego Saturday morning. Why? So we could miss out on the Army-Navy game (thought I'd complain about this again so I can add that Navy dominated again 38-3, 6th win in a row), arrive in Ft Riley with enough time left to settle in, and have absolutely nothing to do on Sunday. And when I mean absolutely nothing, there is absolutely nothing to do in Ft Riley! Naval bases have nothing to envy their Army counterparts. Navy has the locations (the worst possibly being Groton, but that is still close to Boston and NYC), nice BOQs (military hotels) with TVs, free internet in the rooms (it's $4/hr or $10/day and only available in the exchange) and trash cans (yep, no trash can in my current room), and decent eating establishments (Burger King is the nicest it gets here). I do have a room to myself this week but will be moving to another part of the base next week with barracks accomodations. And weatherwise, it is very brisk, and I do mean very, with lots of cold wind. The landing was a tad rocky to say the least. Looking forward to those 0600 PT runs. But I am keeping the bigger picture in sight, to have enough money for a downpayment on a 2 bedroom 2 bath condo in northern VA when I get back, and to find Ossama of course!
A few pictures from the flight, but first a picture of yours truly, and as you can see the transformation has begun...