Never Loved Camp Shelby So Much

Wow, it is hard to believe, but it is 0700 on the 26th of October and I'm at Camp Shelby Mississippi. I have not seen this place in over eleven months. Honestly, when I left here I would have said, “I hope I never have to see this place again.” But now I’ll tell you that I love the look of this Mississippi paradise.

My whole trip went well. On the 25th at 035 we were scheduled to load a civilian flight which would take us north into Europe and then over Greenland and down though parts of Canada to some where in the US, and then to our final destination of Gulf Port, Mississippi. The process started at 1200 on the 24th when Navy customs came and searched our check baggage. We laid all of our stuff out on cots and they went though to make sure we didn’t have any thing not allowed. It didn’t take to long and we got out bags packed and out side to be picked up by the truck. Those bags were some of the tightest packed bags I had ever seen. No one wanting to carry a bunch of stuff on the plain crammed those bags to the max. It worked out good for me as all I had to carry on the plain was my computer bag.

After Customs came though we went to get some lunch, but that turned out to be a hassle more then anything. SGT Bryant, SPC Bridges, and myself went to get something to eat and came back and chowed down to make sure we weren’t late for anything that might come up. They told us we would be heading to Camp Ali Asaline (Kuwaiti base) at 1615. Well, guess what? We had some guys who decided not to show up early and when they called for us early we where missing personal. So the three of us who came back early were chosen to go look for those missing. We walked up to the shopping and MWR area looking for the missing troops—none to be found. We knew we didn’t have much time so we headed back to find that they had already returned and were waiting on us. They said we had four minutes to get back or they would have been leaving us, but nothing goes that smoothly in the National Guard and we were there for some time making sure we had correct numbers and everyone was present.

We loaded the bus and headed out. It wasn’t a bad trip but it did feel kind of strange. We had already turned in our ammo so on our trip though Kuwait all we had was an unloaded M4, not even knives or bayonets—they had to be put in check baggage which was on a different truck. But Kuwait isn't really that big of a deal. The bus ride lasted for about an hour or so and we were at Camp Ali Asaline. When we got there they gave us our briefings and then swiped our ID cards, showing that we were preparing to leave southwest Asia. We had to go though customs again for our carry on bags and then we waited for the time. Loaded another bus and headed to Kuwait City.

We got to Kuwait City and loaded the plain and took off to Shannon, Ireland. It was a good flight. I slept as much as I could of it. We made it to Ireland adding a new country to my list of those been to. Up until this deployment I had never left the forty-eight continental states. Now I have been to Germany, Kuwait, Iraq, and Ireland. After the plane had been fueled and restocked we loaded and took off to Banger, Maine. What a treat that was.

As we were coming down the hallway to the main lobby we were greeted by thirty or so people. Many of them Vets of real war such as Korea, Vietnam, and WW II. We were in the presence of some true heroes, and they were there to greet us. A group dedicated to returning soldiers has taken a room of the airport and used it as a welcoming center. They had drinks and cookies in there for us to eat and enjoy. The best thing was that they had about fifteen cell phones they were letting everyone use. Everyone was allowed to call home using them no matter where they were from in the states. It was a very special gift, their expression of kindness and love for the little service we have returned from. Then they called our number and it was time to load up once again for our final leg in the air as we headed to Gulf Port.

We pulled in and started to off load the plain and were greeted and welcomed home by a Major General and a Sergeant Major as the band played in the back ground. A small group of wives drove all the way to Gulf Port to meet their husbands and it was a good sight to see as they were reunited. We had a short formation and speech from the General and we got on the bus and moved north on our way to Camp Shelby. Got there and turned in our weapons, moved in the direction of our housing, and were welcomed by another group of wives, children, mothers and fathers. It was such a joy to see so many men returned to their loved ones. The First Sergeants got us to off load our baggage as fast as possible and we had our last formation so that the men could head to the hotels with their families.

It has been a long process. I have learned a lot; about life and myself both. I now have another ten to fifteen days left to SRP, which is getting changed back to National Guard from regular Army, and to wait on a bus to take us home. I hope to make it home as soon as possible so that I might be reunited to my friends and family, for good I hope. I am anxious to be going to Arizona to see my mom in Mesa for Thanksgiving. It will be right at 17 months that I haven’t seen her.

My days are all most over and my new adventure will start. Things aren’t as sure as I was hoping as I still have not heard from Georgetown College, but I am trusting in the Lord; that He is guiding my steps. I want to thank all of you for all of your prayers. They have been by far the greatest gifts anyone could have given. I don’t know where I would have been with out the hand of the Lord correcting me in my error if your prayers had not been with me. Nothing bad happened to me this entire deployment. I went out saying I was bullet proof, trusting in the Lord, and it turned out that it was more than that as He was always with me. In the rainy season it rained without end it seemed, yet there was never a time that it rained on me; when I didn’t have a cover of some sort to protect…where as most of my group will have the stories of being soaked while on the Brassfield-Mora OP. I never suffered any sever injury. A few colds along the way are the worst things that I can ever claim to. God has been kind and I praise Him for His mercy. Thank you once again, you who have prayed for me and encouraged me with your words and actions. May the God of grace, hope, and peace grant you with the blessings that I have enjoyed over the last sixteen months.

Leaving Today

I need to be brief because my time on the net is limited, but I wanted to let you have a little update. At the moment I am in Kuwait at Camp Victory. I flew out of FOB Bernstein on a Schnook and headed to Camp Warrior on the 21st. We left Camp Warrior on the 22nd and arrived here in Kuwait. All went well on both the helicopter ride and the C130 flight. The C130 flight was a little interesting when we had one or our engines go out. No worries though as the other three were enough to get us safely to our destination. To day we will go into lock down and have our baggage searched for any contraband. At some point we will be headed to Kuwait City to load a civilian jet which is scheduled to take off at 035 (1235am) on the 25th. Only about a day and a half and I'll be back on US soil. I cant wait. It has been a long trip.

Last Days

My time in Iraq is coming close to an end. Day from now I will be loading a Schnook and heading to Warrior, a base, to which I will then load a plain and head to Kuwait. We are so close to the end. Though the days are near the end, they are not over. Yesterday evening we were hit with a mortar which was a strong reminder. Lying on my cot I heard a loud hum. When I heard the sound I knew we were being hit with indirect. I wasn’t afraid though. When you hear a rocket or mortar coming you are usually pretty save, as you hear it when if flies over you. Then a split second later…boom! It hit. It was rather loud. I'm use to being in a bunker when it hits, but at the moment I'm staying in tents. But we aren’t that vulnerable as we have huge concrete barriers around us. None the less it was extremely loud. I got up, put my computer to the side, got my IBA (Individual Body Armor) and caviler on, and went out side to see where it hit. Most everyone was outside looking for the impact site and they said it hit in a field to the west of us and no one was hurt. So I went back to my cot to finish my movie. In the end it was no real big deal. Found out later the located point of impact and it was about 150 meters from our location. The kill radius of the mortar they used was only about 30 meters or so. So we were in no real threat. Yet, it was a reminder that we are still here and danger is still possible.

Around a week ago we had a convoy out on a mission and they were hit with an IED (Improvised Explosive Devise) hurting two members of our Eliminator group. That is the same group that lost three members in one IED attack back in August, one being from the Sparta unit. One had shrapnel to the head and one to the arm. No real reports were announced to us, but they did say that both made it. Not in our AO (Area of Operation), but in the AO of Third Squadron a soldier was killed by an IED last week.

It is a shame to lose a soldier, no matter when, but it does seem a little harder to lose one so close to the end. We have made it this far. But the time is almost over.