28 August 2005
Our Trip Overseas
We arrived in country, safe and sound. After I signed off last time on the hangar floor, we opted to “commandeer” the follow-on aircraft that was set up as the second of four chalks for our battalion (we were the first chalk). Instead of heading for Germany, this aircraft took us from Mississippi to Maine to Ireland and then to Hungary with the final leg to Kuwait.
When there is a large troop movement, the military typically charters commercial aircraft (with civilian crews). As you may know, when the military travels, we generally take our individual weapons with us so that we arrive in country ready to fight. In order not to alarm the public, we leave the weapons on the plane (when we charter aircraft) with some of our soldiers as guards.
Our first stop in Maine was a memorable one. We landed in Bangor and we were greeted by a long line of well-wishers, each shaking our hands. When we proceeded into the terminal, most soldiers were handed a cell phone and told they could call home. This was such a welcome. Apparently, this group greets all soldiers going through Maine (regardless of the time of day or night). That welcome in Maine will leave a long-lasting positive impression on me (see http://mainetroopgreeters.com/ for more information about their group). I had heard something about this group but it was still a welcomed surprise. This is another example of a good, positive story that doesn’t get much publicity.
After we made it through the terminal, we were allowed to step outside. I was then greeted with something I hadn’t felt in months—cool, low humidity air. Ahhhh . . . . I can still feel it if I close my eyes hard enough. I had a smile on my face a mile long. We stayed in Bangor for about 1 ½ hours before loading back up. Our next stop was Shannon, Ireland.
We arrived in Shannon in the early morning hours (~0100). We had to stay in the airport so we really didn’t get to see much—just the usual airport stuff. With the no alcohol policy, we didn’t even get to sample the local spirits at the airport pub—although, I was admiring the drafts on tap. Some soldiers took advantage of the customs-free shop to purchase European chocolates, jewelry, etc. but I don’t know if anyone really had a good handle on the then current Euro-Dollar exchange rate (if they had, I don’t know if too many people would have purchased what they did). We boarded the aircraft and then we were off to Budapest within an hour.
I was kind of excited about going to Hungary. I knew someone that grew up there and was interested in seeing at least the airport and immediate vicinity. Unfortunately, they didn’t even allow us off the plane. We sat on the tarmac for about an hour before taking off—our flight crew was being let off there (for a 5-day stay). That was definitely anti-climatic.
The final leg of our flight took us into Kuwait. We landed and were welcomed by the 125 degree heat and 10 mph wind—not quite the Bangor, Maine welcome but the weather was nonetheless saying “welcome my friend, to Kuwait.” My first thought was “Boy, that analogy of placing your face in front of a hair dryer wasn’t too far off.” It was hot, dusty, dry and breezy. We were moved to a series of places and given various briefings before settling in at Camp Buehring, which is in north-central Kuwait. The facilities we stayed in weren’t bad—large bay area-type tents with air conditioning.
In up-coming posts, I'll try to get some of my pictures (I don't have access to some of my camera-computer equipment yet).
When there is a large troop movement, the military typically charters commercial aircraft (with civilian crews). As you may know, when the military travels, we generally take our individual weapons with us so that we arrive in country ready to fight. In order not to alarm the public, we leave the weapons on the plane (when we charter aircraft) with some of our soldiers as guards.
Our first stop in Maine was a memorable one. We landed in Bangor and we were greeted by a long line of well-wishers, each shaking our hands. When we proceeded into the terminal, most soldiers were handed a cell phone and told they could call home. This was such a welcome. Apparently, this group greets all soldiers going through Maine (regardless of the time of day or night). That welcome in Maine will leave a long-lasting positive impression on me (see http://mainetroopgreeters.com/ for more information about their group). I had heard something about this group but it was still a welcomed surprise. This is another example of a good, positive story that doesn’t get much publicity.
After we made it through the terminal, we were allowed to step outside. I was then greeted with something I hadn’t felt in months—cool, low humidity air. Ahhhh . . . . I can still feel it if I close my eyes hard enough. I had a smile on my face a mile long. We stayed in Bangor for about 1 ½ hours before loading back up. Our next stop was Shannon, Ireland.
We arrived in Shannon in the early morning hours (~0100). We had to stay in the airport so we really didn’t get to see much—just the usual airport stuff. With the no alcohol policy, we didn’t even get to sample the local spirits at the airport pub—although, I was admiring the drafts on tap. Some soldiers took advantage of the customs-free shop to purchase European chocolates, jewelry, etc. but I don’t know if anyone really had a good handle on the then current Euro-Dollar exchange rate (if they had, I don’t know if too many people would have purchased what they did). We boarded the aircraft and then we were off to Budapest within an hour.
I was kind of excited about going to Hungary. I knew someone that grew up there and was interested in seeing at least the airport and immediate vicinity. Unfortunately, they didn’t even allow us off the plane. We sat on the tarmac for about an hour before taking off—our flight crew was being let off there (for a 5-day stay). That was definitely anti-climatic.
The final leg of our flight took us into Kuwait. We landed and were welcomed by the 125 degree heat and 10 mph wind—not quite the Bangor, Maine welcome but the weather was nonetheless saying “welcome my friend, to Kuwait.” My first thought was “Boy, that analogy of placing your face in front of a hair dryer wasn’t too far off.” It was hot, dusty, dry and breezy. We were moved to a series of places and given various briefings before settling in at Camp Buehring, which is in north-central Kuwait. The facilities we stayed in weren’t bad—large bay area-type tents with air conditioning.
In up-coming posts, I'll try to get some of my pictures (I don't have access to some of my camera-computer equipment yet).
# posted by themobilized : 03:38
