When we got to Kuwait around 10 pm yesterday it was 110 F. I have no idea what it is now but oh my god! When we were landing last night the moon was on the horizon and it was veiled in clouds. I thought to myself, "That's funny, I didn't think there were any clouds here." In the morning I realized it was the cloud of dust that is perpetually suspended around here. This is one nasty place.
The flight was a total SNAFU. We were sent to the airport when they knew it was delayed. The delay turned into about 12 hours when they shipped us back to the CRC site and we got 5 hours of sleep and up to do it all again. They again delayed the flight about 10 hours. We left Georgia around 7 pm Saturday. I forget if I mentioned that we volunteered for baggage duty. The idea was that if you schlepp the bags you could sit in first class with the ranking officers. Well, busted our buts in some nasty heat. First setting out the bags, then onto the truck, then onto the aircraft. It was hard work because of the intense heat and humidity. Then it turns out there was no firs or business class on the plane. It was worth it however, as it kept me busy and the workout helped me sleep on the airplane, which is hard for me. As a special treat they let us unload the bags onto the trucks in Kuwait and then off of the trucks at the base, yeah. We did get to have an open seat between us on the aircraft, which was nice but not what I was hoping for.
We are sleeping (all 3 hours of it) in tents for about 16 people. I am not sure how many of them there are here but it is at least 100. This base is used as a depot for troops coming out and going into Iraq and I believe even Afghanistan. Everything is tents. The facilities are nice enough but that doesn't translate to comfort. We are waiting on transport to our destination, COB Speicher. Our first shot is on an airplane leaving this evening. We are given seats based on a priority system that I don't understand. We tried to get our aircraft to comedown and give us a lift but have been unsuccessful in contacting anyone. So for now, we wait.
When I say we I mean the guys from Dyncorp who went through the CRC process with me. There are 5 of us going to Speicher and there were 2 who went on to Balad, the other mission in country. The Balad mission has the unmodified C12s that I work on at home. Many of the pilots that I work with at home have rotated through on that mission.
It is 4:30 am at home, that's -8 hours from here. My time is limited until I can find the flight status, after that I will either be on the run or sitting for another 24 hours. So I may have time the or not for a few days.
Until then,
See you all soon,
Cliff
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5 comments:
Wow, sounds lovely... I thought about you when I removed a couple of quarts of sand out of the boys last night, but I'm sure its nothing compared to where you are! We're thinking about you.
Hey dude. At least you finally got your "boots on the ground." And as the great Casey Kasem says, "keep reaching for the stars." Ok, that sounds pretty cheesy... How 'bout some William Blake: "If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is: infinite." Aww yea!
Hey Cliff ... talked to your lovely wife this past weekend and she filled me in. Love the blog ... it'll be nice to keep track of you. Know that people in Ohio think about you often (i.e., Brian and I if that wasn't clear :)). Take care and keep writing!
Hopefully things will be more organized when you arrive and get "settled" in. Don't melt...
Guess what?? The temp this weekend is going to be in the high 90's with a heat index of low 100's!!! See...we are truly in this with you!! Thanks for the updates Cliff"erd".
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