volkov

Ok back for a few days from field training in Ft. Polk Louisianna. Spent almost the entire time out in the field...being all manly....you know..not bathing, running around with a machine gun and such. It was actually kinda fun and it's good to see the bonds in my platoon cementing again after being allowed to relax in the last year since we got back from Cuba. We did a lot of support operations and stability operations training. patrolling city streets and house searches and things like that. there's a lot more training on the way when we move to California in the next couple weeks. It's being stressed pretty hard how difficult and complex our missions will be given that we are NOT going as an all out combat mission, but rather we are ordered to restrain all force unless out right attacked or placed in a situation where using it becomes neccessry. it's a really difficult thing to ask of someone to gauge the situation, especially in that environment. but we're getting good training and the platoon I'm in is certainly the best in our Company and probably one of the top three in the Battalion and we take a lot of pride from that fact. unfortunatly it also means that a lot of the key leaders in out platoon are being snatched up and sent to other platoons that need the kind of leadership that we are almost overloaded with. but it should work out ok. I'm not worried too much. it's still at least a couple months away. I'm focusing right now on learning the training and surviving the physical conditioning. people who know me know I like to travel and backpack, but the pack that us infantry guys hike around with is hefty. usually in excess of 65lbs. we did a long night hike two night before last and it tore up my feet pretty good. sweated right through my cammies. but I made it thorough.

I'll be busy for the next couple days getting everything taken care of in Texas that I can before I leave for Cali. there's a chance that I might get a few days off in Cali, so beware SGLA...I may be comin' out to hassle y'all.

I've got good friends in my platoon, but I miss all my friends on this site and at at home. to everyone who's emailed me or stopped by, thank you. I really really do appreciate it. I'll keep around as much as I can for as long as I can.


edit to add: had a GREAT day. woke up at my buddy, Axel's place.(he's now a member of the site incidentally) and we met up with some people to float on inner tubes down the beautiful Comal river with an ice chest full of beer and tequila. had fun...got a decent sunburn everywhere that wasn't already burnt tan from the training last two weeks. then we headed out for dinner and I made my appointment to get a couple tattoos tomorrow. I'll try to post pics as soon as I have them on me...happening tomorrow (today) afternoon. and then to a bar to hang out with friends and play a little pool and hang out with good friends and more than a few cute girls.

so now sunburnt and buzzzzzed. I'm gonna get me some sleep. I'm wasting away my few days off...in the sense that I haven't packed my apt or done any of those responsible things I should. bad me! BAD BAD! heh.