While stationed at Camp McCrady (Fort Jackson) in South Carolina, I heard about the term “NARMY”. Obviously it’s a combination of Navy and Army, but it’s kind of cute. It’s the unofficial term for Navy Individual Augmentees, since we are augmenting Army personnel. > more <

When I initially learned I would be trained for Iraq duty by Army drill instructors at an Army base, I expected it to be like the Army’s Advanced Infantry Training given to graduates of boot camp. However, the training is less generalized and is geared towards the type of work Navy personnel may encounter in theater. > more <

It’s a real pain in the butt getting ready to go to Iraq. I found out that, contrary to my orders, I’ll be shipping out a week earlier. Because of how my orders were printed, it looked like I had a week of processing followed by a week of uniform and equipment issue. However, they combined these two things together so the first two days were briefs and medical evaluations and the rest of the week is getting everything together. That really hurts because I planned on having at least half a week to buy gear that’s not issued. > more <

I went to Los Angeles the other day to visit my grandfather before he dies. He and my grandmother both lived to be 100 but my grandmother died a few months ago and I don’t think my grandfather will last much longer. Since I’m deploying to Iraq, I don’t think I’ll be around to see him before he dies. I wasn’t able to attend my grandmother’s funeral since I was in Hawaii and I’m sure the same thing will happen with my grandfather.

Anyways, this isn’t about them. What I wanted to talk about is the dichtomy between San Diego and LA. Prior to moving here, I’d only visited SD a few times but I had good memories about it. LA, on the other hand, always struck me as being a crowded, noisy sprawl. Having gone back to LA for the first time in nearly 5 years, my impression hasn’t changed. > more <

Below is part of a Navy message that talks about expediting the process for non-US citizens to receive citizenship. Apparently you don’t have to be a citizen to serve in the US military and any non-American citizen serving in the US Armed Forces is eligible to bypass much of the citizenship process. > more <

So, I finally got my next set of orders and it turns out that I’m going to Iraq. I don’t have all the details yet and I’m not sure what I could post even if I did. But I know that I will be doing IT work, most likely in/near Baghdad. > more <