My Trip So Far (Part I)

Today is Sunday, about 8:00 am, and I am sitting outside under the "bra" - named such for the two domes of the tent that houses a huge bar and seating area that people hang out at day and night. It is about 50 feet from my quarters, and about 10 feet from the front door of my office. Needless to say, I spend a lot of time here.

I woke up 3 hours early for work this morning, forgetting that our office didn't open until 1000. So I went in and stood there at 0700 for about 10 minutes ALONE until I figured it out. Anyway, I freed up a couple of hours to get some things done including this blog. Got some great sleep last night and finally got unpacked. If you are just tuning in, here's what you missed:

I was supposed to leave for Qatar on 1 April and had made all of my plans around that. On 24 March, I was told that I would most likely be leaving instead on 25 March to head over to Wisconsin to catch a plane. That left me scrambling like a madwoman to get moved out of the house (thanks so much to my friends who made that possible), packed, and get everything else done that I needed to within about 24 hours. It was exhausting and difficult, but we did it.

I made it to the airport just in time for my 8:50 pm flight to Lacrosse, Wisconsin by way of Minneapolis, MN. I arrived in WI at about 11:00 p.m. on 25 March. An awesome airman picked me up from the airport and drove me to Fort McCoy, WI. We arrived at about 12:30 am on 26 March. She took me to the barracks I would be camping out in for the next few hours - these were old WWII army barracks with beds and mattresses from about the same time. Unfortunately, there were no sheets, so once I got organized and my uniforms out and ready, I laid down on the dirty mattress under my winter coat and prayed the scabies would find my skin untasty. I slept for about 2 hours and then awoke at 3:45 am to begin the day. Our bags were picked up and then we had to clean the barracks. After that, I grabbed a quick breakfast at the chow hall, where a cute little old lady asked me if she could fist-bump me for good luck. I was all, "YEAH!" She was a hip old lady.

The group that I would be riding on the plane with was a Air Force "Red Horse" team, made up of civil engineers of every type who go into deployed locations and build new base facilities, runways, and such. They are a really well-known bunch of people and they are rowdy as hell!!! I met some really cool personalities along the way and they took good care of me.

After breakfast we got into formation (the group was so big that we had to be broken up into smaller groups for formation so that they could get accountability). Myself and another young officer got put into the smallest group and it was a bunch of really nice guys. It started off hilariously as one of the guys in the last row cracked a huge fart and was fanning it behind him, when he turned around and realized that Melissa and I had been put into his group and placed behind him. He had no idea we were standing there and was so embarassed I thought he was going to pass out. And we were certainly about to pass out from being blasted at a one-foot radius. Needless to say, the entire group laughed for a good twenty minutes and it kinda broke the ice for me and Melissa in this group of people we didn't know.

We then got on a bus and rode about 45 minutes to Volk Field, an Air National Guard Station, where our plane was awaiting us. We inprocessed into a hangar and waited there for a couple of hours for our plane to be ready. People were playing cards, sleeping, and just being generally grumpy because it was COLD in there and everyone was ready to go. Finally, it was time to board the plane!! My stomach sank like an anvil and I knew it was finally time.

Because I am considered the equivalent of an AF captain in the military rankings, I was given priority seating on the plane. Not bad, I guess! Melissa and I were supposed to go in first class, but gave our seats to two of the taller guys on the plane because we knew they would be miserable for 20 hours. Instead, they put us in the first row behind the bulkhead, which had a great deal of legroom. We got hooked up for that long ride, any way you look at it.

The guy that eventually sat beside me was a really nice guy from Anderson AFB in Guam. He had developed pneumonia while training in WI and was really sick. So I took care of him most of the flight. He was sad to be so far away from home and feel so bad, and I think he really appreciated having someone next to him who actually cared.

After four hours, our first stop was Newfoundland, Canada. It was desolate and snowy. They opened the airport facilities for us, and we were there for about an hour. The Red Horse people stood in line that whole time for one beer. Funny.

After three more hours, our second stop was Kevlavik, Iceland. The airport was completely shut down, but they opened the bar and restrooms for us while we waited during that hour. Unfortunately it was dark when we landed so I didn't get to see anything...I was really hoping to catch a glimpse of Iceland, seeing as I will probably never get there again!! The airport was beautiful - all hardwood floors and angular furniture - kinda like a big Ikea store without all the angsty shoppers.

Another four hours brought us to our final stop en route at Liepsig, Germany. It was daylight and the airport had a huge section designated for military. I had two beers and checked some e-mail, and after an hour we were on the plane again. It was raining there, but still I saw some beautiful landscape while flying over - I always loved Germany.

Six more hours on the plane and we were in Qatar!!!!!!! At this point we were all delirious, exhausted, cranky, smelly (no shower since Wednesday!), and ready to get the show on the road. It was surprisingly cool - there was a great breeze and the temp was about 70 degrees. It had apparently been raining for the two days prior, and the weather was pleasant to say the least. Man was I surprised!!! We inprocessed through personnel and customs, and then my fellow ARC staff picked me up and took me to my room. A quick shower and sleepytown until morning.