29 December 2007

Operation: Mil-Support


From the Soldier side: (cause nobody wants to hear any cop stories). When asked: "CI-Roller, what can you say about Mil-Support?"
Let me continue my story.
We left Falljuah on a humvee convoy. I think it was the first and last time our company commander and first sergeant went on a convoy, but they both got Bronze Stars.
My team and I got back to Baghdad...now remember, we had only been in country for a few days when we got a mission, so we didn't even have a room when we left. So when we got back after New Years 05, we had to find our gear we left behind...lucky one of the Bosnia Vets looked out for us and kept it.
We collected our stuff, then had to find a room. Due to my rank, I was lucky enough to only have to share a room with one person. We got was used to be a kitchen before the occupation. Right then it was full of trash. We spent hours cleaning it out before we went to the mailroom to collect our packages that had been sitting there for weeks...Christmas packages.
My room mate and I found some plywood and should have filmed an episode of "this old house" as we made a door for our room. Several other regular army soldiers were impressed with our skills and asked if we could make a door for them...
Now we had a room, we found some beds and repaired them...then we picked up our mail.
It was great! No complaints...I opened so many packages of food, shampoo, soap, magazines...you name it, my friends, family and some people I didn't even know (yet) sent stuff. I had so much stuff, I had to sort it out...I put the food in one box, and other needed things in another box. I was so happy, I had tears coming down my cheeks. (Don't ever tell anyone, nobody thinks I can cry.)
It was the best Christmas ever...thanks to a bunch of people who took the time to think of stuff I could use...
The next day we were given a "CRAP-O" (a crap-0 is when you don't even have enough info to give a FRAG-O) to get ready for another mission...seems they needed our help in a place called Mosoul, Iraq. But, first, I had to write letters and send e-mails telling everyone I got the pack they had sent, I could pack my gear later... sleep after all is over rated.
To be cont.

6 comments:

KA said...

Hmm, dont you FRAGO's?

I'm glad you got packages. Morale sometimes hangs in the balance when mail call comes around

CI-Roller Dude said...

Katana,
You're tech correct, what we got were "Crap-o's"
Most of the time they couldn't even tell me where we were going because nobody in my C.O.C. bothered to ask... One thing I learned as a leader, don't count on anyone but your own team...it just gets worse as the story goes on... But we learned a lot of good lessons...
CI-Roller dude, MIT, THT, OMT, CI of the unit form Hell.

Anonymous said...

Yup glad you got all that cool stuff. I wonder what kind of knifefight there was over that room you left behind???

Anonymous said...

and yup sleep IS overrated...

KA said...

... I'm a low officer. I'm just the messenger.

Don't hate us.

CI-Roller Dude said...

Katana,
I worked with and for some very good officers... but a few I wanted to toss into the Palace Lake for the fish...
There are some officers I would walk through hell for...but only a few.

Be one of those few...

CI-Roller dude....