Wondering Thoughts of a USMC Veteran

2006-07-09T15:38:00.000-08:00

Draft Dodgers Do Have Reunions

Here is a story about a bunch of losers who got together to celebrate their own cowardice. Of course, they insist they are morally correct in running scared and are upset at Canada’s attempts to keep the few running cowards from todays military out of their country.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13742214/

2006-07-08T17:58:00.000-08:00

Veterans wheelchair Games

I started this post a week ago, so the Thursday and Friday are actually July 7th and 8th.

Over my weekend, Thursday and Friday, I had the pleasure to volunteer at the 26th Annual Veterans Wheel Chair Games. I filled out an application weeks ago to participate, and my schedule was made by one of the organizers. They did an incredible job of organizing, by the way. Although I didn't schedule myself, couldn't have had a better schedule.

Thursday night I worked security at the "block party" in downtown Anchorage. It was an exciting event for all involved. A bird rehabilitation center had brought out an owl, hawk, and a couple of bald eagles to show the veterans. The multiple Iditarod champion Martin Busier was there with a few of his dogs. There was also a collection of classic cars from one of the local hot rod clubs. There were several live singers/bands, and a great looking catered dinner in the middle of 5th Avenue.

In the middle of the block party, the bird rehabilitation people released a rehabilitated bald eagle from atop a fire truck. It was a sight to see, and an appropriate gesture. We had gathered to honor men and women who had served proudly served our nation, and who had befallen injury that required extensive rehabilitation. These courageousagous men and women have not allowed their injuries to defeat them, and have continued to charge on in life in true military spirit. In honor of the courage of these individuals a magnificent animal, the very symbol of our nation, was released after undergoing its own rehabilitation.

Friday was a really slow day for security. I was scheduled to work during the swimming events at one of the local high schools. There was really no need for security at the venue, as everyone in attendancedence was there to support the athletes. I pretty much just watched the events, and walked the venue about every half hour.

Out of the events that I watched, the swimming was the most moving for me. It was amazing to see people with paralyzed or amputated limbs moving through the pool. The first race of the evening was quadriplegic swimmers. There were several participants who had very little use of their upper limbs. It took two of them a vary long time to cross the length of the pool, but none of them gave up. That was a common theme among the athletes, I never saw one of them give up.

After the swimming event was over, I headed to the Sullivan arena for the championship basketball, power soccer, and quad rugby games. I was really looking forward to seeing the quad rugby, as I had recently seen Murderball for the first time.

None of the events let me down. I was surprised to see the intensity of the basketball players, and the level of contact involved in their sport. The participants in the power soccer (a game developed by the NVWG for those unable to use man powered wheel chairs, it is played in motorized wheel chairs) had a surprising level of control their chairs. Even those unable to use hand controls with thier chairs were able to excel in the event.

The quad rugby game was the most exciting event of the night. The participants poured thier hearts out into the competition. There was a considerable amount of contact, and several flipped chairs. Early in the game it looked as though one team would simply run away with the game, but an impressive come back was staged, and it wasn't clear who would win until the end.

The crowd threw its support behind the veterans at every step.
It didn't matter who scored, the crowd still cheered. The organizers had done a wonderful job getting the word out about the games, and Anchorage did a good job of turning out to provide support.

Brandon

2006-07-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

Beware the "Harsh Tone of Voice"

I found this funny; although the news story goes on to criticize the US. The story is about Manfred Nowak, who is the UN’s torture watchdog. Apparently he “interrogates” guards at the prisons he investigates. My question to him is where do you draw the line on “a harsh tone of voice?” Couldn’t that be considered a form of torture?

The whole story is here:
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,408472,00.html

Today, he says, it's not so much in "strong states" (as he calls them) but mainly in feebler political entities that policemen and military officers abuse their defenseless victims. Torture is an efficient way for extracting a quick confession. For years now, the Nepalese royal family has engaged in a ferocious war with the country's Maoist rebels. The torture being practiced there is just as ferocious as the fighting. One popular method of torture in the Himalayan country is the so-called "falanga," which involves dealing carefully aimed blows to the soles of the victim's feet. It is an extremely painful method that hardly leaves behind any visible traces. But Nowak isn't easily deceived by the people in uniform he interrogates as part of his work. If he has to, he can use a harsh tone of voice. In Kathmandu, Nowak probed one prison guard until he finally elicited a reluctant admission: "A little bit of torture helps."

As I said earlier, the story goes on to criticize the US, specifically for Guantánamo Bay. Of course he doesn’t weigh into his equation the actions that brought the terrorist scum to Guantánamo. He’s only worried about us holding them without trial. I’m really curious as to what he would suggest we do with the vermin. Are we just supposed to set them free to behead more innocent people just because it’s not nice to keep them locked up? Give me a break.

Brandon

2006-07-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

Dragging at Work

It’s my birthday today. No big deal, I’ve had enough to where they are no longer that special. So it doesn’t bother me that much to be at work on my birthday. Except that today is a Saturday. Obviously, my birthday doesn’t fall on a Saturday every year. It would be a nice day to have off for an extended celebration with my friends. It would also be nice to be off tomorrow, to sleep off any hangover I might acquire. But that is not the case this year.

At least I am here in the US. The situation could be much worse. Although I’ve always enjoyed celebrating special occasions, like birthdays, with Marines. I guess it’s the brotherhood that makes Marine Corps celebrations so great. I don’t have that sense of brotherhood with my civilian counterparts.

The plan this evening is to go to my favorite Mexican restaurant with some family. It should be a good time. I hope to be able to go out after dinner, but I’m not sure whom with.

Last night I went to the late showing of Superman in Eagle River. Eagle River is about half and hour to 45 minutes from Wasilla. The cinema in Eagle River is much better than the one in Wasilla.

The movie was all right. It does bother me that the idiots in Hollywood would change “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” to “Truth, Justice, and all that stuff.” The context of the line is not offensive, but the motivation behind the change is disturbing. True Americans would not care if “the American Way” were an unpopular phrase among foreign countries. I don’t give a damn what any other country thinks of the US.

Anyway, for the most part I really liked the movie. I’ve never been a big Superman fan, I haven’t seen most of the movies, but I did like this movie. It’s fun to get lost in a fantasy story sometimes.

Brandon

2006-06-21T18:43:00.001-08:00

My Stuck Storie

Last week I got stuck. I had taken a day off, and decided to head out to an area that had recently burned. I wanted to check it out, as I had never been close to a forest fire.

When we got to the burned area, we found that the only access was via a private road. This was disappointing, as we had just driven over half an hour to get there. We were able to see very little of the 400+ acre burn from the road. Not wanting the trip to be a total loss, I decide to check out a power line trail.

The trail was well packed, and my Jeep easily navigated it. There was the occasional high spot, causing my transfer case skid plate to scrape. I’ve gotten used to scraping my transfer case skid, the factory tires on my Jeep leave much to be desired. A couple hundred yards down the trail we found an area that had been really chewed up, with one hole a couple of feet deep. These weren’t mud holes; they were open holes in hard packed dirt. Knowing I couldn’t navigate further down the trail, I drove off to the side to make a u-turn. Of course, this violates the rules of “Tread Lightly.”

So, I drove on one side of the trail, to a manageable crossing point, and then I drove across the trail to the other side. There was an island of brush that was between the trail and me, so I made an attempt to go around. The grass that I was aiming towards looked stable, and had tracks on it from a previous trail rig. About the time I settled into the tracks, my driver’s side sunk.

I knew right away I had sunk to the frame. My wheels were just spinning, and not throwing any dirt (largely thanks to those previously mentioned factory tires that don’t clean until highway speeds). It didn’t take long for me to survey the area from the driver’s seat, and see there was nothing anywhere near close enough to winch to.

A couple hours of digging, and trying to bury a log to winch off of, lead to a phone call to my fiancé’s mom. None of the truck owners I knew were in town, and none of the tow companies would come get me out.

The next morning I called the guys over at Trail Toyz. The owner is a really nice young guy, and he was pretty disappointed that his rig was out of service. He wanted to come and bail me out. He’s got a Suburban on swampers that would have easily done the job, if not for the missing rear driveline.

I managed to get a pull pal, and the guys at Trail Toyz swear by it. It’s basically a shovel attached to a bar at a 90-degree angle. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but it doesn’t look like much either. When my Pull Pal got out to the trail I sunk the shovel into the ground, hooked up my winch, and pulled myself right out. Everyone with a winch should have one of these things.

My biggest regret is not bringing a camera with me. I buried my Jeep, and don’t have a single picture. Next time, I’ll be sure to have a camera.

Brandon

2006-06-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

Vets Check This Out:

Am I done attacking the Arizona Republic and their ass hole cartoonist? Maybe not. But for right now, I’m going to shift gears. I’ve taken a step in protecting myself that all veteran and active service members should take. I’ve placed a fraud alert on my credit report.

It’s a really easy thing to do. It’s a matter of making a phone call to one of the three credit agencies, and showing that you are who you say you are. Then the agency will place a fraud alert on your credit report, and contact the other two agencies to have them do the same. So one phone call covers you for all three agencies.

The reason that I am recommending this is, of course, because the VA allowed some moron to walk off with personal info on thousands of veterans. If you haven’t heard the story yet, it may be time to crawl out from under that rock.

Anyway, the big thing here is that the fraud alert makes it more difficult to get credit under your personal info. Basically, you have to give extra proof of your identity when applying for credit. This is a nuisance for you, but it makes it much harder to illegitimately apply for credit under your name. This is a good thing, because it is likely that someone will soon by trying to rob veterans of their good credit soon.

Here’s the info you need to put a fraud alert on your credit report:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

If you want more info on what fraud alerts do for you go here:

http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/con_steps.htm#fraud

Brandon

2006-06-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

Email to Benson:

You are a deplorable and despicable disgrace to freedom, democracy, and all of the values that Americans hold dear. Your disregard for the impeccable legacy of the Marine Corps is beyond reproach. You have desecrated an emblem whose significance you cannot begin to understand. The legacy of the Eagle, Globe and Anchor is one marked by constant courage, honor, and commitment in the fiercest of battles. It is obvious that someone as self-absorbed as yourself cannot begin to understand what the words honor, courage, and commitment represent. You are too busy looking for ways to further weaken the cause of freedom in the world.

I spent three months of my life in a struggle to attain the symbol that you have so easily defaced. I would spend evenings at boot camp staring at the ceiling, looking for strength to continue another day. I would find that strength in the memory of the many men who had slept under that same ceiling. So many men had gone before me. They had served in some of this Nation’s most intense and deadly battles. Admiral Chester Nimitz had characterized the courage and discipline of the Corps during the battle for Iwo Jima. His words, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue,” are memorialized at the Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington VA. The legacy of the Corps is what makes it the fighting force that it is.

My grandfather was among those that shaped the legacy of the Corps. He served this Nation proudly in the Korean War, and beyond. He was a part of the Marine Corps for sixteen years, and carried the honor of his service with him to the grave this year.

You have disgraced the legacy of the Corps with you mindless actions, just as any Marine that has acted outside of the Articles of War has disgraced the Corps. The only consolation is that you are not brethren of the Corps, but rather a pissed stained coward.

In the case of the Marines who may have brought dishonor onto the Corps at Haditha, they have yet to be indicted. We are a Nation of laws, laws that Marines are sworn to uphold, and within our Nation we are assumed innocent until proven guilty. Just as the media assumed troops were guilty at Abu Gharib and Guantanamo Bay, they have assumed that the Marines at Haditha are guilty.

The fact that you would desecrate a symbol as impeccable as the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor shows that you are worthless to this Nation. The fact that you would paint an organization with such a harrowing history as the Marine Corps with such a broad brush shows that you are mindless in your pursuit to achieve your political goals. You are as mindless as those that would portray all Muslims as terrorists.

I served this Nation proudly and honorably. I placed myself into harms way during Operation Enduring Freedom to insure that Americans can continue to enjoy the freedom that they so often take for granted. I do not ask for recognition of my service. I do not expect gratitude or special considerations. I do, however, expect that those people who did not have the courage to stand in defense of freedom do not desecrate the memory of those who have.

Brandon

2006-06-20T15:51:00.000-08:00

The Arizona Republic is a Disgrace

I found this on the blog Grim's Hall. It ran in the Arizona Republic, and there is a link on Grim's blog for sending letters to the disgusting rag. Below is the letter that I sent them. It was a test to not express my feelings further. I'll post a link to Grim's blog so that anyone who passes can express their feelings to the Arizona Republic.

I just saw the cartoon you ran of the Marine Corps Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. Your lack of judgment in publishing such an offensive and un-American cartoon is reprehensible. I spent four years of my life in service to the institution you mock. I gave my blood, sweat, and tears in honorably defending the freedom that you take for granted. Is this how I am rewarded? To have a sniveling coward spit in my face. The emblem that you have chosen to disgrace is the same emblem my late grandfather served under. He answered the call to arms during the Korean War, and continued to serve for sixteen years. He was an honorable man, who was as proud of his service as I am of mine. Now you have disgraced the institution that we hold dear. You have taken the symbol of this Nation’s most elite fighting force and pissed all over it to serve your own anti-American interests. The Marines that stand guard over your freedom today do so on the shoulders of those that have served before them. It is the courage and unwavering discipline of our predecessors that drives us to charge ahead in the face of adversity. It is this legacy that you have disgraced. I would not expect a publication of such low moral courage to understand the meaning of the words honor or discipline, so my attempts to describe the impact of your mindless actions are no doubt in vain. You have shown the bias of your publication, and I’m sure the patriots of your community will forever remember the disgrace that you have brought them.

Brandon

Update: Here is the email for the cock sucker who drew the cartoon; his name is Steve Benson. steve.benson@arizonarepublic.com

2006-06-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

Some of What I Have Been Doing...

This is the fire on Elmendorf Air Force Base. It was about 80 Acres.

This shot was taken on the Elmendorf Fire.

This photo is complimets of the Anchorage Daily News. It shows our guys doing structure protection on the big fire out on Point Mackenzie Rd. They were doused with retardent by the tanker.
This is a shot that one of our firefighters took after the big retardant drop from above. It shows the red coloring of the retardant. This fire was about 460 acres.
This is another Anchorage Daily News photo. It shows one of the hot shot crews that was working structure protection. Also in the picture is the flag that was covered in retardant by the tanker. It was given to our firefighters by the landowner and is now hanging in our engine bay. These guys managed to save every defendable structure threated by the fire. Only two structures were lost, and I don't believe they were homes.

Brandon

2006-06-19T12:49:00.000-08:00

Back at Work

I’m back to work again. It’s fire season in Alaska, and I’m back to dispatching. The fire season started out well, we had a couple of big fires. Now things have calmed, and slowed down. It’s actually been boring at work for the last few days.

The reserves schedule proved too taxing. They wanted some prime workdays this summer for annual training. I decided not to continue training with them, and turned in my gear the other day. It will be good to keep me less busy during the school year.

I have been putting time and money into my Jeep. I just installed a two-inch spacer lift the other day, and I have a body lift to install on my next days off. Once I get the lifts on, I can order the 33” tires for it.

I’ve done some other mods as well. I‘ve got a winch, and custom bumpers. I hope to post some pictures, but I need to find the cable for my camera. Good thing I have a big memory card in my camera, otherwise I would be out of luck.

I’d better run along, I’ll write more later on.

Brandon

2006-04-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

Holy Crap It's Been a While!

The school year is almost over already. Classes are winding down, and I am starting to think about moving out. The place that I have been staying in will not be available next year, so I have to make other arrangements. I am debating moving into a smaller place across the street, or moving into the dorms. I have decided to apply for a position as a resident advisor at the dorms, which would get me free housing and food for the school year.

I made it into the reserve unit I had been wanting to join. I have drilled with them twice so far. I went into the unit having been told it would be changing from a recon unit to a anti-terrorism unit. Turns out an anti-terrorism unit has recently been disbanded, so the future of the unit is uncertain. Right now my billet in the unit is "Recon Man." This means that I am part of a recon team and have been training as a Recon Marine.

This has been interesting, to say the least. The first drill I went to, we went to the field. I was wholly unprepared for the below zero temps, and thought I was going to freeze to death. Somehow I made it through, and gained a new appreciation for the cold. I will not underestimate the extreme cold of Alaska again.

I am sitting in my graphics class writing this, so I should probably get myself back to work. I'll be more regular now, especially once school ends and I am back at work.

Brandon

2006-02-01T10:30:00.000-09:00

It's snowing today.

We're getting dusted today, but it doesn't look like we're going to get any real snow. I'd guess we'll get an inch before it stops. This winter has been a let down. During break when I had some free time to go skiing, there wasn't enough snow. Now we've accumulated about a foot over the last month, and it's too cold to do anything outside.

We had a big car chase through town yesterday. Some idiot stole a truck while it was warming up in a driveway, and the police caught on to him quick. It was a private company truck, and it had writing and a phone number on it. The guy was driving the truck recklessly before the cops even caught onto him.

The cops found the guy really quick with the help of the people in morning traffic who were calling to complain about the reckless driving. The cops decided not to start a chase, but rather follow the guy with lights/sirens off. They cornered him at one point and he rammed the truck past the cops, hitting four cars. The cops opened fire on him, but missed, and the guy went speeding through an intersection and t-boned a commuter. The guy who got hit was killed instantly. He was a 34 year old father of two. The chase ended a little ways down the road when the thief ditched the truck and ran on foot.

The cops chased the guy down, and now he's in jail with a $200,000 bail facing a murder charge. How stupid can people get? He would have been slapped on the wrist for the theft, and now he's going down as a murderer. When will people learn that it doesn't pay to run from the cops?

I've yet to hear back from the reserve unit, but they are supposed to be ordering my uniforms. I need to make up some drill time, so they suggested I come in before the March drill. I'll be glad to re-acclimatize myself without the pressure of having the whole unit there.

I had better get going, I have a great deal of homework to do.

Brandon

2006-01-24T14:11:00.001-09:00

It's freeze your nose hair cold outside.

The temperature has really fallen in the last couple of weeks. Now we're in the negatives. They promised us snow on the news, but it didn't come. There is still a foot or so on the ground, but it's old and dry. We really need some new snow.

I'm in the engineering lab, and I have the noisiest keyboard ever made. I think I'm going to be murdered if I type too long. School is back in session. It's our second week back. Calculus II is a nightmare. My other classes aren't too bad. I have two engineering classes this semester, so I am finally doing stuff that relates to my degree.

Break was good. I didn't do a whole lot of anything. I really wanted to do some cross-country skiing, but there wasn't enough snow.

I've gotten all the paperwork for the recruiter in, and am just waiting on word from the unit up here about my joining up. They seem fairly enthused about it. I had my contract extended by a month, so I can get in a year of drilling before it expires. It should be a good time. They said the first drill will be in March. I'll be looking forward to it. My MOS is going to be machine gunner.

I am still writing for the paper, and will be posting a link to the newspaper page, where my articles will be. I have an article coming out today. The next will be out in two weeks, if I get it done. I also have a paper to write in my Western Civilization class.

I need to get going before I incite a mob with my loud typing.

Brandon

2005-12-15T21:18:00.000-09:00

It's Finals Week

Here are some pictures I have taken in the past couple of weeks. I'll post more next week, when finals are over.

Brandon

2005-12-08T13:54:00.000-09:00

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmond Burke

I just finished replying to a comment left on the blog. It was a pro-choice person explaining how opposing abortion is a religious decision. Yeah right.

Ask a child what happens when you crush an egg containing an embryo. The baby bird dies. Am I missing something? Does the child believe the baby bird dies because of religion? Are life and death merely religious issues? If it weren't for religion would murder be ok?

I can't think of a society that embraced unnecessary murder. Some have committed infanticide out of necessity, but it wasn't because they didn't value life. It's the exact opposite, they didn't want those already alive to be threatened.

Is this where we are as a society? Do we need to abort our citizens to protect our own lives? How many people spend thousands of dollars to keep the family dog alive a couple extra years. We put all this trouble into a dog, a freaking animal, but we can't do anything for unborn people?

This person believes that it's all right to be fundamentally opposed to abortion, while allowing others to carry them out. This is like watching a country commit genocide on it's citizens. Don't say it's not, because that's exactly what it is. Can we be opposed to genocide, but let it happen because it's a choice issue? It's a nation's choice what they do with the people in their country, who are we to stop them?

But this is just religious talk. I wouldn't feel this way if I wasn't a Catholic.

Maybe I need to start praying again, praying for these people who don't have the ability to see what's in front of their face.

The road these people want to take us down is a dead end, and it will be a fight to get this train turned around. It wont happen if the people who believe in protecting life do nothing.

Brandon

2005-12-07T23:06:00.000-09:00

A T-Shirt Idea

I just designed this shirt. I think it's cool. Yeah, I should be studying. Anyway, in order to get the shirt made I have to order a minimum of 6. Would anybody want to buy one if I did? Just an idea.

Brandon

2005-12-05T22:41:00.000-09:00

The semester is almost over.

I can't believe it. Finals are this week and next. I actually have a final tomorrow. Two really, one written and one practical. Tomorrow morning will be my writing final, I don't know what it will be over really. The quizzes she's given have not been over the stuff she lectures on, they come from the book. Since I haven't read any of the book, that's a problem.

I'm still here, by the way. It's been a little while since I've posted. It's been a little busy around here. I didn't even get my story assignment in for last week. It was the last issue of the paper for this semester. I'll put a link up when I have time.

Has everyone seen Jarhead? I still need to finish my little review of it. I also have a couple of rants I need to get out of my system. I'm a little worked up over the reaction of my fellow students over a pro-life insert in the paper. The bastards at the radio station referred to the pro-life movement as the anti-choice movement. I guess that makes them the pro-killing-babies-movement. At least they're concerned about the poor little whales. Imagine a vet. giving a whale an abortion, these people would flip.

Got to change the subject before I get stuck here ranting for hours. Actually, I should be going to study. My loving girlfried is reading over my shoulder.

Brandon

2005-11-27T22:40:00.000-09:00

It's Cold Up Here

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone. For the long Thanksgiving weekend I was in Palmer house-sitting. The house that I was sitting at didn't have a functioning computer, so I wasn't able to update the blog. Going into break I was way behind on my posts, now I'm even more behind. This is becoming a theme.

I had a couple of really good Thanksgiving dinners, and the company was great. The weather outside was extreme. We went from having about two feet of snow dropped on us in two days to -15 temps. Right now here in anchorage it's right around 0, Palmer is usually colder than Anchorage. The forecast is for more of the same.

I went to the reserve station Wednesday and talked to a couple Staff NCO's. They are going to see if I can just hook up with them in my present MOS (military for "job", mine's electrician right now) for the time being, and then switch over to the 0300 field in the future (0300 is Marine for "infantry"). I'm pretty excited about that. I even ordered a set of utilities so I would be prepared. Since I left the Corps they switched over to using digital camouflage, and I currently don't have an up-to-date uniform.

A few comments back I had a question about the use of the term "the suck" by Marines. I've put some thought into this and I think I can explain it. When Marines meet they often start conversing by each giving a background of their own service. This is as much an ego thing as it is a practical thing. Marines want to establish themselves as experienced in each other's eyes. This exchange of histories is always accompanied by a rundown of worst experiences.

Marines always end up comparing their worst experiences with each other. This includes everything from boot camp on. Get a Paris Island Marine and a San Diego Marine together, and they can go on for hours. One will claim sand fleas are a form of torture, the other will dutifully explain the effect massive hills have on marching. No conclusion will ever be reached.

I think this is where the term "the suck" comes from. Marines take great pride in the hardships they endure. My chest swells every time I think of the Marines who fought at Tarawa and Iwo. They overcame incredible hardships, and they were in my mind when I deployed into Pakistan and Afghanistan. I knew that whatever I faced, I could overcome it by following their example.

So, when a Marine complains about a shitty situation he is really pointing out the fact that he overcame adversity, maybe just to gain a little respect and credibility amongst his peers. I think the biggest thing that should be pointed out is the frequency at which Marines bitch to each other, and the infrequency that they bitch to those outside of the Marines. It's common to hear Marines complaining to each other, comparing hardships; it's not so common to hear Marines complaining to people they don't know. If you don't know a Marine personally you'll probably never hear one refer to the Corps as "the suck."

I hope this makes sense. I'm sure I could better explain it after about eight hours of sleep. I better go while I can still get six.

Brandon

2005-11-15T19:25:00.000-09:00

Some OEF Pictures
I don't have time to write a post right now, so here are some pictures from Operation Enduring Freedom.

Brandon

2005-11-15T12:08:00.000-09:00

Little Update

Not much has been goin on with me. I'm sitting in one of the foot bridges on campus, researching an article I'm writing for the paper. This weekend was more of the usual, just sleeping in and trying to accomplish homework. I have a lot of trouble getting started on homework on the weekends. I'm much better at doing it during the week.

I sarted a post on Friday, but didn't finish it. I may go back and finish it tonight while the game's on. There are some issues bothering me, and I still need to finish my movie review. We'll see how it goes.

Brandon

2005-11-09T00:21:00.000-09:00

The Beginning of My Review

It was snowing when I left the house this morning. Actually I left the house at like 12:15. I didn’t have to go to my first class today. It was supposed to be a work day, so I could work on my report. Instead I overslept. I think it’s winter starting to get to me. It’s amazing how tired you get when the sun goes down at 5:00. You feel like the day should be over, but there’s lots of time left. Even when you go to bed early, your body thinks it’s late.

So now I have some catching up to do, as if I needed more. Life is more exciting that way, right?

I’ve been asked about the movie Jarhead. I saw it Sunday. I went into the movie not really knowing what to expect. What I had heard about it was that it was based on a Desert Storm Vet’s book, and it was supposed to be his story. I hadn’t heard anyone say the movie was politically motivated.

Since seeing the movie I have come across several bloggers commenting negatively on the movie. I didn’t have the negative reactions to the movie that these people did, maybe because of how I went into it.

Through most of the movie I felt like I was watching part of my life play out on the screen. The boot camp portion of the movie was like the stories that I had heard from the older Marines. I went to boot camp after the Mothers of America had drained it of all cussing and physical contact. Nobody was punched, slapped, kicked, choked, or assaulted in any way by any of my drill instructors. They weren’t even allowed to curse at us. It was actually funny to watch these guys get really pissed off and then try to find something other than a cuss word to say.

I can imagine that when this guy went through boot camp there was still some hitting and cussing going on. I’ve heard the stories. But where were the other drill instructors? I don’t remember ever being chewed out by only one drill instructor. We usually had three running around. The boot camp portion of the movie could have been better.

I loved the part of the movie where he was checking in at Camp Pendleton. The Staff Sergeant tells him he’s getting put in F Company with the “Fuck-ups.” This is almost strait out of my Marine Corps experience. My instructor at electrician school told me she would never want to be stationed where I was heading. I truly believe my battalion was the worst in the Marine Corps. We had so many “Fuck-ups” it wasn’t funny.

I didn’t have the branding experience. I’ve actually never heard of that. It very well could have been the norm at one time. There was a time when promotions were followed by “pinning on,” and when a promotion to corporal meant you had to earn your “blood stripes.” These things still go on, but on a much smaller scale, and not in the open.

Once they got to Iraq I could really sympathize. I’ve spent many days in sit and wait mode. There are times of hurry up and wait mixed into the times of sit and wait, but they’re pretty much equally boring.

I’m getting tired. I don’t think I have much coherent time left, as my sentences are already getting awkward. I’ll have to continue my assessment later. For know I recommend seeing Jarhead, I liked it.

Brandon

2005-11-07T23:03:00.000-09:00

Thanks

To all who comment on my blog, thank you. I think it’s cool to have people visit and leave thoughts behind. I do require verification of humanity to leave a comment, but that’s just to keep the machines from hacking in and crapping all over my blog. If you wonder what I mean, look back a couple of months and check out some of the comments. People set up their computer to go around leaving comments on people’s blogs to get attention. Usually they aren’t worth the time. Therefore you must word-verify to comment.

This morning was the coldest yet. It was single digits when I left for school. It’s been getting into the negatives late at night. This was the first morning the Jeep was sluggish in starting. I decided it was high time to dig out the cord for the block heater. The Jeep came with a block heater installed, but the cord has been tied up to the firewall, and needed to be run out the grille. Turns out the geniuses at Jeep make the damn cord too short to reach the grille. Some zip-ties and a short extension cord fixed that problem.

Zip ties are wonderful things. They can do almost anything. We even used them for handcuffs in the Marines.

I’m as behind as usual. Actually more than usual, I missed a deadline for homework today. I hope the professor doesn’t take too much off for lateness. He seems pretty laid back; I think it won’t be too bad.

I registered for next semester last night. I may have been jumping the gun registering for Calc II. I need a C in Calc I before I can move on. I’m sitting at a high C now. I think I can pull off a C, I’m hoping for a B. At any rate I’m signed up for 14 credit hours this time. I’ve been doing 18 this semester, so it’s one less class.

I’m taking a beginning swimming class. I don’t know that I’m a beginner, but, since I haven’t taken classes before, I figured it was a good place to start. I need to get the whole swimming thing down. I can get across the pool, but it’s not pretty. I think it’s mostly a confidence thing, once I build my confidence back up I think I’ll be fine.

We lost the Co-ed game tonight. It was 2-0. They shouldn’t have shut us out. We just couldn’t get any offense going, and the puck was in our end most of the night. It made for a busy game for me. I’m looking forward to Wednesday. The club team is playing the only team that has beaten us this season. I wasn’t in net for that loss. It was the first game of the season, and I guess our guys just broke down defensively. It will be a different game this time. I’ll let ya know how it goes.

Brandon

2005-11-06T20:58:00.000-09:00

Where'd October Go?

I called my Mom the other day and one of the first things she told me was I missed my sister's birthday. Oops. My first thought was "Her birthday's not until October." Hello? Did you know it's November? I didn't.

I guess school's got me messed up. I've been going hard, and not paying attention to the details. This isn't good, since I'm a details person.

So I got my sister a birthday present. I'm not saying what, because it's still here. I need to get it mailed out. I finally got it addressed tonight, so all that's left is a stamp, and dropping it in the mailbox.

I just opened an email from one of my professors. It's subject line is midterm, and it reads "scoree 133 out 0f 148." That's it. I think that's my fundamentals of surveying class.
This is the class I have homework in. I need to get that done. That's what I should be doing right now.

So, the pictures are of my new hockey mask. The paint job was inspired by a tattoo I saw on a chick in North Carolina. I like it. I think the characters could have been bigger, and there could be more detail, but I like it. I love the lightning. I'm also a fan of the finish, it has sparkly flakes in it. It's hard to tell by the pictures, but it looks cool.

Anyway, I better go do that homework.

Brandon

2005-10-30T22:59:00.000-09:00

Here's My Article
(scroll down...I posted pictures)

Blogs provide connection for military families
By Brandon Telford
October 25, 2005
By Brandon Telford
Special to The Northern Light

At a Naval Junior ROTC dance at Chugiak High School her freshman year, Jamie Jennings met a young man who would become one of her closest friends.
As a member of a military family, Jennings was accustomed to changing schools frequently.
“I had never gone to one school for more than two years, until I was in high school,” said Jennings, a UAA sophomore fine arts major.
At the time Jennings and Matthew Bohling met, she was a freshmen and he was a senior. Neither their age difference, nor her friend’s complaints that Bohling was too outspoken, stopped them from becoming close friends and even dating briefly.
The summer after Bohling’s graduation, he enlisted in the Army.
“It was what he always wanted to do,” Jamie wrote in an e-mail.
Bohling was stationed in Georgia, but being several time zones apart, didn’t stop their friendship from growing. Jennings called Bohling for late night advice, often at four in the morning Georgia time.
“It didn’t matter how much I had to talk about… he always listened, always gave his advice,” Jennings said.
Communication between Jennings and Bohling was sparse during his first tour in Iraq, but whenever Bohling came home for leave, Jennings made time for the two of them to get together.
“Although I didn’t spend every waking moment with him when he was home, I gave him the time I could,” Jennings wrote.
After graduating high school, Jennings’ time was largely devoted to college and work. She experienced post-graduation loneliness as friends migrated away in pursuit of education and careers.
So when Matthew came home this August on leave from his second tour in Iraq, Jennings spent as much time as she could with him. She even took off early from class to see him off at the airport.
Jennings received several e-mails from Bohling after his return to Iraq, and then Sept. 6 she got a call from Bohling’s father. Bohling had been killed by an improvised explosive device.
After learning of Bohling’s death, Jennings spent several days searching the Internet for information about him. That’s how she came across the Web log of Some Soldier’s Mom. Soldier’s Mom had attended the memorial honoring Bohling at his home base in Georgia and had described the experience on her blog.
Some Soldier’s Mom, who asked that her real name not be disclosed, is a member of the blog group known as Milblogs. Milblogs are blogs written by soldiers and the families of soldiers.
After coming across Soldier’s Mom’s description of the memorial, Jennings e-mailed her.
“I realized that her son knew Matt and that’s when I needed to get in contact with her,” Jennings said.
Soldier’s Mom’s son Noah enlisted in the Army despite the protests of his parents. Soldier’s Mom and her husband, a 24-year veteran of the Navy, initially refused to sign a consent form to allow him to join before his 18th birthday, but he eventually succeeded in convincing them.
Noah deployed in January. His deployment left his mother reliant on her computer. She impatiently awaited the sporadic e-mails and instant messages from Iraq.
The silence between messages was made more unbearable when it was due to a communication blackout in Iraq.
The military is careful to prevent news of a soldier’s injury or death from reaching family through unofficial channels. When a soldier is injured or killed in Iraq, the military stops allowing instant communication and phone calls until the family has been notified.
“As we get past day three of a ‘blackout’ (comm lines down, busy schedules, banned communications because of casualties – whatever the reason), … I stay at my PC longer in the evenings and I get up earlier in the mornings, and if I awaken in the middle of the night, I stop in to look to see if anyone’s been on... to the point that I am going to bed about 2 a.m. and getting up by 7 a.m.,” Soldier’s Mom wrote in her blog.
Aug. 23, as Soldier’s Mom sat down to dinner, the phone rang. The caller ID was from Fort Benning, and the Sergeant on the line informed Soldier’s Mom that her son had been injured by an IED.
Noah received injuries to his back and shrapnel lacerations to his head and returned to the U.S. in September for physical therapy.
The communication between Soldier’s Mom and Jennings quickly led to the discovery that Bohling had been with Noah the day he was injured.
“Matt, in fact, helped Noah to the medical aid station,” wrote Soldier’s Mom in an e-mail.
While helping Noah to the aid station, Bohling spoke reassuringly to him, making reference to the day they had met.
“The last thing Matt said to Noah was, “Don’t worry... you’ll be fine – we still have to go back to Duluth,’” Soldier’s Mom wrote.
Weeks later, while Noah was recovering from his injuries, he learned of Bohling’s death.
“Noah describes Matt as a brother … even though they didn’t spend a lot of time together,” Jennings said.
As Jennings continues her education and prepares for an upcoming wedding with her Marine Corps fiance, she looks back fondly on her friendship with Bohling.
“Matt is the longest I’ve ever known any of my friends, and one of my best friends that I’ve ever had.”

You can see the picture that went with it at: http://www.thenorthernlight.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/10/25/435eecc81a6a3

Brandon

2005-10-30T22:27:00.000-09:00

Here's What I did Saturday Night

I'm not in any of the pictures as I was taking them. I didn't stay long, but it was fun. There were a lot of cool costumes. The guy in the cowboy hat is Matt, he tutors Chemistry and is the only reason I'm passing right now. The girls are in some of my classes, and I hang out with them sometimes. Enjoy

2005-10-30T21:02:00.000-09:00

Here's What I Woke Up To:

Every morning I peak out the window to see how many layers of clothing I will need. This morning I looked out onto a white world. We've finally got our snow!

It hasn't been warm, as you can tell by the thermometer picture. It's been in the low 20's at night. I really need to dig my block heater out of my engine. It's still tied up to the firewall, where the person who installed it left it. I need to run the cord out of the grill, so I can use it.

I'm not looking forward to class tomorrow, I'll be getting my Calc test back. I'm sure I bombed it. Another reason I should have spent the weekend studying. Did I? No. Had a couple other things to tend to. Like hockey games for one. I love watching the Aces. They play on this whole other level.

I ran in to a couple of Marines at the game. They were from the local recon unit. They gave me the number to the unit so I can make plans to come see the place. I need to check it out before I commit to anything.

For some reason I can't type tonight. My fingers keep hitting the wrong damn keys.

I've been feeling like ranting recently. The school paper ran an article covering an Alaskan's for Peace and Justice rally at the school in the issue the blog article came out in. This group is constantly putting on anti-whatever rallies and they seem to do most of their recruiting at the college. I see their fliers all over.

I'm always tempted to pull them down and throw them away. I resist this temptation because it would violate the principles that I served to uphold. They have the right to their opinion, however wrong it may be.

Anyway, I find myself becoming increasingly annoyed with these idiots. There has been an increase in the number of "Support Our Troops: Bring Them Home" bumper stickers around campus. Don't these Douche Bags realize what they are saying? The Alaskans for Peace and Justice want the Iraqis left high and dry. They want us to pull out our troops and leave democracy seeking people to be slaughtered. Where's the peace and justice in that?

Anyway, I'll post more rant later. I'm just not energetic enough right now. Besides, my fingers keep hitting the wrong damn keys.

Enjoy the Pics.

Brandon

2005-10-29T13:13:00.000-08:00

For all who are keeping track, I won my hockey game Thursday. It was a great effort by the team that brought the win. They stepped it up in the third, when we were down by two, and they came back with three unanswered goals to bring us the win. It was a really good game.

I went to see the Aces play last night. That was a really good game too. The Aces scored their only three goals the first period, and the Bakersfield Condoms only scored once, on a garbage goal.

It's almost Halloween. Tonight there is a special Halloween thing going on at the college. The different clubs are supposed to put on games for kids and hand out candy. I signed up to help the ASCE club. That's a professional society for civil engineers. I'm supposed to help run the "pin the nose on the pumpkin" game. A bunch of people signed up, so if I didn't go I doubt I'd be missed. I may go though. I need to do some catch up homework.

My Calc test yesterday didn't go well. I didn't have a clue about half the stuff on the test. I've been working so hard on Chemistry, I've fallen pretty far behind in Calc. I wish I could just take a bunch of English and History classes, I'm good at those. I'm constantly told that the skill most lacked by engineers is writing. This excites me since writing is my strongest skill. I know I can find a place in the engineering world with my writing skills.

I better get to doing something productive.

Brandon

2005-10-26T12:44:00.000-08:00

Humpday Already?

I can't believe it's already Wednesday. The week sure flies when classes are canceled. I haven't had my surveying lecture this week because the professor has been out of town. We had a proctor for our surveying midterm on Tuesday, but that was not too big of a deal.

It's around freezing outside right now. I think it might be just above, like 33 or 34. We still haven't gotten any snow here in Anchorage. I hear that this is really different than how things were ten or twenty years ago. Hopefully it'll snow by Halloween. I'm sure the global warming nuts are feeling pretty smug about the hurricanes and the late snows. Obviously the earth is a warmer place than it has been in a while. Go figure, who would have thought that coming out of an ice-age would warm things up. My question is, if we stop the warming process are we ready to go back into ice-age? I'm not loving that idea.

Anyway, I haven't heard back from the recruiter. I hope he got my e-mail. I have no other contact information for him, so I have no way to make sure. Hopefully he'll get back to me.

On other subjects, my articles came out in the school paper yesterday. I am working on getting digital copies of them so I can post them here. We'll see how that goes.

Brandon

2005-10-25T23:12:00.000-08:00

28 Degrees, Still No Snow

Just thought I'd post a little update. There isn't much new news in my life. I am busy in school, as usual, and I don't commit enough time to studying. I should have a book open right now, but look what I'm doing. I haven't won a hockey game in a while. Thursday I will be playing with the club team, so there is a pretty good chance we'll win.

I've been taking a lot of midterms recently. I had a test in Chem Scored a whopping 67%. That curved out to a 88% as the class high was a 75.5%. The professor doesn't see having a class high of 75.5% as a problem. He says that's normal for a class like this one. I say there's some fixing that could be done. Maybe the test is a little too hard? Or maybe the class isn't receiving the high quality edumacation that we're paying top dollar for. Not that the students are really paying that much, but I hear the college eats a pretty big % of the State budget. Can't we get some quality instruction?

My actual opinion on this issue is that there is a time honored tradition among professors to make science classes much more difficult than necessary. This is often true for math classes also, but math is on the science side of the house. This strategy appears to be dying in many places, but that hasn't reached Professor F. yet. "The lashings will continue until morale improves."

So this is what I am dealt, and this is what I will deal with. I still have like an 85% in the class, so I'm not doing too badly.

I've been talking at a prior service recruiter. They finally got the anti-terrorism unit going up here. He's supposed to be scheduling a physical for me so I can see if I'm eligible to join. I think it would be great to put the uniform back on. I miss it.

Brandon

2005-10-18T23:13:00.000-08:00

Busy, Busy, Busy

I can't believe how busy the first two days of this week have been. It's not going to get better in the next two days. Tomorrow I have a chemistry test that I haven't had much luck studying for. Tonight I skipped hockey to do some of the studying I need to do. I hate skipping hockey. It's rained a little this week, but no snow anywhere but the mountains. It' s still pretty cold, although it hit 50 today.

I better get on to doing that studying thing. Tomorrow is going to be tuff.

Brandon

2005-10-16T22:58:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd post a couple pictures I took around the house today. The thermometer picture was taken around 5:00 this afternoon. It's much colder now. The picture of the mountain is a good example of what we call termination dust. The snow line will move up and down for a while, and then will drop into the city, and everything will be white. The other picture is of the lake by my house. It kind of looked like there was some ice out there, but I saw a float plane take off so maybe not.

I stopped into Some Soldier's Mom today, and learned about the deaths in her son's unit. Her son is trying to deal with not being "there." He's feeling like he's letting his brothers down by not being there to cover their back. That's a feeling I understand. I'm not sure how to deal with these feelings. I tell myself that I am working towards something that will make me a better person, and a better Marine should I feel the need to return once I am finished with school. This is a little helpful. I think that it's more difficult to talk myself into not going back than it would be to talk myself into going back.

One of the ways I have justified not going back has been realizing the Marine Corps could and would call me back if I was needed. I am IRR still, they could call me back if they needed to.

Enough about me, check out Soldier's Mom's blog.

Brandon

2005-10-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

Look Who Was in Front of My House.

I came home the other day to this guy and his girlfriend hanging around. One of the joys of living in Alaska. Seeing moose is cool, if they are far away or not in front of your car at 65mph. Moose attacks aren't common, but there are plenty of people who have had to change their underwear after being charged. I juset heard a story today of some girls being chased down one of the trails at school. Can't confirm the story, but its possible.

Remember that article I was writing on the milblogs for the school paper. Thanks to Some Soldier's Mom and TCOverride, it's going well. Some Soldier's Mom has put me in touch with a friend of a local soldier killed in Iraq. Turns out this local girl is a student at UAA. It's a small world. I'm really interested in learning about her and her relationship with the soldier.
Right now I am at my girlfriend's parents house in Wasilla. The mountains out here are pretty well covered in snow at the peaks. I'm going to go out and get pictures later. We're still waiting for our first snow. It's been cold enough at night. It's low 30's at night and low 40's in the day.
UAA won their game last night in the classic. The team didn't look too good. It could be another one of "those" seasons for us. I guess most of our seasons are. I hope the Aces will be worth watching again. Last season was amazing.
I better get to homework, not much time between now and Monday.
Brandon

2005-10-14T17:49:00.000-08:00

It's Friday?

This week just flew. I can't believe its Friday already. I could have used a couple more days. I've been running my ass off just to stay a step behind in school. Next week I have four or so midterms, and am pretty far from being ready for them. I will have to go without a life this weekend.
Tonight is the first night of the hockey classic here in Anchorage. UAA invites a couple of teams up every year for a tournament, so this is the first chance to see our team in action. I'm going with some people from class, my girlfriend has to work.
I turned in my article on military blogs for the school paper. Many thanks to Some Soldier's Mom and TCOverride for their help. I need to do a little tweaking to it before it can be printed. It needs a local flare. I need to find a local blog or someone that reads milblogs to give it the local angle. This is proving to be a little difficult, but I hope an angle or two will pan out.
I have another assignment, not as interesting. I'm writing about a potential fee-hike for the concert board here on campus. That's truly local.
Hockey update: its been a tuff week. Back to back losses early in the week. Actually one may have been a tie, depending on if they got the ref's decision overturned. Last night the ref didn't show up, so we played a scrimmage. It went really well, and the score board said 8-5 at the end. We had the 8. It's not really a win, since it wasn't a game, but it feels good to finish on top.
I dropped a mask off at a paint shop to get airbrushed. I'm pretty anxious about it, its a lot of money to buy a mask and get it painted. I've seen the guy's work though, and it's good. I'm sure it will look good. I'll get some pictures up when I get it, should be in a week or so.

Brandon

2005-10-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

Paper Assignment, Winter, and Club Hockey

Back in the library. I have some time before my calculus tutoring starts, so I came here to do some research on my article. My research consists of reading through blogs from Iraq. I'm pretty well read up now, but I don't have my article saved to my thumb drive, so I can't work on it. That's fine, because I really need to do some catching up here.

I got an assignment from the school paper. It was a little vague, so I am adapting it to what I want it to be. Basically I want to write an article on the presence of military blogs from Iraq, so that students can be aware that they can find news about the war somewhere other than CNN. Hopefully I can get all my thoughts down before its due. I have until Saturday.

It's starting to feel like winter here. The temps been in the high fourties, low fifties. I guess that's a pretty far cry from -20, but it sure feels like winter. I could see some of the taller mountains yesturday, and they are pretty well covered in snow now. The lower mountains around town here are getting dusted every couple of days, but the snow isn't really hanging around too long. I'll try to get some pictures and post them, but light hasn't been cooperative. A couple of weeks ago when the semester started the sun was good and up by the start of my math class, 8:30 am. Now the sun comes over the mountains during class. It wont be long, and light will be at a premium.

I found out last night that the other club team goalie is getting his wisdom teeth out today. This means that he can't play tonight's game. I'll be the #1 until he's able to play again. Then we'll go bak to alternating. I wasn't planning on playing tonight's game, so I wasn't really worked up for it. It'll be ok though, just another game. My last three games have been wins. I'm not sure what my win/loss is so far this year, but it's like 3/4, maybe 3/3.

The club team is a strong team. We have lots of talent, and I was shocked at how disciplined the team is. They take coaching well. Last game the coach had them hold back for the first two periods, after two the score was 3/2 us. Third period the coach let the team loose. The game ended 10/2 us. That's some disciple they showed in the first two. We'll see what tonight brings. The game's at 10:30 tonight, so we only had ten players volunteer to play, out of 30.

2005-10-03T23:49:00.000-08:00

Finally able to post!

It's been over a week since I've last posted. I'm such a slacker. I've been really busy. I had to bomb two tests last week. I studied really hard, but it didn't make much difference. My chem professor gave zero points on any problem where I made a mistake on the chemical formula. It didn't matter that I did the problem right, only that I got the formula wrong. I would have likely scored two grades better if it weren't for this policy.

It's getting a little cold. It was in the high thirties this morning. I don't know that it got much warmer until after noon. I'm going to have to bundle up a little for the surveying lab I have tomorrow. I'll have to be outside for a couple of hours.

I've been spending a lot of time reading Some Soldiers Mom. If you haven't been to this blog, go. I'll link to it as soon as I can. It's one of the best written blogs I've read.

It's getting late here and I should get to bed. I hope to post again tomorrow, I have a lot more to say.

Brandon

2005-09-25T22:36:00.000-08:00

Termination Dust

The first sign of winter has arrived. It's several weeks late this year, but it still feels too soon. This morning as I was driving across town to the library I looked up into the mountains and saw that the peaks were lightly dusted with white. The days are becoming shorter and colder; it wont be long now and I'll be plugging my Jeep in every night. I'm not a big fan of block heaters, but they make warm-up take much less time. I just hate digging through the snow drift looking for the cord.

Update on last night's hockey game: we lost. Things went well the first period, but after that was all down hill. I wish I could blame the team, but my perfomance was way below par. I had a great first period, but I started having problems with my knee pads and then it was all over. By the third period I was pretty much just letting the puck by. Next game will be better. I got new knee pads and my new goal pads are awsome. I have practice tomarrow, then my first UAA game on Tuesday.

There was a wind storm this weekend, knocked down some trees. Late last week they found a women in a park who had been badly beaten. The next day she died in the hospital. They had a picture of her in the paper from before she got beat up, she was really normal looking. I can't see why anyone would want to beat her up. I hope they find the bastards and lock them away for good.

There were some idiots marching around Anchorage yesturday copying the Sheehan march in DC. Why do people insist on being such ass holes? I can't get over the fact that people have such twisted views of the world. They'll keep it up, and here in the US people will be shouting about how we are back in Vietnam. The only people who are back in Vietnam are the protestors. They'll do anything to take themselves back. They were allowed to tear this country apart before and, from the looks of things, they'll be allowed to do it again. It's there right, you know, even if they'd never lift a finger to defend it.

This post is scatter-brained. I think I have been studying too much chemistry again. Test tomarrow, better get some sleep.

Brandon

2005-09-24T17:06:00.000-08:00

Saturday

It's Saturday now, still no internet at the house. My landlady missed the cable guy by ten minutes, and he didn't come back. She made a new appointment for Tuesday, so hopefully I will have internet at my house after then. I think that will be very good for me. My chemistry professor insists that it's not possible to pass his class without accessing the internet daily. So far I have a 98% in his class, so I don't know if that's true.

I have a hockey game tonight. It's my third game this year, so far I am 0 for 2. This game is with a men's team, and not the co-ed team I normally play with. It's also the first game with my new pads. This should be interesting.

I'll let you know how I do. For now I need to go memorize some polyatomic ions.

Brandon

2005-09-20T15:23:00.000-08:00

Pictures From This Weekend

My dad's plane
Part of the glacier
A pretty valley
The glacier (and a wing strut)
This is pretty far out from the glacier, you can see the river basin caused by the glacier run-off

2005-09-20T15:13:00.000-08:00

Didn't go Hunting

I've been a little busy. First, I didn't get to go hunting this weekend. It's a long story, but plane trouble and bad weather got in the way. I did get to go flying, though. My dad took me up in his plane. We flew up the Knik River to the Knik Glacier (I don't think that's the right spelling (I fixed it)). It was awsome, we flew right up against the side of the mountains. We saw several moose, and a bunch of bears. On one shelf there were three bulls fighting over a couple of cows. They were so far back that there was no way anyone would be hunting any of them. I think that a lot of people forget that about Alaska. Even though there are a lot of animals killed by hunters every year, there are so many more that hunter's can't even get to. This is a huge state, and it's almost all remote. There is only a small section of it that is accesable without a helicopter. Anyway, I took some pictures and want to post a few, so I better go ahead and do it before I run out of time. The internet at my house is supposed to be up and running after Friday, so I will be able to post more often.

Brandon

2005-09-15T17:43:00.000-08:00

Hockey and Hunting

It's been a long last couple of days. It's funny how getting an inadaquate amount of sleep can make the day go by so much slower. Hockey has kept me up late the last three nights and now I am ready to fall asleep on the keyboard. I really shouldn't because I still have several things to accomplish today. I need to get by the store, I am out of some essentials at the house. I also need to do some studying for my math quiz tomarrow. Some work could be done on my math take-home test too. I also need to start memorizing a table in my chemistry book and finish the exercises we were working in class. If I go hunting this weekend I will be hurting next week. I doubt that it will kill me, but I will have a lot of work to do come Monday and Tuesday.

My technical writing professor assigned a project that requires me to interview an engineer. I'm really not thrilled about it. I don't mind interviewing people when there is a pertinent reason, but bugging someone because my teacher wants me to ask questions that do not interest me in the first place sucks. That was one hell of a sentence. Did it make sence? I tried fixing it, but I don't know if makes any more sence then it did. What bothers me is that I have to pretend to care about the questions that I am asking, even though we both know I don't. I mean, I have a list of questions I have to ask for crying out loud, I didn't come up with them. Hopefully I will end up interviewing a nice enough engineer that he wont mind.

I don't think I have posted about the hunting trip yet. My dad called the other day and told me he had found a couple of bull moose that he would like to try and kill. He intvited me to go kill them with him. We don't know for sure if it will work out, but we're both getting ready anyway. The area that we will be going to is prone to having bad weather and it could make flying there and back an issue. Worse-case scenerio; we get out there and the weather goes ugly and we end up stuck for a couple of days. That would suck. I'll find out if we're going for sure tomarrow, since that's when we would leave. Maybe Monday I'll have some stories to tell (although I will be too busy to tell them).

Brandon

2005-09-13T17:09:00.000-08:00

I'm Psyched

today could have been a total bust. Rolling out of bed tired this morning I was cursing my late night game (we lost by the way). I was not happy about getting out of my warm bed and dragging my ass to class. I was especially unhappy because I had to give a presentation today. When I walked out to my Jeep, I found a reason to skip class. I had a nail sticking out of my tire. It was between the tread lugs, and had evidently been there for a while. The nail was worn down to the level of the tread by the pavement. I could have easily used this excuse to skip my morning class, but I would have let my fellow presenter down (the presentation was on ethics; is that ironic?). I decide to drive on the nail and am glad I did. The presentation went well, I met a cool girl in my surveying lab, and I got to apply to the school newspaper. I'm really happy that I may get the chance to write for the school paper. I liked writing for the paper at Mat-Su, and this one is a much bigger deal.

Well, I should try and make it to the tire store before they close, I have a nail in my tire after all.

Brandon

2005-09-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

September 11, 2005

It's September 11th today. Does it seem like four years have passed? If you watch the news it seems more like for decades have passed, they have long forgotten the 3000 innocent lives lost that day. For me, it feels more like four days. I can remember vividly the confusion of the day. I was at my shop, doing final preparation for my unit's deployment to the Mediterranean. I had no idea what was going on, I just remember people walking around talking about all these things they were hearing on the radio. My Gunny wouldn't let us go out to our cars and listen, so I was in the dark. It wasn't until lunch that I found out what was happening. The TV in the chow hall was on the usual news channel, but the news was anything but usual.

I can't begin to describe the feeling. I stared into the TV and realized that everything had just changed. I had been preparing to sail overseas for the past year. I'd heard the stories about all the stops we'd make for liberty. We were going out into the big friendly Mediterranean to stand guard on behalf of our country. Now, as I looked into the TV, I was coming to realize how our mission was changing. As I looked at that TV people were starting to consider how the country would react. It was obvious that there would be a place for the military in their plans, and being on the verge of a deployment, the 26th MEU would surely be included in the plans.

When it came time to leave that day, we were told to get our gear ready to leave in the morning. This was over a week before we were scheduled to leave. I made hasty arraignments to be ready to go in the morning. The morning came, and we were told to go to work. It turns out the initial plan for the 26th MEU was to go to NYC to assist in the recovery of the victims at the World Trade Center. This plan was scrapped when the sun came up on NYC to the sight of hundreds of volunteers ready to go to work. They had the heavy equipment that was required for the job; there was no need for our heavy equipment. We were put back on schedule to leave on the 19th of September.

We left on the 19th, knowing that at some point in the next few months we would be called upon to be part of whatever plan our country had made. We were called upon, and we carried out our mission. Now I'm sitting in a computer lab at a university library in Alaska. It still feels like only yesterday though. I can feel that same feeling in my stomach now that I had then. This is why I continue to support any effort to stop terrorism, wherever it is. Do we need to live through another September 11th? I don't need to, I'm ready to see an end put to terrorism now. I just wish there was more that we could do.

As a member of the military you are restricted to doing only what you are allowed to do. Your orders come down from above, and you choose how to carry out those orders, but you don't get to decide what those orders will be. When I was in the Marines, I wanted time and time again to get orders to go help people. I wanted orders to Somalia, to Kosovo, to Rwanda. I wanted orders to Iraq and Iran and Syria and Afghanistan and North Korea. In four years I spent 60 days doing what I was trained to do. The rest of the time I was simply training. This is what frustrated me the most about my time in the Marines. We had so much power, so much potential, but we were not allowed to use it. I could have helped people, if I had been given the chance.

Now that our military has the chance to carry out a mission, to help bring freedom to a part of the world that has never known freedom, what do we see? We see Americans becoming more and more impatient. They want an "Exit Strategy." They want our leaders to make a plan to remove our troops. They don't want our leaders to make a plan to provide a free and stable Iraq. This is exactly what the people in uniform want; the chance to leave a legacy of a free and stable Iraq. I wish we could all come together on this, speak with one voice to the world and say we will stand for nothing less. Instead we increasingly hear people saying all they want is our troops out of Iraq, damn the mission.

We have the opportunity to create something great in Iraq, to set a people free, let's not piss this chance away.

Brandon

2005-09-11T20:51:00.000-08:00

Back in the Computer Lab

I'm back in the computer lab. I am becoming a regular here. It seems that I often end up frustrated when I come here. Today I went to do my homework for my engineering class and found that it once again consisted of questions that require personal info or the making of lists. I'm not big on these types of questions. One asks me to write a page on why I chose to become an engineering major. Can you say, "None of your damn business!?!" Like I said, I'm feeling a little frustrated. I'm going to have to sit down and read the two chapters these questions are out of, so I have an idea about what answer is being looked for. I prefer to just answer the question and read later, this makes sure the homework is done even if I don't have time to finish the reading. My engineering professor insists on having the homework he assigns on Friday turned in on Tuesday, even though the class doesn't meet again until Friday. This means that I don't really have time to read what he assigns, don't forget I have five other classes to worry about...or is it six. Does the chemistry lab count as a class? It's a three hour class with its own homework, so I think that it should. Speaking of which, I haven't finished my lab homework yet. Not due 'till Thursday, so I have a little time. The big catch about time is that I have hockey Monday, Tuesday, and Wednsday nights this week. That doesn't leave much time in the evenings for studying. Thank God I made enough money this summer that I don't have to work.

Word on the street is I got the job at the Forestry office that I applied for. They haven't called my yet, but I live with the admin. lady, so I have access to certain information. This is refreshing, it means I have a job lined up for next summer and medical to boot. (This is where I started writing what is now the post above; felt like it deserved it's own post.)

Brandon

2005-09-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

Still Studying

I have a few moments before the computer lab closes. I have speant a few hours working here in the library on some of my homework. Since the library closes at 6:00 I will hvae to leave soon. I am nowhere near being done, but I can do a great deal of what I have left at home. I looked at the library schedule earllier and found out that although the library closes at 6:00 on Saturday, it stays open until 11:00 Sunday night. That's good information to have. Talked to a guy about studded tires today. They go on sale the 15th, so I am going to head in around then and get them put on. It seems so early for studs, it's sunny and warm out. I guess it wont last forever. Better get out of the library.

Brandon

2005-09-08T16:39:00.000-08:00

Working on Chemistry

I'm blogging while working on chemistry homework. One of the few times I can justify sitting down at a computer is when working on chemistry. All my chemistry homework is done online, so I am spending a great deal of time in front of a computer. Luckily the library here at school has a bunch of computers, so finding one is never an issue. I am in the library computer lab right now, although this is a place that I avoid. They keep the A/C cranked in here, so I usually try and work elsewhere. Right now all the other computers in the library are taken, so I am making due.

Today hasn't been busy. I had a technical writing class this morning where nothing happened and the rest of the day has been spent on homework. I did go to a meeting to join an engineering club. I'm hoping that I can improve in school by becoming more active. It can't hurt to know more people who are in the same classes, or who have already been through the same calsses.

I'm starting to feel hungry, but am waiting for my girlfriend to get out of class before I eat. It would be nice to go out to dinner with her. It shouldn't be too much longer...maybe a half an hour.

I've noticed that the comments left on my blog vary a great deal. There are some really nice things left by people who have obviously read at least some of what I have written. Other comments are just ads or downright rude. I don't really care, I just hope people realize that the comments can be left by anyone. They are often not things that I agree with or condone. If you are a person who wants to leave a negative comment on my blog; go ahead. I spent four years of my life making sure that you have that right...I'm not going to take it away.

Brandon

2005-09-07T21:58:00.000-08:00

Internet Issues

I'm sitting in my girlfriend's dorm room. She has really good internet access here, it's DSL. The internet at my house is out due to a dumb cable man. Once it's back operational I will be able to post more regularly. Right now I am barely able to use the internet enough to get my homework done. I have a great deal to say about that, but it'll have to wait until I get internet at the house. For now let it be known that I have made it through the initiation week here at school. My professors have promised a more relaxed environment, now it's time to stop flailing around and get to business. Speaking of wich, I am at my girlfriends dorm...gotta go.

Brandon

2005-08-30T14:13:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in the engineering computer lab at my college. The fact that I can use these computers is a surprise to me. It's something I learned today in my surveying class. Things are going well in school so far. I am happy to be away from the daily grind, and onto something that I fell is more productive. At least I am getting closer to my goal each day that I come to class.

A few of my classes are going to be challenging for me. I am glad that right now I am not working. This means that I have the rest of the day to concentrate on studying. This is good because I have a lot of studying to do. I feel like I'm way behind in Calculus and Chemistry at this point. I don't remember anything from Trig and it apperears that I will be needing the things that I learned in that class to pass Calc. Concerning Chemistry; I hope that I am not really as far behind as I appear. My professor assured me that I shouldn't have much trouble if I apply myself. I am definatly starting pretty much from scratch. I took a bunch of physics in high school, but not much chemistry. At least I am familiar with the scietific method.

There appers to be a spider living in this keyboard. He is hanging out on the "Wake" key at the moment. I gess I will leave his house alone.

Brandon

2005-08-29T22:07:00.000-08:00

Settling in to Anchorage

I am still alive and well. I have been busy getting settled into my new home. I started school today, it went well. I'll post more when I get internet at my home, I'm having a few problems. Things will slow down soon, I hope, and I will have more time to blog. Lots of stories and pictures (I got my new camera!!!).

Brandon

2005-08-24T14:10:00.000-08:00

Heading Out

Today’s the day. I am finally going home. I am more than ready to see everyone again. I can’t believe I got this home-sick in such a short amount of time. It was nothing to spend seven months over seas. I guess it’s all about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. The purpose of coming here was to advance myself in my current job. This is far less important to me than what I was doing on float. I think it would have been helpful if I was a little more busy the last couple of weeks. At any rate, this has been an informative assignment. I have learned a great deal and have had the opportunity to see a city I hadn’t seen before. I am now more baffled than ever by those who insist that going to college in Fairbanks is better than going in Anchorage. Not only is Fairbanks ridiculously colder than Anchorage, its downright boring. I will have to investigate further at some point.

I finished the "Matrix" movie that I started. I guess I’m glad I finally know how it all ends. I have closure. The other movie I had rented, "Be Cool" maybe, turned out to be a sequel…I think. Basically; I was very confused by this movie. I don’t think it was really all that bad, but I am unqualified to say for sure. Either way it killed some time last night. Once it was over I was able to get to sleep relatively quick. Now I am getting dangerously close to time to leave. I had better get this posted before I run out of time.

Brandon

2005-08-23T19:13:00.000-08:00

A Little About My Job

Suffering from a compete lack of inspiration at the moment. Perhaps I should describe my job. Tomorrow is actually my last day for the summer so it’s a little late, but whatever. I went into the local state forestry office looking for a job fighting wild fire. I wanted to be part of one of the firefighting crews up here. It just happened that May was too late in the year to get into one of the classes. After a discussion with the very helpful administrator at the front desk, I was set up with a chance to take a dispatching class. Not what I wanted, but I was assured it was a job that was in demand and paid well. I was a little uneasy when I found out that I was the only person in the class who was not already employed. When I brought up the concern, I was quickly assured the office in Palmer would have no problem finding a job for me. This in fact proved true. After finishing the class and submitting an application, I was called and asked to come and work. No interview, just strait to work. Works for me.

I went into a 12+ hour a day job, working seven days a week. This was a huge improvement over the job I had as an electrician. My company wasn’t letting us work overtime, and they paid several dollars less an hour. My job consisted of keeping folks updated with current information (resources, weather, etc.) and dispatching local fire resources in Palmer. This dispatching is like a simpler version of 911. We take calls and send fire trucks or helicopters to fight the fires. We keep track of what everyone does and get them whatever they want. After a month or so of doing this, I moved over to work with our aircraft. Again I was working with a radio, this time talking to planes flying all types of missions. Most flying was moving people or supplies. We also had air tankers that were dispatched from our office. This is the fun part of the job, making the big DC-6 tanker fly away.

I left all that glory behind 24 days ago. I came to Fairbanks to work in a logistics office. Out of this office I move people all over the state and country. Different areas send requests for people to fill whatever position they have open, and I find them the people they need. I have a pool that consist of the entire state of Alaska, and extends into the entire US via a central office in Idaho. There’s no radio here, just the computer, a fax machine, and the phone. These are the tools of my job. Once I have located the person needed to fill the position, it is my job to make whatever arraignments are required to get them where they’re going. This usually consists of a phone call to the travel agent.

Tomorrow will be my last day in this position. I head back to school and will hopefully return to my office in Palmer when school is out. I also hope to have the chance to work in my electrician job on my days off, like I did this year. We’ll see if they want to give me the work; it makes for a long summer, but a profitable one.

Brandon

2005-08-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

A Movie, a Phone, and Laundry

Didn’t get to finish my movie last night. Besides the fact that "Matrix Revolutions" is a really long movie, I had some distractions. Actually one distraction…my phone. Not that I am complaining, I would rather be talking with a friend than watching a movie. There was also laundry to distract me, but that wasn’t a big deal. Once I found detergent that is. The barracks office issues detergent, but by the time I made it down there it was closed. By chance a lady with whom I have been to the bar came into the lobby area and I asked if she knew where I could find detergent. She offered me the use of hers, so I followed to her room. Detergent in hand I set out to conquer my dirty laundry!

Anyway…after getting my laundry in I made my first call. My cousin didn’t answer. On to option two; Shaughna did answer. Shaughna and I talked for a while, good conversation about nothing. Sometimes the best thing to talk about is nothing. My cousin tried calling while I was talking to Shaughna, I don’t ever pick up the call waiting...I don’t even know why I have it, ‘cause it’s free I guess. So after ending the conversation with Shaughna I called my cousin. Short conversation. She wanted to know the whereabouts of a key and a garage door opener. With that out of the way, I started the movie. After about an hour and a half my phone started ringing again. This time it was my girlfriend. After about 20 minutes of conversation I shut the movie off and laid down. We continued to talk until I was ready to pass out, then we said goodnight and I went to sleep. All in all it was a good night.

Brandon

p.s. I did get my laundry done amidst all that.

2005-08-22T19:04:00.000-08:00

Just Another Day

Once again I find myself staring into this computer screen. I have been here for...23 days (had to count). Thankfully I have only one full day left. I am ready to return to my "normal" life. I will be back just in time to undergo another major change. Thankfully this change is a welcomed one. I am finally moving to Anchorage to attend UAA. I have been living in the Mat-Su Valley for the past two years. It's a beautiful area, but there is a severe lack of things to do. I should specify...there is a severe lack of things to do in winter. If a person does not own a snowmachine (snowmobile for any outsiders), there is little to do. Dog sledding requires dogs, and skiing requires light (something that is limited in Alaskan winters). A person who works days (during the few hours of daylight) has very few options of entertainment after hours. I am hopeful that Anchorage will prove more entertaining.

My last three movie choices were not worth spending much time on. I watched "Spanglish," "Starsky and Hutch," and "Mr. Deeds." I don't have any desire to see any of these movies again. My next two offerings will be "Matrix Revolutions," and "Be Cool." I am not expecting much from either of these movies. I've seen the first two "Matrix" movies. The first was better than the second. Other than that...Shaughna and my cousin Jen have both called today, so I must return those calls. Also I have decided to do my laundry tonight...pack tomorrow...leave Wednesday. I hope my life becomes more exciting soon.

Brandon

2005-08-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

Some Motivational Shots of Operation Enduring Freedom
Courtesy of 26th MEU combat camera.

2005-08-22T10:36:00.001-08:00

Some Thoughts on Idiots

I can’t begin to imagine where these people come from. I’m talking about the likes of Cindy Sheehan and her friends. The media is still feeling the need to give her and her supporters a national voice, and every time I hear from them I feel more confounded. What experience in their lives lead them to believe that leaving a defenseless people surrounded by their enemies to fend for themselves was a good idea? This kind of policy has come back to bite us in the ass again and again, and yet here they are calling for it once more. Where were Sheehan and her friends in 1991 when we encouraged the Kurds in Iraq to rise up against Saddam? Did they not see what happened to them because they trusted us? They believed that they had our support, and what happened? We sat back and watched them get slaughtered by a madman!!! Were Sheehan and her friends just not paying attention? Did they not see what price these people paid for trusting us? Now they call for us to remove our troops from Iraq. Now they want us to leave these people in the valley of the shadow of death with no one to watch their backs? Our troops have marched through that valley many times before; they can guide the Iraqis through. The terrorists inside of Iraq are already massacring the patriots of that nation. If we leave the Tigris and Euphrates will flow red. They will flow with the blood of freedom fighters let loose by those who would enslave the people of Iraq in the extremist Muslim bondage that they hope to someday impose upon us.

Our country has failed in diplomacy enough times; we have paid a dear price for our failures. When Ho Chi Minh asked for our help to free his people after WWII from French colonialism we failed to act. We had supported a free Vietnam when they were fighting Japan, but after the war we turned our backs on Vietnam. We funded the return of the French to a country that could have been an alley in the East. We chose the allegiance of France over the freedom of Vietnam. Now we have the allegiance of neither, and have paid the price of Vietnam with American blood.

We can ignore our Nation’s mistakes or we can learn from them. We have stabbed allies in the back before and paid the price. If we heed the words of the grieving mother, desperate to bring meaning to the death of her son, we will once again cause devastation to befall an alley. Removing our troops from Iraq will not bring them peace. They will be attacked by the terrorists who have been hardened in this conflict wherever they go. The freedom fighters in Iraq will be slaughtered, and our country will once again have the blood of patriots on its hands.

Brandon

2005-08-21T17:45:00.000-08:00

Brief Update

My day is winding down. I thought I'd make a short post before I headed out. The weather here has made a drastic change. It's now overcast and raining. The sun had been somewhat blocked out by the smoke, and now it is just gone. I can't tell how much smoke is hanging out, or if any is. The people here are hoping that this is a permanent change of weather. We could have our fires put out the natural way. Either way I'm out of here Wednesday and my fire season will be over. Right on.

Brandon

2005-08-21T00:15:00.000-08:00

My Beginnings in the Marines

The day is getting off to a slow start. I hope it stays that way. I like busy days, but Sunday is not a good day to be busy. My job consists of trying to find people to work at a moment's notice. This is not a good thing to try and do on a Sunday. I hate to call around to people who are at home on a Sunday to ask if they want to go work on a fire. It's much better to do all that on the weekdays, when I can call people at work.

Since things are slow, I think this would be a good chance to write a little about my time in the Marines. I guess the story starts in Oregon, the fall after I graduated high school. I started college at the local community college in Salem, and had a miserable semester. About the only class I did well in was the writing class I took. It hadn't occurred to me that in my other classes I would have to put out an effort to pass. In high school, effort was never required. I got abysmal grades that first semester. In addition I had foolishly fallen for a girl who had other things in mind. I was too short and had the wrong eye and hair color for her, so my friendship with her was impossible to maintain. Simply put, I was frustrated in my situation and was looking for a way out. The out I was looking for came in the form of a phone call from a recruiter.

I had decided before that the only branch of service I would join was the Marine Corps. My grandfather had been a Marine, and the more I learned about them the more I respected them. The recruiter that called me was a Marine recruiter, and he told me of this thing called the "reserves." I hadn't realized before that the Marines had reserves, and was now very interested. Next thing I knew I was in the recruiter's office, and was learning all about the Marines. It wasn't long before I forgot about the reserve thing, and was looking at the options of active duty. The idea attracted me. It was a chance to get away and to move out of my mom's house. I think that there was one extra strong draw for me.

I'm from a single parent household. I have one older sister and one younger. I was raised by my mom, with limited male interaction. I had a stepfather for a couple of years when I was around ten, but other than that the men in my life had all been friends and neighbors. I can't complain about the quality of my young life, my mother could not have been any more loving and supportive. However, when I reached my adult life, I felt that something was missing. I didn't know how to be a man, I was deathly afraid of someday having children. How could I be a father? As I sat in the recruiter's office, I realized that I had a chance to learn about being a man. I had a chance to see what it's like to have brothers, to have male role-models. This alone would have been enough to get me to sign up.

Now that I have described why I joined, I must address a sensitive issue. Do recruiters lie? Honestly, what I was told about the Marines was true. There is a brotherhood, we can accomplish anything because of the Marine standing to our left and right. There is a bond that ties us together and although we don't always get along, I know I can count on my fellow Marine to do everything in his power to protect me. I know this because I would do anything in my power to protect my fellow Marine. This being said, the details of my enlistment didn't match what I had been told in the recruiter's office.

I initially signed up as a combat engineer. After learning more about what it was a combat engineer did, I had a change of heart. I went back into the recruiter's office to change my MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) to the 0300 field...infantry. This did not make my recruiter happy. My ASVAB scores were high, much higher than average. After asking for my MOS change, the head of the recruiting station called me into his office and went to work on me. He told me that there were no available positions in the 0300 field for months. I would not be able to go to boot camp when I had planned to. He talked to me then about his MOS. He had been a radio operator. He showed me pictures of himself with the infantry platoon he served with. He explained to me how as a radio operator I could serve with an infantry platoon and still learn a marketable skill. What he told me made sense, and I respected him enough to value his opinion. I would go in as a radio operator.

As things progressed, I became concerned about where I would be stationed. I was aware that there was a policy in the Marines that required me to serve a year overseas. This didn't concern me, I was more concerned with the possibility of being stationed on the East Coast. The farthest east I had ever been was Ohio. My family was on the West Coast, I had no family on the East Coast, and didn't want to be that far away. My recruiters explained to me that since I didn't want to be stationed on the East Coast, it shouldn't be a problem for me to stay in the West. I was being recruited on the West Coast, boot camp was on the West Coast, radio operator school was on the West Coast, it didn't make any sense to send me to the East Coast for anything. In addition I was told that it was a common practice to give the best performing students in MOS school their choice of duty station.

The first time I sensed something amiss with what I was told by my recruiters was the day I signed the contract for my MOS. It's possible to get a "guaranteed" MOS in the Marines, so when you choose your MOS you sign a contract with that choice on it. The recruiter pointed out the code showing what MOS I had chosen on this contract, but my eyes caught another MOS code further down the contract. I asked my recruiter what it was, and he explained that a secondary MOS is assigned with every contract, and the Marine Corps makes the final decision of what MOS you will be assigned based on needs. He assured me that it was rare for an MOS to be changed, and as long as I let it be know what I wanted things would be fine.

Fast forward past bootcamp to Marine Combat Training. It is at this two week school that Marines are assigned their MOS. From this school we go directly to our MOS school. It was one of the first couple of days there when we lined up to hear our MOS read off. When my name was called I heard 1141. "What the hell is 1141?" I went over to the MOS list on one of the walls, and looked up 1141. I found 1141 listed as "Basic Electricain." This was not a happy moment. When working on cars in shop class the thing I hated the most was wiring. I have very strong feelings about electricity. I hate being shocked, I hate wires, I hate little electrical components that always have tiny screws that fall out and can never again be found. I knew right away I would hate being an electrician. I joined the Marines to fire weapons, to go for long walks in the woods, to sleep in the mud under the stars, these are not things electricians do!!!

My shock was doubled when I looked to see where the school for electricians was located. Courthouse Bay NC. WHERE?!?! What's NC stand for? North Carolina!!! Where is North Carolina?!?! The reality of the answer to this question hit hard. I'm not supposed to be leaving the West Coast. How am I being sent all the way to the East Coast? Not only the East Coast, but the SOUTH!!!! A confederate state!!! There must have been a mistake. I went to the SGT left in charge of us and found out who I needed to talk to about getting this corrected. After discussing the problem with this man (a discussion that lasted about five seconds). I found out that this was simply the way things were, and there was no way to change it.

I settled into this reality, and decided that I would be the best possible student I could be. I would go to North Carolina (hadn't been there before..could be fun), and I would finish school at the top of my class. I would request to be stationed on the West Coast, and they would send me there because I would have proved my worth.

I went to North Carolina. I was open-minded...I had a good time...and I did my very best in school. As class wound down, I was a fraction of a percentage point behind the number one student in the class. This was impressive since most of the class was made up of reservists who were sophomores and juniors in college. Here I was, the college drop out and I was beating their pants off. I was sure I was going to get my choice of duty stations. The moment of truth came, and the instructor started down the list of the students. Nobody in the class had chosen East Coast, and as she went through the list each student was getting their choice. It was a combination of Okinawa and California. The list was alphabetical, myself being a "T" I was second from last on the list. When she got to my name I heard: 8th ESB, main side. HUH? I needed a little clarification. What's 8th ESB, and where's main side?

The answer: 8th Engineer Support Battalion...Camp Lejeune NC. I was floored. This being a duty station within the US, it was a three year deal. The next three years I would be stuck in North Carolina. Why? Because my name fell second to last alphabetically. Both myself and the person after me got the same assignment. My performance in the class meant crap...my future would not be determined by my performance, simply by where I fell in alphabetical order. This realization would make the next couple of years very difficult. I will have to wait to explain that.

Now I will answer the question from earlier. Did my recruiter lie? I truly believe he told me exactly what he believed. He thought things were done differently than they were in reality. Had he known this I believe he would have prepared me better. My recruiter didn't try and sugar-coat the Marines. He never told me I wouldn't go to war. He told me that every Marine is a rifleman, that every Marine should be prepared to go to war. This was fine with me and that's why I joined, not because I was lied to. I am insanely proud of my service. My time in the Marine Corps did so much for me I can't even begin to describe it. It was not easy, but I got over my childish attachment to home, and I became who I am today. This is just the story of how I got here.

For those who say their recruiter didn't tell them they would have to go to war I say: Are you fucking stupid?!? What did you think the military did? I don't believe for a second your recruiter told you that roasting marshmallows by a campfire and telling scary stories was all that you would be doing. If the recruiter did tell you something that ridiculous you should have had enough sense to see through it. Don't cry because you were stupid enough to fall for it. If you were so opposed to war, what the hell were you doing in the recruiter's office. Did you not pay attention to what you were saying when you were sworn in. Nothing about marshmallows and scary stories in the oath. Quit making shit up just because your a spineless coward.

Brandon

2005-08-20T17:20:00.000-08:00

Some More Pics

Here is a shot of my unit in Afghanistan. I'm in the shot, but I can't remember where.
Here are some of the Marines I deployed with. This was taken while the ship was passing through the Suez Canal.

(Note: this was not the ship I was on)
This was our camp in Egypt.
A shot of an Egyptian city.
This is the ship I deployed on: The USS Bataan (LHD 5).

2005-08-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

Oops, I almost forgot...

Shaughna wanted an update on the flick. "Guess Who" was a really funny movie. I like that it was humorous, and at the same time tackled a few issues. Like I said it made me think of my significant other, because it was a very romantic movie. I think you fun the gamut of emotions while watching. I would recommend it and (the ultimate compliment) would watch it again (maybe we should rent it when I get back). I might even consider buying it...when it gets down around $10.00. Anyone who pays full price for a movie...well I just have to question their sanity (although after renting twice...$6.00...and buying...$10.00...one would have already paid almost full price). Anyway...I rented "Spanglish" and "Starsky and Hutch" for tonight. I'll keep you posted.

Brandon

2005-08-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

What a Night

Last night started out great, but ended very badly. After getting off of work I went back to the barracks (my normal routine) and I called a friend of mine. The one I am going camping with when I get back. We had a really good conversation. I've known her for a while, but just started hanging out with her outside of work recently. She has given up on her group of friends, seeing that the path they were on was a dead end, and she has been lonely. This works out because my cousin, whom I used to spend a great deal of time with, moved to Oregon. In addition to losing the companionship of my cousin, she took my dog with her as I could not house him this school year. That's two close friends gone. This pretty much left my girlfriend as my only close friend still in the area...But she moved into Anchorage for the summer, so seeing her has been difficult. Most nights in Wasilla I was at work, so this made little difference, but on the slow days when I got off early, I was left pretty lonely. So the addition of a new friend to my life was a welcomed one. Especially since she respects my relationship with my girlfriend and just wants to hang out, nothing more.

So after my conversation on the phone, I sat down to watch "Guess Who." Aside from this being a really funny movie, it also had some pretty romantic parts to it. I found myself thinking about my girlfriend through most of the movie. The way the two main characters behaved, it just reminded me of our relationship. This put me in the mood to talk to my girlfriend. Since she works evenings, we only get to talk after 11:30 or so. This worked out since it was after 11:30 when the movie ended. So I laid down and gave her a call...No answer. She has caller ID, and could have been still at work...driving...sleeping...whatever, so I didn't worry and just turned out my light to go to sleep. I knew eventually she would call back.

Just as I was dozing off, my phone rang. Being that I was so near asleep, I was momentarily confused. Then I realized where I was, and that it was my phone that was waking me up, and I fumbled for it in the dark for a while. I finally got it to my ear, and it was immediately obvious why she hadn't answered her phone. I could hear the loud music and voices before I even said "Hello." My girlfriend turned 21 in July, and has been experimenting with bars since. This would be fine, but she has been going about it in the wrong way (in my humble opinion). Besides, I'm not into bars, and liked her because she wasn't either. So the first time she called me from the bar, I thought it would be an isolated incident. That's why I didn't panic when she told me she was hanging out with the "guys" from work. She's always been responsible and faithful, so I didn't worry. However, when this started to become a regular thing, I decided it was time to introduce myself to the "guys."

One night after work a couple weeks ago (when I had the next day off), I called her and found her at the bar again. This was the chance I wanted, so I got out of bed, and took the hour long drive into Anchorage. What I found did not make me happy. My girlfriend was at the bar sitting with two guys on her left, and one on her right. The guys were all obviously older than 21, and they were really quiet after I got there. In addition, my girlfriend was drunk...really drunk. I am not stupid, I have been in the shoes of these guys before, I know what was up. She was with three guys, she had driven herself, she was on the other side of town from where she lives, and she was way too drunk to drive. I got the feeling that they had been playing the "I bet you can't keep up with me" game with her. There was no way she was going to keep up without getting trashed, they all had at least 40lbs on her. These guys were just waiting till last call to tell her she was too drunk to drive, and she should come home with them. I was really glad that I had shown up. I took her to a hotel for the night, and then we talked about it later. Actually, she brought it up. She told me one night that she felt she needed to be more careful around them, not get so drunk they could take advantage. I agreed and told her I had reservations about them also. This obviously didn't work.

Last night I immediately regretted picking up the phone. My girlfriend couldn't hear me over all the noise, and some ass hole in the background was shouting crap at me. I went from near-sleep to rage in seconds. I wish I hadn't been hundreds of miles away with no transportation, 'cause I would have been at that bar stomping heads as fast as I could get there. This son of a bitch has the nerve to shout shit at me? Of course he does, he's out with my girlfriend and had a better chance of getting in her pants last night than I did. After less than a minute of not being able to hear each other, and her trying to shush the ass hole in the background, she said she would call me back later. I told her not to bother. This ends today.

2005-08-18T19:03:00.000-08:00

A Little Bit of Everything

I have spent a great deal of the day reading one of my favorite blogs. Since I am new to the world of blogs I am simply going as far back as I can and then reading towards the present. I have read all of Sgt.Lizzy that way, and now I am reading TCOverride. I would very much recommend both blogs as there is an amazing amount of great information in them. They have also been going at it for months and I share many of their opinions, I just haven't gotten them out yet. If you are completely unfamiliar with these blogs, both of the bloggers have been injured in explosions in Iraq, and the blogging has continued after the injuries in both cases.

On to other news...I watched "Hotel Rwanda" last night. I would hoighly recommend this movie. It is not the most well made movie ever (poor special effects), but it tells a story that we just don't hear. "Tears of the Sun" is another movie that deals with these issues (much better special effects), but the two movies go at it from different angles. The most notable difference (aside from Americans kicking ass) is the lack of white folk in "Hotel Rwanda." This is an important fact, because instead of rooting for the classic Caucasian American hero (i.e. Bruce Willis), you find yourself rooting for the black African. In this time of increased diversity and political correctness, it would seem natural to root for a black victory. Instead I found that this seemed initially foreign. I think that the hero being African, and not African-American made a substantial difference, as I kept picturing the starving refugee commercials from daytime TV. The genocide in Rwanda, Somalia and the Sudan have been treated with the same channel-surfing attitude that the "Feed the Children" commercials receive. I could see it argued that all modern-day genocides have received this treatment, as many have, but this falls apart when we take a look at the Balkans. The sight of genocide against white Europeans in Kosovo was too much for Americans to bear. We stepped (or really just flew...remember the massive bombing campaign) into the middle of this confrontation while we were unwilling to do the same for the genocides committed in African nations...In other words; I recommend watching this movie, and doing some soul searching after.

Another subtle change of subject... The sky is beginning to grey. It appears that our blue skies will be gone soon. Back to sucking smoke all day. It's a good thing that I have only six days left here. I will be looking forward to getting back to the clean Mat-Su air. This has been a revealing experience, but I will be glad to move on. I have an interview tomorrow, I have to constantly remind myself of this out of fear of forgetting. At 2:30 tomorrow afternoon I will be doing a phone interview with my home unit in Palmer for a position that they have open in the dispatch office I have been working in. I don't know that I have explained that I am a temporary employee with the State. I am what is known as an EFF (Emergency Fire Fighter). I was called in at the beginning of summer, and have been busy through the whole summer; luckily (it has been a busy season for wild land fire). I am, however, in no way guaranteed any work as I am not a regular State employee. If I get this job, I will be part of the permanent seasonal staff. I will be guaranteed employment next summer. I will keep you posted.

2005-08-18T09:49:00.000-08:00

Smoke Free?

This morning I came out of the barracks and found beautiful blue skies. For the moment the smoke is gone. Don't ask me where it went, because the fires are not out, but it's gone. It's such a welcomed change from the last week. Just yesterday I was saying that I would be leaving Fairbanks before the smoke, and I believed it. This morning I will enjoy this patch of blue sky out my window, for however long it lasts.

2005-08-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

My Busy Life

Today has actually been busy. I have been working on several orders and have has sucess in finding people to fill them with. Transportation has been today's headache though. I can find people, but I can't get them to the fires due to the smoke. The planes just don't do well when the pilots can't see. It's funny that the reason we can't fight the fires is that there is too much smoke, seems a little ironic or something. Now things have calmed a little, and I am able to put some thoughts down. I watched a movie last night to pass time. It was the new triple X movie with Ice Cube. It was better than I thought it would be, better than the origional. Today I rented "Hotel Raxanda" and "Guess Who." I'll watch one tonight, this is my adventurouse life. I don't have my Jeep, so I can't get into too much trouble. When I get home I will be ready to run wild. I am looking forward to a camping trip that I have planned with a friend from work. I planned on hiking up to a spot that I camped at last year with my cousin. This year I am planning on a three day trip, not two day like last year. We are hiking to Mint Hut up the Mint Glacier Trail. It's an amazing 8 mile one way hike. It was a little much for a two day trip though, three will be much better. The trail goes up a valley for seven miles, and then when the end of the valley is reached, the trail turns up one of the mountains for the last mile. It's a good climb to get up to the Mint Hut, and it's worth it. The view is amazing, and it's a perfect spot to camp. I'll post pictures after the trip.

Here is my dog and me on Mint Trail last year.

2005-08-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

Learning to Blog

I am new at this blogging thing, so I lost the post I had written when I tried to add pictures. So I posted the one below. I hope you enjoy the shots of BFE. They were not fun to get, Egypt was pretty miserable. This was just weeks after the September 11th terror attacks. It was an interesting time, and I will have to post some shots with me in them when I get back to my pictures. I'm sure I will have some Egypt stories later.

Back to the present, today has been the day of power-outages. The power has gone out twice in the office. Both times I was working on orders and had to shut my computer down. This was annoying, as the programs we use are a pain to log into. The government hired some lame company to design a multi-million dollar program to manage all of the wild-fire resources in the nation. Surprise, the program sucks. Couple the inefficiency of the program with the inability of government employees to learn anything new, and you get constant chaos. What a joy.

2005-08-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a shot of "Beautiful" Egypt. Not my idea of a vacation destination.
Welcome to the life of an Electrician in the Marine Corps. No, that's not me, it's one of the Marines I worked with. He's a jittery red-head who would be pissed if I used his name. By the way, those sea bags are full of wires and weigh about 60-80 lbs apiece.
This shot shows how blue the water was, and how white the sand was. Amazing the water is that blue with all the sewage being pumped into it by the town nearby. I am not in the picture, and my ship used LCAC's (Landing Craft Air Cushioned), and not this kind of landing craft. Advantage: no need to get wet with an LCAC.
Another shot of the Egyptian beach.
A friend of mine was in this LVS when it rolled over. Thank you Egypt engineers who are clue-less about building roads. The shoulder gave out and the LVS just rolled on over. Nobody hurt, thank God.

2005-08-16T08:50:00.000-08:00

Reactions from the News

I just finished reading a few of the morning news posts, and have to say: "what the heck is going on?" For the second time in less than a week a plane has fallen from the sky and killed over a hundred people. The first in Greece, today's was in Venezuela. Very far apart, but in both cases the planes were full of Europeans. What a devastating blow for both Greece and France. I hope this trend ends here.
In other news, Cindy Sheehan is still making headlines in her struggle to disgrace the memory of her son. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, Sheehan regretfully lost her son in the war in Iraq and now demands to speak with the President, again (she already spoke with him once). Basically; she is a war protester who is using the death of her son to make headlines. Her husband is now filing for divorce. I can't support the move, as I do not agree with divorce, but I can understand. This woman has used the memory of her son's death to push herself to the forefront of the anti-war (or anti-freedom) movement. Form what I have read, her family is adamantly opposed to her madness, which shows an obvious fact in America. Although many people may support the President, or at least are neutral, it's the groups that are opposed to the President that make headlines. Not because the media is biased as much as because that is where the news is.
Anyway, this is not a political blog, so I will get off the soap box. I just got worked up by the news this morning.

2005-08-15T18:38:00.000-08:00

Getting Smoky Again

I am back from dinner, lasagna, not my favorite. The food here is not too bad. I get three squares provided by the Feds because I am outside of my home dispatch in Palmer. It sure saves me a lot of money on food, and the meals are balanced and often very good. The smoke has rolled back in, in force! Although this is the land of the midnight sun, it's dusk at 7:30 due to smoke. Those in charge of our aircraft are slightly panicked as landing in 1/4 mile visibility is frankly impossible. Flights will be canceled and diverted. This better be gone by the 24th when I am scheduled to go home. I doubt that the smoke will stop the commercial flights at the international airport though, they have electronic tools to take care of them.
I go off duty in less than 30 minutes, I am currently working twelve hour shifts so quitting time is important. I will snap some pictures of the smoke and post them once I get my film developed. Yes I am using a film camera, not a digital, it's actually a disposable I picked up on my day off. I ordered a digital the other day, but am having it delivered to my Wasilla address so I will not have it until I get home on the 24th. I do have some pictures I can pull off of my computer to post, but I'll have to check and get back to you. I think that's enough typing for today, I'll put more history up tomorrow.

2005-08-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

About Me

Since work has yet again died down, I have a minute to write a little about myself. As the title of my blog suggests I am a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. I am 25 y/o as of July 1, although I do not love that fact. Aging isn't what bothers me, I feel and look far younger than I am, it's that I expected to be at a different place in my life at 25. I was hoping for family & career by now, I am facing being single and a student. It's not that I am unhappy with my life, just feel there should be more. Not to matter, this is what I have and I will make the most of it. I am a college student with 60+ credits who is four years from his degree. I chose civil engineering as a degree, so much of what I have taken so far in college is almost irrelevant. The general ed. Requirements that I have taken will count later on, but they wont reduce the amount of time between now and the finish line. They will reduce the number of credit-hours I will have to take my junior and senior years. Although to keep the GI Bill I have to maintain 12 credit hours, so that will be my minimum. I can hardly imagine only 12 credit hours. My last two semesters were 16 and 17, and Fall will be 18!!
In regards to my military service, I complete four honorable years of Marine Corps service in January of 2003. This was right around the kick-off time of Operation Iraqi Freedom (a fact that I'm sure I will write many blogs about in the future). I served the first two years of my enlistment under Clinton (oops), and the next two under Bush, amazing improvement. Although from Oregon and assured that I would be stationed in California, I spent almost my entire four years at Camp Lejeune North Carolina. My MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) was 1141, electrician. This was not my choice, but I'm sure that is something that will be the subject of another blog.
While at Camp Lejeune I served under 2nd Force Service Support Group, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Support Company, Utilities Platoon. For many reasons, this was not the best possible situation, but that will be a very long blog. Luckily for 16 months I was able to escape my home unit and serve with the 26th Marine Expiditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). This was a welcomed change of scenery, and was especially significant as our deployment began September 19th of 2001. We were among the first to be deployed after the terrorist attacks of September the 11th, and were the first Marines to enter Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.
In addition to my exploits with the Marine Corps, I spent my time in North Carolina volunteering with the Jacksonville Volunteer Rescue Squad. I was a rescue technician and an EMT. This was necessary due to the lack of excitement in my MOS. I just couldn't get my fix as an electrician.
Hey, it's dinner time!!! I better run, maybe will continue after dinner.

2005-08-15T16:02:00.000-08:00

Living in the Dark

I work in the darkest office ever. It's not bad when they turn the lights on, but the last few days it has been blasphemous to turn the lights on. I know, yesterday I turned the lights on and got to see the dirty looks and gestures. My corner is especially dark as the sun avoids my windows. The only light in the area is the glow of my computer screen. I so miss my usual office in Palmer. We have a wall of windows that faces the runway and some of the most beautiful mountains in the world. I can literally look out the window with binoculars and see a glacier. Here I see some trees up close, and the smoke-filled sky in the distance.

2005-08-15T13:42:00.000-08:00

First Entry

I have been enjoying several blogs that I stumbled along the last few days, and have decided to give blogging a try myself. I am currently sitting at work waiting for the next crisis to hit. I am a logistics dispatcher who must spend long hours killing time waiting for a need to arise. Someone must be here to fill the personnel orders when they come, and right now that person is me. It's a good job, I make good money and don't over-work myself often. There are days when my job requires a great deal of work, but most are filled with waiting for the next order. I pass the time reading news and stories online and listening to my new ipod. At the moment I have only 50 songs on my ipod and am getting a little tired of hearing them over and over, (I bought an ipod to not have to hear the same songs over and over) but I don't have my CD's with me here in Fairbanks and can't download music on the Govt. Computer. I have my laptop, but don't have the means to log onto the internet with it. I will deal with my 50 songs for now, and if it becomes more than I can handle, I will have to buy one or two CD's. This is turning into one long ramble, so I should split and try again later. More details about me later.