A while back, and I mean a while back like ten months ago before I even got in country, our supply had ordered some printers. They arrived around six weeks ago and just recently were added to our inventory. So now, I can finally distribute some printers to the various post offices that I've been promising that we'd get out to them.
We have lots of Soldiers that go out to the FOBs for various postal reasons, and so I'm going to oversee the task of them carrying my printers out. However, not every location has constant visitors and so it falls on the S6 to deliver them.
"But you are the Post Offices," you say? "Why don't you just mail them out?" Well, sometimes things in the mail go missing. Especially electronics. And while it would make my life a little easier, it would also make my life a little more dull. I don't want to be responsible for the $800 check the Government will be wanting when a printer goes missing, and I also want to get off of KAF every now and then.
So, earlier this week I grabbed a Soldier who wasn't overly busy and we went out to one of the more distant FOBs. Distant enough, that I took a plane instead of a helicopter, or as we call it fixed-wing instead of rotary. I was pretty tired that day, and it was hot. I sweated enough that I had water droplets falling from my body armor. It's hard work wearing 120 lbs of gear, plus carrying a heavy printer in the scorching heat.
Our box tore, and I cut my finger pretty bad. But we finally got loaded into the plane, and I almost instantly fell asleep. I was woken up long enough to be asked if I wanted some water, and regretfully, I declined. I fell back to sleep and was rudely awoken to the plane taking off.
The planes don't do gentle take-offs and landings like they do in the civilian world. These guys ramp up the engines with the brakes locked, and then release into a sudden rush of g forces that almost had me tumbling like a circus midget. It's a good thing I was fastened down. Once we stopped climbing (which seemed to take forever) I was back to sleep. I woke up to some turbulence, sweating profusely and some mild nausea wishing I had some water.
It was good to see the Soldiers that were stationed out there. They work all day, seven days a week without any type of break. We got stuck out there an extra day and so ended up helping them with their job and I think they appreciated getting done faster, but it was a single day respite. It was a break from my S6 duties back on KAF, but I knew that all of my duties would be waiting for me, piling up, while I was gone.
We setup the printer the first day that we were there. But ended up killing it, because the manual said it would take 220 volts, but the printer did not. So after having hauled the printer out, we had to bring it right back. Hopefully, it can be repaired. And then we have to go right back out again. Ridiculous.
The best part of leaving KAF is the food. Seriously, when a DFAC has to cook for a fifth of the number of patrons, the food improves immensely! And they had ice cream, and A&W root beer. So I had cookies and cream the first night, and a root beer float the second. I'm sure I gained a few pounds while I was out, but then sweated it all off walking around in my gear.
:)
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Working
Today I went in to work three hours early. The ID Card section that falls under us had issues with their vsat yesterday. Their office opens their doors at 0600 and so I was there shortly afterwards to get them back up and running. A VSAT is a portable satellite that provides a connection to the Army's network. It is somewhat collapsible and provides a very slow connection, but it is its own connection and isn't going to run into the same firewall issues that they would normally if they were to connect into the base's network.
The VSAT went down sometime yesterday. I was off work and had gone to the gym. I didn't take my cell phone and they called me about twenty times! Ruiz (one of the Soldiers assigned to me) even came by the gym looking for me but didn't find me. He tried to resolve the issue himself, but was unsuccessful and by the time that I got back to the barracks, the ID Card Team had already gone home for the night.
And so I came in early to make sure that they were going to be up and running today. They're job is important even if it's relevance isn't mainstream. They provide a support service that keeps everyone's cards functional and up to date. But, by the time that I had arrived the issue had righted itself. When they booted up the computer that manages the VSAT & the little VSAT network, it came online, did a check and auto connected to the orbital satellite. I was a little saddened that I had gone out of my way to assist only to have nothing to do. But the lazy in me was glad that I didn't have to do anything too.
Afterwards, while on my walk over to the RMDC (Regional Mail Distribution Center, AKA Postal Warehouse) I was reflecting on a few things. I was momentarily startled by a very loud POOMP POOMP POOMP POOMP POOMP in very rapid succession followed by the accompanying KABLAMOs. Almost directly above me was some type of plane shooting something on the ground. I watched it a little bit, saw the puffs of smoke that would trail behind it, like it was a little dotted line trail. A few seconds would pass before the shots were heard, and then another second or two before the explosions on the ground were heard. Was somewhat intriguing.
But before the plane disrupted my thinking, I was pondering the great scheme of things. Like, what is the chemical process for storing milk in a box and why does it alter the taste as much as it does?
Lol. I was thinking that being the NCOIC of S6 kind of sucks sometimes. Mostly because I'm always on call. I was at the gym and they came looking for me because they couldn't reach me on my Roshan. I've been called in to work on my days off, before work and after. It is a pretty demanding job, but oddly, I enjoy it. And the days just keep flying by.
The VSAT went down sometime yesterday. I was off work and had gone to the gym. I didn't take my cell phone and they called me about twenty times! Ruiz (one of the Soldiers assigned to me) even came by the gym looking for me but didn't find me. He tried to resolve the issue himself, but was unsuccessful and by the time that I got back to the barracks, the ID Card Team had already gone home for the night.
And so I came in early to make sure that they were going to be up and running today. They're job is important even if it's relevance isn't mainstream. They provide a support service that keeps everyone's cards functional and up to date. But, by the time that I had arrived the issue had righted itself. When they booted up the computer that manages the VSAT & the little VSAT network, it came online, did a check and auto connected to the orbital satellite. I was a little saddened that I had gone out of my way to assist only to have nothing to do. But the lazy in me was glad that I didn't have to do anything too.
Afterwards, while on my walk over to the RMDC (Regional Mail Distribution Center, AKA Postal Warehouse) I was reflecting on a few things. I was momentarily startled by a very loud POOMP POOMP POOMP POOMP POOMP in very rapid succession followed by the accompanying KABLAMOs. Almost directly above me was some type of plane shooting something on the ground. I watched it a little bit, saw the puffs of smoke that would trail behind it, like it was a little dotted line trail. A few seconds would pass before the shots were heard, and then another second or two before the explosions on the ground were heard. Was somewhat intriguing.
But before the plane disrupted my thinking, I was pondering the great scheme of things. Like, what is the chemical process for storing milk in a box and why does it alter the taste as much as it does?
Lol. I was thinking that being the NCOIC of S6 kind of sucks sometimes. Mostly because I'm always on call. I was at the gym and they came looking for me because they couldn't reach me on my Roshan. I've been called in to work on my days off, before work and after. It is a pretty demanding job, but oddly, I enjoy it. And the days just keep flying by.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
All Clear
Rocket attacks are often something laughed at here. I'm on the Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, in case you didn't know. We just got hit tonight with a rocket. A single blast that wasn't audible, which means it hit pretty far from where we were. Most of the rockets land near the flight line, or near the fuel point. We're not authorized to take pictures of the damages that occur. The Army doesn't want Soldiers putting those pictures online because they can be used by the enemy in their propoganda. And because the rockets often hit so far away they're not always taken seriously. A single rocket that has already gone off too far away to hear; what's the worry? So we stood just outside the bunker, talking about stuff that we always talk about... Usually the movies we're all going to miss while we're here.
About a minute or two after the "All Clear" sounded, from some sexy sounding British female, the sirens started blaring again. This time the boom was very audible, somewhere to the east. And then another to the west. And the alarms keep repeating. This time, I got down. About ten seconds after the sirens ended, I gathered my little folding stool, and my laptop and headed to the bunker and as soon as I got in the siren resumed and there were more booms. No more joking around outside the bunker, this time were were all inside. But we still talked about the movies coming out that we wanted to see. Disappointment in the fact that the Ninja Turtle movies were being redone with the turtles coming from outer space. A bit about Arnold in the predator movie, and the remake of Total Recall. The new Spiderman movies following truer to the comics with the fact that he has capsules with webbing that run out during his fights. And on and on. I watched some Adventure Time on my laptop, then played a game. As I was beating the level I was on the All Clear sounded again.
I debated on waiting in the bunker. But went up to my room anyways. As soon as I reconnected my laptop more rockets were coming in. This time they landed further away, but we were down in the bunker again talking about stuff.
We joke around about the rocket attacks, and the chance of getting hit is actually really really small, considering how large this base really is. But each time that alarm goes off, there's always a small semblance of worry despire how small the odds of one landing nearby.
About a minute or two after the "All Clear" sounded, from some sexy sounding British female, the sirens started blaring again. This time the boom was very audible, somewhere to the east. And then another to the west. And the alarms keep repeating. This time, I got down. About ten seconds after the sirens ended, I gathered my little folding stool, and my laptop and headed to the bunker and as soon as I got in the siren resumed and there were more booms. No more joking around outside the bunker, this time were were all inside. But we still talked about the movies coming out that we wanted to see. Disappointment in the fact that the Ninja Turtle movies were being redone with the turtles coming from outer space. A bit about Arnold in the predator movie, and the remake of Total Recall. The new Spiderman movies following truer to the comics with the fact that he has capsules with webbing that run out during his fights. And on and on. I watched some Adventure Time on my laptop, then played a game. As I was beating the level I was on the All Clear sounded again.
I debated on waiting in the bunker. But went up to my room anyways. As soon as I reconnected my laptop more rockets were coming in. This time they landed further away, but we were down in the bunker again talking about stuff.
We joke around about the rocket attacks, and the chance of getting hit is actually really really small, considering how large this base really is. But each time that alarm goes off, there's always a small semblance of worry despire how small the odds of one landing nearby.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Resilient Mindset
Army life is not easy and can be very stressful. Different depending on your job, but it can easily wear someone out. And sometimes I'm tired. And people deal with stress in various ways. I've seen some Soldiers flip out, get mad and go crazy. Others just give in and look defeated. Some just stop caring and do their own thing. I don't want to end up like any of those and try to keep a clear head and resilient mindset. Sometimes little things can get to me, and I get angry. I try to reflect on what makes me angry, and it usually stems from people being ignorant and choosing to stay that way; especially with technology.
I was made the NCOIC (the Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge) of our Company's S6. I think it's kind of funny. The only time that I've been active Army (prior to my deployment) was in training, BCT, AIT and F5 postal school. I've never seen the internal workings of any of the Army departments. And so the structuring of my S6 has been from my experience working IT on the civilian side. It's been a really big learning experience for me and has been very stressful. Especially leading two Soldiers and tasking the work out to them. I try to keep track of everything that we're working on, and it's so many little things that require a little bit of work, and then checking in to make sure that it gets completed while trying to continue to work on our big projects. As of right now, I could easily ramble off about a dozen things that we're working on and I'm sure there are a dozen things that I'm probably forgetting as well.
It's funny that every expects you to work miracles with their computers. They want everything and they want it now. We are relocating several of our headquarter staff sections to one location. Trying to fit a lot of people into a tiny work area. Our Commander wants them all to move but doesn't realize that with the desks and computers that the file cabinets and additional furniture will also move. The Army keeps documentation of EVERYTHING for up to two years. Just in case. But it goes missing anyways lol. And so, this tiny building is suppose to have eight desks (with some people sharing desks), cabinets and storage space for everyone and a massive conference table. I lol'd hard. But I'm moving stuff and setting up office space for everyone anyways. So I've been grabbing computers and moving them to this new location. I got asked when I was going to move the file cabinets and stuff and I said "Talk to the LT, he's coordinating all of that." Outside of my scope lol. I'm just the IT guy.
And so we're moving all of our computers and in the middle of moving everything to the new HQ office everyone else decides to start moving all of their stuff. And they expect to be able to set it up and have it work magically. They don't understand that the Army network is very strict. It is not possible to connect equipment to another switch and have it work. And I don't have the network admin rights to authorize new equipment to the switch. So I have to get in touch with the network group and provide all sorts of information to them, and then they do it for us. It takes time. And sometimes it doesn't always work and we have to take the system in to be added. It's all sorts of headaches. So, we were moving out of the RMDC HQ office and in the middle of the move our Plans and Operations team starts moving their stuff in! Horrible. I didn't have the rank to tell them to wait and that we would assist with the move. They were all a little too Hooah to get into their new workspace. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Not all at the same f****g time d****t! Bleh.
It's really been hectic. But we've been really busy and being busy is good because it helps keep you from realizing that you're on the other side of the world, with horrible food and nothing but dirt and more dirt all around you for hundreds of miles.
Just gotta deal with it and keep a resilient mind. And then drink the banana juice they have, it's soooooooooo good. Seriously, it's really good.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Newbies
Wow. It's been more than a month since my last update. And a lot can definitely happen during a month's time. But it really seems like nothing has changed.
I've been the NCOIC of our unit's S6 for about a month and a half now and it keeps me really busy. Way more so than my previous job of auditing post offices. But it's good work and I like it. I even find reasons to go in on my days off, that I take about once every three weeks or so.
I've gotten into a good rhythm and have been going to the gym almost daily. I can feel myself getting stronger and I like it. I don't need to be super big and buff, just tone. On the bikes at the gym I recently hit 5K in 7:34 and 10K in 15:10. When I got off the bike I couldn't stand up. I was trying to hit 10K in 15 minutes. I'll just have to try again next time. I also have some faint definition on my abs that is well hidden under my nice layer of insulation. I would like to come home in the summer during my visit and not feel fat when taking off my shirt.
I really don't know what to blog about. Everything has become so common place that I'm half robot working and enjoying my job, waiting for the day I get to go home. We're constantly busy. I like it.
The new unit has arrived. So I am no longer part of the XXXth Human Resources Company and am now a part of the XXXth HR Co. It doesn't really matter which Company I'm with. The work is the same, just a change in leadership and a few faces. They all have the fresh look to them. Their uniforms are clean and fresh looking with no rips and aren't faded. They're all a little hooah in keeping the office clean and free of dust. I've been told by our new commander that I need to wipe all of our equipment down. I just smile and nod. After a month they'll learn that the dust penetrates everything, gets everywhere.
Our new commander is an O3, a Captain. She's a school teacher civilian side, think she said English. But I'm not sure which grade level. It's pretty clear that she intends to do things a lot different than our current commander. Which is good. The Army embraces change. Adapt or die. Which is true of anything, survival depends on evolving to be able to overcome new threats. We usually have weekly briefings with the commander. Every section of headquarters sits in a small office with him and we talk about what we've been doing, what's changed. During our last brief with the old commander and new, the new commander's eyes glazed over. She's not one to sit through two hours of "what's new this week." I don't mind the briefings too much. Knowledge is power and I like to know what's going on with the unit and our command. Some of it doesn't affect my job, but every now and then something comes up and I'm like "wtf, I'll have to check into that later." Knowledge is power. And our unit has issues with disseminating information. Often, I'll come back to my room and tell my roommate about some training that he has to complete and he'll have no idea that it was ever put out. The system is not broken, we just don't use it properly. Maybe there's a misinterpretation of the hierarchy and who's the leader of whom.
I can't make too many changes from where I am. When the little guy suggests a different way of doing something the leadership can take it as criticism and in general, people don't take criticism well. The happens the other way too. The little guy needs to understand how to follow and our unit has issues with that. They'll recieve direction from the leadership and they won't comply, or just don't do it. I sit in the middle and see both sides and sometimes wish I had the ability to punish. I'm not perfect, but I try to do the right thing. And that's probably why I've moved up as quickly as I have. Not even two years enlisted and I'm an NCO (albeit just a CPL), heading the S6 leading two Soldiers.
I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and hope for a successful deployment.
I've been the NCOIC of our unit's S6 for about a month and a half now and it keeps me really busy. Way more so than my previous job of auditing post offices. But it's good work and I like it. I even find reasons to go in on my days off, that I take about once every three weeks or so.
I've gotten into a good rhythm and have been going to the gym almost daily. I can feel myself getting stronger and I like it. I don't need to be super big and buff, just tone. On the bikes at the gym I recently hit 5K in 7:34 and 10K in 15:10. When I got off the bike I couldn't stand up. I was trying to hit 10K in 15 minutes. I'll just have to try again next time. I also have some faint definition on my abs that is well hidden under my nice layer of insulation. I would like to come home in the summer during my visit and not feel fat when taking off my shirt.
I really don't know what to blog about. Everything has become so common place that I'm half robot working and enjoying my job, waiting for the day I get to go home. We're constantly busy. I like it.
The new unit has arrived. So I am no longer part of the XXXth Human Resources Company and am now a part of the XXXth HR Co. It doesn't really matter which Company I'm with. The work is the same, just a change in leadership and a few faces. They all have the fresh look to them. Their uniforms are clean and fresh looking with no rips and aren't faded. They're all a little hooah in keeping the office clean and free of dust. I've been told by our new commander that I need to wipe all of our equipment down. I just smile and nod. After a month they'll learn that the dust penetrates everything, gets everywhere.
Our new commander is an O3, a Captain. She's a school teacher civilian side, think she said English. But I'm not sure which grade level. It's pretty clear that she intends to do things a lot different than our current commander. Which is good. The Army embraces change. Adapt or die. Which is true of anything, survival depends on evolving to be able to overcome new threats. We usually have weekly briefings with the commander. Every section of headquarters sits in a small office with him and we talk about what we've been doing, what's changed. During our last brief with the old commander and new, the new commander's eyes glazed over. She's not one to sit through two hours of "what's new this week." I don't mind the briefings too much. Knowledge is power and I like to know what's going on with the unit and our command. Some of it doesn't affect my job, but every now and then something comes up and I'm like "wtf, I'll have to check into that later." Knowledge is power. And our unit has issues with disseminating information. Often, I'll come back to my room and tell my roommate about some training that he has to complete and he'll have no idea that it was ever put out. The system is not broken, we just don't use it properly. Maybe there's a misinterpretation of the hierarchy and who's the leader of whom.
I can't make too many changes from where I am. When the little guy suggests a different way of doing something the leadership can take it as criticism and in general, people don't take criticism well. The happens the other way too. The little guy needs to understand how to follow and our unit has issues with that. They'll recieve direction from the leadership and they won't comply, or just don't do it. I sit in the middle and see both sides and sometimes wish I had the ability to punish. I'm not perfect, but I try to do the right thing. And that's probably why I've moved up as quickly as I have. Not even two years enlisted and I'm an NCO (albeit just a CPL), heading the S6 leading two Soldiers.
I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and hope for a successful deployment.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
A Typical Work Day
So I'm currently sitting at work. Still here at 1900. Came in at 0900.
I guess 10 hour days really aren't that unheard of, especially in the
Army. But I really don't know how much longer we're going to be here
tonight. And this isn't the first day of it. So, I'm just going to
take a little bit of time to rant about our Commander. He's leaving in
about a month, and so he's trying to finish everything that he wanted to
get done and hasn't yet. And so now we're all here, working long days
back to back.
And what am I really doing right now? Waiting. And more waiting. I
can only facebook for so long before I start to feel like a stalker.
That and other people's lives can get boring pretty fast when they only
update their statuses a few times a day. Maybe I should start some
twitter lol.
We've been having a pretty crazy sand storm recently. This is the
second one that I've seen while here. The first time it happened I
thought it was fog and was pretty excited. Learned pretty quick that it
wasn't. The wind is cold, and there is no heat from the sun. The dust
gets everywhere and if you don't breath thru your nose you can taste the
air. It's the same as licking the ground. At least this time I have a
neck gaiter that I wear when I'm outside. It's still cold enough that
my glasses fog up, but the wind quickly clears that up, but also coats
my lenses (and everything else) with layer after layer of dust. I don't
wear my contacts on days like today. Would be miserable if I did.
I also spent the last three weeks living in my room alone. My roommate
was gone on his R&R leave. I enjoyed my time alone. But it's also good
to have him back. He won't be here long, and may even be going out on a
mission tomorrow. I don't get to go on my R&R leave for about another
five months. I'm already looking forward to going. Mostly because of
long days like this...
So, I've been working in my company's S6 department. It's the lowest
level of S6 and so we're the frontline tech support. But we do more
than just reset user passwords and unlock accounts (but we reset like
five passwords a day). We manage all of the user accounts and computers
in the domain's active directory. It's just basic network admin stuff.
We are suppose to be checking on everyone's network usage too, but we
don't really do much of that. I've been meaning of opening the program
that we use for that, to generate our first report but I'm afraid of
what I might find! Lol.
We operate at a higher level that just a company S6 though. And in
fact, our IMO (information management officer) accounts have more
permissions that our battalion counterparts! Don't tell them that
though, because they might get jealous. But because of our postal
mission that we support, we need to be able to manage more than just our
computers located here on KAF. We support all of the computers at the
post offices in our area, as well as the RMDC in the neighboring area.
So, our IMO accounts have to be able to cover those areas, which gives
us a lot of power. Which gives us more ways to get in trouble. It's
too easy to just do the right thing. Hiding someone else's illegal
action isn't worth it. No way I'm going to lose rank or pay because
someone else can't do the right thing. That's right, I'm coming for
you! Lol.
It's been good work though. Supporting all of the different missions
keeps us busy and I like it. It makes the days go by fast. I'm also
learning some neat things that I didn't know about networking. But
we're finally done waiting and I get to go home. :)
I guess 10 hour days really aren't that unheard of, especially in the
Army. But I really don't know how much longer we're going to be here
tonight. And this isn't the first day of it. So, I'm just going to
take a little bit of time to rant about our Commander. He's leaving in
about a month, and so he's trying to finish everything that he wanted to
get done and hasn't yet. And so now we're all here, working long days
back to back.
And what am I really doing right now? Waiting. And more waiting. I
can only facebook for so long before I start to feel like a stalker.
That and other people's lives can get boring pretty fast when they only
update their statuses a few times a day. Maybe I should start some
twitter lol.
We've been having a pretty crazy sand storm recently. This is the
second one that I've seen while here. The first time it happened I
thought it was fog and was pretty excited. Learned pretty quick that it
wasn't. The wind is cold, and there is no heat from the sun. The dust
gets everywhere and if you don't breath thru your nose you can taste the
air. It's the same as licking the ground. At least this time I have a
neck gaiter that I wear when I'm outside. It's still cold enough that
my glasses fog up, but the wind quickly clears that up, but also coats
my lenses (and everything else) with layer after layer of dust. I don't
wear my contacts on days like today. Would be miserable if I did.
I also spent the last three weeks living in my room alone. My roommate
was gone on his R&R leave. I enjoyed my time alone. But it's also good
to have him back. He won't be here long, and may even be going out on a
mission tomorrow. I don't get to go on my R&R leave for about another
five months. I'm already looking forward to going. Mostly because of
long days like this...
So, I've been working in my company's S6 department. It's the lowest
level of S6 and so we're the frontline tech support. But we do more
than just reset user passwords and unlock accounts (but we reset like
five passwords a day). We manage all of the user accounts and computers
in the domain's active directory. It's just basic network admin stuff.
We are suppose to be checking on everyone's network usage too, but we
don't really do much of that. I've been meaning of opening the program
that we use for that, to generate our first report but I'm afraid of
what I might find! Lol.
We operate at a higher level that just a company S6 though. And in
fact, our IMO (information management officer) accounts have more
permissions that our battalion counterparts! Don't tell them that
though, because they might get jealous. But because of our postal
mission that we support, we need to be able to manage more than just our
computers located here on KAF. We support all of the computers at the
post offices in our area, as well as the RMDC in the neighboring area.
So, our IMO accounts have to be able to cover those areas, which gives
us a lot of power. Which gives us more ways to get in trouble. It's
too easy to just do the right thing. Hiding someone else's illegal
action isn't worth it. No way I'm going to lose rank or pay because
someone else can't do the right thing. That's right, I'm coming for
you! Lol.
It's been good work though. Supporting all of the different missions
keeps us busy and I like it. It makes the days go by fast. I'm also
learning some neat things that I didn't know about networking. But
we're finally done waiting and I get to go home. :)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
A Few COR Weeks
So, before I became a commo guy working in S6 (which is my current assignment), and before I was screening people down at the ECP, I was an auditor.
Yes, like the guy who comes around when you've been cheating on your taxes. Exactly that kind of auditor, that everyone hates. But if you fail my audit, you can lose your contract with the government and stuff.
The government has all sorts of contracts with various civilian companies that they have decided they don't want soldiers doing. Like cooking. That is no longer handled by military cooks, but instead goes out to a contractor who does it for us. When our Army reserve unit was activated we were under the impression that we were coming to Afghanistan to do what we were trained to do: Run a post office.
However, because the Army likes to now contract everything, we arrived to Afghanistan only to realize that the job we set out to do is no longer available because all of the APOs (Army Post Offices) are now ran by civilians! It was mass confusion and chaos was rampant! Because now you have lots of Soldiers with no jobs and too much free time. So, they came up with roles for us to fill, but splitting the workload of the current troops. Which is nice. It gives us purpose, and lightens their burdens.
The main job of a Postal unit is to do mail. However, because of the contract that the civilians have with the Army, we are not allowed to help them with the mail. We can't sort, etc etc. There are still a few Army ran post offices that we might have sent some Soldiers to, but the rest are purely civilian. So, we fill the gaps. We go to the various FOBs and COBs (Forward Operating Base and Combat Operating Base, respectively) that don't have a post office of any kind and set one up for them. We don't stay long and don't visit often, but we make it available for them to send out their mail.
The mail that comes in hits the main hub, gets rerouted to smaller hubs & final destinations, and then delivered to the Unit's mail room (UMR) and then on to the addressee. The mail has to be inspected at all of these different locations, but it is divided into two jobs. The end point, where the mail is stored before delivery at the UMR, is inspected by an URM inspection team. They make sure that the units are handling the mail properly and stuff. They have to go EVERYWHERE that there is a UMR and there are several on every FOB/COB.
And then there was my job. While we sort of work with the mail, we don't ever really get as involved as the other guys. It was our job to go out to the civilian ran APOs and perform a long audit on their operation and then to check up with them several times each month to just make sure things are still running smoothly. It was a solid gig. The audits would last about 3 hours to perform, and then a little longer to write up the report. The pop in inspections could go anywhere from 15 minutes to all day. So we had a lot of free time which I loved! Time to go to the gym, read, watch movies, walk around the FOBs, and the chance to travel and see the different parts of Afghanistan (even though they all look the same from inside the base compound lol), mostly while observing while flying between the places.
But all of us got to travel, and travelling was nice. I won't get to travel that much as S6. But the traveling isn't always safe. Just being in Afghanistan poses some risk, but some things are riskier than others. We fly everywhere instead of convoying, which is much safer. But we had a Soldier flying out on a mission and her helicopter took small arms fire from the ground. She was scarred to go out again, but did because thats the job. Recently, a helicopter went down and four US Marines died. Some of the smaller bases get attacked a lot more frequently than KAF as well, sometimes taking indirect rocket attacks on a daily basis. Travelling is not without risk, but the mission comes first.
But anyways, being an auditor was nice. Much nicer than the ECP work, but not as nice as S6. Why? Because I'm so nerdy that when I work on computers I'm not really working but playing :).
Yes, like the guy who comes around when you've been cheating on your taxes. Exactly that kind of auditor, that everyone hates. But if you fail my audit, you can lose your contract with the government and stuff.
The government has all sorts of contracts with various civilian companies that they have decided they don't want soldiers doing. Like cooking. That is no longer handled by military cooks, but instead goes out to a contractor who does it for us. When our Army reserve unit was activated we were under the impression that we were coming to Afghanistan to do what we were trained to do: Run a post office.
However, because the Army likes to now contract everything, we arrived to Afghanistan only to realize that the job we set out to do is no longer available because all of the APOs (Army Post Offices) are now ran by civilians! It was mass confusion and chaos was rampant! Because now you have lots of Soldiers with no jobs and too much free time. So, they came up with roles for us to fill, but splitting the workload of the current troops. Which is nice. It gives us purpose, and lightens their burdens.
The main job of a Postal unit is to do mail. However, because of the contract that the civilians have with the Army, we are not allowed to help them with the mail. We can't sort, etc etc. There are still a few Army ran post offices that we might have sent some Soldiers to, but the rest are purely civilian. So, we fill the gaps. We go to the various FOBs and COBs (Forward Operating Base and Combat Operating Base, respectively) that don't have a post office of any kind and set one up for them. We don't stay long and don't visit often, but we make it available for them to send out their mail.
The mail that comes in hits the main hub, gets rerouted to smaller hubs & final destinations, and then delivered to the Unit's mail room (UMR) and then on to the addressee. The mail has to be inspected at all of these different locations, but it is divided into two jobs. The end point, where the mail is stored before delivery at the UMR, is inspected by an URM inspection team. They make sure that the units are handling the mail properly and stuff. They have to go EVERYWHERE that there is a UMR and there are several on every FOB/COB.
And then there was my job. While we sort of work with the mail, we don't ever really get as involved as the other guys. It was our job to go out to the civilian ran APOs and perform a long audit on their operation and then to check up with them several times each month to just make sure things are still running smoothly. It was a solid gig. The audits would last about 3 hours to perform, and then a little longer to write up the report. The pop in inspections could go anywhere from 15 minutes to all day. So we had a lot of free time which I loved! Time to go to the gym, read, watch movies, walk around the FOBs, and the chance to travel and see the different parts of Afghanistan (even though they all look the same from inside the base compound lol), mostly while observing while flying between the places.
But all of us got to travel, and travelling was nice. I won't get to travel that much as S6. But the traveling isn't always safe. Just being in Afghanistan poses some risk, but some things are riskier than others. We fly everywhere instead of convoying, which is much safer. But we had a Soldier flying out on a mission and her helicopter took small arms fire from the ground. She was scarred to go out again, but did because thats the job. Recently, a helicopter went down and four US Marines died. Some of the smaller bases get attacked a lot more frequently than KAF as well, sometimes taking indirect rocket attacks on a daily basis. Travelling is not without risk, but the mission comes first.
But anyways, being an auditor was nice. Much nicer than the ECP work, but not as nice as S6. Why? Because I'm so nerdy that when I work on computers I'm not really working but playing :).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)