Thursday, August 13, 2009
Camp Klecker 07202009
'Tis been a couple of days since I wrote here. The trip from Bucca went well. I got on the helo at 2100, got to Ali Al Saleem in an hour or so. I got handed off to a terrific Air Force Tech Sergeant who drove me to the terminal and got me listed on the embassy flight the next morning for BIAP. Of course, I had to sit and wait with a bunch of other people, but we all made the flight at 0500. Got to BIAP around 0800, a young Air Force gal collected our CAC cards and when I was done, I walked the 100 yards or so to the sidewalk. I set my gear down, took my rifle and went out to the parking log. Sure 'nuff, in ten minutes, a blue and white Nissan bus came along with a blue Dyncorp sign in the windshield. I waved at them, asked if they'd wait a second until I got my gear, and one of the guys even came and helped me carry my rucksack. They dropped me off at Klecker around nine AM. I got my linens, signed in and made my bed. I unpacked a bit, grabbed a shower and took myself to the armorer and the rest of the Dyn processing at Camp Butler.
My boss recognized me in the parking lot, so he and I chatted awhile. He gave me the form for every office to initial, and I got done in about an hour. He asked about Greg- told him that Greg was very capable- and Al- told him I saw him in the tent just an hour ago. He didn't like that. I came back to Klecker, did the usual schmoozing and socializing with a few folks I know and met a few more I didn't know.
Comment: That blue and white bus is a good thing. Sure, it's a sort of chore for some new IPAs, but it's a lot more successful than the transportation guys who are both hard to get on the phone and harder to get them to take you anywhere.
I have a sort of routine- sleep in, get cleaned up, go to Sather for an early lunch, come back, do emails and surf awhile, then go to Sather for dinner. Tonight, however was a bit different- I wanted to mail some stuff home, so I took the 1700 Stryker bus; got there after closing for the post office, and I had a bag of stuff I wanted to mail, so the chow hall was a no-go. I had a $7 Burger King dinner instead. Came back, surfed a bit, then had a cigar with some IPAs. Now it's 2300, time for some sleep.
Klecker still feels strange, not quite Iraq, not quite anything wonderful, either.
My boss recognized me in the parking lot, so he and I chatted awhile. He gave me the form for every office to initial, and I got done in about an hour. He asked about Greg- told him that Greg was very capable- and Al- told him I saw him in the tent just an hour ago. He didn't like that. I came back to Klecker, did the usual schmoozing and socializing with a few folks I know and met a few more I didn't know.
Comment: That blue and white bus is a good thing. Sure, it's a sort of chore for some new IPAs, but it's a lot more successful than the transportation guys who are both hard to get on the phone and harder to get them to take you anywhere.
I have a sort of routine- sleep in, get cleaned up, go to Sather for an early lunch, come back, do emails and surf awhile, then go to Sather for dinner. Tonight, however was a bit different- I wanted to mail some stuff home, so I took the 1700 Stryker bus; got there after closing for the post office, and I had a bag of stuff I wanted to mail, so the chow hall was a no-go. I had a $7 Burger King dinner instead. Came back, surfed a bit, then had a cigar with some IPAs. Now it's 2300, time for some sleep.
Klecker still feels strange, not quite Iraq, not quite anything wonderful, either.
# posted by rich @ 3:08 PM 
