I'm certainly not going to say things are going well, nor have the snafus decreased in frequency or buffoonosity. Perhaps I'm just getting tired of complaining about this after-thought they call coordinated training. We'll see.
Today was the first time the security force and main body (engineers, civil affairs, etc) actually did a "full mission", together. Though the mission was relatively benign, keep in mind that we've been together since August 1st, many of us have been here for 7 weeks, and I've been training en toto for this for 5-1/2 months. And today was the first time we did something really mission-oriented and together, real-time.
As you might imagine, it had a few debrief points. I won't go into details, partly for OPSEC, partly for brevity, but many people were slapped in the face ("that's not what we've been told we're training for!"). Not surprising, really, and though certainly not completely unavoidable, for all practical purposes the previous training was not necessarily inconsistent with this new shift.
No, the quote was not mine. In fact, the "mission" went about like I thought it would, and those "slapped" were behaving like I thought they would, and arguably the way they should given the information they were provided.
Anyway, today was certainly productive, though a lot of people are perhaps not thrilled with the arrangement. We'll see.
Based on stories of other PRTs training in parallel, honestly, our problems seem smaller. Others (again, no names mentioned, non attributable) are already at odds within the staff (i.e. department heads) and they haven't even arrived in country yet.
189th still has issues.
Though today was certainly not a "success" mission-wise, it was certainly a very productive training session, and that's ultimately what we're doing here. I just wish this point had been intentionally derived (other teams did not quite get this response). Okay, I'll turn my complaining back on. ;-)
In other news, my shoulder is nearing the point where I can move it around without feeling pangs of pain. Though it was rarely full-up "searing pain", it was truly annoying and unavoidable. Now, though I think I can trigger it if I try, it's getting better. Why is this relevant? Well, I haven't been doing any workouts or exercises that work the shoulders, now going on almost 2 weeks. This includes pull-ups, push-ups, any barbell work, any dumbbell work, etc. This has severely limited the work-out combinations and WODs I've been able to do. It's been getting boring.
I'm giving it until the weekend, and then I'll try it again. I'll probably go light again for a couple of weeks to warm it back up. We'll see.
So, I ran 4-1/2-ish miles yesterday. I haven't done that in a while. Probably won't do it again for a while.
26 August 2010
12 August 2010
We're not in Kansas anymore
Often I feel like Dorothy must have felt, often for similar reasons. The inhabitants of her new world were often culturally very different from, well, Kansas. That and the Wicked Witch, the flying monkeys, and the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion, to name a few. Well, I have equivalents of them here.
Wicked Witch: very much the 189th and 1st Army. There are numerous rules put in place (many valid, some seemingly trivial and arguably parochial) whose intent appears to be nothing more than suppression of morale. This character is more an embodiment of the process here than anything else.
Flying Monkeys: just as the Wicked Witch is the 189th as a whole, the henchmen (Sergeants, Captains, etc) who deliver the edicts, FRAGOs, and other suppression tools are all the Flying Monkeys. I'm sure that when the flying monkeys from the movie were done with their raids, they went home to families and had a relatively normal life. Like this, I'm certain all those individuals are fine workers. However, together as one body, they bring nothing good.
Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion: well, I'll hold off on announcing these for now. (I have specific people in mind but as we shift out of our culture shock and get acclimated, some of these relationships are becoming less strained.)
To Dorothy, everything in the movie was just a little foreign. Here, many decisions and (apparent if not actual) justifications all seems rather odd and (to me) missing the point. Some examples:
In general, the training is frustratingly unorganized, reactive, and very difficult to just "swallow my pride and do it". They don't really know until the night prior the "solid" facts of what is happening the next day. Sure we have a rough daily schedule, but that's often just a point from which we can deviate. (I understand full well the requisite flexible of incomplete evolutions, etc. That doesn't appear to be the issue here.)
All in all, I'm learning. I'm not necessarily learning the method "forced" upon us, but I'm learning. I have not yet been beaten into using "check", "roger", "tracking", "too easy", or the dreaded "HUA". This will be an uphill battle for somebody. I fully fear that that "somebody" will be me.
Lastly, don't confuse the Wizard of Oz analogy with a literal overlay. Emerald City and the heel-clicking trip home aren't transferable. The closest thing we have is that they are systematically trying to make us look forward to getting to AFG so we can get out of the 1st Army's grip. It's working.
BTW: "HUAW" stands for "hurry up and wait". It's often mistakenly spelled "HUA". Trust me, it's more prevalent here than anywhere I've had before.
Wicked Witch: very much the 189th and 1st Army. There are numerous rules put in place (many valid, some seemingly trivial and arguably parochial) whose intent appears to be nothing more than suppression of morale. This character is more an embodiment of the process here than anything else.
Flying Monkeys: just as the Wicked Witch is the 189th as a whole, the henchmen (Sergeants, Captains, etc) who deliver the edicts, FRAGOs, and other suppression tools are all the Flying Monkeys. I'm sure that when the flying monkeys from the movie were done with their raids, they went home to families and had a relatively normal life. Like this, I'm certain all those individuals are fine workers. However, together as one body, they bring nothing good.
Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion: well, I'll hold off on announcing these for now. (I have specific people in mind but as we shift out of our culture shock and get acclimated, some of these relationships are becoming less strained.)
To Dorothy, everything in the movie was just a little foreign. Here, many decisions and (apparent if not actual) justifications all seems rather odd and (to me) missing the point. Some examples:
- Today's class had an unstated prerequisite of having certified HMMWV drivers in the class (or at least available). Unfortunately this word never made it to us, so it didn't happen. Tomorrow's going to be a long (and hot) day. (It's not "possible" for anybody to drive one.) (Edit: they flexed and provided their own drivers, which in this case worked out better anyway.)
- Last night, our night shoot of the M4 carbine was (as we were told) intended to also give us an intro and familiarization to using NODs (night vision devices) along with our IR illuminators (lasers used for night shooting). As we get to the range, the NODs we were told would be available, were not. In fact, I learned afterwards that our unit had IR lasers and no NODs; and another unit had NODs and no lasers. (Sounds like JHMCS and AIM-9X ...)
- The dining facility we use for breakfast and dinner (we must not eat lunch there ... they'd rather pay for MREs): well, this facility is apparently so temporary that they have no facilities to handle cleaning dishes, so they don't. Every meal utilizes styrofoam plates, plastic silverware, and paper cups. I can only imagine how much trash we generate daily.
- O
ver the last week at the firing range, we (all PRTs) have had numerous "heat casualties" (dehydration and worse conditions that required some form of assistance by medical personnel). We're often in "heat condition 5", meaning all strenuous activities should be stopped ("moderate" activity should be limited to 20 minutes per hour). Should be. Right. Why not start weapons training earlier in the day (sunrise is ~6am) and get more time in the day. (Edit: they are now stopping training at 3pm; as you can see in the graph here, the heat index is already above 105 degrees, and that's not adding the 5-10 degrees that the (required) body armor adds.) - And they have repeatedly tried to schedule us for night shoots at 10pm and later followed by "combatives" (similar to jiu jitsu and grappling) at 5am the next morning. Oh, and remember we should clean our weapons after a shoot.
- Nope, the Sane Man did not get the memo.
In general, the training is frustratingly unorganized, reactive, and very difficult to just "swallow my pride and do it". They don't really know until the night prior the "solid" facts of what is happening the next day. Sure we have a rough daily schedule, but that's often just a point from which we can deviate. (I understand full well the requisite flexible of incomplete evolutions, etc. That doesn't appear to be the issue here.)
All in all, I'm learning. I'm not necessarily learning the method "forced" upon us, but I'm learning. I have not yet been beaten into using "check", "roger", "tracking", "too easy", or the dreaded "HUA". This will be an uphill battle for somebody. I fully fear that that "somebody" will be me.
Lastly, don't confuse the Wizard of Oz analogy with a literal overlay. Emerald City and the heel-clicking trip home aren't transferable. The closest thing we have is that they are systematically trying to make us look forward to getting to AFG so we can get out of the 1st Army's grip. It's working.
BTW: "HUAW" stands for "hurry up and wait". It's often mistakenly spelled "HUA". Trust me, it's more prevalent here than anywhere I've had before.
11 August 2010
I'm not dead yet ...
Though I certainly haven't been blogging it (nor logging it, bad on me), I have been exercising this last month. Admittedly a bit limited (in scope more than frequency), for several reason: the gym is good for a gym but not for crossfit, so modifications have been necessary (e.g. they frown on dropping barbells); though admittedly I've had plenty of "white space" dead time, it's mostly been inconveniently out on the range or otherwise challenging to get a workout and clean up; and my shoulder is acting up again.
It's #3 that's now making me curtail most weight lifting. After some research (I'm specifically not involving formalized medicine right now for several reasons, one or two of them legit and healthy), I think I've got rotator cuff tendonitis. Best case, just irritation; worst, a tear. Either way, I have too little information to form a conclusion.
My research (the internet never lies, right?) reveals that the tendonitis (very much so in the shoulder) may be triggered by a specific action (e.g. jerking, too much weight, repetitive over-user) but regardless gradually worsens over time when left otherwise untreated and/or unmitigated. For the last month or so I've been going "easy" on shoulder-related lifts, but I've still been doing them. Since the discomfort is getting worse, not better, I'm opting to go full-bore on treating it. Translation: no barbells for "a while" (until I notice a palpable improvement).
Unfortunately, the Army life here at Camp Atterbury doesn't really allow for this: 31-36 pounds for the unencumbered IOTV (kevlar vest), 7 pounds for the M4 carbine, and 35-45 pounds in the ruck sack. Not heavy, per se, but putting it all on, taking it off ... often exacerbates the shoulder pain. And the vest doesn't exactly fit smoothly on the shoulders (it's taking time to finesse it's fit).
Soooooo, in the meantime, I'm doing lots of metcon and core. Pull-ups? Nope. Squats? Perhaps back squats soon but none for now. Perhaps I'll do some isolated arm exercises (e.g. curls) to keep from completely atrophying what little improvement I've attained. Does anybody know of CF-workouts that work arms without straining the shoulders? Yeah, that's a tough one.
Regardless, I'm still exercising. I ran another 5K a few days ago (treadmill, 1.5% up) in 23+28, so my time is consistent. Of my goals, my diet has taken some hard hits (food here is really not that great ... technically health-minded but not what I'd term healthy) and my exercise is modified, but I'm keeping my weight down and exertion up.
BTW: Chad, thanks for the encouraging words. Now that I know you're reading this, you'll keep me honest on continuing with WODs.
It's #3 that's now making me curtail most weight lifting. After some research (I'm specifically not involving formalized medicine right now for several reasons, one or two of them legit and healthy), I think I've got rotator cuff tendonitis. Best case, just irritation; worst, a tear. Either way, I have too little information to form a conclusion.
My research (the internet never lies, right?) reveals that the tendonitis (very much so in the shoulder) may be triggered by a specific action (e.g. jerking, too much weight, repetitive over-user) but regardless gradually worsens over time when left otherwise untreated and/or unmitigated. For the last month or so I've been going "easy" on shoulder-related lifts, but I've still been doing them. Since the discomfort is getting worse, not better, I'm opting to go full-bore on treating it. Translation: no barbells for "a while" (until I notice a palpable improvement).
Unfortunately, the Army life here at Camp Atterbury doesn't really allow for this: 31-36 pounds for the unencumbered IOTV (kevlar vest), 7 pounds for the M4 carbine, and 35-45 pounds in the ruck sack. Not heavy, per se, but putting it all on, taking it off ... often exacerbates the shoulder pain. And the vest doesn't exactly fit smoothly on the shoulders (it's taking time to finesse it's fit).
Soooooo, in the meantime, I'm doing lots of metcon and core. Pull-ups? Nope. Squats? Perhaps back squats soon but none for now. Perhaps I'll do some isolated arm exercises (e.g. curls) to keep from completely atrophying what little improvement I've attained. Does anybody know of CF-workouts that work arms without straining the shoulders? Yeah, that's a tough one.
Regardless, I'm still exercising. I ran another 5K a few days ago (treadmill, 1.5% up) in 23+28, so my time is consistent. Of my goals, my diet has taken some hard hits (food here is really not that great ... technically health-minded but not what I'd term healthy) and my exercise is modified, but I'm keeping my weight down and exertion up.
BTW: Chad, thanks for the encouraging words. Now that I know you're reading this, you'll keep me honest on continuing with WODs.
18 July 2010
Phase 2 of my CF plan
If you remember my post from a couple of months ago, I stated my goals: (1) diet, (2) start, (3) stay the program, (4) stay, (5) stay. Well, #1-3 are complete! Granted, #1 has taken a little bit of a nose-dive since we've been restricted almost completely to "fine Army cuisine". Not to say their bad, per se, but they often fry things and don't really give me the unprocessed food and options I'm looking for.
We finally figured out how to get a "To Go" box of dinner. With that, I actually tend to do better portion control. Today's dinner had fried chicken "parts" and some fresh vegetables. As long as I can visit the salad bar and occasionally find some good protein (e.g chicken, fish or ribs). It's gotten better. Now if I could figure out a way to do it without using styrofoam containers each meal... Anyway, the diet will certainly be a struggle over the next year, so this is no surprise.
I stayed the course in DC, which is #3. I'm trying really hard to stay the course here at Atterbury (#4 is Atterbury and beyond, through me getting out of the Navy). I found several guys (in my current barracks arrangement, only valid for another 2 weeks or so) who want to CF with me. It's good to have support!
So, I've not been logging things consistently. I missed workouts the first few days (trying to figure out my own personal schedule) but finally got in my third workout this week. I don't remember 4 days ago. Yesterday, we did 5x3 bench press and tabata sit-ups followed by tabata air squats. I didn't realize those two would kill my legs as much as they did, and it's been over 24 hours!
Tonight, our initial plan involved bringing kettlebells outside of the gym; no surprise, really, they weren't supportive of this plan. So we did a simple one: ~200m spring, 10 knees-to-elbows, and 10 burpees. Oh, three sets, for time. It was short and to the point. I didn't say sweet, but perhaps someday it'll feel good ;-)
So, I've found friends to work out with which is great! Today we flexed to something pseudo-random but I'd really prefer to go with warm-ups, strength, and WODs of actual coaches to make sure I cover all muscles. We'll see what we can do Monday night.
Minana!
We finally figured out how to get a "To Go" box of dinner. With that, I actually tend to do better portion control. Today's dinner had fried chicken "parts" and some fresh vegetables. As long as I can visit the salad bar and occasionally find some good protein (e.g chicken, fish or ribs). It's gotten better. Now if I could figure out a way to do it without using styrofoam containers each meal... Anyway, the diet will certainly be a struggle over the next year, so this is no surprise.
I stayed the course in DC, which is #3. I'm trying really hard to stay the course here at Atterbury (#4 is Atterbury and beyond, through me getting out of the Navy). I found several guys (in my current barracks arrangement, only valid for another 2 weeks or so) who want to CF with me. It's good to have support!
So, I've not been logging things consistently. I missed workouts the first few days (trying to figure out my own personal schedule) but finally got in my third workout this week. I don't remember 4 days ago. Yesterday, we did 5x3 bench press and tabata sit-ups followed by tabata air squats. I didn't realize those two would kill my legs as much as they did, and it's been over 24 hours!
Tonight, our initial plan involved bringing kettlebells outside of the gym; no surprise, really, they weren't supportive of this plan. So we did a simple one: ~200m spring, 10 knees-to-elbows, and 10 burpees. Oh, three sets, for time. It was short and to the point. I didn't say sweet, but perhaps someday it'll feel good ;-)
So, I've found friends to work out with which is great! Today we flexed to something pseudo-random but I'd really prefer to go with warm-ups, strength, and WODs of actual coaches to make sure I cover all muscles. We'll see what we can do Monday night.
Minana!
The Navy sure is a well-oiled machine ...
... as several friends told me before coming here. It's not bad, mind you, now that I'm used to the ... well ... treatment.
A day or so ago, more people for the teams showed up (like our commanding officers ... nobody special). About 40 total. The intent (contrary to the published schedule, no problem there) was to bring them to the language training seminar with the rest of us. Unfortunately, the side of the training office that said "we'll get another bus to drive you there" and the side that actually does it ... are apparently separated by more than a short fence. Only about 1/3 of them were able to make it, and they made it very late morning. Awesome.
Oh well.
Regardless, we're in an eternal Groundhog Day (the link should say it all). Looking at the schedule, it's not exactly refreshing to see that we have no time off for the next couple of weeks. I don't expect any time off in the next few months, either. Joy.
So far I haven't gotten reimbursed yet (for June and the trip here). It's only been a week so far so I'm not nervous or pitching a fit yet. Just curious and concerned.
The fun part is my purchase of the "discount bargain internet access" provided by the ever-so generous Army MWR bubbas (under the name of Army Recreation Machine Program or ARMP) charges $39/month and has for many nights now averaged 5 minutes between getting kicked off the net and requiring around 5-10 attempts to re-join the net. Unfortunately I get very little phone signal, otherwise I'd just tether and deal with the slightly slow throughput (and ever-warming iPhone). Samada.
Can't wait for "Army Training" to start. (The first 10 days is just language/culture training at Indiana University.) Oh, that brings up one side point: after 7.5 hours of speaking Pashto, we are given some form of culture lecture. Apparently the Army decided to tell the instructors (none of whom live locally; they all fly in from elsewhere. Well, the Army tells them as they got here that they need lectures. I would think that getting that request out there earlier would produce better prepared instructors. Not that it shows ... much. (It's not encouraging to the see instructors shaking their heads and hearing the speaker bite their head off.
Awesome.
A day or so ago, more people for the teams showed up (like our commanding officers ... nobody special). About 40 total. The intent (contrary to the published schedule, no problem there) was to bring them to the language training seminar with the rest of us. Unfortunately, the side of the training office that said "we'll get another bus to drive you there" and the side that actually does it ... are apparently separated by more than a short fence. Only about 1/3 of them were able to make it, and they made it very late morning. Awesome.
Oh well.
Regardless, we're in an eternal Groundhog Day (the link should say it all). Looking at the schedule, it's not exactly refreshing to see that we have no time off for the next couple of weeks. I don't expect any time off in the next few months, either. Joy.
So far I haven't gotten reimbursed yet (for June and the trip here). It's only been a week so far so I'm not nervous or pitching a fit yet. Just curious and concerned.
The fun part is my purchase of the "discount bargain internet access" provided by the ever-so generous Army MWR bubbas (under the name of Army Recreation Machine Program or ARMP) charges $39/month and has for many nights now averaged 5 minutes between getting kicked off the net and requiring around 5-10 attempts to re-join the net. Unfortunately I get very little phone signal, otherwise I'd just tether and deal with the slightly slow throughput (and ever-warming iPhone). Samada.
Can't wait for "Army Training" to start. (The first 10 days is just language/culture training at Indiana University.) Oh, that brings up one side point: after 7.5 hours of speaking Pashto, we are given some form of culture lecture. Apparently the Army decided to tell the instructors (none of whom live locally; they all fly in from elsewhere. Well, the Army tells them as they got here that they need lectures. I would think that getting that request out there earlier would produce better prepared instructors. Not that it shows ... much. (It's not encouraging to the see instructors shaking their heads and hearing the speaker bite their head off.
Awesome.
11 July 2010
New topic: Why I'm Glad I Joined The Navy
The Navy certainly isn't perfect. Heck, it can be downright frustrating at times. But I'm learning to see how well oiled a machine it truly can be. And that's saying a lot.
This new section is going to highlight some of the fun associated with my training in Camp Atterbury. I obviously will not be discussing OPSEC-sensitive materials, and names will be changed to protect the ... stupid.
I understand the need to control -- somewhat -- students in a training environment. But if that Sgt tries to chew us out again, or expects us to follow directions she never clearly provided, I'll be in line to have a discussion with her. She should really re-learn a little decency. Positional authority only covers so much bull.
Scenario: you will be leading a convoy to a university over an hour away daily for the next ten days. Leading as in: lead car since nobody else has directions (mistake #1); and leading as in: in charge of all personnel (muster, etc). This group of people includes E-4's through O-5's, so you'd think perhaps a drive-through or at least a solid set of directions would be in order. Nope. She got lost. Since all other drivers (8 other vans) were from our group (i.e. no insider information), well, we eventually found our own way and had her follow. She got lost again going home. And when two of the vans stop somewhere to pick up a bite when we obviously wouldn't make it back in time for dinner (predictably), she tried to chew the rest of us out. Though she never gave us her rules.
I signed up for internet access so I might enjoy seeing my beloved wife occasionally. So, the "Army Recreation Machine Program" (ARMP) has been "generously" provided for us. Great. So, $24/week or $39/month is generous? Awesome. Connectivity is decent but blanks out periodically.
All of our other complaints right now seem relatively minor, but they should be remedied shortly (so we're told). We'll see.
I guess, all in all, I'm just surprised at how out-of-whack this appears right now. I truly expect some lemming-like expectation, and can even handle some of it (I know, that doesn't sound like me). I should relax and try take it all in stride ...
This new section is going to highlight some of the fun associated with my training in Camp Atterbury. I obviously will not be discussing OPSEC-sensitive materials, and names will be changed to protect the ... stupid.
I understand the need to control -- somewhat -- students in a training environment. But if that Sgt tries to chew us out again, or expects us to follow directions she never clearly provided, I'll be in line to have a discussion with her. She should really re-learn a little decency. Positional authority only covers so much bull.
Scenario: you will be leading a convoy to a university over an hour away daily for the next ten days. Leading as in: lead car since nobody else has directions (mistake #1); and leading as in: in charge of all personnel (muster, etc). This group of people includes E-4's through O-5's, so you'd think perhaps a drive-through or at least a solid set of directions would be in order. Nope. She got lost. Since all other drivers (8 other vans) were from our group (i.e. no insider information), well, we eventually found our own way and had her follow. She got lost again going home. And when two of the vans stop somewhere to pick up a bite when we obviously wouldn't make it back in time for dinner (predictably), she tried to chew the rest of us out. Though she never gave us her rules.
I signed up for internet access so I might enjoy seeing my beloved wife occasionally. So, the "Army Recreation Machine Program" (ARMP) has been "generously" provided for us. Great. So, $24/week or $39/month is generous? Awesome. Connectivity is decent but blanks out periodically.
All of our other complaints right now seem relatively minor, but they should be remedied shortly (so we're told). We'll see.
I guess, all in all, I'm just surprised at how out-of-whack this appears right now. I truly expect some lemming-like expectation, and can even handle some of it (I know, that doesn't sound like me). I should relax and try take it all in stride ...
06 July 2010
Pashto "complete"!
I took the OPI (oral proficiency interro... interview) last week. I was "hoping" for a 2/2 but earned a 1+/1+. Why do I say "earned"? Well, I don't think I was challenging myself well-enough with tenses and my vocab.
Despite knowing that the scenario required the instructor to throw a curve-ball at me, I heard most of it but missed one specific word and went around-and-around for about 3 minutes trying to understand what she was asking. Instead of "uhhh, repeat, please", I said "I understand you are saying this, this, and that, but what do you want now?", which is better. But I missed the curve ball. Granted, if I had applied strategery to it I would have known exactly what she was going to say before she said it, but I didn't. I honestly missed the word and stuck with it. Oops.
So, I think the "1+" is commensurate with my actual performance. It may be enough to give me a bonus in pay (not my justification but nice anyway), but it will certainly give me a leg-up for when I get in country.
Now my biggest challenge yet: 3 months of "Army Training" (said with a Bill Murray "Stripes" accent), trying to maintain what little Pashto I have.
Despite knowing that the scenario required the instructor to throw a curve-ball at me, I heard most of it but missed one specific word and went around-and-around for about 3 minutes trying to understand what she was asking. Instead of "uhhh, repeat, please", I said "I understand you are saying this, this, and that, but what do you want now?", which is better. But I missed the curve ball. Granted, if I had applied strategery to it I would have known exactly what she was going to say before she said it, but I didn't. I honestly missed the word and stuck with it. Oops.
So, I think the "1+" is commensurate with my actual performance. It may be enough to give me a bonus in pay (not my justification but nice anyway), but it will certainly give me a leg-up for when I get in country.
Now my biggest challenge yet: 3 months of "Army Training" (said with a Bill Murray "Stripes" accent), trying to maintain what little Pashto I have.
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