This weekend I had some fun up at my National Guard unit. Finally got to train with the 13 Delta’s. Today I was told I was no longer the Command Sergeant Majors driver which is cool. Not that I didn’t want to be a driver, but I would rather do AFATDS than drive a humvee. I finally got put into a section at my unit which was a relief. Before nobody was sure if I was in the command section (being a driver) or the FDC section (being a 13Delta doing AFATDS). I got put in the FDC section which is what my MOS does. Then after being told I am no longer a driver I now really don’t have anything to do with the command section.

Hurray!

So, yesterday I got asked if I wanted to volunteer to go over to Iraq with a unit other than mine. After thinking about it (yes I thought about it), I decided not too. Why, I want to get a bit more experience outside of Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training before going away. If I had more experience in the National Guard (or anything) then there would be a possibility that I would go.

With my dad leaving in February to Iraq I think that me leaving would only hurt the family more. At this time, I like the current position with my job working for the school district and doing my web development.

If I get ordered to go over there, then so be it I will go and I will be happy. I just don’t want to go if I don’t have too. There are several things with that. If they don’t get enough people to volunteer then they could start sending people from other units (like me) with the unit that just deployed 2 days ago. This would not be good because I would be leaving within the next few weeks instead of having months of knowing.

I arrived home. It was quite some journey to get here. It started at 4A.M. Central Time and ended 2:30 Eastern Time.

Time line of events:
4:00 AM – Go to airport (Lawton Oklahoma)
6:06 AM – Plane took off from Lawton Oklahoma to Dallas Fort Worth Texas
8:ish AM – Plane took off from Dallas to Ohare(Chicago Illinois)
11:55 AM – Plane from Ohare to South Bend Indiana
From there my parents picked me up and we drove up to Michigan.

The past few days I have spent A LOT of money. I bought a Red 2005 Dodge Neon putting $5,000 for the down payment. Then I also bought a 32 HTDV LCD. With that came the Nintendo Wii.

Glad to be home and work starts back up on Monday.!

Well, after today only 10 more days until I return home. It will have been a long 4 months that I have been away from home. At basic training I had fun. Some parts were hard but most I enjoyed. AIT on the other hand has mostly been a lot of bull shit. The classes have been good for my MOS (Field Artillery Tactical Data Systems Specialist). The software we use is quite complex and pretty cool. However the computer systems we are currently using are running Solaris 5.6 which is extremely old (in the technology field). It does get the job done though. Monday is our final test and we go out in the field for a few days then come home and graduate. I should end up being honor grad, but who knows if I will get screwed by our Drill Sergeant as he only likes people with HIGH PT scores.

With my arrival home date coming closer I have been thinking more and more of what kind of car am I going to buy. New or Used I have an idea depending on the price of the used car. I originally was gonna get a new car, but if I get a used car then I will have more money to play with. Anyways, my tags expire today (yes its my birthday), however the retarded govenor of Michigan has had to “shutdown” the state government. So my parents could not renew my tags at the Secretary of State has been shutdown. So… Hopefully I won’t have to buy new tags until I get my new car.

So, Thursday was my last day attending school. YAY!!! So now I just work. Oddly enough that ends me right back at the school only an hour later.

Yesterday I got to train on a FATS system at National Guard. It was.. BADASS!!!! Think of “Duck Hunt” from the Nintendo with the gun. Trade the gun with a M16-A2 Assault Rifle, a big screen and shooting at guys instead of ducks. This system is A LOT more advanced than duck hunt but its very close in the same contents. You shoot things on a screen with a gun. The guns has CO2 hooked up to them so they could function like a normal M16. It was amazing and I want one, or several. This thing is so advanced it even manages your ammo, and when you run out the bolt stays back(like a normal one), you have to pop out the clip put it back in and hit the bolt release and you have a new clip.

Although my back hurts from being in the prone position a lot yesterday it was well worth it.