Snow in NC

Steph sent me these pictures of the kids in the snow. I have to admit.....I got some good looking kids.

My Mailing Adress

MSgt Beatty
MWHS-2 Det A
Unit 78092
FPO AE 09509-8092

This is not a solicitation for goodies. Just thought y'all might want it.

White Picket Fence???

My Alley

1st Week Observations

I'm starting to get a feel for the base. I haven't been stationed anywhere like this before. It is difficult to forget that we are in a combat zone. For one thing, I strap on a pistol and live rounds everyday as part of my morning routine. I have been to dozens of feild exercises where you walked around with a weapon, but this is the first time that I have carried live rounds with me everywhere that I go. It's a weird feeling that I still have not gotten over. The other part of it is that every other servicemen also is walking around armed. It makes sense why there is absolutely no alcohol or sex allowed over here. The image of thousands of young, drunk, jealous, armed servicemen is unsettling to say the least.

Another thing that is unique is the protection measures. This base is riddled with concrete, barriers, earth walls, barbed wire, and checkpoints. The pictures I have included show my "neighborhood". All living spaces are surrounded by those enormous concrete walls.

I went to mass yesterday. It was strange praying with a 9mm and 15 rounds on my person. The Preist here conducted mass a lot different then in New Bern. There was a lot more singing by the congregation and the priest sang all the prayers instead of just saying them. I looked like a bad American Idol contestant throughout the Mass. I didn't know what was going on.

I have settled into my workspace and it is nothing new. A lot of the work is stuff that I did when I was a sergeant. The difference being that I have a lot more Marines in my charge. I don't frosee any proffesional difficulties at all. I am going to try and find the education center today and see if I can knock out a couple of college courses while I am here. I think that once I get into a routine time will fly by.

My house away from Home.

Thought you might want to see some pictures of where I live. It is pretty nice. I have heat, a fridge, internet, and TV. Not too shabby at all. You have to pay for the internet and the tv only has a couple of channels, but I am NOT complaining.

Things are slow now. The Marines that we are here to replace have not left yet. So, there is some friction as to who is suppose to be doing what. It is always like that during turnover. The old guys are ready to leave and the new guys want to take over and do things thier way. It will pass soon.

I think a lot of guys are suprised on how operationally quiet it is now as compared to last rotation. Before we called the shots, but now we are guests in a sovereign nation. That will take some getting used to. It is a good thing if you think about it.

One Long Day

Well, I made it to Al Assad. It was a long trip. We flew on a Northwest 747 from Cherry Point to Amsterdam. I got to sit in the super cush seats. That was reeaaly nice. We had to sit in a holding bay in Amsterdam while our plane re-crewed. Many Marines were upset that they couldn't site see in Amsterdam. The Amsterdam government ensured that none of us would wonder off by placing armed soldiers at the exits. It was funny. We then flew from Amsterdam to Kuwait. We got off the plane far from civilians and boarded buses to Camp Victoria. Camp Victoria is an armpit of a base that is used for transients and overflow. Our plush accomidations consisted of a cot in an open tent. Luckily we were there for less then 24 hours. We then got on another bus to Ali Al Salem where we got on a C-7 for the jump to Al Assad. We were delayed to board because the crew discovered that the plane had a flat tire. We finally boarded and were packed in like sardines. It was especially tight because we have to wear all of our armor when flying in a combat zone. The piolot told us we were cleared for take off and the horsepower kicked in. For some reason we stopped before we were airborne and the plane turnred around on the tarmac. The only explanation we got was "we're going to try again".....not very re-assuring. Second time was a charm. We landed in Al Assad with no problems. I hope everyone is doing OK back home.

Tony

Baptism / Confirmation / 1st Communion

Well, I am officially a Catholic. It was a really nice experience. The ceremony was quick and painless. No flames or anything. A lot of people came up to me afterward and congratulated me as well as thanked me for my service. For the record Stephanie is my Godmother, which I think is strange, but there wasn't anyone else down here to do it. My Godfather is named C. J. He was my sponsor throughout this and a really nice guy.

Big day today. My mothers birthday, my baptism/confirmation, and my last day in the states for a couple of months. I am setting up this blog with the intent to keep my family up to date on what is going on with me over the next couple of months. I think that it will help pass the time.

Getting The Blog Started