Henry's Web Log

Wed: training on First Aid…Combat medic techniques with lots of videos. Very detailed videos about field expedient surgical procedures. Before lunch. Later, I tried to send a package to home, but was 10 minutes late to post office…
Thursday: Communications: 9-line medevac & Call for fire. Then Convoy operations with rock drill for tomorrow.
Friday:
Today is our class’ final event: a Combat Convoy exercise, using 7 HMMWVs. Yesterday, we practiced duties and responsibilities, contingencies, and SOPs, such as we could in a limited environment. The problem for me is, that I still haven’t cleared medical. I had a low heart rate and abnormal EKG. My heart rate was 42 during the EKG, whereas my peers were 54 to 75. The soldier with 54 was flagged as low, so when they saw my heart rate, they were ready to get out the shock paddles. No, not really, but they really thought I was on heart rate medication. Lance Armstrong has something like a 32 bpm resting heart rate. My father had a low pulse, and I know Eric is also low. So part is hereditary. And then there’s the running and exercising I do. The heart’s in great shape…the belly needs a little work, but the ticker’s fine. It just took until today to get an appointment with the Internal Medicine doctor, and they couldn’t do it any other time except during our convoy.

The convoy was going to depart at 0800, but my appointment was for 0950, with a 30 minute drive. I just wouldn’t be able to do both. My solution was to elect myself photographer/videographer. I suited up in the full battle rattle and helped with the final rehearsals, last-minute logistics and getting everyone off to the line of departure (LD). Folks enjoyed having a photo of them behind a SAW (squad automatic weapon) or suited up for combat. I’ll be able to share these via thumb drives when we’re cleaning weapons later.
I hiked from the LD back to the barracks, drove to the hospital and made my appointment time with 10 minutes to spare: so I mailed my box of goodies home. Lisa, Eric and Ethan will receive a few souvenirs from Camp McCrady, like my M16 and pistol targets, an extra set of my own dog tags, an SD card full of photos, and a handwritten letter.
The doctor saw me, we talked, and he cleared me for deployment without restrictions. But I still had to visit the SRP (soldier readiness processing) and clear their medical section (“Look. Here. I passed. Sign this!”), then turn in all my paperwork. And they close for an hour and a half lunch. Well, they don’t call it lunch. It’s 1 hour for lunch and ½ hour more for internal organization time…but any non-government entity would call that an hour and a half lunch. So it wound up being a 1 hour medical appointment that took 5 hours to finalize.

When I got back to Camp McCrady, everything was wrapped up: weapons were cleaned, equipment was turned in (thanks to some buddies' help), and we were waiting for travel orders. It's been a huge pain not knowing where we're going until the day before we fly. And even then, I didn't get orders until 6pm, for a 9am departure.

The discussions over chow have almost always tied to who's going to be then next President: Oboma/Biden or McCain/Palin? The military almost universally supports McCain, and traditionally favors Republican.

I did get to share the 5-minute McCrady Convoy video with those who had a thumb drive, and we went to the small club on-post for a beer. Then it was pack up and move out!
Incidently, for a much better video of life at McCrady, see what our Navy bretheren went through. These guys were always up earlier and working later than us.