Coming Home Early

So it has been 3 weeks since I got back and I have been meaning to do a last post on this to close it out. As everyone knows, or at least I hope you do, I got home the week of Christmas.

On my second day at Leatherneck I received a phone call from my replacement and we started chatting about what to expect in Afghanistan and general stuff like that. During the conversation he told me that his boots on ground date was December 2. I told him that couldn’t be the case and it should be December 18 but sure enough his orders said December 2. I didn’t get too excited at this point because there was still plenty of time for DLA to catch their mistake and fix it. Lord knows I didn’t want to tell Jessica that I might be home for Christmas because failing to meet that deadline would have been horrible.

Fast forward to Black Friday. I got an e-mail from my replacement Rob and Rob told me that he was leaving on a plane to head over to Kuwait. At this point I started to get excited about the possibility. At this point I still did not know when I was going to be coming home. About a week later, Rob made it to Leatherneck. I trained Rob on everything that I did and then I talked with my bosses and asked what they wanted me to do. I had completed all my work but my orders still said I was not to leave Afghanistan until January 13 which was about a month away. My bosses told me to catch a plane to Kuwait and see if I could get on a plane. As a civilian, most anyone can bump me off of a plane so it was still up in the air.

Since Christmas was approaching, getting a flight was almost impossible. I couldn’t find one that went directly from Leatherneck to Kuwait so I had to make a quick stop over in Kandahar for a day or so. I was able to connect from Kandahar to Kuwait by a small miracle. We flew on a C-17 from Kandahar to Kuwait and they typically hold about 150 people but it depends entirely on how much weight they are carrying too. There was an Army unit that was heading home on R & R (think two week vacation). The unit gets priority over me so if there was room after they got on the plane then they would take individual travelers in the order that they made a reservation. I made the reservation about 12 hours before the flight so I was just a little nervous about my chances. I was literally the last one on the list to fly from Kandahar to Kuwait. At this point I had told Jess that I was traveling but I obviously couldn’t tell her where I was for security reasons and I still was not going to tell her that I might be coming home.

Once I got to Kuwait, I started my four days of torture. I stayed in what is called transient billeting. Think crappy tent life without anywhere to secure your belongings and you live with 12 people that you don’t know. Fun times in Kuwait. I turned in half of my gear while I was in Kuwait and I waited for three days to find out if I was going to be manifested on my flight. I was told to show up Saturday morning with all of my stuff and that I would find out at that point if I would be on the flight. Thankfully, I made it on the list. At that point, I knew I was going to make it home for Christmas. The problem was, they immediately ushered us into a lockdown area and I didn’t have access to a phone so I could actually let Jessica know that I was coming home early.

It is at this point that I made the conscious decision to not tell Jess and just show up. Little did I know but Jessica and my Grandfather were already thinking that I was on my way home. I figured that if I had gotten that far, why say anything? At least this way I could create a “moment”. You always see things like that on TV and it always evokes the “awww” reaction from everyone involved. I knew that Jessica (and the rest of my family and friends) was going to be thrilled that I was home in time for Christmas either way so why not make it a little special. Since I am not a woman, I have limited insight into what makes them tick. Actually lets be honest, I have no insight but I thought that it would be extra special if no one knew and that it would mean that much more to Jessica in the long run. That way everyone didn’t have to do anything to prepare for my arrival. I would just show up.

Anyway, back to the travels. After the longest day ever, I boarded the plane to leave Kuwaiti International. We made our way over to Shannon, Ireland again which was great. I was able to get some Christmas shopping done for my ladies while I was there. We flew directly over Iraq and I was impressed with the level of infrastructure they have. I didn’t expect that. You read all about how bombs are going off and in Afghanistan, it is a crumbling abyss but not in Iraq. Don’t get me wrong, I still prefer the good ole U S of A (now say that again with in a Toby Keith type manner). After Shannon we flew directly into Atlanta and were bused over to CRC at Ft. Benning.

Leaving Atlanta we were almost in a car accident with driver that was on their cell phone. I seriously can’t make that up. My bus almost directly collided with an idiot driver. The irony of going to an active warzone only to come home and get into an accident was not lost on us any many of the soldiers wanted to have a very polite conversation with the driver…or shoot him. After another day of hurry up and wait at Ft. Benning, I was finally cleared to go home. The problem was, I wanted to sleep…a lot. So I drove back to Atlanta and got a hotel room for the night and flew back to Columbus the next morning.

Once I landed in Columbus I took a cab to Jessica’s office and almost caused Darcy a stroke (she is the front desk lady in Jess’ office). There are not too many people in the metro-Columbus area that are wearing Desert Cami’s in the middle of winter so I sort of stuck out like a sore thumb and she recognized me instantly. I made it from the elevator to the front desk without attracting any more attention and I asked Darcy to call Jess and have her come to the front desk. The problem was that Jess wasn’t at her desk and Darcy didn’t know offhand where she was. Thankfully Darcy was able to locate Jess in her boss’s office. During this time word was spreading through Jess’ office that I had made it back but Jess still didn’t know. I started to see some familiar folks start to come out off their offices. Jess made it about 5 feet into the open space in her office before she saw me and started tearing up. The rest is history. We had our moment and then picked up Brooklyn and started making the rounds to see family and friends.

I am glad to be home and with my ladies. Thankfully I have only gained two pounds back out of the 45 pounds that I lost while I was over there. It is still weird to be back in civilization but I will take it. There has definitely been an adjustment period at work as I am now just another sheep in the herd rather than being at the tip of the spear (yes that was two clichéd metaphors in one sentence and I think I deserve an award for it). For about a week it was like I was an observer just watching everything around me. I was there but I wasn’t there. I am only now getting back into the swing of things and figuring out that being a parent is in fact hard work.

All in all, going to Afghanistan was the most unique experience that I have had. The fishing stories that have developed as a result are diverse and……different. I guess it is one of those things you just have to do to understand.

Thank you to everyone that helped Jessica and Brooklyn while I was gone. Those things are not lost on me and I only hope that I can repay you in some way. The love and support of our family and friends helped get us both through this experience. So thank you.

Real AAR

The Department of Defense places a lot of emphasis on completing a Lesson's Learned After Action Report after doing just about anything. Seriously, you could clear a jam in a printer and write one of these things. Since I am nearing the end of my deployment I thought I would write my unofficial AAR. Not to mention that I am traveling and there is only so much time you can spend waiting on planes and staring at a wall.

If you ever want to get the attention of an officer, call them by their first name. Make sure that you address them by their proper rank before leaving as it shows that you were trying to make a point and you still respect them and their place within the Marine Corps. This is extremely effective up until you hit the rank of a Colonel and then it is just disrespectful.

If you ever want to really get under the skin of a Marine, don't wear a hat and walk around with your hands in your pockets. Marines are way too big on tradition and order and the butterfly effect is very noticeable with this group. Starting a trend with Marines is almost as easy as starting a cult. Yeah I think I can do that as well.

Never have a gangster/mob movie marathon over a weekend. All to often you will start to think that you can re-enact the scenes and you have great props laying all around you. Oh wait, those aren't props. They are loaded weapons. This is an accident waiting to happen. Hey, we lived to tell the stories so it couldn't have been that bad....right.

When speaking with a Brit it is completely inappropriate to giggle as they talk. Apparently if you have no idea what they are saying, giggling is rude but having a blank and lost look on your face is appropriate. Aussies are also humorous to talk with but Brits are definitely the funniest. You would think that understanding them is not very difficult given that we all speak English. WRONG! It is very difficult but I am definitely better at it now than I was when I first got here.

There are no attractive British women serving at Camp Bastion. If I hadn't seen or met Brits that were attractive then I would think that they just didn't exist but I assure you they do. That is why if you are ever in Afghanistan, you should visit Kandahar Air Field because there is much better scenery.

If it smells bad, start walking in the other direction. After almost 6 months experience, there is nothing ever positive to following a horrendous smell.

Sex is everywhere on this base. It is definitely against the rules but if they really didn't want it to happen then they would sell so many items in the PX to facilitate the process. By the way, they are always sold out of these products so you have to stay on the ball if you want them.

Warning: this following is extremely sexist even if it can apply both ways. Deployment goggles are a real thing. This can also be referred to at the 3 point boost that women get out here. For example, I used to have a scale of yes or no...you know what I am talking about. There is really no need to have a 10 point scale if it really just boils down to would you or wouldn't you. Out here the 10 point scale is in full effect. If a woman is a 5 back home, she is an 8 out here. It doesn't matter how much you think you love your spouse, this is a very real thing and definitively sets in by month 3. On the flip side, ugly is still ugly. Oh yeah, I am still very much married and faithful and extremely thankful for it.

When an officer has no idea what you are saying you can make up anything and tell them. If you use big enough words then you can call them a moron to their face and they won't know it. Military officers rarely are experts in the area that they manage. This means that rather than beat yourself up over how to tell them that you are right and explain why, just make stuff up. They really don't care anyway. This really sets in by meeting 3 with someone. It sounds callous but it will save you a lot of headaches.

Cigars do not taste nearly as good without some sort of liquid facilitator. That doesn't mean I just ignored all the lovely Cuban's around me. I just wasn't used to it.

The more definition a guy has on his muscles, the small amount of weight he lifts. The converse is true as well. If I guy looks big, he lifts large quantities. Marines don't like to admit it but they don't need all the heavy weights. Most times all of the small weights are being used and everything 50 lbs + is left. That is where I started :)

DLA likes to forget those who are deployed. It is one of those things that surprised me but it is true. That is why I have appreciated and do appreciate everything that those of you have done for Jess, Brooklyn and me.

Soon enough I will be home and I can tell you all of the very inappropriate things that I shouldn't put in writing.

Marine Corps and Navy Birthdays

I hit my second goal weight last week. I haven’t been at this weight since high school which is both phenomenal and sad at the same time. I feel great and I have tried to get to this weight for a very long time. On the flipside, I was a big guy in high school too. Thankfully I am now working on my new weight goal that I want to hit before we go on our cruise in March to the Eastern Caribbean. The work never ends.

Things here are as busy as ever. We basically shut down for two weeks in November because of the Marine Corps Birthday and Veterans Day in the same week and then for the week of Thanksgiving. It was just about impossible to get anything to happen during either of those weeks. I am pretty sure that we are making up for that right now. Being able to experience weeks like that first hand has drastically changed my opinion of the work I do back home. The services out here really do sit and wait for answers that basically won’t come for a week. Heaven forbid that there is a legitimate emergency out here. We wouldn’t want to infringe on anyone else’s holiday now would we…

I have gotten to experience both the Navy and Marine Corps birthdays out here and they have been very interesting and drastically different experiences. The Navy Birthday was a pretty classy affair and was pretty tame. The Marine Corps Birthday was over the top and you would have thought that we just won the Revolutionary War. Now granted, I am on a Marine Corps base but in terms of numbers the Navy has the second most people here. Not only that but as the Marines don’t like to be reminded, they are part of the Department of the Navy. Despite the fact that I have not really gotten along with any of the Navy guys out here (except a Master Chief over in Medlog that shares in my misery) they Navy guys are pretty classy and handle themselves professionally. I am not too sure the word professional is in the curriculum to become a Marine.

To illustrate the point, I heard a joke while I was waiting in line for chow. During dinner on the Navy birthday I was standing in line and there were two Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officers (CWO) that were standing behind me in line chatting. One of the CWO’s posed the question, “do you know the best thing about the Navy birthday?” At this point I wasn’t just ease dropping anymore and I turned to them as if I was going to actively participate in the conversation. The other CWO was dumfounded and didn’t have a response. The first CWO said “28 days later the Navy figured out they couldn’t defend themselves and they established the Marine Corps.” Funny…yes. Probably not the most appropriate venue. That would be like going to a kid’s high school graduation and telling them that the best part about them graduating is that they are moving out. Is it probably true? Yes. Is it appropriate? No.

I can’t completely throw the Marines here under the bus because even though some of their officers are completely clueless, the Marines have gone above and beyond to take care of me. The Marines are a unique bunch but I have grown fond of them and would work with them again in the future.

Thanksgiving Explosions

Thanksgiving here was more of the same. You wouldn’t have known it was Thanksgiving if you didn’t go to the chow hall. That is rather odd because while Eric and I were eating, right in the middle there was a rather loud explosion. Imagine being one of the few individuals that doesn’t have a firearm and everyone around you is a little trigger happy with theirs. When a loud explosion occurs and it is not expected, many Marines go for their weapon and begin to load the magazine. This reaffirms that the military engrains procedures and training into the heads of these Marines and oddly makes me feel good about it. As it turns out there was a rather large controlled detonation that occurred right as everyone was sitting down to eat the Thanksgiving meal. Typically we are warned about such events right before they happen so that we can maintain some semblance of calm and professionalism but that was not the case on Thanksgiving. We got the e-mail that it was going to happen about an hour afterwards. There is nothing like having things like this to remind you where you are.

Here are the details of a controlled det. A controlled detonation is when they take an unexploded ordinance (UXO) and they safely blow it up hence the phrase controlled det. Most times when EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) finds an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) that they can safely transport back to the base, they will do so because we want to run the controlled det to see how big of an explosion these IEDs are causing. Research is always occurring. This is also a great way to remind anyone around us or those that are on base and shouldn’t be, that we are still here and they may want to think twice about doing anything stupid.

We fire rockets that are called HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) and it is phenomenal. If you wait until you hear it, then all you see is the trail of smoke from where it flew up. If you are lucky enough to catch sight of it when it is fired, you are truly in awe of it. It is almost like seeing and hearing an F-22 flyover head. When they are firing one, they will probably fire more. I have seen dozens fired since I have been here and I am still like a kid in a candy store when it happens. Shortly after that I have to make myself remember that the result of the HIMAR is tragic and shouldn’t be celebrated but it is captivating nevertheless. 9 times out of 10 if you are reading about casualties from a rocket attack, it was a HIMAR.

There are firing ranges everywhere at Leatherneck and they are used constantly. Marines here have itchy trigger fingers and they must get a work out either for training or in combat, either will do. Gunfire from an M-16 (the rifle that all junior Marines carry) and an M-5 (the pistol that Marines carry) is rather boring and hardly noticed. When the big guns are being shot, everyone knows. I can actually pick out the differences in gunfire from a .50 caliber to a 40 mm to a 20 mm. Note: faster sounds and fire equal smaller round. All of these weapons can be put on the vehicles that the Marines drive in convoys and anywhere outside the wire. I have yet to hear a .762 mm or a 1.05 mm but these are more commonly on Air Force Gun Ships (1.05 mm) and Helicopters (.762 mm) and I would be shocked if I ever got to hear it. It doesn’t mean that I can’t hope.

Since I have been in Afghanistan, we have experienced the bloodiest months of the war here. I am extremely thankful for what I am about to say but it is also odd. I don’t feel like I am in a warzone. I got to experience a rocket attack on my first night in Afghanistan and that has been it and it wasn’t here at Leatherneck. To read the newspapers and see that the war is getting worse doesn’t seem like reality here at Leatherneck. It does seem like reality for those units that I support at the outlying FOBs (forward operating bases) because they are taking the brunt of the attacks. I am glad that I haven’t had to experience some of those things but it is not what I expected. Reality definitely sets in at the ramp ceremonies and visits to the medical center here. Those are stories for another day though.

So that is what I am thankful for this year. My family, my friends and each one of the devil dogs out here that is ready and willing to make sacrifices that seem foreign to all too many.

Another month has come and gone which leaves only one more month to get through before I get to go home.

Outback and Ayla

Yesterday was rather interesting. Armed Forces Entertainment (please do not confuse them with the USO…more on that in a bit) brought Outback Steakhouse to Camp Leatherneck and the musician Ayla Brown. In the roughly five months that I have been here, this is literally the only form of entertainment that has occurred.

I found it very interesting that Armed Forces Entertainment would allow me to participate in their events. I bring this up because the USO will not let me use their services or participate in their events. We have a USO facility here at Leatherneck and because I am not active duty military, I cannot use their services. Apparently it doesn’t matter that I am an American citizen or that I work for the Department of Defense or that I am deployed to Afghanistan which is an active warzone. I have written the USO about this and receive no response. I can definitively say that I will never be donating any money to the USO.

Outback brought 45,000 pounds of steak with them from the States and more than 40 volunteers to help cook, set up and promote the event. Outback has been doing this once a year since 2002 and it is absolutely free. They are not paid for it and all they get in return is lodging while they are here (not to mention a bunch of good PR). Outback is owned by the same company that owns Carrabbas Italian Grill so we had some Carrabbas food too. The food was amazing. I can’t even begin to describe how good a bloomin’ onion can make someone here feel. I never really understood why little things like this would make a difference but I do now. Outback scored major points with me.

The mission over here is convoluted at best and most times the troops over here really couldn’t tell you why we are here. During the intermission of the concert, Major General Mills (the commanding general of Leatherneck) came up to give a speech to everyone. During speech he gave the microphone to the Outback spokesman. The Outback spokesman made it clear why they are supporting us. The Outback spokesman basically said that 9/11 wasn’t an accident and we are here to bring the fight to them. As long as we are over here, Outback is going to keep coming out to let us know that we are not forgotten and the cause is still supported. Please note, I have taken out the large amount of profanity that accompanied this statement. Whether or not you agree with the statement, it was nice to hear. I liked Outback before but I think I am going to give them a little more business now.

Ayla Brown is a former American Idol contestant and her father is a US Senator from Massachusetts (he won Ted Kennedy’s seat). Her music was average at best but it was nice that she and her band came out. Before the concert began, a Master Sergeant sang the National Anthem while the marines presented the American Flag. It is hard to describe this but I will try. Everyone was standing at attention and saluting the flag while the Star Spangled Banner was being sung. The speakers and amplifiers were purposely turned up so that anyone near Leatherneck would hear it. It literally gave me chills and that is not just because it was 41 degrees outside. Keep in mind that Camp Bastion is a British base and the song was written during a battle between the US and England. There were even a few Brits in the audience. With about 200 years between when it was written and now, it still stings a little bit for the Brits even though we are great allies with them now. This doesn’t even begin to touch on the overtones of blasting it in an active US warzone. It is something that I will never forget. It may be one of those experiences that you just had to be there for.

All throughout the concert there were Marine MPs (military police) all around the staging area for the concert and they had quite a few IED sniffing dogs with them. I was standing near the back, near where a lot of the MPs were, and I witnessed something truly unique. A group of TCNs were coming to enjoy the concert and their IDs were being checked (typical and per policy). All of a sudden a dog started giving his handler the signal that he smelled something. This sign is only given if the dog smells one of the chemicals typically used in IEDs. Needless to say, about 5 MPs tackled this TCN and “subdued” him. In this instance, the individual in question is immediately declared an enemy combatant and rules basically go out the window. This is done without as much as a word being uttered. I have no idea what the result was after they dragged the TCN off. It could have turned out to be nothing. I mean after all most of the TCNs here are tasked with cleaning and things of that nature and any number of chemicals could have been on his clothes. All I know is that I was about 15 feet away from him and when I recognized the situation, I had a simple thought. Oh shit. Nothing more and nothing less. A simple thought that was followed by more expletives sprinting through my head than I thought I knew. Before anyone potentially freaks out you should remember that the stories I tell you are nothing compared to what I don’t tell you. Now you may freak out but remember sometimes you just gotta have faith. Now please channel your inner George Michael and sing the chorus.

Veterans Day

In honor of Veterans Day, I thought it would be appropriate to tell a few stories about the folks that I work with over here.

Most people who know me, know exactly how to answer the question, “do you want the short explanation or the long one?” Unfortunately for some of the Marines that I work with, they don’t know how to answer it. Let me start at the beginning. Quite a few Marines that I work with are pursuing their college education while they are out here. As such, they have assignments that they are always working on and have to turn in for grading. One of the Marines here wants to major in Criminal Justice. Despite my best efforts, I could not dissuade her. There really isn’t much you can do with the degree and CSI won’t be calling you anytime soon for a position.

Regardless, she knows that I have a bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Psychology and asked for my assistance with her paper that she was writing. Two hours later I finished giving her my help. For those of you that have watched Glenn Beck on Fox News (I will pause momentarily for cringing….ok you can stop now), you will notice that he uses a chalk board in just about every show. Replace the chalk board with a white board and you had me. I was able to take a simple psychology question and illustrate how the military can be a bit socialist in nature.

I will trace a brief outline for you, nature vs. nurture turned into socialism vs. democracy which then in turn became practical application of economic theory. I have a unique ability to tie just about anything into a totally different topic. Anyway, I was able to successfully convince a group of Marines that the military is socialist in nature and could threaten the very fabric of American society. Yeah, they are a little too easily led. Don’t worry, I tried to undo the damage by pointing out how the military embraces freedom, social equality and a promotable hierarchy which can call be tied back into democracy and capitalism. By the end of my “lecture” there were 7 Marines listening to me and sadly there was an officer in the group as well. I shudder to think about what I could do if I started my own cult.

Since I have been here, I have encountered a number of rather interesting things that I haven’t seen before. For instance, on my first day at Leatherneck I walked into a room and literally saw a group of Marines measuring their muscles with a tape measure. I have witnessed Marines duck taping another Marine (think being tied down) and then giving him a few shots to the body just because it was his birthday and then to top it off, they shut him in a 20 foot metal container while still taped up. He got out about 5 minutes later.

I think what has topped the chain and blown my mind is the following story. Here at Leatherneck we use port-a-potties to do our business. Some of these facilities have a venting tube that comes out the back and rises up like a chimney would off of a house. This tube is about 10 inches in diameter and it goes directly from the “holding” area of the port-a-potties, straight up in the air. The holding area is filled with a blue liquid that is supposed to disinfect and keep the spread of disease to a minimum. The Marines has these same types of facilities in Iraq and they brought a little tradition with them to Leatherneck. Marines and the Army do not get along. It is basically like oil and vinegar. So they take every opportunity to screw the other over that they can. The Army typically has decent facilities with actual bathrooms so the port-a-potties are not exactly their cup of tea but they use them anyway. When a Marine is able to identify that an Army soldier is using the facilities and is going to be in there for a bit, they find a sizeable rock that can fit down the venting tube and throw it down as hard as they can. The rock will then cause a splash that can only be rivaled by the wave that results from the fat kid that does a cannonball into a pool. The solider will then come out of the john and be soaked with blue liquid and all of the other lovely things that are deposited into a port-a-potty. I laugh every time I see an Army guy that is all blue and pissed off.

These are our Veterans even if you don't want to claim them and on this Veterans Day we salute them.

Animals

Today is my 121st straight day of work without a day off. I work 12 hour days every day except for Sunday and then it is just 8 hours. All enlisted Marines and contractors get a day off every week. I forgot what it was like to work this many days in a row. While I was in college I would often times have 2 or 3 jobs while going to school but even then I was able to line up a weekend every now and then that I could take off. I am pretty sure that is why I got sick. My body just wanted to rest. Not that I did rest as a result but the thought of resting was nice enough.

We have animals all over this base. Most are transported here after they snuck into some of the containers that were shipped over. Most of the cats here are fed by someone and a few even have collars on them now. It doesn’t mean that I am going to be taking them in but it is nice to see that all humanity isn’t lost out here.
One of the IED sniffing docs came into my office the other day. Her name was Rita and she had a hurt paw so she was on light duty. Rita is a German Shepherd mix and she is kind of small for a German Shepherd. IED sniffing dogs are always one rank above their handler and will get promoted as they do. For example, Rita was a Corporal because her handler was a Lance Corporal. These dogs are awarded medals and are treated as Marines. If the handler mistreats the IED dog, then they get NJPed (Non-Judicial Punishment…typically involves loss of rank and pay with extra duties) and can even be court marshaled depending on the offense.

If Rita to were walk by you, you would just see a dog. She walked around the office and loved the attention. Rita stopped so anyone who wanted to pet her could. She had the roughest dog hair/fur coat that I had ever touched. You could tell that she had spent a lot of time outside under the hot sun. When she came next to my area, she licked a few drops of water that had fallen from my bottle of water. So we got a Styrofoam bowl and filled it up. Then we filled it again and again and again. We filled it until three bottles of water were gone. Typically you would have water everywhere but not with Rita. Rita made sure that that bowl was almost as dry after she was done with it as when she started. She was a happy dog after that and she left with her handler to go back to her area with the other IED dogs.

Eric and I have noticed as of late that there seem to be a family of pigeons that are living at Leatherneck. Now I have no idea if they were here before we got here but it would be poetic if our gift to the Afghani’s were pigeons. It’s almost as bad as the Indians giving the early settlers tobacco.

There is a phrase that the Marines love to say and it drives me crazy. Kill bodies. This phrase is used to show affirmation, gratitude and understanding. Occasionally they just say the word, “kill.” Regardless of what they say, it absolutely drives me up a wall. From my view is says a lot about someone who would ever want to brag about that or get excited at the prospect. Most of the times when I hear one of the Marines say it, I remind them that they work in supply and I have more time experienced outside the wire here than they have. They don’t like that very much.