"Still hanging out down here at Camp Shelby. The guys are cool and things are going about as well as can be expected. There is a study stream of soldiers going in and out of this post. Most of the guys coming back are fountains of knowledge regarding procedure and what it's really like over there. I guess I'll find out soon enough."


- ar-Ramadi Dreamin'


Some of you may know I kept a blog during my first deployment to Iraq. I will be posting excerpts from it on here from time to time. The above writing is from our time spent training up at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. The living conditions are considerably better here in Oklahoma. We are four to a room as opposed to the open squad bays of forty to a room in Mississippi. Unfortunately the chow is about the same.

We are also restricted to post in order to maintain our combat effectiveness. In Mississippi we were allowed off post (when we didn't have training) to have dinner or have a drink together. It's not looking like we'll have the same ability here at Fort Sill. While it is an added hardship on the troops, most of us understand the reasons behind it.

To the right is the airfield here at FT. Sill. It's known as the Henry Post Army Airfield. It was the first home of Army Aviation until that distinction was moved to FT. Rucker, Alabama. This a very historic airfield. The first aircraft in the Army Air Corps used to be assigned here and before that balloons were flown here.


We've been up flying, and training is progressing rapidly. We have taken dozens of classes and are getting oriented with the aircraft in a more in depth way. By the time this is over, I think we will be able to break them down to the skids and put them back together.