I’m posting this one early because I may not post tomorrow. I have a day off and will spend it with the family instead of online. Yesterday, I found two folded dollar bills in the parking lot at the thrift store. I thought you may be wondering how it jumped so fast and there you have it. Plus, today I found another $.33. Well, here’s the next installment:

2203, 26 February 2003, Wednesday

Today was a very uneventful day. We had the PT formation at 0630. Afterward, we had a key leader’s meeting. The main topic was that we still have a little time before we leave, so we’re going back to the PT thing in the mornings. So much for being able to do PT in the afternoon like I wanted. Supposedly, 1^st Brigade is moving out to the TAA’s tomorrow, with 3^rd Brigade moving out around the 5^th of March. Sometime between the 5^th and 10^th is when we move out. Of course, that’s the plan for the next 24 hours. It seems to change that often. The 101^st Airborne Division is supposedly moving into some of the other camps and occupying them soon, which is why 1^st Brigade, positioned at Camp New Jersey, is moving out so quickly. They just got here only a month ago anyway, so they can afford to stay in the desert a little longer than us.

This morning we didn’t really do much at all. I went to the PX and stood in line for about an hour. Half of us decided to go ahead and get subs from the sub shop, so the other half waited for us in the PX line. So, my line-standing hour was spent there. At 1100 hours the Battalion commander wanted to speak to us. We got our sandwiches at 1050, after waiting in line for about an hour. The guys in the PX line weren’t even halfway to the door, so that was a bust.

At the meeting with the BC, he basically sat us down and talked through our concerns for the upcoming war. I voiced my concern over fratricide. I think we’ll lose more people from fratricide than from the Iraqis. He addressed that it was a viable concern and that he was worried about that as well. He said that we need to create or refine our TTP’s (tactics, techniques, and procedures) for how to prevent that (ie: what do you do if someone is approaching you in the dark. You can’t make them out and they don’t know the challenge and password. They’re US soldiers, but their HMMWV has broken down and they’re just seeking help. How do you decide whether that person is an American or Iraqi?). He said there is probably more of a chance of small arms fratricide than from things like artillery, mortars, and tanks rounds. I can see that. We got our second skins today for our masks. If you ask me they were cutting that a little too close. We’ve been trying to get those things for weeks. I had thrown my hood away because it had holes all through it anyway.

And that’s really what we did today. Not much else to do. We were ready to leave so everything is either packed up or loaded into the MILVAN. I also got some medical supplies that we might need like IV tubes, Tylenol, Aspirin, pseudophedrine hydrochloride, cortisone and some other stuff. I also went with Michelle to find some fuel spouts.

I was able to talk with Emily for a little while online. She said that she fixed the whole motorcycle title thing. We also have termites again and that needs to be taken care of. I hate living in Georgia. That’s such a pain in the butt to deal with and it’s expensive to fix. We have to replace a windowsill in the kitchen and possibly one in the living room. Our deductible is $500 and I think we’ll be paying all that. The inspectors are supposed to check it out in a few days. There goes the bonus. You can just never plan anything around here with your money. I don’t think I like living in Georgia, or at least not owning a home.

Well, that’s it. I told you it was a boring day. I got a lot of rest. Tomorrow should be the same. We have PT in the morning at 0600 and “work call� at 0900. So, until then…