JUST WHEN YOU SHAPE UP....YOU SHIP OUT?

On a lighter, but none the less sobering note, it has come time for our current FOB’mates to switch out. Yep, we get the wonderful experience of watching hundreds of soldiers pack up their shit and head home while we remain. I don’t begrudge any of them their right to return to the States. They have, after all, been here a whole year. That doesn’t mean that it‘s not hard fight back jealousy, watching as the daily interaction between the departing soldiers becomes more and more charged and excited as they near their departure date. It’s not the end of the world or anything, but it does serve to constantly remind you of how much longer you have (9 mos, +/-). Well, I guess I can look on the bright side. With the mass exodus, inevitable, many are leaving behind luxuries they either broke down and purchased or inherited from others before them. Luxuries such as the mini-fridge someone left at the end of the pad we’ve got our eye on. Hopefully we’ll end up with a few more comforts the-likes-of cold drinks by the time the switch is complete. Speaking of the switch (also known as RIP/TOA – Relief In Place / Transfer Of Authority), that brings up another point of interest. When we arrived here at the FOB we were informed that we had lucked out. This was indicating that the our TF had recently gotten fed up with taking casualties and had taken on a more aggressive posture that had resulted in them taking a stronger foot hold and ultimately easing our “breaking in” period. While we appreciated coming into an environment where it was obvious that US Forces were “large and in charge”, what that also means is that it took them nearly 9 months to fully understand the scope of their task and develop the means to control their AO. This is not a negative reflection on them but rather just the learning curve that they suffered through while in country. All in all they had a pretty successful run. I believe that they had somewhere in the ball park of 50 WIA and 10 KIA. That’s less then 0.5% of their fighting force, small consolation to the families of the deceased I suppose. Either way, the point being that they had gotten in country and took over from their predecessors and only after learning some tough lessons did they develop the proficiency to effectively control this AO. It is this concept that has us on edge these days. Our new FOB’mates are from the an Airborne Division, a potent and powerful fighting force to be sure. But it is rumored that the specific unit coming here is a light armor unit. That would mean that we could be going from having tanks and heavy guns roving around the AO to up-armored HMWVV’s. I am no military genius, but I would have to guess (and hope) this is nothing more than a rumor, otherwise the future wouldn’t look pleasant. I suppose that I will find out when the switch takes place. It’s somewhat sobering to know that our team will be the most knowledgeable and experienced people on the FOB, as it pertains to this AO and time frame anyhow. I am sure that things will work out fine and that the new unit here will be just as, if not more successful than their predecessors, but I’d be lying if I said that I hadn’t lost any sleep over it. I guess all you can do is your best each day, and hope for the best. I know that I and the rest of my fellow soldiers have all the support we need, we’ve got each other and we have the support of our families, God and country. Keep praying for us and know that your support is greatly appreciated. Till next time.