Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Culture Clash

Everything has been going well at Camp Atterbury. We were issued a lot of our gear yesterday. Each person got around $6,000 in equipment...cold weather gear that can take you to -60 degrees Fahrenheit, modular sleeping bag, flak vest with plates, ruck sacks and four sets of Army Combat Uniforms (ACUs). We can only wear the Army uniforms when we go outside the wire in Afghanistan. Too bad because they are really nice! Below is my Civil Engineer (CE) Non-commissioned Officer (NCO) getting fitted for his flak vest.
Scott and I ran into each other during the equipment issue. We filled up three of those green bags with all our new gear.
Here's a picture of our Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) marching down the road. They march everywhere, but officers don't have to be in the formation! The Army and the Air Force culture is very different and creating some tension. It seems like we do everything at different ends of the spectrum and everyone is frustrated (except for me, I find it amusing). Hopefully things will settle down soon.

I've been talking with the Capt I'm going to replace in Afghanistan. It seems like I will be very busy once I get in country. There are currently 52 active construction projects worth $72 million. If that's not impressive, there are 79 planned projects worth $112 million. I will be super busy! And there are some cool projects I'll be working/planning, like building an airport! Cool!

1 comment:

  1. I'm enjoying reading your updates. Tell my cousin that we're thinking about both of you when you run into him again!
    -ryan-

    ReplyDelete