ofpeditor

ZZZZZZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNG!

1 spawn is a big tranisition as it is...but i heard it's not quite as overwhelming as making the move from +1 to +2. my mother flew out to see us and made the comment that when dealing with children, 1+1 NEVER equals 2. the responsibility jump from an only child to having a brother or sister is exponential. with how i used to pick on my sisters, i can see that being extremely true. but it's purely endearing, we're a close-knit family even now. pray to God it's a boy first. otherwise i'm going to need to make sure every boy in town knows i have guns and knives. mwahahaahaha. "So Jimmy...*picks up the 226*...what time should I expect you two back, hmmmmm?" Â

hahaha...i signed my death warrant when the doctor told me she really was pregnant. i looked at the beaming young lady and said, "phew! its about time i have another voice to nag me!" hahaha...that went over realllly well. there's not a chance in hell i'm going to let myself miss this devil being born; i already let our admin know the ETA on his (or her for that matter - jesus, another ponytail stomping around the house?!) arrival. i'll apply for a LOA to help out. i wasn't sure how i'd feel hearing that i'd be a dad. i knew i'd love the news, i just didn't know that i'd be this elated. things have been going really well since getting back. my sister had her first kid, i found out i'll be a father (let's gooooooooo, let it be a boooy!), took some MUCH needed vacation, and signed on another contract. looks like i'll be able to keep food on the table a while longer! thanks for the kind words, guys...glad to see you're all still around and kicking!

Run for the hills, there's a another OE on the way! After a trip to get another ultrasound, it's been confirmed - our family is growing +1. The missus started the nesting process; I've been leaving straw around the house for her to create her new roost and unruffle her feathers a bit. I've been practicing the Yes, Dear and started singing to her stomach; never thought this old man could be a softie, eh?   I got out a needle and thread and already stitched another 1-inch stocking for the holidays  Just thought I'd let some of you ol' BAS lads know and update you a bit on the going-ons in my life...beat you to it Ebud! hope everything is going well with everyone, and I'll be sure to stick around a bit more and fill you guys in on the progress.

You shouldn't fear those birds, mate. They're phenomenal... when they work properly, of course. Just a matter of working out the kinks. Boeing has a helo flight test facility out of New Castle Co. Airport that we had the chance to frequent when they were doing the V-22 flight tests. Had a handful of opportunities to get our boys in that thing and see what she could do. My review? 4 stars. Ain't nothing like a HH-60, though.

no worries about the turkey mate, i'm just blowing smoke anyway. just like any person can be book smart, when it comes time to apply that knowledge, some people just get thrown off; that's the best way to explain what i witnessed. a lot of these guys could spout off all sorts of knowledge, but when it came to a medical response in a sticky situation, they couldn't act on what they knew they had to do. knowing and doing are two different things, and when seconds count you cannot afford to spend the time transitioning from one to the other. before i even became involved with the firm, i received my medical degree in cardiology. i'd spent time in an ER and trauma center. this was primarily the start of my medical training, prior to ever signing on. once i signed on to the company, the level of training i received was phenomenal and far more than i could have ever expected. every day i'm working with guys who've spent 10-20 years in their respective branches (even a few foreign guys), a vast majority who've had an SF-background, and i get to learn from them every day. we do intense training year-round to help prepare, but you pointed out exactly what i had to learn when i got into this - that not everything you learn is embedded in a textbook. am i glad i'm not stuck in a white lab coat? oh hell yes. Â

the old k-pot? don't know if you've had any experience with the mich, but they're a light years ahead in terms of comfort.

i only wore my helmet about half the time. if my wife knew this, she'd be PISSED. she gets the nickname "killa" for a reason. in most urban environments it was a no-brainer, else one could find themselves really a no-brainer. i've worked on enough guys to realize that there are a lot of things that could have prevented in "should-have-been-wearing" situations. i swear by Gallet's products now, and plan on sending back my helmet with a huge THANK YOU, so they can see first hand the damage the helmet took and the damage it prevented on my (yes ralphy), incredibly thick skull. but even now, i know i should wear my helmet more than i actually do. there's reasons, and if those don't hold up, i'm just plain stubborn. i have to agree hellfish on this though, i despise wearing it. Â something i noticed over there was the number of greenhorn medics who hadn't a clue what the hell they were doing. i don't know if it was just a need to get acclimated to the combat zone or what, but there were plenty of military medical personnel i met that i would NOT have felt were competent enough to treat patients in certain situations. it really concerned me. to be fair though, the majority of personnel knew what the hell they were doing and did their jobs damn well. shinraiden - if you can deep fry a turkey, the missus and i are there! ralph - what specifically is wrong in the signature? hellfish - for some reason i thought you had served with the marines, not the army? avon - they're all beef. "they plump when ya cook 'em."

we engaged the 'bad guys' quite a few times while over there. whether i killed anyone is for me to know and you to fear in your sleep. mwahaha. take that response as you will. but really, i dont think this thread is an appropriate place to talk about ending a life. we were there to preserve life, it was our primary task, and in my case i've got my medical bag with intentions of preserving it. Van Hellfish - i didnt use my camera all too much in my time over there for the sake of it not on my mind during ops and lack of motivation while we had some down time. i did develop a mean game of chess, though. however, i did take some shots, its all 35mm, so it'll take some time to develop. our firm has a strict black-out policy on operations, media, and what you, the public sees, so any film related to our time there goes through the admin in a "censorship process"; i.e. anything they don't like gets pulled and we're left to bitch and kick and moan without getting anywhere. give it a week or two, and i'll have images to post. anyone got a web server i can host the images on? an incident ya'll might like to hear, i know angusheaf has already heard this. we were out det'd with some of the army boys doing door to door searches on an op, and we had to stop while the EOD boys were working on an IED along the road. Got out of the vehicle to stretch my legs and the next thing I know I'm on my ass seeing stars and everyone else me is returning fire. Some f*ck had taken a lucky pot shot and the round deflected off my helmet. We knew where it originated, but there wasn't a chance in hell we were going to catch up. Effectively destroyed my comms, but my noggin stayed in one piece. Writing a HUGE thank you and customer testomonial to Gallet. How's that for campfire talk, avon? OE

learning sand art  easier to cut and paste than to type out a long response. our purpose in iraq. hope that answers your question ironsight? have a good day, guys. next 5 days are hectic unpacking/packing/WILDPASSIONATEHORNDOGGEDNESS. i'll be around, so fire off questions, and i'll be glad to do what i can to answer Â

After some time over in Iraq, our contract is up for now and I'm finally back home with the wife. Just thought I'd post the note here, as some of the old BAS guys might want an update. Time for some long overdue vacation time.

Sunscreen! DOH! I knew I was forgetting something!Beach ball, check, towel, check, speedo, check, M4, check, but the sunscreen? I was out of my f'ing gourd! 5 Day forecast: 115, 113, 111, 111F. Dry dry heat. I love it. You never know. Maybe you already have! We rarely release information to the media under policy (blackout), and anything you hear or see is very well thought out and very planned. But like I said, you never know. So watch the television at all hours. Do it. I'll wave. So do it. At this point in Iraq, the reason your face comes on screen isn't a good one. I'll aim to keep mine off it. We're out of here come Tuesday, so any of you guys who've been in the sandbox already, drop me a line before then. Cheers!

Thanks for the encouraging words, guys and avon, ma'am. Ebud! Enjoy the married life! Addressing simba: I work for a company whose mission, as Ebud pointed out, is to perform and assist in rescue and retrieval operations. Meaning, if a person is taken hostage, this case in Iraq, we could very well have an integral part in getting that person back safely, working alongside the US Military and other groups brought over for the same or similar purposes. Notice I said "getting that person back safely," not killing civilians for the sake of killing civilians. In my hands, yes, I do carry a gun. Just as you would in a hostile environment. But turn me around, and you might notice I carry a medical pack. Why? Because I've spent a large part of my life in the pursuit to preserve life, not to take it. Yes, I will deliver a swift fist of justice, but I will never waver to offer a soft touch of health. I'm not going to waste another minute entertaining your thoughts there, hoss, but I'm sure after three months of time over there I'll be able to put even more of it into perspective for you. And by the way simba, I'm not a young guy. I'm into my 30s now. Thanks again to all of your encouraging words. Take care!

Wasn't entirely sure of which forum to post this in, so Hellfish or whichever moderator, if you'd please put this in the appropriate area, it'd be greatly appreciated. As the US Military has been taking a bit step out of the limelight over in Iraq, the firm I am contracted with has gotten into a new theater. We're deploying to Iraq, meaning I'll be in Baghdad, Karbala, and Samarra and surrounding areas for upwards of three months, assisting in Rescue & Retrieval. Turns a stomach, but it'll get me away from fixing the house for a while  I wanted to write and let you know that I obviously cannot be an active part of the community, and I'm taking a hiatus until I return. To my BAS mates - keep up the spectacular work, I'll be in touch and grabbing some photos while I'm over there If I find the time and get the chance, I'll drop a line from overseas. I hope to make a safe return here in a few months. take care guys Ofpeditor

Wasn't entirely sure of which forum to post this in, so Hellfish or whichever moderator, if you'd please put this in the appropriate area, it'd be greatly appreciated. As the US Military has been taking a bit step out of the limelight over in Iraq, the firm I am contracted with has gotten into a new theater. We're deploying to Iraq, meaning I'll be in Baghdad, Karbala, and Samarra and surrounding areas for upwards of three months, assisting in Rescue & Retrieval. Turns a stomach, but it'll get me away from fixing the house for a while  I wanted to write and let you know that I obviously cannot be an active part of the community, and I'm taking a hiatus until I return. To my BAS mates - keep up the spectacular work, I'll be in touch and grabbing some photos while I'm over there If I find the time and get the chance, I'll drop a line from overseas. I hope to make a safe return here in a few months. take care guys Ofpeditor