Shek: Some mundane questions

[Guest]

Just two really.

1. What is daily life (when not on patrol) like in Iraq?

2. What's it like in the 173rd Airborne? As I recall you were in that unit and that's what I wan to try for when I join up.

Thanks in advance for your answers.

[Shek]

Just two really.

1. What is daily life (when not on patrol) like in Iraq?

It just depends. If you are on one of the developed FOBs, you'll have access to a PX, probably some American type fast food, good dining facilities and workout equipment. You'll have to do standard maintenance (vehicles, weapons). If you are out deep in Anbar or Ninevah provinces, you'll probably have tents, cots, and lots of open space to stare at. I think that it's tough to generalize on what the "typical" daily life is at it depends so much on what the current operations tempo is and where you are it. Tankervet could probably give you a better answer than I since he just got back and will know how much FOBs have been built up as well as what OPTEMPO typically is.

2. What's it like in the 173rd Airborne? As I recall you were in that unit and that's what I wan to try for when I join up.

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Being in Vicenza, Italy, is awesome. However, with the GWOT, 173rd has spent time in both Iraq and Afghanistan without much time off in between. Jumping is fun, but an all day affair (although that may have changed because I believe they can once again use the airfield at Vicenza as the departure airfield for the the jump). Also, the better training areas are hours from Vicenza, and so while the training itself is just as quality or even better than elsewhere (because of the overall high quality of the soldiers and officers), it is farther between than if you were at Bragg/Campbell/etc. So, in the end, if you want to experience Europe, then Vicenza is for you - just understand that the 173rd is just as busy as everyone else, and so expect to spend a lot of time away from Vicenza as well.

[tankervet]

1. What is daily life (when not on patrol) like in Iraq?

Shek is correct about daily life in Iraq. It varies so much its hard to say. It can vary from having one of the nicest chow halls I will probably every go into, a px that rivals some stateside, a shower trailer every couple hundred feet, large in ground swimming pool, etc, etc to living in a small tent without power or any running water, or even worse on your vehicle during surge operations.

As far as average I would say you can expect at least a cot to sleep on probably a bed with a mattress, some form of a PX, usually a chow hall of some sort, and a gym. Usually there is internet access and phones are not that hard to find.

My situation this last tour:
2 man room (but I'm a SSG so I got it one notch above the joes who lived 3-4 to a room)

Wireless internet in our rooms ( I know I really couldnt believe it either but I didnt argue about it)

Semi nice PX

Very nice chow hall, practically brand new

Very nice gym

Laundry facility where the hired help washes your clothes

I bought an Iraqna phone while I was there so using the phone was not a problem for me

All in all I would say living conditions can not be beat, thats for sure one thing that going pretty good in Iraq

As far as mission's it varies so much its hard to say. But with our schedule usually we could expect to work between 10-15 hrs on mission per day for 5-7 days then we would usually get a day off then it would start back over again. But I dont think we ever made it 5-7 days without something happeing that would change the schedule, ie covering down on another area, surge ops, soldier killed from one of our other units and we take there area for a few days, etc etc

I would say that the worst is some of the 24hrs missions that we would have to do, and the best is sometimes we would only go out for 3-4 hrs, but these mission were very few and far between

Oh and I forgot to mention that that does not include maint on vehicles, weapons and such. There were quite a few nights that we were working 24h on and 24 off and we had to change the track on our tanks in my section so we ended up finishing up a few hours before time to roll out for another 24h.

Before any of you hard core 'nam era guys bickering that we got it so good, I was in the "suck" for a long time on my 1st tour over there with nothing. Actually nothing would have been an improvement!

[tankervet]

After saying all that I never did really answer your question

Off duty on the FOB is alot of sitting around inventing ways to have fun. Its up to your imagination as to what you can do. Pretty much if you can think it up and have someone send it to you then you can do it. There is also (on my FOB) basketball courts, fields that you can play soccer on (i didnt say soccer fields cause its just a square of dirt), and of course the gym, which was my favorite past time. I said earlier that you will have internet more than likely and that takes up spare time as well. We would also play wall ball some and we had the little airsoft pistols that we enjoyed shooting at each other (disclaimer most of the chain of command didnt like this one). Oh man I can't even think of what all we did. Oh played alot of video games, told stories. It's not like any movies that you have seen so dont think of it that way. I would say down time on the FOB is alot like being in college with your buddies or something to that nature, if your on a well built up FOB. Some FOB's are so small that you cant do some of this stuff as Shek said.

Also you do get hit by mortar fire on your FOB so that usually puts an end to whatever your doing pretty quickly

[Shek]

Also you do get hit by mortar fire on your FOB so that usually puts an end to whatever your doing pretty quickly

Those crazy bastards shut my gym down for about two weeks when they put rounds through the gym tent (think big fest tent, maybe half the size of an Oktoberfest beer tent - the real one in Munich) two consecutive weeks in a row. They had to move all the equipment to a hardened building.

However, the cake on this one goes to one of my fellow company commanders who ******ed and moaned about how he needed lights setup so the guys could play beach volleyball after dark. Dumba$$. I have no idea why the battalion commander okayed that one, but sure as sh!t, a few nights later, a mortar round hit smack dab in the middle of the courts during a game. Luckily, it was only a 60mm and somehow only superficial shrapnel wounds were caused.

Anyways, I bought an XBox for my downtime, although I didn't use it much, preferring to read most of the time instead (that and it died the first night I got it in a power surge - luckily, the PX will take just about anything back, and so I was able to get my money back to buy another one that arrived a week before I left). It was a great excuse to buy an XBox since my wife wasn't too keen on us having one.

[tankervet]

Yes Sir, those mortar rounds suck big time. We, my FOB not my unit, lost a guy entering the chow hall because of a mortar. Landed right between his feet.

Another thing that we did alot was watch DVD's. We had a DVD stand on our FOB and anyone thats ever been to a 3rd world country knows that they have the new stuff before the states. I saw almost every new movie the day it came out in the states. Not the best quality but better than nothing.

[Shek]

Yes Sir, those mortar rounds suck big time. We, my FOB not my unit, lost a guy entering the chow hall because of a mortar. Landed right between his feet.

Another thing that we did alot was watch DVD's. We had a DVD stand on our FOB and anyone thats ever been to a 3rd world country knows that they have the new stuff before the states. I saw almost every new movie the day it came out in the states. Not the best quality but better than nothing.

I stopped watching the "pre-release" DVDs when I saw Barbershop II and all you could hear was the crowd laughing on the tape. It was horrible.

My BDE lost a handful of soldiers between our two major FOBs to mortar rounds. One hit at the chow hall exit and another landed right by one of the BDE S1 clerks bunks while he was racked out. I timed my workouts so I'd be in the hardened gym instead of in my wafer thin aluminum trailer during the witching hour of the mad mortarmen.

[Bill]

Yes Sir, those mortar rounds suck big time.

"High Angle Hell" baby.

[Bill]

I stopped watching the "pre-release" DVDs when I saw Barbershop II and all you could hear was the crowd laughing on the tape. It was horrible.

My BDE lost a handful of soldiers between our two major FOBs to mortar rounds. One hit at the chow hall exit and another landed right by one of the BDE S1 clerks bunks while he was racked out. I timed my workouts so I'd be in the hardened gym instead of in my wafer thin aluminum trailer during the witching hour of the mad mortarmen.

How effective were our counterbattery systems sir?(without giving away the farm, obviously...in fact, a PM response might be better come to think of it).

[Shek]

How effective were our counterbattery systems sir?(without giving away the farm, obviously...in fact, a PM response might be better come to think of it).

Counterbattery in an urban area during counterinsurgency tends to alienate those who you are trying to woo, and so counterbattery is rarely an option. I will tell you that early on in OIF I it was used quite a bit, and it was quite effective. However, Darwinism applies, and when your insurgent buddies are found in pieces with steaming pieces of metal and crater holes nearby, you begin to think of more survivable methods of fighting. Most rockets were usually set off using some sort of timing device. Drunk frat houses operating crew served water balloon sling shots have more accuracy than those get ups.

[Shek]

"High Angle Hell" baby.

Snipe, that's only funny if you're the one hangin' 'em.

Mortar Maggot 6

[tankervet]

Counterbattery in an urban area during counterinsurgency tends to alienate those who you are trying to woo, and so counterbattery is rarely an option. I will tell you that early on in OIF I it was used quite a bit, and it was quite effective. However, Darwinism applies, and when your insurgent buddies are found in pieces with steaming pieces of metal and crater holes nearby, you begin to think of more survivable methods of fighting. Most rockets were usually set off using some sort of timing device. Drunk frat houses operating crew served water balloon sling shots have more accuracy than those get ups.

And we had alot of trucks being used to fire from so counterbattery was useless.

We had quite a few close encounters with mortars as well sir, but luckily for us the ASP that our insurgent buddies were getting there mortars and rockets from obviously had a poor QC process! Had one come into the building of one of the other units, go through the roof and land about 3 feet from the Supply Sgt. From the stories I hear, it actually took him a couple of seconds to realize that he should probably run.

Another time my battle buddy was walking to the HQ and a rocket hit very close, 5 or so feet, but it just burst open and the flachets sp? slammed against the barrier behind him.

I can't even count all the close encounters that I can think of with various stuff. Its amazing when you think about it.

One more story

Another one of my fellow TC's had a TCP set up. Well it became a big deal to put up cones when you set up a TCP after we lost some soldiers to a VBIED. Anyway, he did the right thing and put the cones out. Well he gets called to move down the road a couple of KM's to check something out, time now. He leaves his cones out and goes, its nothing, so he comes back 5 mins later. He stops the truck gets out and walks up to the cone. He gets about 3 feet from it and realizes that there is what looks to be an antenna sticking out of the top. He turns around to run and takes one step and boom. His driver said all he saw was this guy emerge from a cloud of dust. Well the truck had alot of scrapnal damage, this guy got a nick on his pinky nail. Lucky bastard.

[sparten]

BTW sir, whats the deal with spiders. M1 Tanker and American Marine over at PDF kept moaning about them.

[gunnut]

However, the cake on this one goes to one of my fellow company commanders who ******ed and moaned about how he needed lights setup so the guys could play beach volleyball after dark. Dumba$$. I have no idea why the battalion commander okayed that one, but sure as sh!t, a few nights later, a mortar round hit smack dab in the middle of the courts during a game. Luckily, it was only a 60mm and somehow only superficial shrapnel wounds were caused.

Holy crap even I can see the folly in that set up. Why doesn't that guy just put a bullseye on his ass and be done with it?

[gunnut]

One more story

Another one of my fellow TC's had a TCP set up. Well it became a big deal to put up cones when you set up a TCP after we lost some soldiers to a VBIED. Anyway, he did the right thing and put the cones out. Well he gets called to move down the road a couple of KM's to check something out, time now. He leaves his cones out and goes, its nothing, so he comes back 5 mins later. He stops the truck gets out and walks up to the cone. He gets about 3 feet from it and realizes that there is what looks to be an antenna sticking out of the top. He turns around to run and takes one step and boom. His driver said all he saw was this guy emerge from a cloud of dust. Well the truck had alot of scrapnal damage, this guy got a nick on his pinky nail. Lucky bastard.

Sorry, civvie here. What is TC and what is TCP?