A few more weeks...

In a few more weeks I will be home. I'm very excited to get back to Minnesota and the cold. Its kind of weird to think that soon this will all be over; no more sand, no more little metal house, no more thirteen hour days. Soon I will be home. It will be sad leaving some of the friends I made here, especially the guys from Wisconsin but it will be great to be back home with family.

Family makes everything a lot better. In fact I just got back from the dentist in which I had a filling replaced. The last time my mouth was numb and teeth drilled into I went home and Ana took care of me. I know I'm probably a baby about it, but I hate the feeling after the dentist. I thought I was done with the dentist for awhile. Last week I had my teeth cleaned so I thought I wouldn't be in the dentist chair for at least another 6 months. I just had to go and get a toothache yesterday...ugh.

I'm going to go to bed now. My dreams have been weird lately because I'm dreaming about home. I must be thinking about home a lot because for the past few months I've dreamed about Army stuff here in Iraq. Its a nice feeling though, knowing I'll be home in my bed soon.

Next Month!!!!

A new month and another holiday to go. It's almost time to come home. I was reminded of that fact last night when I turned all my bags in to be shipped home. A few of my bags I had never even touched and had collected dust under my bed. It was a pain to inventory every item, writing down how many tubes of toothpaste I had, but now its all behind and my bags are on their way. My room is practically empty. All the possession I have left can fit in one duffel bag.

I'll be leaving Iraq sometime next month. Its just a matter of weeks now. Everyone is getting really excited but also really anxious. Its just a matter of keeping focus until the end. There is the positive side of being here and avoiding the mess that I hear the first snow has brought back home, but I'd much rather be home shoveling snow than here scraping mud from my boot.

I'll be returning back to work on the 22nd of February. It still seems like a long time but I need some time to get used to being home once I get back. The military life is a little strange and everyone, even people as well adjusted as me need some time to unwind. Its going to be weird going back to work though; a few of my coworkers including my boss have been let go by the company. I guess with the economy that's the way things go but things look like they are getting better.

In other news I'm just about finished with this semester of school. I should be looking at a 4.0 this semester. I registered for next semester too. It will be nice to have a few weeks off but I enjoy school and it makes the time go by a little faster.

Time to get to bed now. Feel free to email me.

A Little Closer

Its November now! Just a few months left. Things are finally starting to wind down. I never imagined it 9 months would go by as fast as they have. Soon, it will be Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then New Years and hopefully I'll be home by Valentines Day.

Besides time going by quick, not much has happened. I am no longer going to Qatar. About a week before my flight they decided to tell me they were not going to fill the position. It's okay though. If I would've went there I would have to be away from home for a few weeks longer. This way I'll be home sooner. Besides I'm having a lot of fun beating my friends in video games. It would have sucked being away from family for the holidays, then throw in being away from the friends I've made here, it would have been horrible.

School's going okay. I have a couple more tests and 2 final projects to finish but besides that everything is going well. I'm excited to finish this semester because once its over the 30 day countdown should be almost ready to begin. I also have been slacking in the gym since I use a lot of my free time on homework. I've also been eating a lot of snacks lately. Specifically a 2.5 gallon bag of caramel corn courtesy of Gretchen. My coworkers sent me a box full of diabetes and hypertension. I have a sweet tooth and once its satisfied I need something salty to balance it. Needless to say the treats have been a real temptation.

Last night we had a Halloween party. It was pretty fun. There was a BBQ, music, dancing and all that. There were tons of people dressed up in really outrageous costumes. I didn't really partake in the events all that much. I was signed up for the Halloween Poker tournament, which I took 1st place in. I won a GPS system. I have an Iphone so I didn't really care about the prize, the bragging rights were worth it.

Other than that not much is new.

Trip to the Bazaar

So I finally took a step off the beaten path and headed over to the bazaar today. Tonight is my night off so I decided I would venture over and see the camel and the shops. I have to say I was pretty impressed. I walked in the entrance and was immediately greeted with samples of the various goods that the Iraqi grocery store sells, as well as some freshly made kobus along with the honey topping.

Once I stepped into the complex I realized it was actually a nice looking place. I was expecting a couple of shops and a camel, but I was surprised to see almost a strip mall of small shops selling various goods. There was a fountain as well, along with not one but three camels. It was quite a change of scenery from the rocks and dirt I'm used to seeing on my walk to work everyday.

My friend Rembalski and I stopped by the grocery store and drank a couple bottled cokes. The good stuff, with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. After that we walked the strip and peered into the shops. A lot of the stuff looked interesting, but I like to window shop first and buy stuff later. Besides, I was too excited to shop because I was thinking about the camels. After we looked at all the shops we went over to try some fresh bread. It was a dollar for 3 huge pieces of bread. Who says the dollar isn't worth anything anymore? I had half a piece and ended up giving the rest away.

After all that, it was finally time to ride the camel. As we approached them we could sort of smell them. Plus, as we got closer, instead of being greeted by the happy camels that smile and want to give people rides on their humps we were greeted by an angry, tired camel that didn't like people. It kept on growling/wailing/snapping its mouth at us. The Iraqis had firm control but I wasn't very sure about it. After watching someone else ride the camel and not get mauled, I decided it was my turn. I approached the camel slowly, I was obviously a little nervous so the Iraqi grabbed me, impolitely I must add. I would've said something, but there was the fact I was surrounded by three of his angry, vicious camels. So I jumped on and the camel roared to life. It almost bucked me off it stood up so fast and at and such an awkward angle.

The whole ride I was thinking not of the camel I was riding, even though it stopped several times to itch itself with its hind leg that almost touched mine, but instead I was preoccupied with its two buddies that walked next to us. I suspect it was for the effect of riding a camel with other camels right next to you, but instead it just made me nervous with the camel snapping its mouth open and closed right next to my leg looking at me like I was committing an injustice to his friend. I tried to tell the camel sorry, but I think it understood Arabic and not English because as I mouthed the words, the camel just snapped its mouth at me. It was a short ride, but in my mind it was way too long. When we got back, the camel dropped its front legs and I was almost thrown over the camel like a kid over handlebars, at that point I decided I had enough. I jumped off and moved very quickly to a camel free area.

Rembalski took a ride after me and after he finished we decided that the camels were not very happy being ridden and that we would probably not partake in that experience again. Overall, I'd have to say that the bazaar was pretty fun and was a nice change of scenery. It was definitely worth a few hours of not sleeping, I'll probably go back next week to buy a few things, but no more camels for me.

Here is a pic to sum up my fun day:

Its been a while

Its been a while. Not much new for me. Its cooling off a lot. It hasn't been above a hundred for a week or so now. Steady in the high 90s during the day and 60s at night. Besides that I'm just working away on my online classes. Not much else to do. Its getting pretty close to the end. I'm getting excited. We are finally below 4 months and pretty soon we'll be below 90 days.

I should be hearing about Qatar soon. I'm excited. It will be nice to get some new scenery and something to finally write about. I mean there isn't much to do here so my blogs have been few and far between. I work, sleep and repeat. I've changed up my workouts a little bit, instead of lifting weights a lot, I've started running. Its tough getting back into it, I hadn't ran much since last fall so I was a little rusty.

If you wonder what I actually do for work, here is a little blurb that they wrote on the Red Bull website. http://www.theredbulls.org

CM&D – Collection Management and Dissemination

Posted by Public.Affairs on Mon Aug. 10, 2009 10:53 am CDT

cmd collection management dissemination

In collection management, we do exactly what it sounds like we do; we manage the collection requests in MND-South, Iraq. Located in the Analysis and Control Element (ACE), the CM&D cell is driven by a team of seven Soldiers. The collection manager is MAJ Kevin Schooler. MSG Scott Buchanan is the collection Technician. The CM&D NCOIC is SFC Tim Erdman. The Intelligence Request for Information (RFI) manager is SGT Jeremy Hemsworth. SPC Matthew Barnard and PFC Eric Jenson are the CM&D analysts. Our Air Force Liaison Officer is Capt. Tom Nipper.

The main portion of CM&D deals with imagery. When people need an image of their area of interest, they come to us with a collection request. The type of collection request depends on what the supported unit is looking for. CM&D can collect from many types of sensors including Full Motion Video (FMV), Coherent Change Detection (CCD), Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI), Electro-Optical (EO), Infrared (IR), and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).

FMV is like having a video camera on an airplane. CCD measures the changes from one picture to another. GMTI measures movement on the ground. EO is like a digital camera in the sky. IR creates an image from heat signatures. SAR creates an image using microwave energy. There are other types of sensors, but these are the most commonly requested. All of these sensors are mounted on airplanes or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which are basically large remote-controlled airplanes.

CM&D helps guide units to the correct collection capability to fill their intelligence gaps. CM&D then will help build a collection request, which includes the targets, what to look for, and when they need it collected. We then pass this information on to CORPS (our higher echelon) to be processed. When the image is collected, it is then passed to CM&D, and it is disseminated as seen necessary.

CM&D also manages intelligence Requests For Information (RFIs). Any requests for intelligence related information are directed to CM&D. We send the requests to the appropriate cell or section to fulfill the request. When the request is fulfilled, it is sent back to the original requestor. CM&D does run 24 hour operations, and is always ready to help out with any collection requirements you may have.

Life in a Sauna

Its been a few weeks since my last post. Not much has changed besides the weather. For the last two weeks the winds have been coming from the south. The wind from the south brings wet air from the Persian Gulf. It is very uncomfortable. The humidity has been as high as 90% couple that with 120 degree temperatures and I am living in a sauna.

In fact, yesterday the humidity caused a buildup of water in my A/C; as a result my A/C shorted out and I had to attempt to sleep in the Sauna for 3 hours until the maintenance guy showed up, only by then I was in my buddy's room, sleeping on his spare bunk. When I went back to my room I found that I was locked out. I had to track the maintenance guy to open my door.

The winds are supposed to change tonight so hopefully life becomes a little kinder to us soon. There is another problem circulating though, "intestinal difficulties" is how I'll phrase it. It involves several visits to the bathroom shortly after every meal. It has spread like wildfire. I'm now on week two and hoping that my stomach will return to some semblance of normalcy soon.

I don't have all bad news though. I've been selected for a position in Qatar starting November 15th. This position should run until the end of the deployment. Things can always change so I'm not counting on it too much, but if I do go it means 2 beers a day and a pool! I don't know what I'll be doing there, but I'm hopeful that I'll at least get a day off to enjoy the amenities offered.

Here are a few pictures I took of my living arrangements here in Iraq. I was talking to Ana a few days ago and she informed me that she didn't know what my room looked like so here it is:

Settled Back In

Hey Everyone,

I'm back in Iraq. Relatively safe and sound. I had a great 2 weeks back home. It was way too short. I had too many people to see and things to do. It went better than I had imagined. I got a lot of rest and relaxed most days. I ate a lot of good food, had a few beers, and had lots of good company. The weather was kind of a drag though, but hey, 78 beats 118. I probably slept through a lot of the sunshine as most days I woke up around 1pm. The fun and no sun didn't last for long though.

As quick as my vacation started I am now back to groundhog day in Iraq. Same work, same heat, same food as before. Nothing more really to say. Now that I'm back feel free to email me or send me letters. Its always appreciated.

I'll start posting a little more, I've been slacking, sorry.

Jeremy

One Day Closer

Hey Everyone,

Its been a few weeks. Things here are the same. Its hot, its hot, and it gets hotter. I'm coming home soon for leave. About 3 weeks from now. I'm excited to fly in and see the Minneapolis skyline. It'll be nice to sleep in my bed, it'll be nice to see my dog and most of all it will be nice to see Ana, my family, and all my friends.

I'd like to thank everyone that sent me emails or packages. They really cheer me up and I think that I'm winning for most packages in my section. Well almost, our Airforce Captain gets a package almost everyday so I guess I'm in second place. I love the snickers, the little individually wrapped ones. For some reason they make it better through the heat. I've had so much beef jerky my teeth hurt from chewing it. I still love it though.

As far as fun, we started playing volleyball after work so I'm working on my uneven tan. LOL. I'm not very good at volleyball but I'm not too bad. Its really fun but the sun dries you out really quick. Besides that I like to read, watch movies and work on school work.

Here's a few pictures. Email me.

.

Finally got Internet!!

Hey everyone,

I finally got internet. Things are finally starting to fall into routine here. Nothing much new to tell you guys except I'm coming home for leave probably next month. Should be in the middle of July. I'll only be in town for about a week because I want to travel too. I'm thinking Caribbean or Yucatan. I was just in Cancun in January, but Playa del Carmen sounds good. I know I probably want to get away from the sand but I just want to relax and enjoy life a little. Thanks everyone for the emails and packages I really appreciate it. I LOVE BEEF JERKY!!

Here are a few pics:

Update

I haven't written for awhile because honestly things dont change much here.  The biggest change so far is that someone turned the oven they call life up by a few degrees.  Everyday is now in the 110's.  Even at night the low is in the high 80s.  It ridiculous.  There is no transition of seasons here.  When I got here it was high 80s low 90s then almost overnight it broke triple digits and hasn't come back down since.  A few days ago I was getting a ride to pick up mail and I jumped in the car that had been sitting out in the heat and I felt like I was jumping in a sauna; then as we were driving I rolled down the window only to have someone put a blow dryer in my face while throwing a handful of sand. (The Iraqi version of a cool breeze). 

 

Speaking of heat, since I work at night and sleep during the day I get to avoid most of it.  Except for when the power cuts out and it usually happens at the worst times.  The worst I have experienced was while taking a shower the power went off.  This is a problem on several aspects.  First of which is that the water pumps depend on power so when the lights went out I was left in the dark all soaped.  I used my towel to wipe off all the foam then stumbled, tripped, and slid the whole way out of the shower trailer. 

 

The second worst experience had to have been today.  This morning we had a volleyball/softball tournament to celebrate memorial day (pics to be posted soon).  I figured I would take part since the games were supposed to start right after my usual shift.  Well after hearing that our game got pushed back to 11am I was pretty upset because that was in the middle of my sleep time, but in the interest of social interaction I decided to stay up and play.  When I got out to the field my team captain informed us that we had been forfeited out of our first game because it was moved to an earlier time (we weren't informed) but since it was double elimination we still had a second game going on at 1230.  So I pondered just going to sleep but figured I had stayed up that long I might as well go through with it.  Mind you that the temperature broke triple digits at...9.  So I've already been cooked for several hours at this point.  So after a little more waiting we finally got to play.  I have to say It was a lot of fun.  Jumping around under the scorching sun I really enjoyed myself.  We lost though, I hate to lose.  However this is where things turn from bad to worse.  As I walk back to my room I realize instead of the harmonious buzz of dozens of airconditioners I hear silence.  Bad sign, so I get to my room and instead of entering refreshing icebox that I had been looking forward to I am confronted with a tin can that has been sitting under the beating sun.  I strip down to boxers and lay out on my bed, unable to sleep and sweat beading off of me.  I pray for the power to comeback and provide me relief and a refreshing shower.  A gallon of sweat and a hour later, my prayers are answered.  I walk to the shower, turn on only the cold handle (its lukewarm actually) and relax, I go back to bed and enjoy the 3 hours of sleep before I had to go to work again.

 

 

 

A brief summary...

I just wanted to take a few moments to let everyone know how I've been.  Its been a while since I've posted.  The reason being is internet access or lack of.  Ill run through my typical day, excluding times and such because a lot of that stuff can be sensitive. 

 

My day:

I wake up about an hour before work, I shower, shave, get dressed and head off to work.

I arrive at work and catch up on things that happen during the day.

I work diligently throughout the night and take an hour after dinner to visit the gym.  (I'm getting buff ;-) 

After work I eat breakfast and go back to my room to either watch a movie or read. 

Then I sleep and wake up to the next groundhog day.

 

A few things to consider: 

I walk a considerable distance to work and chow (meals).

The temperature never drops below 78 and is 90 by 8am.  It tops 100 around noon.

Sand gets in everything.  Its everywhere and invades your lungs.

Some days the air just stinks.  A cross between poop and burning garbage.

The mail takes about 2 weeks to arrive.

The base store is EMPTY all the time.  Whenever they get any shipments its emptied out the same day.

 

However, on the brighter side:

I'm taking a few college courses online, paid for by the army of course.

I live in a very comfortable CHU.  (containerized housing unit)  Its like a dorm room for two.

Internet will be arriving in our dorms very shortly. 

I have internet access and phone access at work; the army blocks facebook and other sites though.

Things are a lot calmer in Iraq than I had imagined.  From watching the news at home I had the impression its a warzone. 

 

Hopefully, this information sheds a little more life on my life in Iraq.  Some things aren't as comfortable as others but life is definitely better than I expected going to Iraq. 

If you guys want to send me anything I would like beef jerky, flaming hot cheetos, black and green tea (not liptons, I have learned to appreciate quality tea), snickers, books, and movies. 

Also, email me.  Much of my day I find moments to check email and its always nice to see an email from back home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JEREMY IS SAFE

Hello everyone,

Just a quick post to let you know that Jeremy is safe. He is now in Iraq and has been there for about a week and a half (maybe a bit less). He was just able to call me last night and tell me he is alright and asked me to let you know via this blog. He has limited access to the web but is able to check email. You can also send him letters through traditional mail to:

Hemsworth, Jeremy
HHC 34th Div, Unit #117
APO AE 09374

Keep supporting this brave soldier.

Much love,

Ana Laura

Kuwait

After a 30 hour flight I am safely in Kuwait. Its hot, dusty, and hot. The food is good and the tents have air conditioning. Today is my birthday and a rest day to acclimate to the weather and the time change. The facilities in Kuwait are great, the USO has a nice computer center and phone center with free service so its really something to appreciate. I miss everyone and its really weird to be half a world away, but time will fly and I'll be home soon. Email me. I can't post pictures now but hopefully soon.

Leaving Today.

Today is the day I leave. A thirty hour flight starting later this evening and ending on the eve of my birthday. I'll most likely spend my first full day in Kuwait on my birthday. Its crazy that in a few short hours I'll be no longer in phone contact with my family and that I'll be half a world away. I'm excited and saddened at the same time. At least my allergies should clear up, no more apple and birch trees spitting out pollen; I don't think they grow in the desert. Its a good thing because yesterday doing convoy training I thought I was going to lose my mind. My nose was runny, eyes itchy and my head was pounding. I'll post some pictures that are long overdue. Here are some pics from pass and some from yesterdays training.












Also here is my new address:

Hemsworth, Jeremy

HHC, 34th ID-INT

Camp Basra

APO AE 09374

Almost time

Its been a while since I’ve written anything so I decided I can take a little time and let everyone know what I’ve been up to. Mainly we’ve been focused on 24-hour operations so we can get a feel on what life will be like very soon. During the exercise my life consists of going to work before the sun rises, spending the entire day in a windowless, cell phoneless building and leaving well into the night, only to start the whole process over after a shower and few hours of sleep.

In a matter of a few weeks we will be in Iraq doing the real thing. I can’t say exactly when I’m going to leave but I’m thinking I’ll be spending my birthday in the desert. I’m kind of getting excited to leave. A little scared, but most of all anxious to get this started and get out of Ft. Lewis. I’m not looking forward to the heat, but I’m tired of the rain here in Washington. The sun barely comes out and even when it does, its appearance is brief. I’m sure that pretty soon Ill be wishing the sun away but I’m not at that point yet. Today we went to the PX and stocked up on last minute items. As I wrote this I realized that I forgot baby wipes. Apparently the showers on our soon to be base aren’t plentiful enough or in working condition to afford enough shower time for all. I’ll be posting my new address soon, a reminder to all. My birthday is coming up so you can send me presents to my new address ;-)

About Pass

I just realized that I never wrote about pass. It was a brief taste of real life. It started on Thursday the 19th at 5pm. It was a long wait until 5 but when it came we were out. I caught a ride with my buddy Jensen. (All members of my team) Erdman and Barnard rode with into downtown Seattle. They dropped me off at the Hyatt and I checked into my room. I was really hungry so me and Ana went to Ruth Chris. The crab stuffed mushrooms were delicious and I had steak and lobster, truly a great meal for the first night in the real world, it also was a lot better than the army food, which I must say every time I walk up to the cafeteria, it smells the same. You can't tell whats for dinner because its always greasy, overcooked, made by the lowest bidder, army meals. That's one thing to look forward to in Iraq is the better food.

The next few days were a blur and my allergies started bothering me. I realized that people in Seattle are genuinely weird. There is something about seeing a homeless person on every block, a hippie backpacking with 3 dogs and people protesting that doesn't remind me of home. It wasn't too bad, most of the time people stayed to themselves. I'd have to say the best thing about Seattle is the food. I loved this Russian bakery in Pike's market, which we visited a few times. Overall most of our time was spent searching for, getting to, and eating at the best restaurants Seattle had to offer. We went shopping a few times as well, but overall I just spent time with Ana and enjoyed real life for a few short days. We visited the space needle on our last day and it wasn't as cool as I had imagined watching Fraiser as a kid. The last day did go fast, and leaving Ana again was difficult. I really enjoyed my Seattle vacation but now the countdown begins until I get to go home to my dog Srey, and family, and of course Ana. I even get to go back to my old job at Integra, which I really appreciate after working 14 hour days 7 days a week. Here are a few pictures from my pass.

Sunday

Finally a day of rest. Well sort of, I woke up this morning at 5 am out of habit. However today I got to sleep in till 7:45 which would still suck on a Sunday in real life , but this is the Army so it was a little piece of heaven. At 8 am I went over to do drivers training on the up armored humvee. It was a nice drive in the Seattle snow. That didn't take too long, so after I went and did some weapons training. Basically a video game with pneumatic weapons that look and feel real but don't fire bullets. After that I went to Pizza hut and here I am now writing, laying in bed. What a sunday. Compared to this week though its great, for the past 3 days I've been in a secret building with no windows and no cell phones from before the sunrises to after it sets. All in all I've spent less than an hour outside enjoying the fresh pacific air. Which has allergens in it already so I'm suffering from my seasonal allergies, but not as bad because the air is moist and theres not as much bright green as MN. All in all, life is okay, I wish I had more sleep, better food, and family and friends but this is the Army. I dont have any new pictures because of the lack of phone usage but I'll post some as soon as I can.

8 More days

8 more days until pass. I'm excited to see Ana and get out and explore Seattle. The past few days haven't been that bad. Yesterday was our first day off since we got here. I slept in until 11 and then spent the rest of the day at the computer lab. I finally got the webcam hooked up. It makes life a little more bearable. It actually snowed last night too. The funny thing was that it was warmer at home yesterday then here. Way to prepare us for the harsh desert environment. Its 90 already in Iraq. Not looking forward to the heat, but the faster I get to Iraq the faster the countdown starts to come home. Today we went to turn some old equipment, like my old sleeping bag and backpack. All the old green stuff since we got all new digital camo. That was an ordeal that shouldve completed in 15 minutes but took 2 hours because the contractors had to take their mandatory 15 minute break. Besides that I got a haircut from a military barber and I wasnt disappointed in the result. Here are a few pics from the past few days:

Overnight

The past few days I've been really busy. I haven't even gotten a chance to go to the gym. Lately we've been training in a room with no windows and no cell phones so my contact with the outside world has been very limited. Tonight I start the overnight shift. Not looking forward to it. I didn't even get to sleep during the day today to prepare. I went to the range for reflexive fire this morning, it was kind of unnerving firing so close to someone else but its training for an even worse situation so its not too bad. My smallpox sore is all scabbed up and ready to fall off. I cant wait to not have to worry about it. Not much else is new, just counting down time before I go Iraq. Getting a little nervous but a little excited too. I mean its scary to know that people are going to be shooting at you, but its nice to know that you'll make a difference and support your comrades. Its also a life changing experience that I'll be able to tell my grandchildren one day.

Here are a few pictures. I need comments though!!!! Also I haven't gotten that much mail :'-( I need some emails or letters. My email address is jeremy.hemsworth@gmail.com in case anyone doesn't know.

Another Day

Its been a few days since I've had time to post anything. Mainly I've been training. I can't talk about most of it because its secret squirrel type stuff but I've been learning a lot and having a little bit of fun. My work days are long, from 6am-6pm and after I have to fit in a little gym time too but overall it makes time go buy pretty fast. We got approved for a pass. Ana Laura is going to come out for a few days and we are going to stay in Seattle. That will be in the middle of March. I'm looking forward to it. Besides that I know that we leave sometime in March, April, or May to the middle east. I can't be specific on a time or place but sometime in the next month or so I will be in Iraq. Here are a few pics to catch you up on the past few days:

Army Training and Shots!!!

I'm here at Ft. Lewis, Washington. So far things are going okay. I haven't had much sleep lately since we've been waking up at 3:30 to 5:30 every morning. Other then that the only trouble I've had is eating while trying to avoid my wisdom teeth holes. The place we are sleeping isn't that nice. I'll post pictures at the end. It has asbestos insulation so it's kind of scary since the buildings were slated for demolition. The only events we have completed thus far have been in-processing, including shots and the dreaded small pox vaccine as well as a couple general classes. Today we finally got wi-fi in our rooms. A far cry from the days where the only communication was hand written letters. Today we also got our first chance to head to the PX (like a walmart). I picked up some toothpaste and some Mac software but besides that I don't really want anything else. I'm sure that I'll start buying beef jerky once my teeth heal up though. I'll post pictures now but unfortunately I can't write anymore because I have to go have my turburculosis test checked.












I'll post pictures of my small pox shot tomorrow.