An Email I Sent In July...

I left for Camp Roberts on the 21st of June. At Camp Roberts I spent about 2 1/2 weeks pre-training...Weapons training, convoy training, all kinds of trainin. Camp Roberts is down past King City in California, out in the middle of no where. While I was there, my pops and Ashley got a chance to come down and spend a night with me. It was a good time...they made it down for a chili cook off around noon and then went out for sushi in ...paso robles? I dunno. good food...considering the location.

I left Camp Roberts and flew to Fort Bragg around the 10th or some such ... it's all a blur. At Fort Bragg, we then trained for about another month...some of the training new, but most of it a repeat of what I had been doing monthly for the past six months. By the time we got to Fort Bragg, all of our deploying company was present... I got moved around a few times but ended up somewhat attached to a team, somewhat my own element. I'll explain below. The team was made up of 4 guys plus me, a San Diego cop MAJ Ken Robbins, a former 82nd soldier SGT Cort Witham, and two specialists, lowe n slagowski. During my month at Bragg, my mom n Ashley came out and spent a weekend in Fayetnam NC. It was really great seeing them both and it was a nice break from the army chow.

We then continued the trip, flying to Kuwait, briefly stopping in Baltimore and Germany. Kuwait was ... 130 degrees. Too hot. The sun came up around 0400, it got hot around 0600 and stayed hot all day. Our company pretty much sat around for a week eating and sleeping, waiting on our bird. The C-130 finally made it out to pick us up and we flew into the local base in Balad, LSA Anaconda.

We got in around 0300 and were off and movin to FOB Warhorse by 1100. The unit we were replacing, the 411th CA BN, we our escorts. It was about an hour long trip. Warhorse, home of the Sledgehammer, 3rd ID, 3rd Brigade. It will also be home to Charlie Company, 445’s headquarters for the next year. That is my unit.

42 ID the New York National Guard, actually runs this part of the country, but 3rd ID has this AO.

From Warhorse, we convoyed out to FOB Normandy where I spent the next month with my team. My position was support to the ODA on Normandy, which was something I was really looking forward to…But a couple weeks in, the day before I was supposed to start trainin with em, Hammer 6, the brigade commander, requested a reorganization to create a new police task force. As a result, I was removed from my position and sent to be a team SGT at FOB Gabe. That is where I am now. I liked it out at Normandy a lot…. We were far from the Brigade flagpole, we lived in our own bunker, which was our own little palace in the desert, and there was a great bunch of guys I was living with. But…all good things must end, and I am actually liking where I’m at now quite a bit.

The CPT that I am working for is a friend of mine…we get along well. My ‘team’ consists of 3 guys, Cap’n VO, SPC Delagalis and I. Since I got here yesterday, we’ve gone on one op this morning and one op this afternoon. The battalion here loves us and utilizes us to our max potential. I will be busy for the next year.

My current job: Assist the local Iraqi gov’t to achieve some sort of democratic form. Essentially, help the local council members to understand some basic concepts such as majority rules ie voting, corruption bribes n’ blackmail = bad, serve the people not yourself, etc. etc. etc. We also work with the local police and army to do much of the same. In addition, we supervise and track the different civil military operations missions that are going on inside the battalions AO. Schools, bridges, water facilities, etc.

That’s about all for now folks…

It has been requested so here it is:



Ryan Carroll

C Co, 445 CA BN

TF 2-34

FOB Gabe

APO, AE 09397



I’ll thankfully accept anything but need nothing. I get in trouble for alcohol, porn n things like that, but just about anything else is fine. Mom, if you’re reading this I could use some sheets of some kind for a twin bed, wink wink.



Thanks for everything,

We’re gonna have to do that party thing again when I get back,

I welcome responses of any kind ;]

I love n miss you all,





ryan

Hangin' With The Locals

The Beautiful City of Khan Bani Sad

Livin' In The Bunker...

I am now hangin out just outside muqdadiyah, Iraq. It's a relatively nice area, near the Euphrates so it's not just straight desert. There's a dam to the north creating the most beautiful place I've seen in Iraq, Lake Hamrin. It looks a bit like the reservoir coming across Pacheco Pass...out of place but still beautiful, of course minus all the hills and mountains.
Up to now, I've been living in "The Bunker" on FOB Normandy. It's our own palace, limited to the CA, PSYOP and THT teams. It's outfitted well: TV's, couches, Freezer, XBOXs and 5 bedrooms. It's the finest living conditions on Normandy, along with the ODA house. The guys here are as cool a bunch as you could hope for...they've been here for about 6 months. Our dog, Fallujah, is a sweetheart. She's a black n white mut...an integral member of the bunker. It's good living, but unfortunately I have to leave. Over the next few days I'll be moving to FOB Gabe, about 45 minutes from here in the town of Baqubah.
On a better note, a few nights ago, I was workin at a CP setup out in the middle of the desert and a kitten showed up. She proceeded to whine and complain for 10 hours straight...somehow she made it through the night without someone shootin her. In the morning, she hopped in our truck and refused to leave. So, I had to take her home and now I got a new buddy. She's taken to her field expedient litter box quite well...it only took one sleeping bag peeing incident. She's yet to have her first meeting with Fallujah. I'm havin' a good ol' time out here...can't wait to get home.
email me at: ryan.j.carroll@us.army.mil
love and miss all of ya