The Swamp

Just finished a two-day arbitration. Getting online again

Anything in the news lately?

Nah, it's kinda quiet. Weird.

But on the real, I'm deploying. Training in December. Head out to "an undisclosed location in southwest Asia" in January. Return late summer.

Combat Zone Tax Exclusion, you're my new best friend.

Johnnie wrote:But on the real, I'm deploying. Training in December. Head out to "an undisclosed location in southwest Asia" in January. Return late summer.

Combat Zone Tax Exclusion, you're my new best friend.

Fuck! Afghanistan? Good luck!

sancarlos wrote:

Johnnie wrote:But on the real, I'm deploying. Training in December. Head out to "an undisclosed location in southwest Asia" in January. Return late summer.

Combat Zone Tax Exclusion, you're my new best friend.

Fuck! Afghanistan? Good luck!

More souther and wester. But I'll periodically hop in there every so often for 45 days at a time, I'm told.

How do people with families back home deal with that?

"I'm goin' to Yemen!"

mister d wrote:How do people with families back home deal with that?

Deployments? It's pretty difficult for some to handle. Others have no issues. It's always tough to be separated, but Skype and things like that make it easier. Luckily I don't have kids, but my friends that do have a hard time being gone. And there's always the worry that when the husband's away, Jody will play.

This one will be particularly different for me because I have a very serious girlfriend these days and she's a civilian with no concept of separation due to military necessity. Telling her last week was hard on her. But she's doing better now. We'll see as time gets closer though.

Ryan wrote:"I'm goin' to Yemen!"

Not that far, but we're present there. And unfortunately there was a crash.

American service member missing after Black Hawk crashes off Yemen’s coast

AFAIK 0bama only had a small number of special forces in Yemen, and AWACS telling the Saudi 'Air Force' where to shoot and drop (and they weren't good a following directions.) Thump has stepped it up, so I'm not sure who gets the point on this country. Let the Supreme Court decide.

Johnnie, I hear Kuwait is lovely this time of year. Or does your branch still have a big presence in Green Zone Baghdad? Not expecting an answer, just running my mouth. Be safe.

We've got a presence everywhere. We've scaled back in Iraq but we send people to Erbil Intl, mostly, and Q West. Kuwait is still a main Expeditionary Theatre Distribution Center (deployed warehouse fulla shit.)

But I'll be at the other other main throughput location, AI Udeid in Qatar.

Ah, so if the Saudi's and Baharianis find their balls and invade, which way do you guys point your guns? That was a bizarre international incident, which I suppose is over now. Qatar seems like an interesting place; I could've been part of the medical school Cornell set up there about 15 years ago but passed on the chance.

So John, how much green chile are you bringing with you?

Back-to-back very good questions.

For the first, I don't know. And for the second, I really don't know.

The only prep I've done is overload my Kindle with a bunch of .mobi files of books. The taking still hasn't officially dropped yet. But it's coming.

Make sure to note all the good bars for when we're all at the 2022 World Cup.

brian wrote:Make sure to note all the good bars for when we're all at the 2022 World Cup.

Oddly enough, I actually get to go off base when deployed there. That blows my fucking mind. So I'm sure I'll see a few spots.