Settling in for the long haul

Journal Entry Friday 21 Jan
I came into work this morning at 0500 hoping that I would get the chance to call my bride, to hear her voice before she goes to sleep and to wish her sweet dreams. Unfortunately, we’re still in “River City Condition 1.” No phone calls or emails can go out. Yesterday was a pretty rough day for Regimental Combat Team 2. Several units operating throughout the battle space struck IEDs and encountered small arms fire. Two of the IED strikes resulted in multiple amputees, one double and one triple. The triple amputee was evacuated to Camp Bastion where he promptly died from his wounds. It’s probably better that way. At least now he won’t have to live the rest of his life with horrifying reminders of this place. After all the activity yesterday the RCT’s area of operations was quiet throughout the late night and early morning hours. Then at about 0330, a Marine stepped on a mine as his team was being inserted prior to the beginning of an operation. In an instant his life was changed. Needless to say, “River City” continues.
We’ve been here at Forward Operating Base Delaram II, the farthest northwestern point of the Regional Command Southwest battle space. It’s been four days, but it may as well have been four months. At least that’s what it feels like. Thos e of us from RCT-8 have been turning over with our counter parts from RCT-2. These guys look tired; it’s been a long year and they are more than happy to see us. Our arrival signals the end of their long brutal year of living dangerously in Afghanistan. Obviously, it’s not the same as being down at one of the battalions. I’ve been there before. Down there, seven or eight months feels like an eternity. I’m sure it feels even longer for the kids down at the platoon and squad level. Those guys are slugging it out with enemy on a daily basis. They know deep down inside that their next patrol could very well be their last. Living with that stress, making life and death decisions day in and day out has a way of sapping the life out of a person. Seven months is the most you can ask these guys to do this kind of work. It’s probably more than the average human being can handle. Now as far as being at higher headquarters is concerned, it’s a different kind of stress and different kind of work load up here. At the RCT and above the decisions we make don’t normally have immediate impact, but there is still and element of stress. The days are long, 16-18 hours, and there is no break; but still, it is manageable for a year.
The camp (Delaram) itself is pretty nice for an expeditionary camp. A jaunt around the perimeter will take you about 6-7 miles depending on your route. It has all the creature comforts of a Camp Leatherneck without the unwieldy population. It’s got a barber shop, PX, laundry service, post office, large dining facility, and an internet café. Best of all…it’s got hot water. We’ve slowly been getting settled in over the past few days, learning the lay of the land, getting our tents set up with bunks and our gear, and trying to establish our individual battle rhythms. The toughest part has been sttling into an established sleep scheduele. Normally it doesn’t take long to reset my internal clock, but in the six days it took to get here, we were jerked around during all hours of the day and night. I started running in the mornings; then it’s off to morning chow and turnover with my counterpart in the afternoon. Work continues until 10 or 11 o’clock at night with a chow break taken somewhere along the way. Thrown into the schedule throughout the week are moments stolen away to call my family, or to write in this journal. It’s important to establish as healthy a routine as possible, especially during a year long combat deployment. It’s really the only way to maintain your sanity.