Brent's Blog

Spur Ride: The Ruck March

2007-03-29T21:02:00.000+03:00

Before I get into the Ruck March, a few of you have asked what the Spur Ride is. So I took a few paragraphs from our history study guide that explain it fairly well.

The Order of the Spur is a Cavalry tradition in the United States Army. For a cavalry Trooper (the cavalry equivalent of the word "Soldier") to join the order of the spur, they must pass a series of tests set by their command--the spur ride. Once accomplished, the Trooper is awarded spurs to be worn with his or her military uniform. However, a Trooper may forgo the tests in joining the order of the spur if they see combat with their cavalry unit. In some units, gold spurs are awarded for combat inductions while silver spurs represent having completed a spur ride. Therefore, silver spurs and gold spurs hold a relationship in the cavalry as the Expert Infantryman Badge and the Combat Infantryman Badge holds in the infantry.
Induction into the Order of the Spur is for life, and the status travels with the Soldier from unit to unit. There is no Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) requirement for the order of the spur, and the order is open to members of foreign military serving with U.S. cavalry units. As a member of the order, a cavalry Trooper also acquires the last benefit of stopping for a drink at the mythical canteen Fiddler's Green on their descent into Hell.
The tradition of having to "earn your spurs" reaches back to the beginning of the cavalry. When green Troopers first arrived at their new cavalry assignments they were assigned a horse with a shaved tail. This led to the nickname "Shave Tail" for newly assigned, spurless Soldiers. These new Troopers were in need of extensive training, especially in the area of swordsmanship from atop a horse. The horse with a shaved tail was given extra space in which to operate since its rider was marked as an amateur. During this phase of training the Troopers were not allowed to wear spurs because this would only serve to compound their problems. Only when they were able to prove their ability to perform with their horse and saber were they awarded spurs.

The first event of the Spur Ride was the ruck march. The team had to finish a 2.2 mile march wearing body armor along with a full combat load of ammunition, a ruck filled with numerous items, and our M-16/ M-4. In order to be awarded the full 10 points at the station, the team had to finish in under 35 minutes. We had a practice ruck march prior to the Spur Ride and we finished in 35:09. It proved to be a helpful preparation as we finished somewhere around the 33:00- 34:00 mark. Unfortunately, we didn't snap any pictures, but those who did were kind enough to share them. The ruck march was followed by the tire change station, which I will put up a post in a few days for that. For now, I have a few photos of the first event to share with you. Enjoy. Soldiers crossing the start line, beginning their 2.2 mile march.
Soldiers pushing it hard in the final 300 meters.
CPT Lunsford carrying double the weight. HOOAH!

Team America rests before heading out to their first station.

Spur Ride

2007-03-26T21:48:00.000+03:00

Here are a few pictures I have of the Spur Ride. I'll dedicate a post to each event with more pictures in the future. Gearing up and getting ready to start the ruck march.
Trying to get ahead of the team for a video opportunity.

Teams making their way around the course.
The weapons station.
Ready to capture the days events.
The grenade station.
TEAM AMERICA

Appeal For Courage

2007-03-02T22:16:00.000+03:00

I read about this in the Army Times a few weeks ago. It is for service-members only and is authorized under DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6. The appeal reads:
"As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack."
If you agree, visit the website and let your voice be heard.

A Lucky Day

2007-02-17T09:53:00.000+03:00

For some odd reason the internet in my hooch is working extremely well today, so I thought I'd take advantage and do a quick post. Maybe even live on the edge a little and try to post a picture or two. The weather has been awesome lately, with highs in the upper 60's. Today looks to be another beautiful day and just in time for the softball tournament. We are sitting at 2nd in our league, but have a good shot of taking it all. We will will play at 1300, and if we win then we will have another game at 1500. Should we win that game, we will play one final game at 1600 for a trip to the championship. The championship will be next weekend, a best of three game series. I feel that the basketball team is falling apart. No-one really gets along and there is always an argument win or lose. One guy has quit 3 times already and will get an earful from me if he decides to come back for a fourth. We recently had a basketball tournament for Black History Month. We won our first round game, but were eliminated two nights later.
Jamie Kennedy is making a stop in these parts sometime next week along with Paul Wall. Really looking forward to that. Hopefully I can make it in as I am sure the theater will be packed.

A New Office

2007-01-30T21:03:00.000+03:00

Recently we moved our mail operations from a "hole" to a "can". I would load some pictures for your viewing pleasure, but the internet in my room isn't what it used to be, and blogger has been blocked on our government computers, so maybe someday I'll make it down to the MWR center and use their internet. Mail has picked up since word got out about our extension, so it's back to the headaches of several pallets a day. The new mailroom is a little bigger than our old one, but we are still trying to get it up to par. I moved all the shelving units and desk over from previous mailroom, now I'm working on getting the AC unit repaired. I just took it in today to the civilians, and we should get it back in a few days. For now, we have a big hole in our mailroom. The weather has been excellent. Still a little cool at night, but I'll take it over the weather we had been having a few weeks ago. Burnometer and I have been hitting the weights hard and heavy. We wake up at 0530 4 days a week to throw the weights around. Last summer we had started what is called the "T-Shirt program" and it worked out pretty well. So we decided we would do it again since we hadn't lifted all winter. I have been taking a protein supplement after workouts, but I just ran out the other day. One of my other buddies has been using this weight gainer for about 6 months and gained 30 pounds so far, so I decided to switch from the protein, to the weight gainer. Burnometer and I are in the middle of our 4th week, and next week we will be starting the first week of phase 2, a much more rigorous phase than the 1st. Out of the 4 weeks we have been working out, I have gained 5-6 pounds, so I'm looking to, as they say in the gym, "take it to the next level". No basketball games lately, besides the one last Friday which was cancelled due to the referee's not showing up. We took the top seed in our league in softball recently, but the most recent game was a win by forfeit. Next week we will face off with C 2-123 Armor, our "in Squadron rivals". They are already talking a lot of smack, but it will be no contest if you ask me.

Stuk Hear In Irak

2007-01-15T16:19:00.000+03:00

I always complain about not having anything exciting to write about. Well, this morning we had a little dilemma that I thought was pretty "out of the norm", so I thought I'd share it with all of you. I guess I should start off by letting you know that we are currently in the rainy season here in Iraq (September-March). We have had a few rain-showers already, and it shows. Everywhere you go, there are huge puddles of water. It is hard to avoid these puddles on our daily travels to the JMMT, chow hall, post office, laundry facility or wherever it is that we usually travel on a daily basis. Sometimes, it's a little tempting to drive through the water. Don't ask me why. Maybe it's the joy of splashing the water as high as you can, or testing the limits of your vehicle to see if there is anything that could possibly stand in it's way.

Well, that's how this story could be started. After chow, we were driving towards the main road here on base when we found ourselves headed towards a huge water puddle. I think that is where I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

As we approached the puddle, we decided we should get back on the path which wasn't as muddy. As the driver turned back towards the path, our front left tired dropped as if we were driving off the edge of a cliff. As our vehicle sunk in the soft sand pocket, it felt as if the vehicle was going to roll over. If you look at the third picture, the grille armor rested on the ground and kept us from rolling over. The vehicle's weight from the armor pushed us deep into the sand pocket, leaving us unable to back out of it. If you look closely at the 4th picture, the front axle is actually submerged in the mud as well, deterring us from moving anywhere.

I hauled butt back to the AO (Area of Operations), and asked one of my go-to guys, SSG Campbell, if he could help get us out. SSG Campbell and I used to be in the same platoon back home, so we have always been working together. He drove me back to our LMTV in the PLS (Palletized Loading System) where we were able to hook up to the LMTV with a chain. As we pulled the LMTV out, we were able to see just how deep the mud was. You can't really get a good idea from this picture, but I would say it was about 2 feet deep.

I think we will use paved roads from now on. Especially since I don't have very good luck with LMTVs in the first place. If you don't know what I am talking about, I am referring to the time I was performing PMCS (Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services) on the LMTV. I used the cab lift to lower the cab, when all of a sudden, the hydraulic arm snapped in half and the cab came crashing down, right next to where I had been standing.

Back to Church

2007-01-07T16:38:00.000+03:00

With the holidays in our rear-view mirror, the mail loads have dwindled down to nearly 1-2 pallets per day. With all the hustle and bustle of our holiday mail, I found myself working through church on Sundays. Now those days are a thing of the past and I finally made it back to church today. Usually I am up at the altar serving as the acolyte, but since I hadn't been there in a while, I figured I'd just sit where everyone else does. They had found a replacement anyway, since I had been gone for about 1 1/2 months. I noticed a few newer faces among the church-goers. A lot of them wore the "Corn-cob Patch". As I was walking out, I ran into 2LT Kane, with the 734th Trans. I about addressed him as Chaplain, but noticed he wasn't wearing the Chaplain's Cross on his uniform. The last time I saw him, he was an E-5 chaplain's assistant. He said he had gone to OCS a couple years ago and is now a transportation officer for the 734th. So we had a chance to catch up, and along came CPT Benak. CPT Benak served with my dad back in '04-'05. I guess it's a small world, especially in the military.
I know I haven't posted in a while, but as usual, there is a lack of exciting things going on. The weather is still pretty cool. Hopefully it won't last too much longer. As hot as it gets in the summer, you'd think it would be warming up by now. I'd much rather be out in the 118 degree heat than the 20-30 degree lows we have been having. The only good I see in the cool weather is the decrease of indirect fire attacks. I think the insurgents are too lazy to attack us when it's cold out. Well, college football is almost over and that means basketball season is upon us. The men's Husker basketball team got off to a good start. I think they are around 11-4 right now, plus they beat 20th ranked Creighton, which is always good. Right now our team is 8-3. We had a game on Friday against one of the toughest teams we've seen so far. We were down by 2 at the half. During the second half, we looked like we were scared to be out there. We finished the game losing by 20 or so.
The softball team, on the other hand, is looking really good. After the first inning, we found ourselves down 12-2, but we fought back and beat our opponents 15-13. It was a good game, but we need to get more players to show up. Right now we are 8-1. We hope to be playing for the Mayor's Championship sometime in the next 3-4 weeks.

2007 and Maintenance Day

2006-12-30T21:59:00.000+03:00

Happy New year everyone. I hope this year will bring all of you good health and happiness. I myself didn't do much to celebrate. Instead, I decided to enjoy my sleep. I figured it would be better to celebrate the New Year at 9 A.M. instead of Iraq's New Year.

Saturday was my maintenance day. A day of light duty. I had another one of my Saturday afternoon softball league games. I don't really have many pictures of our softball team, so I tried to get some good action shots. We won our game, but the strong winds gave us some troubles in the outfield. After the softball game, I went with the rest of the S-1 section to the 240B range. Unfortunately, Hammer didn't get a chance to make it out as he was manning the office while we were gone. It sounds like he will get a chance to do something a little more HOOAH (cooler) than firing a machine gun. There were six of us, so it worked out nice. Each firing team was made up of a gunner and an assistant gunner. SFC Kerchal was teamed up with Burnham, Johnson with Kane, and Fleck with myself. Kerchal and Burnham managed to fire with the group ahead of the rest of ours, so I snapped a few photos of them sending a few rounds downrange. All in all, one of the best maintenance days I've had so far.
I ran across an article about America Supports You's end of the year accompishments. Here is the story. You can access their website by going to www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil, or SGT Kane has a link to thier site under "Military Stuff".
That's all for now, but stay tuned for the Husker Bowl Game post. Happy New Year.

SGT Hunt warming up for the softball game

SPC Pekarek fielding a ball hit his way

The S-1 section out at the 240B range

SPC Fleck firing at his targets

My range card

Sergeant and a Stetson

2006-12-24T14:30:00.000+03:00

This week was pretty eventful for me. On Wednesday I was promoted to Sergeant. A handful of CAV Soldiers were there to witness it, and they were nice enough to take pictures and video. We all gathered in the S-1 office, and 1SG Cleveland sounded off with "Attention to orders", and everyone snapped to the position of attention. Then CPT Lorenz and SFC Kerchal pinned the E-5 rank on my chest. I'm surprised my chest isn't very sore as much as I was pounded in the chest by other NCO's. They pound the chest were the rank is placed much like they used to do with the pin-on rank.
Then on Thursday, I was called into the office again. There were soldiers gathered around again. I noticed they were staring at me. They called me in to present me with the Cavalry Stetson my family had given to me for Christmas. They decided to give it to me a little early for my promotion. The wearing of Stetson's is a Cavalry tradition. To learn more about this tradition, click here. Lucky for all of you, I have photos of both days. Enjoy.

"SPC BENES... POST"

Pinning on the E-5 rank

Congratulations from SGT Kane1LT Tarricone presenting me with my Cavalry StetsonCSM Hall adjusting SGT Kane's Stetson

That about wraps it up for this post. Merry Christmas to all and have a safe and Happy New year as well.

Peace, from the Middle-East

Passing the Time

2006-12-16T00:54:00.000+03:00

The other day, the section was working pretty hard. Everyone had their faces buried in work. I myself was stationed at the famous typewriter, adding some dates on some awards. I felt like I was crammed into the corner, sitting directly behind SGT Hanseling's work area. The desk was cluttered with awards that I had to go through yet, but there was something that felt out of place. A bag of marshmallows sat near all the papers I was going through. It just seems odd to have a bag of marshmallows lying around the office, let alone the desk where I'm trying to work. SSG Johnson noticed this bag of marshmallows as well. I think he thought it was pretty weird too.
"What are we going to do with marshmallows here? I guess we could use them with some hot chocolate or something."
Well, everyone recalled the time I tried setting the record for chewing 12 peices of bubble gum at once.
"Benes could see how many he could fit into his mouth," someone suggested.
So of course I agreed to do it. Everyone had to guess how many I could fit. That's just how we do things here, always betting on stupid things. Not fo rmoney, of course. For example, SFC Kerchal and SGT Hanseling had a little bet on how long it would take for the construction work near the movie theater to get done. I guess it's just a way to pass the time and add a little fun in the day. So we had about 10 people guess how many I could fit in my mouth. We had people guessing anywhere from 5 to 37. Kane was the closest though with 10, as I could only fit 9 in my mouth. Here are some pics of the crazy event.

1000 Visitors Club

2006-12-10T19:25:00.000+03:00

It took a while, but I have finally reached 1000 visitors. It has been a while since I last posted, but there wasn't much to write about. I guess with the mail picking up, I haven't had time to think about things to write about. In the last week we have seen three days where we have had 9 pallets of mail. It has been taking up our whole day pretty much. We do take about an hour break to fit in some lunch, but other than that, it has been taking about 5 to 6 hours to complete the whole day's mail operations. Just a little stat I though I'd throw out there... We got crazy one day and calculated that over the course of our year-long deployment, we will have handled and distributed over 6 million pounds of mail for our unit. Today we had a few guests tag along. I'm not sure how many of you watch 10/11's "One Soldier's Story", but the folks from our Public Affairs Office at Anaconda followed me around, filming my day to see what a day in the life of a truck driver turned mail man is like. On Tuesday, I will be interviewed via satellite by someone from the 10/11 News station. They will then take a few days to put their story together, and I am told it should air on Sunday evening. So be on the lookout for that. I am pretty excited about it. I am somewhat disappointed because they only shot until 1030. We had barely started sorting by that time, but there is much more to our day than what they had captured. We have an hour and a half time period set up for the units to drive up and pick up their mail. Overall, I was glad I had the opportunity to do it, to show all of you what my daily duties are like over here.
Our basketball team, D-Block Shooters, bounced back from our 0-1 start and are currently sitting at the top of our district and 3rd in our conference with a 5-1 record. We have a little work to do as most of our wins have come from 4th quarter comebacks. In our last game, we fought back as we were down 17 pointsto win by four in overtime. We also need to get some depth in our team. Since the start of the season, we have lost 3 players due to injuries and just straight up quitting. We did, however, add SSG Johnson to our line-up as a point guard.
The softball team lost a close one last week, and no matter who you ask, they'll tell you the officiating in that game was horrible. We moved on though, and were supposed to play this weekend, but the opponents failed to show for the second week in a row. We are now 4-1, and have a pretty tough team that can do some damage as the season goes on.
It's been fairly cool lately. I say cool because I hear the highs in Nebraska are in the 10's and 20's. An error made in some electrical maintenance caused a majority of places on base to lose power. Last night I attempted to clean my room in the dark, and without my heater running. "They" say it should be back on tomorrow morning, and some rumors say even tonight. The sooner, the better though... I borrowed a movie from SGT Hanseling that I can't wait to watch. It follows three soldiers from a National Guard Unit that deployed to Iraq in the early stages of the war. I saw a little bit of it, and it looks like it is all made from their own video devices, such as video cameras, helmet cams, etc.
I have received a lot of mail this past week. With all the decorations and things, I was busy getting my room lit up and decorated. I will post pictures as soon as I am able to turn the lights on in my room.
That's about all for now. Out here.

Thanksgiving... Iraq style

2006-11-23T21:21:00.000+03:00

Here are some pictures of the day. They are only from lunch as I had taken video from of the rest of the days events. First a little rundown on the events. This morning was a little rough for me. I had a surprise piss test at 0800. I had to go really bad when I woke up, so I went. When I showed up for the UA, I couldn't go. So after 45 minutes and 2 bottles of water later, I squeezed out enough to barely fill the bottle. Enough about that story. Burnham and I went to the JMMT (Joint Military Mail Terminal) and picked up our mail for the day, hurried back and sorted it so we could head to lunch. We decided to eat as a section for Thanksgiving, so we closed up the shop to go eat. They had the chow hall all decked out in Thanksgiving gear. They even went as far as to make swan ice sculpures that held fruit at each table. They also had a little table set off to the side with one chair, one rose, one lit candle, a Bible, and a plate and silverware set on it. This table was reserved for SSG Matt Maupin. SSG Maupin has been missing since April 9th, 2004.

The chow hall served prime rib and turkey as their main meat, and all of the fixin's to go with of course. I skipped out on the pumpkin pie and had chocolate ice cream with caramel syrup drizzled on top instead. It was a good time and was nice to have the section together. We normally take shifts eating chow to keep the office open for business over the lunch hours. We did, however, close up shop at 1600 for a little free time. I went back to my room and played a little Blackhawk Down that SGT Kane let me borrow. I think I'm about to beat the game, just a few more missions left to go. After a few hours of that, I headed on over to the stadium for the USO show. The show featured Jamie O'neal, John Popper from Blues Traveler, Delila, and the famous New England Patriots cheerleaders. Delila had two soldiers come up and she played sound clips from her radio show. The sound clips were from the soldiers' loved ones dedicating songs to them. It was real nice. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures, only video. Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving feast. Enjoy.

One of the chow hall workers dressed as a Native American.

Some of the delicious prime rib I enjoyed for Thanksgiving.

My plate. Prime rib, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, shrimp and some Iraqi Mountain Dew.

The section enjoying their Thanksgiving meal in the chow hall.

The table reserved for SSG Matt Maupin.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T17:30:00.000+03:00

Much like SGT Kane's Thanksgiving traditions, my family goes around the table before we start eating our Thanksgiving feast, telling what we are thankful for. I think doing this is important because it allows us to acknowledge all the things we have, and how grateful we are for them. So I compiled a list of things that I am grateful for. I would like everyone who reads this to leave a little note about what they are thankful for as well in the comments section.

I am thankful for:
-My family. Without them and their support, I would not be the person I am today.
-My fellow soldiers. Without them, this deployment would seem like an eternity. It is always nice to have them around, (like another brother).
-My health. I thank God everynight for giving me my health, strength, and talent.
-God. The one Person that has my life all planned out. I have had a good hand dealt to me, and I am thankful for that.
-My friends. Their support is greatly appreciated, and I love hearing from them.
- T-walls, Kevlar helmets, body armor, up-armored vehicles, Jersey barriers, the C-RAM. These all provide protection for us in Iraq.

That is all I can come up with off the top of my head. I want to wish all of you a happy and safe Thanksgiving, where ever you may be.

Going for Two and The VTC

2006-11-19T10:56:00.000+03:00

Well it is official. I haven't really talked to many people about this, but some of you may have heard. There is an E-5 slot open in a unit back in Nebraska. In order for me to get it and get promoted, I have to transfer to the unit and fill the slot. The story with this unit is they are expected to deploy to Iraq, which means I could get sent along with them. I took a lot of time to think it through. After a few weeks, weighing the pros and the cons, I decided that I would transfer into the unit. Right now, I just have to wait to see if they put me into that slot. Due to OPSEC (Operational Security) reasons, I can't really tell you much more than that.
Last night I had the opportunity to participate in the Video Tele-Conference here on LSA Anaconda. A VTC allows a soldier to talk to his or her family and firends and see them on a video screen at the same time. My slot was set for 0015, 12:15 A.M. for you civilians. I was pretty tired, but it was definately worth it. I was able to talk to Dad, Mom, Meagan, Emily, Grandpa and Grandma Benes, and my cousin Christian. This time around I only had a 25 minute slot, where as before I had a little more time. It was nice to see everyone's smiling faces though. Emily wasn't smiling too much though. She looked a little shook up as she had just got off work and I guess a customer made her cry. That will happen though in the food service business. I remember my days back at the ol' P.O. Pears On The Lake, waitresses cryed when the customers gave them a hard time. In speking of P.O. Pears, it sounds like it is for sale. This may be a rumor though, so if anyone can confirm it for me, please do.

Board Results

2006-11-14T22:15:00.000+03:00

Today was the Squadron Soldier and NCO of the Quarter Board. This time, we had the CSM, the highest enlisted ranking person in the squadron along with four of the 1SG's drilling us with questions from several different categories. I was a bit nervous going into this one because I had not studied much in advance. I thought, for the most part, I had done well. Better than I thought I would have done at least. Once all the soldiers made it through the board, the board members had us all march in, and from there they presented the winners. Congratulations go out to SPC Newell from the LRS (Long Range Surveillance). He will go on to represent the 1-167 RSTA in the Brigade Soldier of the Quarter Board. The top four soldiers competing for Soldier of the Quarter were all within 2o points. That's a pretty tight race. As for the NCO's, they had an even tighter competition as the top NCO came out only 2 points above his competition. I wish I would have won, but at the same time, I'm am glad. It took a lot out of me to prepare for the boards. Each time, I used a brand new uniform, which meant I had to take a lighter to them to burn off all the strings. Then I had to make sure my weapon was clean (although the second time my weapon had not been cleaned), and don't forget about the studying. It is difficult to study for a board because you never know what questions they will ask. Usually the Army Regulations and the Field Manuals always get me. This time it was the weapons questions that would eventually eliminate me from the competition. Thank you to SFC Kerchal for sitting in on my board, along with SGT Hanseling for putting my packet together. And don't forget about the loyal fan club in the S-1.
Now that the boards are over for me, I have a little more time for leisure. I have been playing in a softball league as well as a basketball league. Our softball team had it's first game on Saturday. We beat the Navy team we faced 16-3. A 1-0 start is exactly what the doctor ordered. I wish I could say the same for our basketball team though. We had a pre-season tournament we were eliminated from after our first game. We lost that one by three. Our second game, which was our first regular season game, went down to the wire as we lost by one. In both games we were careless with our second half timeouts as we needed them in our two close losses of the season. Our next match-up is on Thursday. We have have been practicing a lot, so we should be ready to come out and get our first W of the season.
I have abandoned the whole e-mail thing once I started this blog, but that doesn't mean I don't and won't still use my e-mail. I know some of you have addressed this with me, so if you'd rather send an e-mail, I still check it. Also, some have asked for my address so...

SPC Benes, Brent
HHT 1-167 RSTA
APO-AE-09391

Not much else to report.
Out here.

Weather Update

2006-11-12T15:41:00.000+03:00

Well, the weather has been cooling off a bit lately. SPC Burnham, my room-mate and partner in crime, is majoring in Meteorology at UNL. Shortly after getting into country, he bought a weather station that is capable of reading the temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind direction and speed, dew point, cloud cover, etc. He tracks this on his own personal computer, and uses the data to determine weather patterns here in Iraq. He told me this morning that the low was 43.88 degrees Fahrenheit. Right now, (15:42) it is sitting at a comfortable 70.34 degrees Fahrenheit. Not too much rain lately, which is nice because that really cools it off here. Plus, whenever it rains, our HUMVEE's get all wet inside and we end up having to line the seats with plastic trash bags. I honestly prefer the dry 120 degree weather rather than the humid 80-90 degree weather. As I look around on base, I see more people wearing their winter PT (Physical Training) uniforms, and sometimes wearing their Goretex coats.
Happy Veteran's Day to all Veteran's and thank you for your service. I meant to post last night for Veteran's Day, but I ended up being pretty busy. I was even planning on catching the game, which aired at 23:30 (11:30 P.M.) but I fell asleep before the game had even started. My predictions were right though; get a good lead in the first half, blow it in the second but find a way to save the game at the last minute. That's how predictable we are. I think Callahan needs to get a new strategy, this isn't the NFL. It makes me a little nervous that we might be seeing Texas again because we haven't been playing impressive football the past few weeks. It is a little more comforting though seeing that K-State upset Texas. Let's just hope we can at least play a good game, and not embarrass ourselves. That's all I'm going to say about that. I usually don't get hyped up about the Husker's when they are in rough times.
The board is in two days, so be sure to check back for the results on the 14th or 15th. That's all I have for now.

Week in Review

2006-11-04T02:34:00.000+03:00

It has been a pretty eventful week for me. I guess you could say I have been a little busier than normal though. Between being in a softball league, basketball league, and not to mention the Soldier of the Quarter Board, my schedule is pretty full. We just started the softball league, but have only had a couple of practices. Games should start here in a week or so. As for the basketball league, we have already played one game in the tournament. We ended up losing, but there is the regular season to look forward to. I have also been playing my usual games with the "Midnight Ballers" a lot lately, due to some of the guys getting ready to go back home. I figured I'd play basketball with them as much as possible because I probably will never see them again. You never know though. In the Army, you run into people you know quite often. I have already seen 3 guys from basic training and talked to a few more from AIT.
The Soldier of the Quarter board was a little rough this time around. There were harder questions, and when it was all said and done, I was sure I wasn't going to win it. Not to mention my weapon wasn't cleaned and the 1SG inspected it. We had our usual presentation of the winners in our little break area outside our building. The 1SG had a few things to say before he announced the winners. Basically, the soldier I was going up against had accepted a STPA offer for an E-5 slot in a Transportation Unit, so he could only compete for the NCO of the Quarter. So that only left me. I had no competition, and I was announced as the Soldier of the Quarter, and the guy I was supposed to go up against ended up getting NCO of the Quarter. Like I said, it was pretty rough, but it was nice to have SGT Hanseling in there with me. He is my team leader, so he sat in on both Soldier of the Month and Soldier of the Quarter Boards. All the guys in my section were pulling for me, so it was good to have a little support from them as well. Now SGT Hanseling and I have to put together a packet for the Squadron Level Board. The members of this board will include the 1SG's, as well as the CSM. That one should be little tougher, but I have plenty of time to prepare myself.
My room-mate made it back from leave earlier in the week. It is nice to have him back. I'm pretty sure he had a blast just by hearing all the stories he had to tell. Now we are making some final preparations before we start to get drilled with "Holiday Mail". Not much else to report. I'm not sure how many of you have checked out some of the links I have on here, but I just want to point out that I have a link to SSG Johnson's, SGT Hanseling's, and SGT Kane's blogs. They are all really good writers, and they always have good topics to write about. So check 'em out. Until next time, PEACE.

Pictures

2006-10-27T13:02:00.000+03:00

Here are a few of the pictures taken during and after the announcing of the winners for Soldier of the Month and NCO of the Month.

1SG Cleveland Presenting me with Certificate of Appreciation for winning Soldier of the Month. One more pic since the first one was at a bad angle.
SPC Benes- Soldier of the Month SSG Bramsen- NCO of the Month

Soldier Of The Month

2006-10-19T18:06:00.000+03:00

This week our unit had it's Soldier of the Month Board for October. I was one of the soldiers paricipating along with three others. During the Soldier of the Month Board, you are quizzed on your knowledge in several areas such as Army History, military customs and courtesies, Army Regulations, common tasks and general soldiering skills. I was pretty nervous at first, but I calmed down somewhat after being in there for a while. I was the first soldier to go, so I entered, reported, did some facing movements, and took my seat to begin answering questions. I answered questions from four NCO's. Each NCO had a variety of questions for me in several different areas. Overall, I felt like I did my best, but there were a few questions I didn't know, and some I knew I answered wrong.
After everyone went through the board, we waited until later on in the day when the winner was announced.
The First Sergeant said a few words and also had the other board members say a few words, and then he announced me as the winner. We shook hands and he presented me with a Certificate of Appreciation.
Along with the Soldier of the Month, a board was held for NCO of the month. SGT Bramsen won the NCO of the Month, and was given a Certificate of Appreciation as well.
The 1SG took a picture with the two of us, so if I can get a hold of it, I will post it for sure.

Stay Tuned

2006-10-16T22:37:00.000+03:00

There hasn't been much for me to write about lately, but in a few days I should have at least two more posts. We are going to retire the "Crappy Cart" tomorrow, so I'll have a few pictures of that. I also have the Soldier of the Month board coming up, so I'll be sure to inform you all about how that goes.
I do, however, want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been posting comments and for all who have been sending mail. I want to thank Bill and Cindy for sending me a case of Go Fast energy drinks. They were a big hit in the office. I also want to thank Grandma and Grandpa Benes for all the Eileens cookies, as well as Bryan and Cindy who sent me pictures of Bethany and Levi. They also sent a Toby Keith CD just after he came and performed for us here in Iraq, and Flight 93. Big thanks go out to Deb W. and all the gracious people in the U.S. Courts who started "Project Brent". Also, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Miller, Randy and Jeannette, the Woodward's, Lila Zech, the Slechta's, Marge Suchy, and Clarice Sabata and the St Mary and Joseph PCCW. I'm sorry if I have forgotten anyone, but know that your support is deeply appreciated by each and everyone of us.
As for now, I need to continue studying for my board.

"Midnight Ballers"

2006-10-06T17:16:00.000+03:00

I figured for my next blog I would write about something that I usually do to keep myself occupied when I am not in the office. There is a little background information you need to know about this entry though. It all really started when LSA Anaconda's Mail Inspector came to inspect our subordinate units' mailrooms. When he went to do his inspections, he had me go along with him, so I could see how the units were operating their mailrooms, and so I could see what I needed to do to get their mailroom up and running. Following our last inspection, he was driving me back to my office, and he was asking me about where I go to school and all that jazz. He commented about the Huskers and their athletic programs. He also asked me if I played any sports, and I told him. He asked me if I was any good at basketball, and I said "Yeah, I'm alright".
"Well we play every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the small gym at 2200 (10 P.M.). Only the real ballers show up, so you better bring your "A" game."
"O.K., I'll have to stop up there sometime."
I was anxious to finally step away from the easy competition at the main gym and see what kind of skills these other guys had. I told SGT Hunt about it, and we finally made it up there one night. SGT Rauschenburg (inspector) was right, they were pretty good. So SGT Hunt and I made it to the gym on a regular basis. Shortly after we had made it part of our routine to go play ball with these guys, SGT Rauschenburg re-deployed as he had finished his year of duty in Iraq. On his last night, he was able to play one last game with us (we let him win).
Since then, we have met other guys from other units, and we have built a camaraderie with them. We all came up with nicknames for each other. I actually have a few. Obviously mine was Beans, but normally you would acquire a nickname based on your style of play. For example, there was one night where I couldn't miss a three pointer. Before the night was over people were calling me "JJ", after JJ Reddick, and somehwere in the background I even heard "Beans-Nasty". Most of them know me as Beans though. A few other soldiers have nicknames because of their size. We call SGT Haugen "O" and "Oster" after Greg Ostertag. SFC Vasquez, an ex-Drill Sergeant, is known as just "V". Then there is "Flash", "ATL", "Quin", "LT", "Big Ticket", "Big Baby" and many others. We have all become a pretty tight-knit group of guys, and if you aren't there one night, you'll hear about it the next day in the chow hall. "Where were you last night? Afraid to get emberassed again?" Stuff like that. Games are played to 12, straight up, and you have to sign your name on the board to reserve a game. If you don't show up by 2200, you probably won't play until 11:00 because there are lots of people that play. We usually play until there isn't enough to run five on five, which is usually 2:00 or 3:00. If I have to work the next day, I am usually out by midnight. Last night I had to wait 2 hours just to get into a game.
That's pretty much what I do to help pass the time outside the office. And it counts as PT.

Convoy Security Missions

2006-10-01T07:31:00.000+03:00

Well, the missions were a complete success. I had a wonderful experience working along side my buddies I used to train with back home. I felt like I was at home too. We didn't see much action, but I'll tell you a little about the mission and the few things that did go on.
I was the last vehicle in the convoy, making sure that all the trucks stayed in the convoy, and also made sure no traffic got into our convoy. It is important for this vehicle to be alert. Many convoys have had VBIED's (Vehicle Bourne Improvised Explosive Devices) drive up to the rear of the convoy and take out the last few trucks. Baghdad was on a curfew, so there was no traffic out while we were on the roads. I was the driver, and in my vehicle I had my TC (truck commander), and a gunner in the turret. There is a picture of him standing on the vehicle above.
Along with us, were TCN (Third Country Nationals) trucks. These are driven by civilians. They get paid to drive the trucks, and many of them are eager to get out on these missions because they get paid well. One of my responsibilities on these missions was to inspect the TCN trucks before rolling out. I had to make sure they had tow-bars, and a windshield they could see out of. We also had to check for leaking tires. Also, any trash on the trucks, we made them take off and throw away. We were particularly concerned with water bottles, because they have been used for IED's in the past. The reason for these inspections is to eliminate any trucks that may cause us to be stranded out in the middle of nowhere because of a break-down. I eliminated one truck because the windshield was all cracked. The driver was furious with me, and I had to call SGT Scott over to assist me with him. It is extremey frustrating to deal with an angry Iraqi who can only speak Arabic. After a few minutes, we finally got him to calm down, and he move his truck out of the convoy.
On the way down to Baghdad, we were stopped for some reason or another at an IA (Iraqi Army) checkpoint. Once we came to a stop, the TCN drivers started to jump out of their trucks. At first I was really worried, but then I soon realized that they were just trying to stretch and pee. SGT Scott had me turn on my cop lights and speed up to them. He yelled at them to get them back in their trucks. Once SGT Scott jumped out and chewed them out, the rest just decided to stay in their trucks.
When returning to base, another gunner for one of the guntrucks in our convoy said he saw five flashes come from one of the routes we had taken earlier. After we got back to base, we were told it was a daisy-chain. A daisy-chain is a line of IED's used to take out a large section of a convoy. This particular one had five IED's chained together. It gave everyone a weird feeling, knowing that we were on that road earlier in the night. Overall, I had a good time working with these soldiers, and I had lots of fun while on the missions.

Even Latest and Greatest

2006-09-26T11:04:00.000+04:00

Well, most of you have been asking me about things that I would like to get in the mail or things that I need. So here is a list of some things that I have been in need of lately.
Shaving Cream (Sensitive Skin)
Deoderant
I know it's a short list, but most of the other items I can buy at the PX. Other than that, I think I am pretty much set. I just got my new running shoes in the mail today, and that was pretty much what I needed most. A few days ago, all the 1SG's in all the Nebraska units recieved several large boxes that were pretty heavy. I read the customs forms, and all they read were t-shirts and hats. So after all the uits had picked up their mail, I got an email from 1SG Cleveland. It said "Husker shirts and hats available on a first come, first serve basis". Come to find out, Larry the Cable Guy sent them. If any of you didn't know, he is from Nebraska, and is a huge supporter of the troops. He even owns a skybox at Memorial Stadium. I've heard that he let's soldiers use it when they are on leave or when they get back from Iraq. Many soldiers around here have been wearing their Husker gear, but only in the privacy of their hooches. We'd get in trouble if we were caught out of uniform outside of our hooches.
Keep an eye out for me on T.V. and Husker Vision. Last week, four other soldiers and myself had an opportunity to give shoutouts to our families and the Huskers. We all met at the PAO office (Public Affairs), and we each filmed about a 10 second shoutout. I was nervous, so hopefully it turned out alright. SFC Schultz said they will send them back to Nebraska, and local news stations will air them. He said he would also try and get them to show our shoutouts on the Husker Vision.
Not many attacks lately. The last one was yesterday, and we haven't been in U3 in over a week, so that is a plus. SGT Kane made it back from leave last ight, so today I had to give him his desk back and I got shoved back into my "hole". My office is what the everyone in the S-1 refers to as "The Hole" because it is seperate from the rest of the section.
Recently, the PSD (Personal Security Detatchment) has been a few soldiers short due to leave. I was told I would be joining them for the week in order to keep the missions going on. About 90% of the soldiers in the PSD are my buddies I used to train with back home. It will be nice to reuinte with them and do what we do best. I'll keep you posted towards the end of the week and put up a few pictures when I return.

The Latest and Greatest

2006-09-22T07:10:00.000+04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. When I first set up this blog, my intentions were to post at least once a week. Lately, there hasn't been too much to write about, so here's what I know for now. The 24th MED is "boots on ground" here at LSA Anaconda. For those of you who don't know, Sean O'Malley, Ben Mattox, and James Sykes are in that unit. So we have a good portion of people representing the Mustangs here in Iraq. Along with them, a small portion of the 734 Transportation Company is stationed here. I talked to one of the soldiers from the 24th MED, and he said that by Christmas time, "they" expect there to be more Nebraska soldiers at LSA Anaconda, than in the state of Nebraska. Notice how I put quotations around "they". I'm not sure who "they" is, so it could just be a rumor.
Last week, a VBIED (Vehicle Bourne Improvised Explosive Device) took out a canal in Baghdad. That canal just so happened to be our source of water, and now water conservation measures are being taken to preserve what water we do have left on base. Recently, they have enforced "combat shower" rules. A combat shower involves getting wet, turning the water off, soaping up, washing your hair, then turning the water back on to rinse off. They're not too bad. At least we don't have to take ranger showers (baby wipes). They have stopped using silverware and plates as well as trays at the chow halls. Instead, they have been using paper plates and plastic dinnerware. They have even gone so far as to shut down both the outdoor and indoor pools. They plan to use that water as well, for we are planning to be short on water for the next 20 days. Don't worry though, there is plenty of bottled water around here, so I better not get 15 care packages in the mail with bottled water in them. Im serious. I've seen it happen.
That's all for now I guess. I'll try to do a better job of getting a post up at least once a week.
P.S. If you leave a comment, please be sure to leave your name so I know who all has been checking out my blog. Thanks, Brent

9/11

2006-09-11T10:39:00.000+04:00

Today marks the 5th year after the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. It is a significant day for me, as this was one reason why I joined the military. I knew long before 9/11 that I wanted to be in the military, but after this day, it seemed even more like a call that needed to be answered. This day also marks the 1 year anniversary of my departure date from Lincoln, NE, to Fort Stewart, GA. This was the beginning of it all for me. It seems like forever since that day, but it is nice to look back at it as a milestone. The more milestones, for me, the better. It's a way to look back at the places you have been, and the things you have done. If you take that kind of perspective, it really makes it seem like time has been flying. Many soldiers would probably tell you different, but everyone has a different view. I feel like I am on the downward slope, spending 12 months on active duty, with "hopefully" 6 or 7 left to go. There is really nothing to look forward to before the end of the doployment though, as I have already taken my environmental leave. But as soldiers always do, I'll just have to adapt and overcome.
Please take a moment today to pray for those we have lost, as well as those who have lost someone.

A LITTLE ABOUT MYSELF

2006-09-06T14:14:00.000+04:00

I always knew that I wanted to join the military, but was never sure what I wanted to do and what branch I wanted to join. It only took one visit from the Marines for me to decide that it wasn't for me. I contacted the Army, as well as the Army Reserve. I wanted to be close to home so I could knock out some college while I served, so the Army was quickly eliminated from my choices. Then I turned to the Air Force. I was always intrigued by aviation, particularly fighter jets. Of course, what kid didn't want to be a fighter pilot at one point in their life? My dad had gone with me to talk to the Air National Guard recruiter, and it seemed as though he really wanted me in the Air Guard. He later admitted not wanting me to join the Army. He took me on a tour of the hangar on the base there in Lincoln. While he was giving me a tour, I ran into the Army National Guard recruiter. He gave me his card, and a few short months later, I was an American soldier serving in the Nebraska Army National Guard. I swore in on 16 April, 2003 along side my classmate Jessica Benkusky.
The day following my high school graduation, I reported to MEPS in Omaha, Nebraska. A few days later, I found myself in Fort Knox, KY for basic combat trianing. I graduated from Bravo Company 2-46 Infantry on 30 August, 2003. I spent one year at Midland Lutheran College, where I played basketball. As most of you know, I have an undying love for basketball. Unfortunately, things didn't work out too well with my college basketball career, as my dad was deployed on his first tour to Iraq. I usually went home on the weekends to be with my mom and sisters to help around the house, and one weekend a month I had drill. Most of the time, I ended up working out at P.O. Pears on the lake. After my freshhmen year, I went to Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonardwood, MO to become a Motor Vehicle Transport Operator. Yes, it's a truck driver, but it sounds cooler and more exciting than a truck driver. I graduated on 30 August, 2005. After that, I transferred to Southeast Comunity College in Lincoln and eventually rented a house with my buddies Andrew (Spilk) Spilker, Derek (Michel) Michel, and Christian (Bandiola, Bandiholerfield) Bandiola. After many parties, visits from Lincoln's finest, and many local college students coming through to add to the memories of my experiences at 31st and N, I moved out the month before I left for Iraq. Exactly one year to the date, I mobilized and finally deployed with the 1-167th Cavalry (RSTA) as the squadron mail clerk. That is pretty much where I am now, with lots of other smaller events in between, but that's for my next post.