Back in the USA

As the title says I am finally back on American soil and it is a great feeling! It took over 30 hours from the time we cleared the barracks in Kuwait until we arrived here at Ft. Riley. On the 26th we were told that our clear the tent time was 2200 hrs and that we would be wheels up at approximately 1030 hrs in the morning. So most of the Soldiers chilled out and slept on their cots knowing that we were not going to get much shuteye that night. We had our final brief that morning then I went to work out then lounged around the tent. At 2200 hrs we were told that the truck would be there at 2300 hrs and after loading the truck with our bags, we boarded the buses for Ali Al Salem which is where we would clear customs and clear theater. We arrived a little after midnight and checked in for our flight. As in any military plan there was plenty of waiting around for the mandatory customs briefing on what you could and couldn't bring to the US. Finally around 0500 hrs we made our way out of the briefing tent, picked up our duffle bags and made our way over to customs.

These guys make TSA look like amateurs. The US Navy customs guys were very thorough. We first had to empty out our pockets, backpacks and all the stuff that was strapped to our uniforms and run those thru the x-ray machine, then we got wanded. After that it was grab your bags and when we were called by a Customs Agent we then moved forward to the location which we were assigned. Once there you had to empty out the entire duffle bags and rucks that you had. The customs guys went item by item checking to make sure we had no body parts, weapons, hand grenades and any of the 100+ contraband items that you couldn't bring into the country. Here I was thinking that we just spent one year in a combat and now here we are expected to go through customs on our way home. Incredible to say the least!! The real reason they do this isn't so much for customs but the stuff that guys want to bring home that the Army won't let them. Any of you who have been in the military know that when you pack a duffle bag it takes some planning to get 200 pounds of crap in a 100 pound bag. Yet when the customs guy finished searching each bag everything was placed in a huge bin. After 3 duffle bags and my ruck sack I then had the honor and pleasure to repack my belongings in the same bag and manner as before.
Unfortunately when one is sweating like a pig and is under the gun to get the stuff packed ASAP, things don't turn out like they are supposed to. I was one of the last ones through customs and out the door into freedom. Once we got through the customs portion we were in a lock down area where we couldn't get out and had to remain there until it was time to get onto the bus which would take us to the military side of Kuwait International Airport.

From Ali Al Salem we got onto the bus which was supposed to stop before arriving there but as usual there was a change in plans and those of us who had been drinking water non stop because it had been a sweat box in the customs area were dying to take a piss but to no avail. We then sat in the buses for about 30 minutes waiting to load up the plane and could not get off the bus until we were authorized to get onto the plane. The order was finally given and we headed to the plane, and as an O-6 I got to sit in front of the plane in normal seats but we basically had our own row to ourselves which was nice. The plane was supposed to take off at 1020 local time but there were issues with the fire alarm in one of the rest rooms, then they couldn't start the plane and there we sat on the tarmac for almost 40 minutes with the temp over 100 degrees. I fell asleep since I hadn't slept at all for the past 24 hours. We finally got off the ground at around 1145 hrs and we were finally on our way to the US of A.

We had a 6+ hour flight to Shannon Ireland and were told that we could not consume nor purchase any alcohol while we were in Shannon. It was a cold, rainy and dreary day in Ireland but that didn't ruin our day as we headed into the airport for a 90 minute stopover. I got out and after seeing there was nothing worth buying headed back into the aircraft and finally caught wind of the main issue at hand. We had topped off with enough fuel to get us to Topeka Kansas, but with the rain and the weight of the plane due to the MITT teams bringing on board 4 duffle bags plus their rucks, the plane could not abort a takeoff with the weight it had. So the plan was to download a certain amount of fuel, the only problem was that the fuel truck designated for that mission only had a 5K liter capacity and after picking up the fuel had to go over to another part of the airport to drop it off. Talk about a time waster, what was supposed to have been a 90-120 minute stop ended up being almost a 4 hour logistical nightmare. I had a good time shooting the breeze with Adelle the Irish girl who was handling the refuel and stop at Shannon and the pilots who were from the west coast. I was kept in the loop on what was going on so I could relay that info to the DOC at Ft. Riley so they knew what was going on and to let the families know about what time they could expect us.

We finally got out of Shannon and because of removing the fuel no longer had enough to make it safely to Topeka, so instead we headed to Bangor Maine which was an 8+ hour flight. When we got there, they had about 20-25 VFW and American Legion reps at the airport to welcome us home and shake our hands as we came down the walkway. We spent about 90 minutes in Bangor so I was able to call Carmen and let her know where I was. We then headed to Forbes Field in Topeka KS for our last aviation leg of the journey. We arrived there approximately 22 hours and 40 minutes after wheels up in Kuwait City. It was 0308 hrs in the morning in Topeka.
We then got in the buses and were escorted by an honor guard on motorcycle all the way to Ft. Riley. The third step had been completed and all I needed to know was when was I going to see Carmen again here at Ft. Riley.

The Colonel