For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter, here's a quick rundown on my recent activities. Photos included!

First picture taken with new camera phone:


Best soda can EVAR!:


If the back of my gun had eyes, this is what it would see all day. Notice the oh-so-sexy and uncomfortable shoulder armor:


Giant Grow Crocodile. He started off ten inches long, but has spent the last week soaking in our cooler. Freaks out the interpreters:


My truck. For those curious, it's a Caiman MRAP:


Puppies. Pathfinder and IRAM. Still not completely housebroken, so watch your step out in the Atrium:


I received an Army Achievement Medal for picking up trash and carrying lumber, but that's just between you guys and me:


And we had four golf pros come out to the JSS to sign autographs and give lessons. A big deal to some, blah to me. A nice gesture though, which I do appreciate:


One of these days I'll get around to a well thought out and meaningful update, but for now you get pics and sound bites. Better than nothing, right?

<3
-T

Yesterday we heard a call over the radio about a suspected suicide bomber right outside where my Iraqi Army counterparts work. Naturally*, we turned the trucks around and headed over in that direction. Listening to the radio traffic we learned that it was a woman who appeared to have something oddly shaped concealed around her midsection that was giving off a strange heat signature on the thermals, and she had been stopped in the middle of the road while the traffic in the fairly major intersection she was spotted in was blocked off around her for about three hundred meters.
By the time we rolled up the unit on the ground had located a bullhorn and an interpreter to tell the crying woman to lift up her shirt. With nearly a hundred people watching, the women lifted up her shirt to reveal a bulging sort of girdle/corset article of clothing. She was told to remove this as well, which exposed her less than toned midsection. No suicide vest, just a pudgy woman stuffed into some too-tight garments.
We left as the woman was being collected up by the IA, who I'm sure did a lot of apologizing. Unfortunately things like this happen fairly regularly, and are absolutely necessary to ensure the safety and well being of our forces out here. Although everything was handled strictly by the book in this situation, I can't help feeling sorry for that poor woman. For our safety, that woman had to pay with her dignity.

-T

*Is it really natural to drive towards a suspected suicide bomber?

Sweet baby Jesus on a cracker, my wife is HOT! I mean, I know I say that a lot, but damn...









Sid - Bring 'em home

Thank you baby for such a wonderful tribute set, it's even better then I thought it could possibly be. I'd also like to thank all the other girls who participate in the Pinups for Soldiers for their support. You ladies are awesome.

But yeah, my wife is super hot. Go leave some comment lovin' so we can get this up on the front page!

<3
-T

I was having a conversation today about trying to explain what life in the Army is like to people who have never served. It's really difficult because of a few major factors.

First, the language. The Army has it's own subset of terms and acronyms that the majority of the people outside of it will never encounter. We've used them for so long and have had them so deeply ingrained that it's difficult to separate our military speak from our normal speech. Imagine asking someone about life in another country, and they respond with every fourth word in their native tongue. For example:

Second, the concept vs. the understanding. Remember the first time you learned how to drive a stick shift? Somebody no doubt explained it to you very carefully, the relationship between the clutch and the gas and finding gears... all that stuff. You probably had a pretty good idea of how it was supposed to work, but it wasn't until you were behind the wheel that that concept truly became an understanding. So much of what we do seems simple enough on paper, but there are layers of depth that are much harder to explain and really just need to be experienced in order to gain the understanding.

Third would have to be the diversity. Asking what life is like in the Army is like asking what life is like living in America. While there are certain environmental constants, there are many more variables based on where you live, what kind of job you have, and the people you interact with. Sure, we're all in the same Army, but my experiences may be vastly different from another soldier's based upon my job, my unit, my rank, and my assignments. One guy could tell you the Army is horrible and stressful and demanding, and another could tell you he works a nine to five job in an air conditioned office and has never had to pick up his rifle since basic training. I can only tell you what I've seen and done, but that's only one perspective and probably not an accurate representation of the Army as a whole. Everyone else will have their own view of what life is like in uniform.

I'm not sure if any of that made any sense to anyone else but me, but I did my best to break it down some. Back me up here Dennis.

<3
-T

Day after tomorrow will be my five year SG anniversary... or as I like to think of it, my porniversary. Five years. It seems like it has been so much more than that really. SG has been such a formative influence on my life since I joined it. Hell, without SG I never would've met and married my lovely wifey.

I want to wax poetic about this, but I'm just too tired right now. If I can manage to get near a computer two days from now, I'll try again. For now, I'd just like to say thank you to all of my friends on here for making this site worth sticking around for year after year. Like so many of us, I stopped in for the boobies, but stayed for the community. You guys are what makes this site special.

Off to try and grab a few extra minutes of sleep.

<3
-T

Well kids and kidettes, last update from me for a while. I leave out in the morning to the new place with no internet access, so I'll be out of the loop for a while. I should have e-mail only access in a week or so, but no telling how long until I'll have actual web again. If you need to get a hold of me, hit me up on Twitter and it'll get forwarded to my cellphone.

Leave love,
<3
-T

Sweet baby Jesus on a cracker, what is up with people on my friends list posting a bajillion fucking pictures in their journals today? Spoiler that shit yo, fo' shizzle. My poor lappy's head asplode.

If anyone was wondering why my last entry was friends only, well... Sorry. Some stuff just isn't meant to be completely public.

The most amusing thing to happen to me today was watching four guys watching "Two Girls, One Cup" for the first time. I have not seen the video, nor will I ever watch it after watching the reactions they had. I've been around the internet long enough to know that there are some things you simply cannot unsee. If you haven't learned your lesson after Tubgirl, Goatse, and Larva-boob, it's your own damn fault.

Just ran four miles and now my ass crack is sweaty. There's a mental image for you. Time for a shower and bed.

<3
-T