volkov

Back from a weekend with the Marines. It went pretty well. I've transfered to another unit that is MUCH closer to where I live to finish out these final six months or so of my required contract. I had been driving all the way to Louisiana to drill with the same guys that I was in Iraq with. As more and more of them left and time went on it ceased to be worth it to drive seven hours once a month to and from. So now I am with the unit here in Austin which is still infantry, but rather than being a regular riflemen unit it's the heavy weapons section of the battalion. Which means big machine guns and such. They weren't quite sure where to stick me since I don't have any mortar or machine gun training. They ended up putting me with the guys who do most like what I do...except that they also carry a huge ass anti tank missle around with them
and C4 and other things for demo (ie blowing shit up). It's a fun unit. It's the smallest section of the heavy weapons company...so another tight knit group. I'm charge of a squad of them being one of only two people in the platoon with my rank. That also means I have to learn everything quickly to get to where I need to be.

We spent the weekend at Ft Hood's mock village/town doing Military Operations in Urban Terrian (MOUT) training.




it was good times. lots of blanks and running around and
*bangbangbang*
"I got you! yer dead"
"nuh-uh noyedint!"

we're so professional.

it's a little stressful because the newer Marines are more likely to get deployed so we are having to do everything we can to get them trained up to be as ready as we can...with three days a month to do it. My Battalion is pretty far down the list. It's unlikely that they'll have to go anywhere before my contract is up, but the youngsters stand a better chance of going as augmentees to other units that are understrength.

but after a weekend of eating sloppy joe MREs (not even as good as the real thing) and other items of dubious edibility...it's nice to be inside out of the rain and sun and biting insects.


addendum: just watched Brick with Katy. I really liked it. It's parts Mike Hammer, Twin Peaks, and WB. I see where the negative criticism of the movie I'd heard came from (mostly from that last part of the equation). The film noir elements WERE over the top and effusive, but I think it worked for the story. and the plot was twisty enough to be interesting but not so Byzantine as to be completly unbelievable. Some characters swung wildly towards charicature, but they fell just short enough that I didn't mind. Besides...it's a genre movie. And despite it all, I think the high school setting makes a certain amount of sense. You could almost believe that this kind of fucked up shit could still happen in the strange world of adolescents.

I'm placing it in the top ten list of movies I've seen this year. Quite possibly in the top five.

clicky