Appalachian Patria

Appalachian Intellectual. To me that means plain thinking. I am A Non Commissioned Officer in the Army Reserves. Let me say...My views expressed here are mine and not those of The U.S. Army, Army Reserve or my fellow brethren in The National Guard. This is entirely Sua Sponte. This is My Thinking. I'm single and in my mid 30's. Politicaly, I'm a Libertarian. (Again, Sua Sponte.I do not represent the Libertarian Party.)I love my native Appalachia, Rock n Roll and...I love God.

Name:
Location: Brevard, North Caroilina

I started blogging for two reasons. I was concerned about the changes to the area I live in, Southern Appalachia and I was about to go to the war. I was in Iraq in 06 and 07 and now Kuwait in 11 and 12. Blogging was a means of documenting my experiences and hoping it would help gain clarity. I don't feel that way about it any more. It's said people write blogs because they are frustrated, that's why people read them too. That makes us sound apocalyptic. Are we? Let it be said, what I say here is of my own thinking. This is entirely Sua Sponte and not an official representation of the U.S. Military or the U.S. Government as a whole.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

A(-)/3/323

Tick Tick Boom - The Hives

Before the first of the year a Stateside Mobilization for January was being kicked around. It was supposedly going to take place at Ft. McClellan Alabama. The mission was to set up a training site and conduct Pre Train for Reserve and Guard Units deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. My Brigade, 2nd Bgd 98th Div, was tasked to fill it. Instead of Mobilizing a Battalion, they decided to task each Battalion of the Brigade for a Company. An issue with my Battalion, 3rd of the 323d, was, there was no full Company. The Battalion was being rebuilt after Mobilizations and Promotions that resulted in a substantial turn over. As a result each Company would have to contribute to fill the mission. At the time of all of this, from December to April, I was "Attached" to the Unit, not yet Assigned due to a mysterious paper work shuffle beyond my comprehension. So, my going on the mission was in question, as well as I've been off Active Duty for less than a year, which, would require my volunteering and some higher approvals.

The mission was delayed to a later date. During that time Ft. McClellan became Ft. Somewhere. Ft. McClellan, the former Active Duty Taining Post, now belongs to the Alabama National Guard and they had serious concerns about their obligation in facilities. The old Basic Training Barracks belong to the City of Anniston and housing on the remaining portion of the post is limited. As time went the mission was postponed until the 15th of May. The date came closer and still no site was confirmed. In the meantime, come hell or high water, every member of my Company, was to be activated on the 15th of May except for me and my Commander that had been Activated with me for Iraq in 2006. He has since left to command another Company within the Battalion and the other members are now activated and on their way to what appears to be Ft. Hunter Ligget California. Suddenly I was Alpha Company. As a note, I was going to Bravo Company, but in January Bravo was reconstituted as Alpha Company, but the people stayed the same. After submitting my paper worrk six months earlier, I received my Orders Assigning me to the unit in April.

Then the week before Drill, the 17th and 18th, I received an e-mail informing me that a Specialist (E-4) coming off of Active Duty would report in that weekend. Now my job is to get him promoted and off to Drill Sgt School as quickly as I can. AS well, somewhere along the line something happened to the training aids. There is nothing, no training aids, not a bandage for First Aid or any hard copy reference materials (FM's, Reg's and TM's). There is a Unit deactivating on their return from Iraq and we hope to draw some NCO's from them. How am I to tell them they will be Trainers when they have nothing to train with to be proficient? So, another serious task for me is to gather as much as I can in training aids and publications.

I drill in Athens Georgia. Over the last month in civilian life I had worked 12 hour shifts and we were done with production early last week, giving me Friday off. So, I went to Athens the day before my weekend Drill. I like Athens. I stayed at the BQ at the Naval Supply School there in Athens. On the wall of my room was a memorial photo and narrative of the USS Thresher. It sucked to be them. I was walking down town Friday night and came across a shop, "Junkmans Daughters Brother". It's a freak supply shop or in my view for those young and young at heart. It had some T-shirts my Stepson would like to Lingerie I'd like to see some choice women in. Some Marines from the Naval Supply School were walking around in it. A girl reminded us several times..."Attention Junkmans Daughters Brothers shoppers..." as if it was K Mart that they would close in a matter of minutes. I had to find a Wal Mart for reasons that's none of your business and found myself in SUPER Wal Mart off of Epps Bridge Rd on the west side of town. Here came that same group of young Marines traipsing into Wal Mart. After talking with another NCO the next day he had seen the same Marines running back onto the Supply School grounds with minutes to spare before their 2300 hours curfew. There is so much entertainment in that town. To be them...Oh by the way, Franklin's Gun Shop is as cool as Junkmans Daughters Brother without the Bustiers and Go Go boots.

I posted The Hives because...I like The Hives.

Note: I edited this post from it's original state to clarify a couple of details. It ain't easy being your own editor.

"Cause I have done it before and I can do it some more"
The Appalachianist

16 Comments:

Blogger sage said...

you lost me somewhere along the way... I couldn't keep up with the run around you've experienced.

9:42 PM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

Sage, I'm sorry about that. I thought I had it written well enough.
I left some details out.

5:41 AM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

Hey, someone do me a favor and tell me if you see the Imeem player for The Hives. I don't know if it's this machine or it was the HTML.
Shukrahn!

5:43 AM  
Blogger Murf said...

Seems kind of sacrilegious to talk about Athens and not have a link to some REM songs.

9:03 AM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

No Murf, instead I posted a Swedish Garage Punk Band. I see that the player did post. It must be the slower, but adeqate connection at home.

There is too much sound coming out of that town for REM to be a stedfast. Don't get me wrong, I like REM, but the singer is a bleeding heart gun control freak. So, I think twice about linking someone of that nature.

9:20 AM  
Blogger 1776 said...

What does Shukrahn! mean?

10:19 AM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

Hey MEW, it's been a while. Shukrahn is Iraqi Arabic for Thank You. I never learned the word please, but they knew "give me". LOL.

11:09 AM  
Blogger sage said...

I didn't mean to critique your writing, it was the run-around it sounded like you had experienced! WHen I'm at home, I'll check and see if the music plays. I'm on a slow connection now

9:55 AM  
Blogger sage said...

As for Athens, don't forget the B-52s (but maybe that's too much "Air Force" like for someone in the Army

9:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Long ago and far away in Missouri I went to basic training and advanced individual training. We called Fort Leonard Wood "Fort Lost in the Woods." For a minute, I thought I was back there. I "won" a weekend in St. Louis for shooting expert with an M-14 no less. I'm an old man, but hot diggity damn it sound like Athens was as my young son once said long ago . . . "funner." Now, did that there bustier fit a bit too tight, and when you was dancin' did them 'go-go boots blister you up some . . . comin' down outa the mountains can be a hoot. I ain't doing nothin' . . . snicker . . . snicker. . . the army part sounds normal or snafu as the real old timers would say. Bill

8:28 PM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

Good Morning.
Sage, I get ya. It is a bit of a whirl. And...I left details out.
The player is working. It's even showing up on the home connection.
But thanks.

Bill, that was a fine rifle you were shooting. They wouldn't think about such a thing as a pass this day, nor in mine. In your day boy's were going to Vietnam. When I hear such things I wonder if it was a sympathy thing.
And no matter how we say it, the deployment is just fucked up. Coo doo's to my 1st Sgt for taking the mission on keeping a positive attitude.
You know how it can be. There are allot of different little parts.

6:56 AM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

Bill, thinking about it...What you said...Before I get out of the door...And What I said...You can tell I'm from WNC when I insuate that Super Wal Mart is a form of entertainment.

I was going to say it before I was distracted. Like an Aha it came to me in the shower.

Darn, the rest of your comment sounds like Rocky Horror, which, I've never seen. Nagh, that ain't me. If it don't fit, don't wear it.

7:52 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Not to worry, I have a friend, a former PI, who thinks he has died and gone to heaven when he goes shopping at Walmart . . . it is entertainment and whatever rolled into one . . . I think they will match the lowest price on go-go shoes. I try to stay away if I can though . . . everything seems to be from China or someplace else. Can you buy American anymore? Bill

7:31 PM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

"Can you buy American anymore?"
Don't get Twister started.

Check this out, I was told this and found it to be true. Go to Wal Mart and see how many men you see, then go to Target and see how many women you see.

5:42 AM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

Oh Bill, you better hurry,the Ivey's just started putting blooms out the last couple of days.

5:45 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Dude, the Hives are an awesome bad. And so is Athens-bred REM. Peter

7:24 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home