Day 1

We woke up at 2am on Wednesday and a bus picked me up at 2:45am.  After picking everyone up, we boarded a passenger airline and left for Mississippi.  It was a 2-hour flight and we arrived at 8am.  We hopped on a bus and by 10:30, we were at our camp.  All along the way we saw the effects of Katrina and how far along people had came in getting back to “normal”.  Camp Shelby is 50 miles north of the Gulf and you can’t look anywhere without seeing trees that have been uprooted or snapped in half, there were buildings here that either lost part of their roofs or trees fell into them.  The carnage just gets worse the further south you go.  It’s really amazing how much damage was done, you really have to see it. When we got to Camp, we found out where our tents were, there are 3 companies in this Camp with us – 16 people to a tent.  Power runs off a generator and water is brought to us by trucks.  Tonight we will just settle in…

Day 2

Up at 5:30am today, it’s going to be boring, nothing but classes today, mandatory stuff on ethics, finance, benefits…started at 8am and went until 6pm.  Came back to eat and had 3 hours of training on searching vehicles and persons for weapons or explosives.  Straight to bed after that.  Weather has been in the 90s but we haven’t had to spend the whole day outside yet so I’m not complaining.

Day 3

Today we were up at 4:30am; at 5:15, we went on a 2-mile road march, this will be the beginning of our daily morning exercise, Good!  Time to drop some unnecessary poundage.  Breakfast by 7am.  Lucky us, it’s our Company’s turn to use the showers.  So we take turns hittin’ the shower and yesterday a store opened on base.  Lucky, now I can write home with this paper and envelopes I bought.  I won’t have Internet for a long time.  The rest of the night is ours.  A lot of laptops running with movies or games going until about 10pm…then sleep…

Day 4

Things are still slow moving here today.  We go through the same processing we did at Camp Ripley, just to double-check our paperwork.  After this weekend, we have weapons qualification coming, or not, you never know for sure what’s happening from day to day.  One new thing I got today was my first of 6 shots for the Anthrax vaccination, and later in the next couple months I’ll get my Smallpox vaccination.  We received our weapons today also, so now they must be with us at all times.

White Day

I think Sundays will usually be “white days”.  Nothing specific on the training schedule, so we relax – Squad Leaders can do specific training for their group, most of us are relaxing in our tents with the walls rolled up for a nice breeze.  I’m on perimeter security with Spc. Nygaard – gotta do a walk around the perimeter every 6 hours to check the wire, look for people who shouldn’t be here (pick up garbage)…Soldiers can go to church services or just rest up.  I’ll try to sneak a shower in today…I stink.

Hello all, I'm gonna try to to go through the last couple weeks really fast to try and catch you up...When we got to Camp Shelby we had to stay out at F.O.B. Hurrican (forward operating base) because our barracks when not yet ready from the Hurrican that tore through here...we stay at the tent base for about a week..slowly settling in, adjusting to climate and doing Physical training.  We also start some of our training for Iraq, like manning the entrance point to a base and how to search vehicles and personel. Pictures where sent off today and it will give you a good visual of what it was like out there.  after about a week we where able to move into our barracks..finally, we can shower regularly, and the food improved quite a bit.  For everyone who is a medic we started going through an EMT refresher course and will actually be taking our final on that  tomorrow.  We will start training on advanced field medicine after that and that should run about 2 weeks.  last night we got to see a couple hours of exciting video on what to do if your taken hostage.  mostly things have been boring..I'm up at 5:30, eat some scramble eggs, bacon, and 1 biscut with country gravy (i have the same thing every morning), then I shower, though some people don't think I am showering I promise I am. then off to class, it goes till about 4:30 pm and I go home, work out with my sqaud and eat.  Then like tonight I try to get to the internet, I was lucky I got on, it's 7 pm here now..I'll probably be in bed by 9:30 tonight and do it all again.  Like I was sayin g, pictures will probably be up soon, mail is slow here, but every time i get a big chunk of pics. I'll send another bunch.  On a side note I tried growing a moustache...it looked wierd but you'll see pictures..everybody here was telling me to keep it, but I think they were lying when they said I should keep it 'cause it looks so good on me.  also the Army bought me some normal looking glasses so you'll see that to....the army is so good to me

.  Okay people, I'm gonna head out, take care my loyal followers.

Well, Well, Well...my first post.  I feel like my mouth has been ungagged, and I can communicate!  I only get short bits of time on this thing I call the "In-tro-net" and it will not be regular, so I apoligize ahead of time, but I'll be sending letters home, and my good friends Jon and Dave (the masterminds behind this) will post for me.  Also I have a whole bunch of pictures I'll be sending home so keep an eye out for them.  I've been here in Camp Shelby for17 days now and the living conditions have improved quite a bit from when I first got here, I am now living in a building with about 30 other guys from Charlie Company (the medical company). They have had us medics going through an EMT and medic refresher course, and at the end of this training they will focus on the kind of specific training a medic will need, for the kind of injuries we will see most often over in Iraq.  They have also been issuing our new gear as they get it, like my new Ballistic vest I recieved the other day, I've seen pictures of what it can do as far as saving lives and even though its heavy I'm glad I have it.  AAAH! I'm running out of time already.  The pictures I send home will tell you alot of what we are doing here, and I'll post again as soon as I can.  You are all welcome to print off copies of any pictures of my that turn you on...Troy. 

Hello out there...I'm Troy's buddy Jon.  I am helping him run this site, so I thought I'd write a first posting until we get Troy's journal entries posted.  If you're reading this, you are probably waiting and excited for Troy's first post.  Well, it won't be long!

So, hang in there, and soon you'll be laughing, crying, and happily following along to Troy's adventures with his great writing style, humorous anecdotes about his experiences, and his keen observations about his evolution as a Combat Medic serving in Iraq.

Hey...thanks a lot for stoppin by, and remember to use the commenting feature of this weblog by clicking "comments" below and write something!  That is how Troy, and other visitors, will be able to read what you think about Troy's postings.  Try it on my posting now!  Remember...if you ever want to privately email Troy, just email him at medic@myway.com.

Check out the links under the "Info" section on the left side of this page!

Thanks,

Jon