Episode 15:  March of 2005

March 31, 2005 8:00 a.m. (Baghdad Time)
Al Asad, Iraq
By LCpl Sincioco
Revised on April 19, 2008

"What I do best is share my enthusiasm."
—Bill Gates

Cpl Weller

What marked March as a good month was the arrival of Cpl Weller.  Now, I won't write about him in any detail for now, I'll save that for an episode just for him at a later time.  But, suffice to say, that his arrival directly or indirectly improved moral at work.  For instance, I could talk to him more openly than I could with Sgt Williams.  And when you are going to be stuck in a place such as Iraq for a long time, trust me, you'll want someone to off-load your bitch-o-meter to.  Now, I'm beginning to understand why you need a ship counselor in Star Trek.

Attack!

On the bright-side of things, if you want to think of it in that way, we only got attacked twice this month.  One time, I was so tired after my shift from work, that I had to choose between going to sleep hungry or walking to the chow hall.  The chow hall is a 3/4 of a mile away.  Given that it's starting to get hot and I have to wear my full combat gear, it's by no means a walk in the park.  But, I chose to go to the chow hall, anyway.  I was so tired; I was falling asleep in the line which reminded me of my days in boot camp.  Walking on the streets of Al Asad felt like I was being baked in an oven.  The heat from the pavement, coupled with the dry air, made for a miserable walk.  The weight of my combat gear only added to the misery.

I got my food; picked a table, and took off all my gear.  I was sweating all crazy and I had just sat down.  I was opening my Sunkis orange juice when the PA system announced, "Attention Al Asad!  Attention Al Asad!  There was an explosion just at the side of the base."  I had been watching the first season of the Simpsons on DVD during my shift, so I must have had a Homer reaction because I thought to myself, "Oh no, there goes my chow time!"  How could I think of my stomach at a time like this?  "Hmmm, doughnuts," as Homer would say.

Lt. Lane must have seen my sorry-sad self.  He told me, "Hey Sin, why don't you wrap up your food before you take off."  "We'll do, sir," I replied.  I'm glad he suggested it, because, really, I was just going to throw away all my food and power-walk back to the TACC building, where I work.

One morning, I was on the phone with Vincent when the PA system announced, "Attention Al Asad!  Attention Al Asad!  This is not a test.  We are under attack!"  I told Vincent I had to get off the phone.  I walked back to the DSID area and put on my gear.  Before you know it, all the 3 DSID operators were on deck for accountability (Sgt Williams, Cpl Weller and I).  So, what was there to do for DSID operators when the base is under attack?  It's not grab our rifle and aim outboard, silly.  That's what grunts do!  Instead, we grabbed our digital camera and took a picture of the three of us, since we ordinarily are not on deck at the same time because we work on different shifts.

Physical Training (PT)

I've done more PT this month, thanks to Data Platoon, than I did in January or February.  Most of the PT I do is running and pull ups though.  I've been to the gym only once.  Lifting weight and getting bulky is not my style of physical fitness.  I want to keep my nice scrawny body, sort of like Bruce Lee.

One time, I PTed with Data Platoon.  We ran around the base, and did pull-ups.  I came back to the Tin Can (my room) and saw Schuster playing video games.  For some odd reason, he was playing video games with his shirt off that day.  A bit unusual since he's never done that before.  What was even more unusual was that he had the AC turned off.  So, I walked in, and remarked, "Oh okay, we play games with our shirt off now, huh, Schuster?" I turned on the AC and he got all worked out over it.  He got up and turned off the AC again.

I was still feeling hot from the PT, and I didn't want to argue with Schuster over the AC being turned off.  So I just teased him, "Oh okay, we just want to be gay, right?  I think you just want to see me with my shirt off, Schuster."  "I don't care, Sin," he replied like a little kid and continued playing his game.  So, since I was heading to the shower anyway, I took off my shirt.  Usually, I take my shirt off once I get to the Navy/Comfort trailer, but not that day.

I don't know what it is, it's maybe because I'm skinny that people don't expect that I would be lightly built like the way I am.  People get surprised when they see me with my shirt off.  "I fucking hate you Sin, I never see you go to the gym or do sit-ups, and you're all cut-up," said LCpl Salazar.  I piss him off even more when I act all nonchalant about it, "Who, me?"  Then I'd throw in a smile for the extra pun.  When asked what my secret is, I just say, it's my metabolism, I avoid eating fried foods, and I stay away from drinking and soda as much as possible.

Lance Corporal

It's bad, I tell you.  When I'm not programming or reading my computer books, I should be studying to get my last two MCI (Marine Corps Institute) done so I can get promoted to Corporal faster.  But hey, I'm a realist, or a pessimist, pick your choice of word.  I know I'm going to be a Lance Corporal for a long while, so I don't even get any wild idea of getting promoted to Corporal soon.

I had Cpl Evans send me a bunch of LCpl chevrons from Camp Lejeune.  Master Sergeant Perry saw it on my desk one morning and remarked, "What the heck you doing with all those Lance Corporal Chevrons?  You should buy Corporal Chevrons.  You planning on re-pinning Lance Corporal again anytime soon?"  I said, "Yes, sir!"  He shook his head left to right, and laughed as he walked away.  Who on Earth ever enjoys being a Lance Corporal, anyway?  I think I'm the only one!

It's fun being a Lance Corporal.  I don't have any real responsibilities and I just do what I'm told.  Quite a change from the world I came from.  So, this is what it feels like to be on the other end of the stick.  And if I screw up, I can always stand firm to the old cliché of "Lance Corporals don't know."  I'm going to be a Lance Corporal for a long while, so I figured; I'd best learn to enjoy it.

I haven't had a reason to purchase any Corporal chevrons so far.  The only two I have was given to me when Sgt Heilman and Sgt Jones got promoted to Sergeant.  Don't count the hens unless the eggs have hatched, right?  So, does that make me a pessimist or a realist?

Living and Working in Al Asad

Living and working here in Al Asad, is sort of like what LCpl Smith described one time.  Sometimes, I do feel like I'm a civilian dressed in a Marine's uniform.  I mean, really, what do I do on a daily basis that a normal civilian cannot?  I wake up, put on my cammies, and head to work.  I check up on the DSID, I check my email and then I go about and do the things I want to do.  They may range from programming, to reading a book, to playing my PlayStation 2, to just surfing the web.  When this deployment is over, I'm afraid I won't have much of a war story to tell.  As Cpl Weller once said, "Well, my [video game] character is now level 20."  Because quite frankly, it almost feels like I'm garrisoned, as if I'm in 29 Palms—almost.

The occasional attacks we get on this base are the only thing that reminds me that we are still in a combat zone—oh yeah, well, watching Fox News too.  Al Asad is so quiet, relatively speaking, that as I watch Fox News sometimes, I too, worry about the men and women serving in the Armed Forces in Iraq.

Then, I would come to a sudden realization:

Oh wait!  I'm one of them!

—LCpl Sincioco
United States Marine Corps, 8th Comm BN, Support Co., Data Platoon