Jason Munson

Hey all,

I have to apologize for the lack of updates. Internet access where I am is very limited, and the few workstations that are available are often wildly out-of-date or experiencing problems, preventing access to this blog or e-mail. My e-mail access depends on which computer I attempt to use and the desires of the Army at the time. So if I neglected to reply to any messages, I can see them, but responding is often blocked. Sorry

I am currently working diligently (approaching 2 weeks) at FOB Kalsu, named after a footbal player killed during Vietnam. This is an Army base located about 25 miles SW of Baghdad in an area once (still) called the Sunni Triangle. The base itself can be classified as “spartan”. There is no fast food, few places to even spend money, and need to walk everywhere. but it has an AMAZING dining facility (which is free) that includes made-to-order stir fry, ice cream, meat carving, salad bar, and more. I tend to stick with the stir fry (curry, garlic, and cayenne pepper) with beef or shrimp. Very tasty, healthy, and consistently good. desserts on Saturday only, and no soda. I am also working out regularly, so by the time I get home I’ll be slim and trim!

The work is going really well, although I can’t provide many details. Basically, I help catch bad guys using a variety of methods. Guys who build IEDs (explosives) or do other bad things. That’s about all I can say.

I hope everyone is doing well. My company back home, Echoserve, moved into a new and custom-built facility in Golden, CO recently. I can’t wait to see it, as it sounds awesome!

Not sure when I will be able to update again, so please keep me and my family in your prayers.

Well, I am finally in the Middle East! After a long 18 hour flight, combined with numerous bouts of activity and waiting, we have moved into our temporary tents in Kuwait. And the title of the post refers to the millions of bottled water boxes that are everywhere on base. You should never have an excuse for being dehydrated here.

After about a week of additional training (weapon training, convoy operations, etc.), I will travel to my new “home” in Iraq. I have been without sleep for a long long time so I will keep this short. More later!

I apologize for the lack of updates. Most of you probably think I’m already in Iraq by now, but I’ve been safely in Maryland receiving some additional technical training. I will be here until sometime in October, when we travel to Kuwait.

My visit home was excellent. It was amazing to to see how the babies have changed in such a short period of time. Sarah was standing up and beginning to take little steps! Matthew has been attending kindergarten and meeting new friends. And Andrew is still laughing and smiling at everything.

I am very grateful for the love and support of family and friends in preparation for this deployment. There isn’t much happening until I leave in October, so I may hold off on more posts until then.

In the meantime, I’m posting a bunch of pictures from the past couple months.

50 caliber practice

It has been awhile since the last update. Many things happened in a short period of time.

On Monday, we covered the basics of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and land navigation. The former was really interesting, since it is the main cause of death in that area. The latter probably won’t be used, except when camping or geocaching.

On Tuesday, we went to a fake city and practiced urban combat. This included busting in doors, securing a room, short range firing, explosive detection, and lots more.

Today was the culmination of all of our training. We began at 5 am by loading into our Humvees, creating a convoy of 6 vehicles. During the convoy to the city, we experienced small arms fire, explosives, medical emergencies, access control, roadblocks, and more. It was really intense and realistic. Fortunately it was raining and cool, so the full body armor wasn’t that bad. However, when we finished, The team needed to navigate from a forest using only a compass and waypoints. This might have been a great end to the day, except for the pouring rain, mud slides, and streams everywhere. My team navigated to the final destination, and then we were all finished.

This evening I packed all my equipment and clothing for the bus ride tomorrow morning. We’re driving to Maryland and I plan on flying home Thursday or Friday. This will be my last week at home before my job-specific training and journey to Kuwait / Iraq.

I cannot believe how quickly this week has gone. We have been practicing firing the M16A2 rifle, and thankfully my aim is improving. Shooting with battle armor is not nearly as simple, while the 105 degree heat and humidity provides a great motivator. Nearly all of the shooting ranges are in direct sunlight, so wearing 70 lbs. of equipment plus a Kevlar helmet results in very hot days. I am so grateful for a cool shower in the evenings, and air conditioning remains the best invention ever.

The other benefit to the busy schedule is it is already halfway through the week. We’re done with this training next Wednesday, so I hope to see my family sometime next week.

We’re practicing night firing later this week, plus convoy operations, so I will be very busy and waking up way to early. Thanks for the continued support, and I’d like to thank my Echoserve team for their comments too. It means alot.

This has been an amazing week. Thursday, we had to “muster” or gather together in formation at 5 am. Suddenly a small number of us were called out to help with an unknown task. So we marched in the darkness towards another part of the base while the rest of the group (about 200 people) went to breakfast. Finally we arrived at our destination - Humvees! We learned how to check the vehicles, how to run them, and finally we each drove one to the training area. Very cool.

Later that day we marched in full battle armor through the woods to a virtual shooting range for M16 rifle qualification. The system tracked how we were shooting, and provided feedback on how we could improve. It was really amazing and fun. And air conditioned, which I have really come to appreciate!

Friday we spent most of the day at the shooting range, making sure our technique developed in the trainer applied with our actual weapons. It took me longer than I expected to use the various techniques in unison, but with the blazing hot sun beating down, I was motivated to get it right.

Saturday was used to certify the 9mm pistol shooters, which I wasn’t required to have. So many of us cleaned our barracks and walked around the grounds picking up cigarette butts. All due respect to smokers, but it seems like many here are in the habit of simply flicking butts wherever, without realizing they are littering as a result. Too bad we couldn’t get them to clean up after themselves.

Later Saturday we enjoyed a much needed break at a local steak restaurant with my team headed to Iraq. It was great to miss the chow hall for one day, at least.

This week will be fairly intense, as we practice shooting and conduct more physical fitness exercises. I am drinking about 3 Camelbaks (water-filled backpacks) per day, plus drinking plenty of electrolytes. We have had a few people collapse from the heat, mainly as a result of not eating enough carbs and replacing electrolytes. Gatorade actually works!

For those who don’t know, this 3-week training class is required for all Navy personnel being sent to the Middle East. This includes active duty and reservists, and must be done every time you go there. So a person on their second or third deployment has done this 3-week course each time. The training includes all the things a Navy sailor needs to know while living and working with the Army. Shooting, convoy operations, survival, extreme weather, and everything else. We need to be able to pull our weight when we’re the only Navy person in a larger group of Army soldiers. Very intense. Do a search for Army and ECRC if you want to learn more.

Thanks for your support!

Wow, it has been really busy the past couple days. We were issued our permanent M-16 weapons yesterday, which added a bit more realism to our daily routine. Regardless of where we go on base, our weapon must always be accounted for. During daytime hours, we need to carry it in a low combat-ready position, pointing downward. At night we can lock our weapons in our lockers.

The purpose of this requirement is to help us realize in Iraq or Afghanistan, if we don’t know where our weapon is at all times, we’re in big trouble. We must also check the weapon every time we enter a building to ensure there is no ammunition inside the weapon.

Today we spent alot of time learning about survival and evasion tactics in case we are captured. Not something I like to think about, but I am happy there are so many groups in the military whose sole mission is to rescue every soldier and sailor, no matter the cost in dollars or even their own lives.

The next couple days are going to be very busy, as we learn about IEDs and Humvees. We also will do more exercises, lots of shooting, and other fun activities. Oh, and all while wearing full body armor (approx. 60 extra pounds). This is probably the worst it will be here, with 95 degree temperatures, high humidity, and little biting flies called chiggers. To put things in perspective, Iraq is 130 degrees. So this might be considered a real paradise in comparison!

Thanks for your support!

This day can be summarized in one word - hot!

Today we received 3 sea bags full of equipment, mainly extreme weather items. We also received full body armor and our Kevlar helmets. The latter items weigh approx. 80 pounds, while the rest of the equipment easily added another 70 pounds. So imagine hauling all these bags, testing the body armor while dressed in long sleeved uniforms and boots. I hope I drank enough water to equal the gallons I lost through sweat. Not a pleasant image, but that was the most memorable. Otherwise, it was fun getting new toys, but hauling them around base was not fun…

We received cool Camelback drinking systems, both to hydrate us for the hottest month in South Carolina and to prepare us for desert conditions. I have drank more water these past two days than perhaps any time in my life.

Tomorrow we receive M-16 rifles, which will be fun. We’ll probably fire around 1000 shells during this training period. Unfortunately, we also begin a new phase in training, where the rifle is always in our possesion, or under guard when we eat, sleep, etc. I can’t wait until we are required to wear our full battle armor too, a status called Battle Rattle.

Camp is getting interesting, and only 18 days to go!

By the way, I’m posting these entries from my iPhone, so please forgive the dearth of pictures. No phones allowed during training.

We arrived safely in Columbus, SC on Saturday. Flight was uneventful, but as a first class petty officer, I was part of the working party which loaded and unloaded everyone’s luggage about 5 times. In 95 degree heat and high humidity. In full uniform. Yes, I may have lost 5 lbs via sweat.

Fort McGrady, which is a remote training base 30 minutes from Fort Jackson, is my new home for the next 19 days. We will be receiving the remainder of our uniforms and other equipment here, including weapons and armor. This weekend we divided into companies, platoons, and squads. So 250 people broke into 125 per company, etc. I am the squad leader for Bravo Company, Fourth Platoon, Fourth Squadron. Tomorrow we are to be in formation at 0545. Fun times!

My platoon is staying in renovated open bay barracks. The team I’m working with overseas was first in the building, so we have bunks under the AC. I have a newfound love of air conditioning. But the guys in another part of the barracks have none, so it’s 85 degrees in there! I don’t sleep well when I am sweating…

It will be pretty busy over the next week, so I will try to update when possible. Thanks for your support!

Not much has happened since yesterday. I received a smallpox vaccine yesterday, which will result in a live culture with the potential to spread to others if not careful. Plenty of instructions to follow regarding safety, though.

This morning we are flying to our next destination. I’ll write more when we arrive.