3rd Army, FORSCOM, USARC, and Breakfast

Well, when I said this post has everything a typical Army post has, I was mistaken. There are no dining facilities (mess halls). So after a good night’s sleep, PT, and a shower, my quest this morning has been for a place to have breakfast. I ended up behind the PX at the outdoor tables for Burger King (closed on weekends) eating Archway Date Oatmeal cookies, the most “breakfasty” thing I could find in the PX.

3rd Army, FORSCOM, and USARC are headquartered here at Ft. McPherson. USARC is the U.S. Army Reserve Command. FORSCOM is Forces Command, one of the Major Commands (you guessed it – MACOMs) in the Army. The other major one in the Continental US that I know of is TRADOC – Training and Doctrine Command. As far as I know, all the major Army bases in CONUS are either FORSCOM or TRADOC posts. TRADOC runs all the Army schools - basic training, advanced individual training, officer training, etc, as well as being responsible for all the field manuals and doctrinal publications. My whole first year in the Army was spent in TRADOC organizations as I got trained up. I had always heard people talk about how different things were in FORSCOM, but I never served in a FORSCOM unit because I got sent straight to Germany and served in USAREUR (I think maybe I’ll stop explaining the obvious acronyms…..)

So it was kind of cool to walk by these large buildings last night and see “Forces Command” on one of them. The people in there command all the combat, combat support, and combat service support units stationed in CONUS. Likewise with 3rd Army, which is kind of the “go-to” HQ for CENTCOM, the MACOM covering the Middle East, and USARC, which is responsible for the entire U.S. Army Reserve.

I took some photos, including one of a Soviet-made T-72 tank captured from the Iraqi Republican Guard in Gulf War I.


Ft. McPherson - Soviet T-72
Originally uploaded by hkp7fan.


Ft. McPherson - Soviet T-72 Plaque
Originally uploaded by hkp7fan.

I also saw an M1 Abrams and an M-48 Patton tank in front of Patton Hall (3rd Army HQ).


Ft. McPherson - 3rd Army HQ
Originally uploaded by hkp7fan.


Ft. McPherson - M1
Originally uploaded by hkp7fan.

Kind of interesting juxtaposition – the M48 was the main battle tank for quite awhile after WWII, and was named after Patton, who commanded 3rd Army. One of his subordinates was LTC Creighton W. Abrams. Abrams was a hell-bent-for-leather tank commander whose Combat Command B cut a huge swath across Europe after the breakout from Normandy, including breaking through to relieve the 101st at Bastogne. So it’s cool that the tank named after him was the Army’s major ground weapons system in the largest armor-on-armor battle since WWII.

After an Army career spent almost exclusively with troops in the field at battalion level and below, I have suddenly found myself catapulted into the stratosphere. My first TPU assignment was to Eighth Army HQ, and my first exercise with them was in Korea in the Eighth Army Operations Center. Now that I’m mobilized I’m assigned to 3rd Army, and next door to FORSCOM. These three HQ units combined probably have enough stars in them to put on a show in a planetarium. Not that this elevates my own status in any meaningful way. Majors don’t really show up on the radar screen in this kind of an environment – we are basically interchangeable low-level staff officers. Nonetheless it’s kind of cool to be near the HQ locations of these high-level commands. I hope the work end up I doing here is as interesting as the work was in Korea. I’d hate to end up counting mess kits or running the officer’s club or something…

Which brings me back to Ft. McPherson and breakfast. Not only are there no dining facilities, there’s no officers’ club, and the one food service place I know of (Burger King / Anthony’s Pizza) is closed on weekends. There are also no cafés and no wi-fi hotspots. This is essentially a commuter post. People don’t live on post, so it’s set up to serve the commuter and retiree population. They come and go during the week, and on the weekend the place shuts down. So naturally I’m here over the weekend.

Thank goodness for MARTA and free wi-fi. I plan to head downtown again and find a place to upload this blog entry. Then I guess I’ll hang out ,read a book , and maybe do some people watching.

Music: BAP – Zwesche Salzgebaeck und Bier (“Alexandra, nit nur do”)
Mood: Impatient

Ft. McPherson, Ga

Well, I am safely arrived and inprocessed to my new unit at Ft. McPherson, GA. I stay here until Sunday morning, when I will go down to Ft. Benning for mobilization processing and to draw my equipment. Then I'll come back here and ship out to Kuwait, probably on October 10th.

I said goodbye to the girls yesterday. I gave them each a couple of big hugs and a kiss. It was hard to think that that would be the last time I would see them for quite awhile.

Conor came over last night and hung out with me and helped me take care of last-minute things, and we watched part of a movie while I cleaned the last of my guns. He went to sleep around 10:30 and I stayed up doing final packing and taking a shower. (Is this too much information for a blog?). I was finally ready for bed right about midnight, which was convenient since I wanted to stop the pendulum on the cuckoo clock right on the hour. I stopped it as it struck midnight, wound it up so the weights are at the catalog-perfect height and angle, and that's where it will stay for the next 430 days.

We got up at 4:00 AM, got ready, and left for the airport around 4:40 or so. Conor drove me in his pickup truck, and we said goodbye at the airport. That was hard, too. He seemed so grown up as he drove away. It made me think of all the times we took my dad to the airport when I was little and he traveled a lot. Back then I never thought about what he felt like leaving us behind. Now that I'm a parent, I know. This is different, though, because of the length of time I'll be gone. I'm sure that once the flurry of mobilization activity is over and I'm settled into a job over there, it will really sink in. But I miss them already.

Ft. McPherson is a fairly small headquarters-type post in suburban Atlanta. It has all the things a typical Army post has, but the facilities are smaller and it does not have large manuever training areas like a Ft. Benning or Ft. Riley would have. I am esconced in the on-post lodging, which is in a nice older building. (The post was built in 1885, but I think the building I am in is at least somewhat newer than that. I'd guess 1920's or 1930's). I have a suite with a sitting room (two chairs and a TV), a bedroom, and a bathroom. Nice, but no lying in bed watching TV. I don't plan on doing much of that anyway, or staying in the room much, for that matter. I did take a three-hour nap this afternoon after inprocessing, before heading out to run some errands.

Today I visited the PX and got a haircut (my new mantra for the barber is "high and tight, #1 on top"), went to the military clothing sales store (yes, the signs pointing to it all say "MCSS") to see if they had a briefcase (out of stock), and the library to get on a computer to find free wi-fi hotspots near the post ("near" turns out to be a relative term).

The MARTA station (I'm guessing that means Metropolitan Area Rapid Transit Authority) is right outside the main gate. I got on a train and headed north into downtown Atlanta. I wandered around downtown for awhile, then got on another train and ended up at Lenox Square Mall in a Panera Bread company, my default location for free wi-fi access. The mall was easy to find, but not easy to approach. It's designed for people to drive their cars to, not to walk to. Before I leave here I want to check jwire.com...(just took a break and did it) to find a closer wi-fi hotspot. I'm not sure if I found one or not - I have a list of addresses, and even maps, but who knows where they actually are, or how to get to them by public transit!

When using the MARTA, I noticed that while they have a very clear rapid transit map, it is difficult to relate it to an actual map of the area - it's more of a schematic to help you understand the layout of the train system. It doesn't really help you understand which station is closest to where you want to go. It seems like this would be a good application for their website - directions to a specific address from the closest train station.

In any case, I found my way here to Panera. I'm guessing I'll probably come back tomorrow, since it's the easiest. The train rides all cost the same amount, no matter how far you go. And one thing I do have in abundance (suddenly!) is time - I'll be kicking around all day tomorrow with nothing to do. It's quite a change from the past few weeks, and the past few days especially, when every minute was crammed with things to do.

Funny how despite my extreme level of organization and planning, it took right up until the last minute to accomplish everything and be ready to go. Many things took longer than expected to accomplish, and many tasks spawned subtasks or reminded me of related tasks I had not yet thought of.

My packing scheme worked well. I was able simply to reach into my footlocker and pull out a gym bag with my PT clothes and toilet articles in it, and put the footlocker and duffel bag straight into secure storage. Now I'll go to Ft. Benning on Sunday AM with just the backpack and gym bag. I'll come back with plenty to carry, though. Then the real fun will start. I'll have all next weekend free, and it's a four-day weekend. I have an idea that I'll spend a good part of it trying to figure out how to pack, and what to throw overboard to stay within my weight and space limitations. :-)

I just found out the mall closes at 9:00, and they are kicking me out of this section of Panera (the only section with an outlet, btw), so I'd better publish this and move out.

More later!

One day and a wakeup

I first thought of that typical military time reference this morning when I woke up - "Two days and a wakeup". That means I have (had) two days and a wakeup before I leave. Now since today's gone, it's just one. But today was very productive.

Everything is packed and I'm almost ready to go. I have about 1/2 duffel bag's worth too much stuff, but I decided to just take it along and see how it all fits after I get the equipment they issue to me. I may end up sending some things to myself from the post office later, but for now this is it.

It was hard to know how to pack, because the hard-core military man and backpacker in me says "pack for the field", but the information I have so far about my prospective assignment says "pack for a garrison assignment". So I did both, and probably have way too much stuff. But oh, well. I always did take the Boy Scout motto "Be Prepared" a little too seriously. I usually have backups for my backups.

Now the carry-on backpack is packed, the duffel bag is closed, and the trunk is latched. Tomorrow is a wrap-up day of things like turning off the phone, picking up my absentee ballot, etc. Plus my major project of cleaning and lubricating every firearm I own. I want to make sure I leave them with a good coating of oil so they won't rust while I'm gone. Plus I have to unload the ones I keep around for defensive purposes, secure the ammunition, and basically store and lock everything for a year away.

My dad will be living in my house while I'm gone, so security really isn't an issue. But I get my guns out and shoot them pretty regularly, which means they get cleaned and oiled at least a couple times a year. Now I'll be gone a long time, so I need to treat them a little differently. I guess it will be sort of like saying "goodbye", as well.

I am a shooter and firearms enthusiast, so this business of going to a country where I'm not allowed to take along privately owned weapons (yes, we call them POW's) is a big deal for me. I hope they let me practice with my M9 a lot. I'm not supposed to be issued an M16, but I am taking along my M1907 sling anyway, in the hope of being allowed to shoot M16's from time to time. After all, it's a war - I would like to think they'd be happy to have soldiers practicing their shooting. But I guess we'll see. If it's anything like it was when I was on active duty in the 1980's the issue will be ammunition allowances. But again - it's a war, so I'm hoping there will just be piles of ammo laying around waiting to be shot up. (I can dream, can't I?)

I am listening to semi-mellow German Rock and drinking my traditional Halloween drink of hot buttered rum. Now it's time to go downstairs and watch a movie - I'm thinking episode 2 of "Band of Brothers". It's about D-Day, and is entitled "Day of Days".

Mood: Wound up
Music: BAP - "Zwesche Salzgebaeck und Bier"

Jeff Cooper, R.I.P.

Jeff Cooper, the "Gunner's Guru", died Monday at age 86.

Jeff was a well-known figure in the world of pistol shooting. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in WWII, he practically invented the modern technique of combat pistol shooting, and dedicated his life to teaching and promoting practical marksmanship skills and espousing practical, no-nonsense firearm and ammunition design.

His philosophy of life was summed up in the title of one of his books: "To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth". His column in "Guns & Ammo" magazine was one of the highlights I have looked forward to each month for many years.

Strong-willed, outspoken, and highly opinionated, Jeff was for some people a controversial figure. Personally, I think his lifelong history of accomplishments and service to our country and the shooting community entitled him to express his opinions freely, even if he was something of a curmudgeon.

Those of us who take combat pistolcraft seriously owe him a debt of gratitude we can never repay.

Thanks in large part to Jeff Cooper, the .45 ACP cartridge and M1911 pistol design remain among the most popular for serious self-defense and tactical work. I personally have a Colt Combat Target Model, and Jeff Cooper's articles helped me learn how to use it effectively. Too bad they won't let me take it to war or issue me something similar.

I am not happy about the prospect of going to war with the 9mm, especially when I have to use round-nose FMJ (full metal jacket) NATO ammunition instead of the more effective 9mm hollowpoint ammo our law enforcement community uses. Reports I've read indicate that while the M9 pistols are pretty reliable, the magazines the Army bought are crap, and they cause most of the malfunctions. Yesterday I took delivery of ten Mec-Gar magazines for the Beretta 92FS / M9. I may be stuck with the M9 pistol, and I may not be allowed to use effective ammunition, but at least I can make sure I have reliable magazines.

I suggest that we honor Jeff Cooper's memory and help our troops at the same time by asking our congressional representatives to look into why the Army has dropped out of the interservice program to move back to the .45 ACP cartridge in its combat pistol. We owe our troops a handgun that is an effective manstopper, and the 9mm M9 Beretta ain't it.

Give me back my M1911A1 in .45 ACP!

Thanks, Jeff. R.I.P.

Venison Burgers

One of the things I will miss out on this year is deer hunting, and eating the venison for the rest of the year. Venison is pretty much the only meat I eat, except once in awhile when I go out.

I have been pretty aggressively using up the meat from the two deer I got last year, since it won't really keep well for another year in the freezer. Today I used up the last two packages of burger. I thought that I'd share my recipe for venison burgers.

This is one time when I use beef in a venison recipe. Mixing the venison with regular hamburger keeps the burgers moist and helps them cook better. Venison is very lean, and what fat there is is waxy and unappetizing, so you have to make sure you take that into account when cooking it.

Ingredients:

Two packages of venison burger (approx. 1 lb each)
Two packages of ground beef (I use chuck) (approx. 1 lb each)
Shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup, or more if you like)
Super secret family hamburger spice mix (McCormick "Grill Mates")
Salt and pepper

Flatten one package of hamburger out on the counter, spread on 1/4 of the cheese and a liberal sprinkling of spice mix, salt, and pepper. Flatten a layer of venison burger over the top of this, spread on 1/4 of the cheese and sprinkle liberally with spice mix, salt, and pepper. Repeat these steps so that you have 4 layers of alternating venison and beef with cheese and spices in between.

Smash the whole pile out flat, square up the edges and cut in half with a knife. Put one half on top of the other half. Repeat this step as many times as necessary to thoroughly mix the meats, cheese, and spices.

Divide into 8 parts to make 1/2 lb. patties. Freeze between layers of wax paper.

Cook thawed burgers over medium heat until done to taste.

I made eight of these, and had one for lunch today. Mmmmmm!