Stuck in Balad 2: Broken down Stryker

Two days ago our headquarters platoon took part in a convoy mission to Balad Airforce Base. We were the security for the large flatbed trucks carrying supplies back from Warhorse, and a few passengers rode along with us. Private Hebert who is new to our platoon is being trained to drive the Stryker. While crossing a narrow bridge, he scraped the slat armor on the side of the vehicle against the guard rails, ripping a large piece of it off and bending it up pretty good. Shortly before entering Balad airforce base, he drove our Stryker into the mud on the side of the road as we passed another convoy on the left. The right side of the vehicle got stuck, and in an attempt to free the vehicle from the rut he blew out the transmission. We used the lead vehicle to tow the Stryker for a few miles to the mechanics bay and then proceeded to wait for the rest of the day for a replacement engine. They also put an exhaust cover on for us so the dirty exhaust doesn't blow in my face when we drive now. They didn't fix the slat armor though. Private Hebert wasn't really punished, because he is still being trained.

The chow hall in Balad is nicer than at Warhorse, but it was kind of a drag waiting around for almost 12 hours for the new engine and interior work to get done. We slept in the transient housing where I stayed before going on leave for a few hours before getting going the next morning. From Balad to Camp Warhorse, a trip that takes 15 minutes by helicoptor, takes about an hour in a motor convoy. You have to consider however that back in October I waited for five days to get on the list for the short helicoptor flight. Go figure. We all got to eat good food and go to the PX as well. We kind of made it into a good time.

We got back to Camp Warhorse the next day for the Super Bowl, which was on at 0230 in the morning. Everyone packed into the chow hall where there are a bunch of TV's on the walls. Of course the more serious fans were in the better seats hooting and hollering. There was lots of food and snacks for the occasion but no beer which is kind of a shame.

This deployment is not all work, in fact there is a lot of down time to hang out and socialize and do what you want. There is a lot of weight lifting and the supplements which go along with it are in high demand. I tried them for a while, but they get expensive. Some guys have spent thousands of dollars in the pursuit of getting bigger. You can always tell the guys that have more time on their hands, because there's signs they lift weights every day. Everything in moderation, that's what I say.