It is hard to believe that just over a month ago I landed in Frankfurt. So much has happened in those few weeks, it is quite incredible. The wheels started turning on EBOLC Graduation Day (4 February), when those of us with “wait” slots to Sapper school (6 lieutenants) were informed that all wait slots were cancelled. This meant we would go straight out to our units, so I quickly sold my pickup truck, packed my bags, shipped out my household goods, turned in my TA-50 (military equipment), and got a ticket to Germany. Five days later, I was walking through Frankfurt airport and catching a military bus out to Schweinfurt (a similar military bus would get assaulted two weeks later by a deranged Kosovar-German terrorist, resulting in the death of two airmen). I spent the next few weeks going around post simultaneously conducting in-processing and pre-deployment processing. The weekends have been mostly free though, allowing great opportunities for travel.
The first weekend in country, my sponsor, 1LT Ed Mallue, and I drove to Switzerland to go skiing. The skiing in Laax was less than ideal due to low snow conditions, but the weather was fantastic; crystal clear skies and nice temperatures. We spent the night at Christian’s house in Chur, enjoying fine views of the Alps from the hot tub in his back yard. The warm water was a great respite after a long day of driving and skiing. On Sunday, we drove back by way of Lichtenstein, taking a close look at the prince’s residence (a medieval castle) and making the most of our fuel rations (only good in Germany).
Over President’s Day weekend, (the 18th to the 21st of February) a group of LTs including Ed and myself headed to Rome on a Ryan Air flight. We spent two days in the eternal city checking out the sights including the coliseum, the pantheon, St. Peter’s, and Castel Sant'Angelo before taking the train south to Naples. In Naples we enjoyed some good food and went to watch a SSC Napoli soccer game. The Napoli fans are crazy, setting off all kinds of flares, and throwing anything they can get their hands on from the upper decks. Napoli won the games, which I am very grateful for, because if they had lost, I fear there might have been a riot! The trip to Italy was lots of fun (with tons to see), but it made me realize how much I really love Germany and the Alps.
Erik at the Coliseum
In mid-February, I began taking hunting courses arranged through the military Outdoor Recreation office in order to obtain my “Jagdschein” or German hunting license. Since starting the class, I have been at the range every weekend shooting pistol, rifle, or (most commonly) shotgun. Having never shoot trap and skeet before, I have been gaining lots of experience. Yet, experience comes at a price, and in this case, that price is calculated in Euros (gulp). It seems that every weekend I go to the range I end up spending close to $100. Shooting is not a cheap sport in Germany! It will certainly be nice to finally get my Jagdschein though. The final exam for the course is in a few weeks, and as long as I have not deployed by that time, I cannot foresee any problems.
From March 7th to the 11th, I spent the week at Grafenwoehr conducting “Theater Specific Individual Readiness Training” (TSIRT), with a dozen other soldiers from my battalion, in preparation for deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The course functioned as a good refresher for such topics as IED recognition, heavy weapons disassembly/reassembly, field first aid, and counterinsurgency strategy. We also had the time at the range allotted for zeroing and qualifying on our assigned weapons systems (hooah- iron sights M16!). I guess construction troops are not at the top of the list for receiving high speed equipment… In other news, I will not know definitively what company I am going to until I arrive in Kuwait.
The last couple weekends have been spent closer to home and looking for a new home. Going to the range every weekend really hampers travel opportunities. I spent one weekend visiting relatives in Aschaffenburg and another celebrating Carnival in Cologne. Last weekend, I remained in Schweinfurt and made a big push to try to find an apartment. It is not as easy as one might think, but hopefully in the next couple of weeks things will really come together and I will be able to move in. It will be nice to finally have all of my household goods. I really can’t wait till the skis, packrafts, and kayak arrive…
Carnival parade in Cologne
Well, I’m at the airport waiting for a flight to Sweden. Living in Europe certainly is grand. It is nice to have friends all around the continent to be able to visit. You all make life interesting. Cherrio!
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