Let's Skype shall we?

Josh has been at Fort Drum for two weeks now...during these two weeks he has been in processing and getting familiar with the base and settling into the routine...

In processing has consisted of getting equipment issued, briefings, some "Army busy work" and many hours of hurry up and wait...the difference in the hurry up and wait at Fort Drum is, he doesn't have to remain in formation while he does it like he did in BCT

Operational Army, at least at this point has more regular hours, he's up every morning for PT at 7am, goes to chow, briefings and whatever else they have him do and then he's off at 5pm...he seems to have his cell phone on him some of the time too as we text once or twice throughout the day...in the evenings he can Skype, play video games or take a cab off Post for some shopping...

He is living in a new barracks facility on the old part of the Fort. He is in a three story building housed with a couple of hundred MP's. He has a room mate, they share a common area with a small kitchen, they both have their own rooms with minimal furnishings and a walk in closet...I got a mini tour through Skype tonight and that walk in closet is quickly filling up with all that new Army gear including some arctic gear that he will need in the cold months ahead. The view outside his second story window is a couple of trees and a construction site...

Tonight we used Skype for the first time and had a great talk for an hour...it was good to see his face and just share the ramblings of the day and get a sense of his living quarters...he has an internet connection with access to Facebook, email and all those other connections to the outside world...

In the weeks and months ahead in addition to getting used to the weather, he will receive more training and will start working shifts on the base and roads doing his assigned MP duties...he looks forward to using all the training that he has received...

Lastly, the unit that he is attached to just returned home from a 10 month deployment in May 2010. That means that he will not be deployed in the 180 days that the Drill Sergeants had indicated in BCT. I am grateful for this piece of news. I know that he will deploy and that is what he has been trained to do...I am thankful it is not right away...I know that he looks forward to Trent returning from Afghanistan in the spring and how happy they both will be to serve together at Fort Drum...

If you would like to send Josh some snail mail:

Joshua Evans

91st MP BN/23rd MP CO

Fort Drum, NY 13602

If you would like to send Josh and email:

evans.joshua.m@gmail.com

Army Leave and Back to Duty...

Josh was home for almost three weeks...it was really wonderful having him around, coming home from work and having the Silverado parked in front of the house, game night, our favorite Thai place...

His home town recruiting gig turned out to be less than strenuous...a couple of hours per day putting flyers on cars and a shredding stint...

He had a chance to visit with his buddy Trent before he returned to Afghanistan, he was able to visit with almost all of his friends before he had to leave again for Fort Drum...

He slept in, played video games, ate fatty cakes and fast food, took the occasional nap, got a tattoo...you know the usual vacation type stuff...

We even had an all out Thanksgiving feast on the Sunday before he left, it was a great time with lots of food, family and some new friends...

Josh caught the red eye to Newark and then a connection flight to Syracuse. Then it was a short drive from Syracuse to Watertown, NY and then on into Fort Drum. He showed up one day early and was almost immediately plunged back into Army life...there was an unexpected hour of PT...kind of a new guy welcome thing...

Because of the holiday, there was a four day weekend so the Fort was a little empty. He was assigned into the brand new barracks complex and ran into soldiers that he met when he was at Fort Leonard Wood. He spent most of the weekend getting used to the Fort. It will take two weeks for the in processing to be complete, I can't figure out what in the world will take two weeks to process buy hey, it's the Army...stay tuned...