Day 2 at NTC

[aadler]

 

Dust storm, and the wind is sufficiently strong and fitful to drive the stuff through the gaps in the canvas panels that wall the tent. Though I said yesterday that the landscape and climate were reminiscent of Afghanistan, this is very much like Kuwait. The parts I remember without fondness.

For being on the move most of the day, my team and I didn’t accomplish much. We drew body armor, NVGs (night vision glasses), a high-end GPS system and a radio frequency burst scrambler (for secure communications). That was right after breakfast, and it was the only thing that went right.

Location One: the base map we consulted didn’t match the geography of roads and buildings. We got directions from multiple persons; every set of directions was different, and none took us to anywhere recognizable.

Location Two: no telling whether or not our directions for that location were accurate, because nobody answered the door in any of the buildings on that row. Apparently they don’t work Sundays.

Location Three: roundabout route to get there, but no trouble finding it. Trouble was that nearly two dozen vehicles were in line ahead of us, and it appeared that each one was taking ten to twenty minutes to process. We withdrew to take care of other business (my team wasn’t required for that, but our truck was), and returned two hours later.

After we’d been sitting in line for an hour, and none of the vehicles had moved, I gave my assistant team leader the okay to go up front and check the situation. The situation: the civilian contractors installing the special gear for which we were waiting, only worked from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Everybody in line was guarding a spot for their vehicles for tomorrow morning.

So we left again. We’ll take another try tomorrow.

There’s a certain amount of aggravation involved, but I learned years ago that the classic “hurry up and wait” isn’t just something that happens, it’s almost a way of life. Furthermore, I get paid for every bit of silliness to which I’m subjected.

*           *          *

Okay, I started some draft work on “Queen’s Gambit”, but got interrupted barely a hundred words in by a long-term team meeting, wherein we practiced (and critiqued) our introductory briefings, and then were briefed on tomorrow’s activities. I had to draw up a guard roster for watching the weapons and radios tonight while we’re asleep (they assigned me the roster because setting guards was my suggestion), which means I have an hour till lights-out. I’ll compose what I can during that time, and then wait to see if tomorrow offers any better opportunities.