Waiting for Buses

We tore down FOB Bob and moved our gear to a local Army national guard base. Another unit was moving into our current location the next day, but we did not have transportation to take us home for two more days. Though our squad bay was very basic and WWII era, there were no complaints since the restroom and showers were in the same building.




Sleeping area






We actually had stalls! But, they were so narrow my elbows would hit both stall walls when I would unbutton my trousers...



The shower was amazing in the fact that it was warm and had decent water pressure, however, I was careful to make sure it was only water coming out when I first turned it on. It looks like a gas chamber from a Nazi concentration camp.






Ceiling



Drain



In true Army fashion, an ice cream truck came by every afternoon. This explains so much.

So, There I Was...

...with 75lbs of gear on my body, a convoy of buses to my left, and a tent city to my right. It was mid-afternoon and 115 degrees. This was a two-week training evolution and I was already counting down the days until it was over.

FOB (Forward Operating Base) Bob was about ten acres of moon dust (about an inch of fine silt on top of packed earth) and one tree. This was expedient living. You can set up camp in just days and tear down within hours.

Within minutes I was ready to give away my belongings for some water. The whole FOB was like a dehumidifier. I could drink almost 2 gallons of water a day and not have to use the restroom. My favorite parts of the day involved water. There was a foot pump sink in front of our chow hall, so I could wash my hands twice a day. When my training schedule allowed, I was able to take a shower. Glorious!

The showers were in a tent. Female hours were 1900-2000 and the males had 2030-2300. They had to kick out the females because both groups shared the same showers.

Nights in the desert would get down to 45 degrees. As soon as the sun would set, the temperature would drop. Once the sun was up, the FOB would slowly begin to bake again. We slept on cots. Each night we would unpack our sleeping system and other belongings and each morning pack up so other creatures would not find a new home while we were training during the day.


Rumors spread of rattle snakes and spiders, but the only wildlife I saw was jack rabbits and ants that literally ate through anything. I would find unopened packages of food nearly gone.