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.