The Beginning---CRC Training

CRC Drive

This is the start of a series of blogs to share my experiences during my preparation and stay in Afghanistan.  This opportunity came about after working with the Nebraska National Guard ADT2 ( Agribusiness Development Team) group.  The group spent 2 days with me at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Kimmel Education and Research Center in Nebraska City, NE learning about alternative agriculture practices. We covered topic that included grape production, vegetable production, tree and small fruit production, intensive production practices, season extension and high tunnels.  The group participated in hands on activities such as fruit tree pruning, grape pruning and grape propagation.  We had a great 2 days that resulted in my being asked to travel to Gardez Afghanistan to work in the field with the ADT2 group and their interactions with Afghan farmers.  The basic premise is to help the Afghan farmers re-establish agriculture in their country.  To help them transition from war to agriculture production.
  
Starting from the beginning.  My Afghanistan Experience started at Fort Benning GA on the 15th of July 2011.  My visit to Fort Benning began when I arrived at the airport in Columbus, GA and loaded onto a bus that took myself and 30 or so others to CRC training at Fort Benning.  We arrived and were immediately billeted or in civilian terms assigned a room and issued 1 set of sheets, pillow case, wool blanket and a very noisy uncomfortable pillow.  Each barrack consisted of 10 rooms each having 2 sets of bunks, 4 sets of washers and dryers and 1 latrine.  All total there were approximately 400 military and civilian attendees who were deploying to various parts of the world that participated in this CRC training.

Saturday the 16th was the official beginning of CRC and we had a 0900 formation and were bussed to a very large tent for a briefing that basically laid out the ground rules and some medical info that sent 1/2 of the contractors into a tail spin because they announced the TB test was good only 30 days out rather than the 90 days printed in the information provided so many of us including myself because my test was 38 days out had to scramble to get TB tests re-done.  Several local clinics were available for anything that was needed. We then did computer based training on subjects like Survival, Escape, Recovery and Evasion (SERE), Heat Injury Prevention, Suicide Prevention, Human Trafficking, Cultural Awareness and some others.

Sunday the 17th consisted of another briefing, being fit for body amour and helmets and continued the computer based training and ISOPREP which basically  next of kin info and a series of information that you generate about yourself that can be used for identification purposes if you are captured.

Monday the 18th started with a briefing and we were transferred to another facility for the initial deployment briefing, ID Card validation, meet with a Chaplin and then legal advisers about wills and power of attorney.

Tuesday the 19th we were again transported to a different facility for our medical certification which was a very long process.  At this point many were declared "NO GOES" because of some medical issue.  This process started at 6 am and I was finished at 1 pm upon which we were transported  to the supply warehouse where our body armor and gas mask were issued.

Wed the 19th again started at 6 am.  We had more trainings on Sexual Assault and Prevention, Identifying Improvised Explosive Devises, Evaluate Casualties, Shock Identification and Treatment, First Aid on Head Wound, First Aid on Abdominal Wound, First Aid on Chest Wound, Transport Casualties and Requesting Medical Evacuation.

Thursday consisted of pre-flight information and makeup for anything that you may need.  Lots of free time to get everything packed.  I was allowed 2 duffels, 1 carry on (back pack) and I could  on my iPad satchel.
I volunteered for baggage detail along with some of the other guys that I met for Friday morning the reward for that was business class seating on the flight from Benning to Kuwait.

Robert Taylor, Tom, John Lucas and Greg Capitano

John Lucas, Squirrel, Mike and Tom

Friday the 23rd....shipping out day.  Got up early--kind of nervy.  repacked for the heck of it, turned in my bedding and moved my stuff to the area that we were to assemble at.  Baggage detail--20 of us were to report at 0945 for instructions--bags in 12 a straight lines with 2 ft between so the drug dogs could get through.  There were just shy to 700 duffel bags and other luggage. When that was completed we signed out.  At 12:30 we started loading the buses-6 of them and heading to the airport.  A very slow trip, just a few miles that took an hour and a half.                                                                  Unloaded into a very nice converted hanger around 1400, an hour behind schedule.

Mr. Lee

We then hung out here for quite a while and had a briefing after which we had to file through security with our carry ons to get weighed with everything we were taking on the plane on our person.  We then had to slide our carry on bags into a sizing box to make sure they were not too big and  line those up for the drug dogs to take a sniff and pass through a metal  detector.  It was finally time to eat.  Also time to meet with a Chaplin, go to confession or go to a church service.  Another briefing and then load onto the plane.  We finally lifted off at 7:00 pm, 2 hours off schedule for our first stop which was in Germany.