Good questions…As far as working in an area that I enjoy: The way I was able to get a job in Public Affairs/Broadcast Journalism is by taking the ASVAB seriously. I believe seniors can still take them in high school (I took mine at the beginning of my senior year so I didn’t take mine at the school). Obviously, the higher your score on the test the better job you can get. Every part of my “job” in the Army I enjoy. I’ve travelled around Iraq with a video camera following different units around to get their stories. I’ve had a four hour radio show, which of course is awesome! Along with the radio show I produced the Freedom Radio News and “spots” which is the AFN equivalent to commercials. Now I am working with reporters from around the world to get them where they need to be to get their stories. I’m constantly meeting new people with all kinds of different backgrounds. I believe it helps me be a more rounded person. How often do I get to change jobs? Within my MOS (Military Occupation Speciality) I can change jobs pretty often since there are so many different things involved with Public Affairs. I could be doing press releases, escorting media on the battlefield, working with the local media, and such. On the broadcasting side I could be doing Electronic News Gathering for radio and television, I could be an anchor, a producer, a camera man, a reporter, or a radio DJ. Those jobs could change as often as they need someone to fill them, going back to being well rounded. As far as getting a different MOS altogether…that depends on what contract you sign. My original contract was for 6 years active reserve and 2 years inactive reserve as a 46R (PA Specialist/Broadcast Journalist), I re-enlisted last year to do another 6 years of this because I enjoy doing what I do for the Army. If I wanted to change my job though I could sign a contract doing whatever other job I am qualified for. But all that stuff is better taught by a career counselor. Glad you guys are reading the blogs, but don’t stop at just reading mine, there are many other (much better) writers than me here, with some good stories and their own angle on this deployment thing. Some of which this is their first, second, or third. Me personally this is my second so I have a completely different view of it thatn some of the others. The trick to surviving any deployment after getting into a good routineis findinf a hobby to get into after work. I work out 5 days a week, which helps me in alot of ways, physically and mentally. Also, I play guitar, I’ve actually recorded one song since I’ve been here. If you are interested you can check it out on my band’s myspace page at www.myspace.com/actofsummer. Well, I hope I was able to answer all your questions. If there’s anything else you want to know just ask. Later!

Well, we’ve been here over a month now and we’ve all gotten settled down into a decent “battle rhythm.”  As you may or may not know, we’re not doing exactly what we thought we would be.  I thought I’d get to do some electronic news gathering while I was here, but I am not.  My job here is to help coordinate Western media embeds in Iraq.  I provide guidance to reporters on how to get the process started, send requests to division Public Affairs Offices, and coordinate travel for the reporters when they get here.  Not a bad gig, it’s an important part of getting the story out…getting the storytellers where they need to be.  But there is a great lack of creativity or even variation in my schedule.  You’ve seen Groundhog Day with Bill Murray right?   That’s what this is like.  In the words of Trent Reznor, “Everyday is exactly the same.”  Anyway, the lack of creativity in my job has forced me into other forms of cretive outlets, first of which being my guitar.  I’ve been playing a lot lately, learning new songs and writing my own.  Also, I’ve already made one video of the 314th’s trip to New York (though I was told I can’t put it on the blogsite, but you can find it here:  http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=52303669).  PS:  not a big fan of Windows Movie Maker, I need to go back to professional software.  My next goal is to do a little mini-documentary on myself, kind of like “a day in the life of…”  thing.  I am taking extra steps to make sure it is entertaining and not really as boring as my days really are.  So this is for all those looking to hear from me, I am in the process of something really cool for you guys.  I’ll keep in touch, but as for now, back to reading emails from reporters…the emails, the emails, the emails…so many emails.  Later homies.

So, a lot has happened since the last time I posted a blog.  Let’s start with the very motivating trip to New York on December 30th courtesy of Sergeant Major Falardeau.  I had never been to New York so like most of us from Alabama, I expected a little less courtesy than we received.  Like the others have mentioned, as soon as we stepped off the ferry we were greeted with thank you’s, people wanting to take pictures with us, and applause.  This theme maintained the rest of the day.  We got to see Ground Zero, the view from the top of the Empire State Building (by the way, I was so nervous up there I wouldn’t even let go of the rails and kept checking my footing to make sure I was stable), Times Square, and last but not least Spamalot (Broadway musical based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail).  At the show someone gave two tickets, both 3rd row center, to the unit.  Myself and PFC Clifton were the two very fortunate ones to watch the 2nd act from up front.  Afterwards, we went on stage and met the cast and took pictures and all the things you would expect people who had never been in that situation before would do.  The cast were all extremely nice and appreciative of us, even Clay Aiken, though he was a little thrown by the fact we were from Alabama like his rival from American Idol.  Anyway, that was definitely a motivator, no matter how bad things get, I can look back on that day and remember the good time.  Well fast forward to January 4th, we flew out of McGuire AFB to Iceland, Germany, and finally landed in Kuwait.  Don’t remember how long the total flight time was or even when it was we got here, it all seems like a blur to me.  Now we are in Camp Buehring, sleeping in tents on little cots awaiting the day we move north.  Picture a desert…thats where we are…a whole lot of sand, people.  Well, I’m out, it’s 5:30 in the morning and I’ve been up for 3 hours, it’s breakfast time.  Remember, “Alway look on the bright side of life!”  HAHA

Well, the Christmas break was great, but way too short.  As the realization set in that I was back at Ft. Dix, my travel-weary mind kept wandering back home.  The warmth, the privileges, the freedom, but mostly the closeness to the ones I truly love and care for…my family.  The most difficult part of a deployment to me is not being around my family and friends, the ones who are there when I need them, or just to hang out and kill time.  I forgot how different life on the other side of an Army post is, even after such a short time.  I am almost a completely different person at home than I am when I’m doing Army stuff.  As Brad had to start transforming back into Specialist Richardson, travelling to Birmingham, Chicago, Philadelphia, then Ft. Dix, New Jersey on only a couple hours of sleep, I got pretty down.  I wrapped my head around this idea that I was going to be miserable back here and didn’t think I was going to be able to get out of the funk for a while.  Well, being at home I had forgotten what it’s like to be in the 314th, even after only a short time.  They are like a family, maybe a dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless.  There are the ones that are there when you need to laugh, or you need to get something off your chest, or if you just need help with something.  The soldiers in this unit have become like a second family, the family that I’ll be living and working with for the next year.  I know it sounds cheesy, but it is true, we’ve banded together pretty tightly over the past few months.  Of course, just like any family there will be disagreements (can’t wait to see who blows up  first, haha).  But, if I have to go to Iraq, there is no other unit I’d rather go with.

As I sit here on CQ listening to SFC Poulten play some Rage Against the Machine, I can’t help but wander, “where is there cell phone signal?” and “why can’t I sign on to Yahoo Messenger?” Oh well, Christmas leave is coming up soon and I can’t wait!  I love watching the expression on my family’s face (especially Bradley’s) when they open their gifts.  Anyway, the reason I’m not able to maintain a consistent line of communication with my family and friends back home is because there is no signal here.  Believe me it’s not because I’m not trying, I’ve wandered the halls of our building day and night searching for the best place to make my calls, or at least send my test messages out (normally not realizing they didn’t send until hours later when I see them in my outbox).  Before I sign off for the night I’d like to thank Gene and Sherry (not sure on the spelling) in Birmingham, Alabama for the wonderful dinner at Kobe Japanese Cuisine.  SSG Daley, SGT Fowler, and I were eating, enjoying our last night of personal freedom in Alabama and after talking with the slightly older couple, who were both former Navy officers, asked for our checks.  We hadn’t realized that they had already told the waitress to bring them all of our checks and paid for it…sneaky, sneaky.  Well, that is it for me, my time is up, hopefully next time I write I’ll have something more exciting to share.