View Full Version : Merry Christmas... to me.
After 5 hours of riding in the shuttle van, we are less than 10 minutes away from our destination. It is about this time that the kid next to me decides he can't hold his lunch and just lets it go. We immediately pulled over to a gas station and waited for the kid to clean it up. Then we continued the last 3.5 minutes to the recruiters’ office. Let’s just say the recruiters were quite amused when we finally got home, and I feel sorry for the next shuttle group.
All in all, it was a good day and I enjoyed the experience.
BTW, I am under contract to my current employer until 20060601. It appeared, as he was testing for ship dates, that 20060712 was the first available. It surprised me that ship dates this far out were booked. I was curious if anyone knows if it is common to book up dates that far in advance.
Kyobanim
12-23-2005, 11:45
Good Deal. Looks like a great Christmas present to me.
FearMonkey
12-23-2005, 11:54
It must be a universal rule that someone has to toss their cookies at MEPS. My visit to reserve my slot at MEPS resulted with an 18X contract and a similiar story about a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit gone bad with the poor sap sitting next to me. :rolleyes:
The Reaper
12-23-2005, 12:01
I hope that these guys aren't 18Xs, or that they had the spins from celebrating the night before.
You can't hold your cookies on a bus ride, I really feel for you on a six hour C-130 low-level flight, on a Zodiac for a couple of hours in elevated sea state, or riding with the Nightstalkers on a cross-border NOE infil run.
TR
I only saw people throw up a few times in the Army.
1. Once on a really bumpy flight when I was JMing a plane load of students. It was the AF CrewChief that threw up BTW.
2. Another time it was with some class mates of mine after breakfast during city week. We got to do a 5 mile run right after chow.
That's about it.
I may throw up after I get my Christmas Bill this month.
Doc
Speaking of NightStalkers and throwing up.
We were in the Dominican Republic training years ago when the NS's came out to play with us. One of the DR Soldiers got airsick and SFC Pedro Munoz (RIP) put a plastic bag over his head before the soldier could spray the inside of the bird.
The pilot was Mike Durant by the way. Him and the CrewChief were very happy that Pedro showed such quick thinking.
RIP Pedro.
Peregrino
12-23-2005, 13:28
Anyone who hasn't "blown chunks" flying NOE, riding in a Zodiac, or sitting in the back of a HN Land Cruiser barrelling through mountain passes just hasn't been living the good life long enough. ;) Don't let the medic BS you - Compazine is available in pills, injectable and suppositories. No matter how sick you are - stay conscious and fight for the injectable stuff. Otherwise the sick bas***ds always want to go straight to the suppositories. FWIW - Peregrino
There are drugs that will help with motion sickness. Be careful taking Compazine.
Compazine may impair your ability to drive a car or operate potentially dangerous machinery. Do not participate in any activities that require full alertness if you are unsure about your ability.
While taking Compazine, try to stay out of the sun. Use sun block and wear protective clothing. Your eyes may become more sensitive to sunlight, too, so keep sunglasses handy.
Compazine interferes with your ability to shed extra heat. Be cautious in hot weather.
Doc
longrange1947
12-23-2005, 14:06
Fort Sam Houston 1968, going through SF med training, yes that long ago. We had our normal class party before the jump. The load master for the C119 not too happy when he saw our state of "mind" when we got on board. After a 2 hour Low Level Infil we jumped into lovely Camp (Crap, can't think of the name of it right now). We had about half of the class carry bags of recycled beer out the door with them. The guys on the ground was not amused with raining barf bags. :D
No I did not, only because when the chunks started blowing, I got up and stood looking out the back of the aircraft as it did its games. Now that was fun. Never got air or sea sick during my tenure plaing on teh ocean in subs and FLRBs nor in aircraft doing NOE whether prop or whirly, thank goodness.
The Reaper
12-23-2005, 14:15
Same here.
Been close a time or two when people all around me were blowing, but never lost it due to motion sickness myself.
I only have a few hundred jumps, maybe I just haven't been around enough.
Beat me to it, Doc.
TR
Come to think of it I also had a new Medic blow chunks while we were doing a surface swim off the coast of Florida one night. I asked him not to chum the waters but he wouldn't listen.
longrange1947
12-23-2005, 14:41
Come to think of it I also had a new Medic blow chunks while we were doing a surface swim off the coast of Florida one night. I asked him not to chum the waters but he wouldn't listen.
Now that's funny. Never had anyone blow chunks on a surface swim, done a few other things though. :D
Bullis! Thanks Doc, memory slowly sliding down hill here I am afraid.
Peregrino
12-23-2005, 14:42
There are drugs that will help with motion sickness. Be careful taking Compazine.
Compazine may impair your ability to drive a car or operate potentially dangerous machinery. Do not participate in any activities that require full alertness if you are unsure about your ability.
While taking Compazine, try to stay out of the sun. Use sun block and wear protective clothing. Your eyes may become more sensitive to sunlight, too, so keep sunglasses handy.
Compazine interferes with your ability to shed extra heat. Be cautious in hot weather.
Doc
What he said! It's all true. I've only been that sick once and the team literally "tossed me in a corner" and left me to sleep for the rest of the movement. By the time it wore off we were where we needed to be. I spent the next few hours hung over and only minimally useful as the effects dissapated. Caught my share of ribbing for it too. Unfortunately I'm one of the hypersensitive ones - I can get motion sickness standing on a beach watching the waves come in. Most of the standard drugs don't work for me. You guys just haven't been sufficiently motivated. The only thing that really scared me was ralphing on a rebreather. Open circuit was never a problem - just stick with oatmeal and scrambled eggs - there aren't any big chunks to get caught in the regulator. One of the worst experiences was OTH helocast ops and having to mount the OBM in sea state 3. Not much fun. Fortunately I was wearing a dry suit that time and it rinsed off without complications. Peregrino
.....riding with the Nightstalkers on a cross-border NOE infil run.
TR
Never did up-chuck but came close a few times on hot summer NOE flights when somebody else blew chunks and the smell drifted by. Got out every time before it hit me. Small boat ops, loved them, large or small sea state.
One night I did get to ride a Little Bird. The two pilots, the equipment stacked behind the seats and us two fools on each board. Both of us riders tried to wedge our bodies in behind the seats without moving our butts too much for most of the flight. The guys who have done it know what I mean about that issue. REAL GOOD view of the countryside, though.
I swear my boots kicked a few tree tops on the trip. When they pulled and banked into the LZ I put a real good set of finger indentations into the back of the pilot's chair.
Ambush Master
12-23-2005, 16:42
Headed for Phase I, we were “inserted” into Camp Mackall by way of a full equipment jump. Only one problem, we were on a C-123, the weather was for shit and we were flown around for about 2-3 hours waiting for the weather to break. During the leisurely flight one of my friends got airsick and puked in his piss-pot !! He passed it down the stick for the JM to dump into the pisser in the rear and when it was about halfway back the RED LIGHT ILLUMINATED !!! EVERYBODY, STAND UP!!! The wayward helmet found itself being passed back to it’s owner, without having been DUMPED !!! As the jump commands proceeded, the helmet and owner were reunited and he donned it, puke and all. There was puke running and dripping off of his nose, ears, and chin. He was covered in it, and we were going to find ourselves without bathing facilities for the duration of Phase I. (He ended up having to wear those clothes for close to a week!!) When we finally left the airplane, all that broke the silence was his continued barfing all the way to the ground !!!
When I was at the hotel over-night for MEPS a guy projectile-vomitted about 3 feet onto another guy's leather jacket. It was during our nightly "hotel briefing." Some people laughed at him, so as "punishment" all of us were sent to our rooms for the night with no snack. Turns out he swallowed his dip and was afraid to ask to go to the bathroom.