Backwoods Yakima

Hey everyone greetings from the most dusty dry place on this planet Yakima in the great state of Wshington. We had a week worth of field training in Yakima where we did convoy drills and IED drills as well as react to contact and ambush drills. Our whole company went on this trip and we did alot of training with HUMV's. It was alot of fun. Each HUMV consisted of a Driver (ME) the gunner (BROWER) a truck commander (SAUNDERS) an assistant gunner (LEWIS) and a timer (CHIEF CANNON). We competed in a little competition called TOP GUN or the GUNNERY. There was a total of 900 points possible and we got scored based on how well we shoot how well we drive and how smooth we drive how fast we are getting from one berm to the next and how well we call in our reports to the tower. Basically we just it was to similate driving up to a berm or wall and seeing enemy forces calling it in and engaging them before the even know what hit them. Well our whole company went and parts of the rest of the Battalion went and competed in this event. Well my team one the TOP GUN for the whole Battalion we were the only team that scored a perfect 900 points. It was pretty cool and the 356 Infantry Battalion commander presented each one of us with his battalion coin for achieving that. So that was pretty cool. The rest of the time out there we learned to work as teams in convoys and how to get from one place to the next in uparmored HUMVs. Lots of good training. Yakima reminds me alot of Utah. Lots of Sagebrush and lots of dust. My hands and face were so dried out that they looked as though I had become a lizard. Yeah that part sucked but over all it was really fun. We got to see alot more of Washington and drive through some of there beautiful mountains made me home sick. I included some pictures of the mountains here just so you can see the similarities. Well happy April fools day to everyone and thanks for all the help with prayers and taking care of my 2 most precious parts of me Emily and AnaLea. I sure love them and really miss them alot. Especially my dear wife whom I love completely thanks honey for being married to me.

Later