Flying High

This is It

We're all called into parade again our CO gives his final farewell and wishes us the best on our deployment. We're all briefed on our equipment and the sort of resistance we're expecting, by the sounds of it we'll be dropping bombs 99% of the time. I head into the barracks and perform final checks on my gear we then do 'buddy checks' checking each other's gear. Everything seems to check out, we all pick up our bags and gear and head out to the waiting C-130 Hercules, man that things big... Two big turbo props on either wing forcing out over 3,430 kilowatts, capable of carrying payloads in excess of 20,400 kilos. As we all approach the rear of the aircraft, preparing to board the enormity of this thing hits me, I still to this day wonder how in the world this thing gets of the ground. We find the ramp already lowered as we march into the cargo hold lined with seats, the cargo hold is massive... big enough to fit two humvees. We all strap ourselves in and prepare for the flight, I can't help but wish that I were flying my very own growler there but there's already enough on station. The whole aircraft begins to shake as the props start up the shaking then ceases as the props come up to speed, we feel the aircraft begin taxi and my nerves begin to climb... This is it we're off to Iraq. The flights pretty smooth actually, we hit slight turbulence heading over the Glass House Mountains but once we hit cruise altitude we were pretty good. I feel a thud then the sweet screech of tires signaling the touchdown to earth and the exit of my heaven, I just feel so free; crusing through the clouds at 900,000 knots sitting at 50,000 feet as I bank off into a starboard scissor turn. I'm suddenly interrupted from my dream and brought into the looming reality of my deployment as the cold night air hits my fair bearing the evidence of the barren dusty environment that now surrounds me. We begin to make our way to our quarters, I take gibs on the top bunk of tent 18 (my lucky number) drop my gear and try to grab some sleep in this new world. As I lay there I can't help myself but look around, as I check out the dark olive tent in contrast to the light sandstone floor. I then begin to fade off as the roar of jet engines begin to fill the air mixed with pounding and clanging of ornaments becoming fixed to the large metalic wings of an f-18... thoughts of tommorrow are filled with fear but also excitement, excitement of the unknown...