Deployment to Afghanistan

[kevinnoogen]

Hey, HN here deploying to Afghanistan.. I'm out of MCRD, Parris Island, SC going IA with 2nd MARDIV, I believe my unit is 1/8, don't know where in Afghanistan I'm going, wasn't filled in very deeply by my Chief. I was just wondering what I should/shouldn't expect when I get to my unit and/or Afghanistan, preparations physically/mentally/professionally, what things I should bring with me to 29 Palms/workups and Afghanistan. This is my first deployment, so I'm kinda new to this thing. Haha, but I'm really really excited to go, kinda nervous but any help/suggestions/advice would be highly appreciated. Thanks.

V/R,
HN Nguyen

[Corpsman77Wife]

I would like to thank you for your service on serving your country as you deploy. My husband is on hold in NC waiting to go to 29 Palms to do his work up for deployment to Iraq. Wish I new more things for you, but he hasn't done anything really but process so far. Best of Luck to you. Be safe & protect the men you are serving with.


Marie

[Docs Mom]

I would love to adopt a Doc. My Doc just got back and won't be returning till next fall. I have a wonderful support group and we are looking for some Docs to mail packages to.
Please let me know who I go about getting addresses.

Thanks,
Docs Mom

[oldavt]

You're going with the 'Beruit Battalion". Take your best "will do" attitude. Learn to care for your weapon and learn to use it effectively. The Marines love a doc who can carry his own weight, especially those who can outshoot them. Learn all the tactical medicine you can. Take care of your squad mates. Stay calm, in control. Accept whatever challenges come your way and learn from your mistakes. Keep your ability to laugh. "Be polite, be professional, have a plan to kill everyone you meet."
Good luck.

[dvldocjoe]

PM me with your unit info due to OPSEC. I believe I have a good friend who is deploying with you.. I can get your info and he can help you upon your arrival.

[8404]

Docs Mom:Email editor@corpsman.com and place Adopt a Doc in the subject line. DeeDee is our editor and also the founder of our very successful Adopt a Doc program. You can also PM DeeDee for the same information.

[MexDoc]

Dude take a PSP and a laptop to afghanistan. to 29 palms and im assuming youre going to go through MWTC in bridgeport before you go just take the PSP. On the way to your final destination, you'll hit free wireless zones and it may be one of the few times you might get to use the internet. Also if your going to a line company, buy as many DVD's as you can at the markets you may pass by there, should only be like 3 bucks for a DVD with 12 movies on it. Army does run the Medevac's in the south and 101st is there and they use whats called a MIST report after the 9 line...which is Mechanism of Injury, Injuries sustained, signs/symptoms, treatment given. When I got blown up 2 months ago they wouldnt launch a bird until that report was given and I was messed up and my guys arent medics, shame on me for not making sure they knew it..they may have changed the policy i dunno. If you go to the herat area they speak Dari there(version of Farsi) and south and east by the border its Pashto speakers...I would recommend to learn some IE...kids yelling KAM EEN which means ambush but we thought they said COME IN! seriously though take care man it got really bad this year with the prison break and the taliban are using our own tactics and using ex pakistani spec ops to train their guys with small teams..pm me if you have any other questions

[dvldocjoe]

Kevin,
My friend Eric is set to deploy with 2/8 sometime around March. PM me with your info so I can pass it to him to see if you might be going at the same time. He can assist you since he has deployed with them before.

[manningrr]

Nguyen,
Nice to semi meet you. I am your new LPO it looks like. I got your HSAP orders the other day. PM me and I will fill you in on what to bring. Pretty much what is on your orders unless you want to buy everything when you get here. Once again welcome to 1/8.

[Da-Chief]

HM1 Manning, great to see you back on here!! Let us know if there is anything we can do for you and your unit when deploying.. Matter of fact DeeDee would like to hook all of your guys up!

Let us know..
D/C

[manningrr]

Chief,
Thanks for the support. I try to jump on here when I am not brain dead after work. I really hate pre-deployment work-ups, but hey I guess you get accustomed to it all after a few of them. I am going to make an effort to post up here more often. The site is looking good and I commend you and the others who make this site run on all of the hard work. Tell DeeDee that my guys would love the hook up. Be advised that I have 65 HM's so it could be a lot of work. As soon as I find out where we are going, I will give you a heads up. It is still up in the air as to which fantasy location we are visiting.

[IDCWife]

I think you might be with my husband. He went over with CLB3 from MCBH-Kaneohe Bay. Doc Collier...he has some horrible thing growing on his upper lip from the last pictures we saw! He says it is a moustache, I say it is a caterpillar with a hair problem :)

[8404]

He says it is a moustache, I say it is a caterpillar with a hair problem :)

That is way too funny! A follically-challenged caterpillar!

[IDCWife]

That is way too funny! A follically-challenged caterpillar!

Well, I just deciphered that little dod-dad under your name and that is WAY TOO FUNNY! HMFIC...my husband will get a kick out of that!

[8404]

I was 'frocked' by the owner of this site! ;)