Sad day here...

Sad day here.

and you thought...

...gas prices were HIGH in the 'States!

reppin' MN!...

Don't think I forgot my Vikes jersey when I packed to come here...it was a hit when we watched the Vikes take on GB at 4am in a cold tent! Gotta love AFN commercials! LOL Oh, and it is a little known fact that Thomas Jefferson invented American Baseball. See the pic for proof!

C'ville pics...

Some recent pics from my trip to Charlottesville, VA. Thanks Josh/Lynn for the hospitality...it was great to see you all! :)

DC pics...

Here are some pics from my quick trip to DC in early September! Grant/Ashley, it was great to see you both, I wish you the best with the upcoming little one and your new life in NY! ;)

Florida pics...

Here are some pics from my quick trip to FL in early September! Thanks, FL Herricks for having me! ...by the way, the last one is the shuttle launch in Florida. :)

connected...

I am well, we now have a way to update this/fb/etc so I hope to do that more often. Mail is finally starting to trickle in, so thank you!

update...

Hi, most of us are well. The physical output required sometimes here make a marathon look easy in comparison. At least I am holding my own. Also keeping my head down and watching where I step. That last part seems to be the trick here. ;)

FNG, not me!

No longer the FNG. Real good real world experience to be had here, and am thankful for that. Please keep the thoughts and prayers coming for me and all the guys, this is the wild wild west, indeed.

Thanks.

off we go...

...into the wild blue younder....flying high...

You get the idea. Departing sooner than later, will advise on here when safely arrived in country. Here is to hoping I can reconnect with some old friends while transiting through certain areas.

Email me anytime, just be patient if my replies are limited and delayed! ;)

WAY BEHIND...

Found out there are a few more days before departure, so I will soon get this updated with pics. Also, please simply know I will be photographing activity on the battlefield, and that I will be working with some really awesome folks!

I will ALWAYS have my updated contact info here: www.johnherrick.com ;)

a little R n R in advance...

What a nice break from NJ and it's humidity all of July. While I was glad to visit family (Janet and Justin, his parents and Alexander and Nicholas are ALL awesome!), I am glad to get down to NC for my last bit of training at Ft. Bragg.

In the mean time, I had an extra couple of days, so here is my family in FL today...

for those wonder what my civilian job is:

Byron is a coworker of mine...

quick update...

update for 13AUG09: headed to the field tomorrow for 5 days of training, more live fire, etc...Getting CLOSER! ;)

More pics coming soon. ;)

never a dull new jersey moment...

Well what a few weeks it has been. In the last 30 days, I have:

-packed up everything I own and put it into storage; left my apartment
-given/taken a saline lock/Intravenous; now a "Combat Lifesaver".
-driven a Humvee under near full dark conditions (with only NVGs and moonlight)
-met my cousin's husband and brand new twin boys (Justin, Alex/Nate, respectively)
-practiced escape of inverted Humvee after replicated rollover
-become familiarized with various Humvees, MRAPs, etc.
-many more sensitive things that cannot go here
-become proficient with M16/M9


The purpose of this school is to train Airmen in roles that were traditionally filled by Army 'ground-pounders'. The training is impressive, and we are all making great use of any downtime we might have. I miss my job, coworkers, and family in Arizona, but now just want to get this tour out of the way.

Still here a few more weeks (until about 23AUG.) Next stop, Fort Bragg, NC (near Fayetteville, NC) to meet up with my team. Cheers!