My First Deployment, Part 2

My First Deployment, Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of my blog about my first deployment to sunny Kenya. If you have not read part 1 (read part 1 here). Seeing wild monkeys for the first was very shocking I would say. They’re like dogs running around stealing food. We had to watch over our shoulders to ensure none of them got close enough to take anything from the plate. They knew the exact time of meals and would sit on the trees waiting for a new victim. We have all been there. Monkeys and other animals were a regular part of our lives there, it was entertaining. We also had an ancient cat named “Trainwreck”, he could barely walk, and he was blind too, by the way, a local celebrity. I have seen water buffalos, hyenas, and various world’s most venomous snakes, and we heard that lions, giraffes, and hippos are somewhere nearby. It was a lot of interesting about that place and the work we did.

The work we did was simple. Base defense. We did patrols along the base perimeter. Worked towers around the base and gates as usual. The job was fun, we had a great group of people who made shifts fly by. Working nights allowed us to watch beautiful sunrises every day. We saw local fishermen go out and fish in the calm morning ocean. I forgot to tell, the base was only a mile or so away from the ocean beach and pier. I used to run to the pier and back every day to keep my stamina up for Raven (read about Raven here) try out when I come back. We had some great opportunities over there. I remember we had a couple of days of class on first aid with some PJs and SF guys. They taught us a lot of great useful stuff that I still remember to this day, and we got certification out of it. Learning from them showed how proficient they are in what they do. Their version of the same deployment was much different from ours. We’d see them shoot guns, go dirt biking off base, enjoy their lives, and do some badass stuff. They’d be very nice towards us and would always try to hook us up with random stuff as much as possible. For night workers, they would always give us good ole’ “Rip Its” to help us through the night. They cared and it showed. Some of us were fortunate to go teach local Kenyan forest fighters some of our techniques and hang out with them. Those are some tough men. Their job was to patrol the forest and try to find the bad guys.

I was there from October until the beginning of May which means we had to spend holidays there. Base leadership made sure to do their best for us to feel the holiday spirits with each holiday that was coming. They organized parties, served 2 free alcoholic beverages (they bought them with their own money from locals), and the food was top-notch. Our cooks were from the Philippines, and they took pride in their cooking. Every day the food was AMAZING. Fresh fruits every morning, and lots of different options on daily. On holidays they cook some goodies. I remember for Christmas; they roasted the whole pig on fire. Delish. Unfortunately, working nights I missed out on all parties, because they usually were during our shift, but leadership came out to each post and brought us some holiday spirit. That was great. Holidays are usually the hardest part of deployment, everyone is used to spending it with loved ones but here we were stuck on a locked-in base somewhere in Kenya. It was depressing for some.

To stay on track for my goal to become a Raven after deployment, I was working out a lot. Running, lifting weights and calisthenic workouts were the norms. I even got myself a high-altitude mask to help me with my breathing. I was in very good shape. Getting off work at midday, the hottest part of the day, I would go for a run for 1 – 1.5 miles every day. In the beginning, It felt like torture, but I was able to adapt and make it enjoyable. Afterward, I’d go to the tiny gym that we had, and lift weights mixed with pushups, squats, jumping jack, and other stuff that I needed to do to get in Raven shape. I tried to work out before work, but it was tough to wake up and get myself to do it. That’s why I decided after work is the best time for me to stay focused on the end goal. After working out I’d shower, eat and do my homework. That is how my days go every day, except my days off. On days off I added laundry and maybe the privilege of watching a movie due to more time I had. That routine was great for self-improvement but It was getting old after months of doing it. Either way, I stuck with it for the whole time and it taught me self-discipline. Doing the same over and over again will get uninteresting but sticking with it, will pay off eventually.

Day by day, week by week, month by month we were getting closer to leaving. More rumors started to appear and spread within us. Every two weeks we had a C-130 fly in to bring mail, food, water, and anything else we needed. Last month there, every time we heard one coming we’d hope our relief would be on that plane to send us home. We’d watch them land, unload, and wait if newbies come out from the back of the ramp. One day it happened. Greatest feeling in the world, we are going home! Excitement was through the roof for everyone. I remember how quickly I packed my bags ha-ha. It was a party for everyone. It was visible that every single person in the camp was tired, mentally and physically. Roughly a week after our replacement came, it was our turn to step on C-130 to take us back to Djibouti. Packed in the back of the jet we had a 2-hour flight in front of us. Arriving at Djibouti we had 2 days there before we got back on the rotator to come home. The road back took 3 days for us, everyone wanted to go home so we pushed through everything. Barely any time off on the road, we made it home!

Those 6 months were rough and full of self-improvement. Remembering my final goals, I was able to take it day by day. I finished my associate’s degree. It was a huge achievement for me, the next step was bachelors. I improved my physical and mental shape, met some great people, and experienced some stuff that I will never be able to experience again. The whole deployment was not easy, it drained us a lot, but it was all worth it. It was great for a 21-year-old like me, I learned a lot. The job was getting done every day, but the mental barrier was getting more and more fatigued to the point where people would only talk about leaving and nothing else. Any setback to time frames was brutal to some. Constant complaining was getting louder and louder. The pressure of negativity was getting to every single one of us.

A year later after we left, Camp Simba got attacked! The news spread so quickly. We could not believe it, just a year ago we were there. It also happened in the morning which would have been during our shift. Unfortunately, there were 3 American casualties (read about it here). It was real now. The place that I experienced completely changed. Did we know it could happen to us? Yea but everyone was too focused on leaving. It became a routine. Just going through daily routine and motions. It is easy to get comfortable and complacent!

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Next Friday, my blog will be about, “Raven school training/experience”

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Very Respectfully,

Vlad Kalinin