Fort Benning For Beginners

My teammate Neelum and I, before the imprisonment (kidding).








Doing my grandmother proud by pulling out the needle and thread.








The cargo and our non-conformist Red Cross patches.

First Impressions

I remember our first night at the CRC (Conus Replacement Center), my teammate Neelem and I were walking around the CRC complex and we both likened the CRC to what we perceived prison to be. Though by the end of the week, we all would be more likely to compare it to summer camp.

The outer perimeter of the complex was lined with fence and barbwire…and though we were not confined to its borders, we had no other transportation options other than an expensive taxi ride. It was a little microcosm, equipped with everything you would need for a healthy existence…a gym, a chapel center, a DFAC (dining facility), recreation facility, shopette and a bed to collapse on at the end of the day.

If you’ve ever been to summer camp, picture the barracks as a bunkhouse. There were four bunk beds to a room and I got stuck on top. Luckily one of my roommates secured a ladder for me; it would have been a shame to fall, twist and ankle and disqualify myself from deployment at the last minute!

One of the rather awkward facets of barracks life was the open showers. No shower curtains, just a row of shower heads and a lot of open space. A lot of us new deployee’s didn’t quite know how we felt about this at first, but I tried to write it off as being part of the military experience.

Who do you work for and where are you going?

While at the CRC, meal time was a great opportunity to mingle with individuals other than Red Crossers. Conversations would always start with who do you work for or where are you going? I found it surprising that many people weren’t familiar with Red Cross operations in theater. So as Red Crossers, we were eager to invite them to our offices for fresh baked bread, goodies, internet, and also let them know about our emergency services (though we hoped they would never be on the receiving end of a Red Cross Emergency Communication Message.)

It was also very interesting to hear about others work. I remember talking with a LTC who was headed to Afghanistan. He was on a team who would be visiting villages and talking with the Afghan people to better understand their daily routines. They gathered information on where their life sustaining resources come from, their habits, customs, etc. All of this information goes into the overall strategy, and in turn helps minimize the impact of war on Afghan civilians. It sounded like a potentially risky job, but very intriguing work I’m sure.

Interactive Learning with IEDs

IED is a common buzz word on the news today when talking about casualties of war. My eyes were very much opened to these tricky death traps after going through a training class in which IEDs were simulated using pyrotechnics. Because our minds had not yet been trained to recognize these weapons, we quickly fell victim to them. A wooden step, activated by pressure. An empty cup from a western fast food joint (in a war zone, don’t try to be earth friendly; picking up trash may cost you your life.) The frightening aspect of this technique is that sometimes in trying to avoid one IED, you walk right into another. Point is that there is no safe ground, and risk will always exist even if you are observant. It also has made me very cautious about what I throw in the trash…it may be a tool in the enemies hands.

All My Bags are Packed

One checkbox on the CRC to-do list was herding through the CIF, or the Central Issue Facility, to collect all the gear the military requires when in theater. Each person is authorized three green duffel bags, yet the question remains how a petite person can possible carry all of the bags without tipping over (and the equipment pouring out =-) Following the wise council of my more experienced teammates, I attempted to stuff all my belongings, and the military issued gear into two duffels. I failed on my own, and had to elicit the help of master packer Katherine Jones. It took a lot of finagling, but everything finally fit and hopes of preserving my back muscles were revived. Amidst all the packing we did have a little fun with some of the stranger items, including what appeared to be nerd glasses for the visually impaired person like myself.