In Germany

Everything went well getting from Fort Lewis to Germany. The flight left on time, I got an exit row window seat and slept the whole way. We refueled in Gander Newfoundland before continuing on to Nurnberg.



There's plenty of room in the officer's barracks and contrary to the rumors, the beds have mattresses.


There are enough beds for each of us to claim two, so I've made a little privacy for myself.




Phones and internet service aren't too far away, so I expect to be in regular contact.

HALO guy

Here's what the defenders in the non-lethal weapons training looked like. Many of the guys have gotten hooked on the X-Box - the HALO-2 game in particular. They got excited when they saw this outfit - they thought it was just like the HALO guy.

non-lethal weapons training

It's been a busy week getting everyone packed up, finishing training and scheduled for flights. Here's a shot of the pepper-spray training. After taking a shot to the eyes, each soldier had to go to all stations on the perimeter of this training area and perform the specified hand-to-hand combat task. After all stations are complete, then you can wash your eyes.