To Honor The Fallen..

In honor of a fallen trooper Stephen Allseits, First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry has established the Allseits' Bar N Grill.  "Steve" was a great guy and a solid soldier who was taken from us by a horrible accident while he was attending military training on the west coast in 2004.  The Troop mourned his passing while some of our members were deployed to Iraq.  When we arrived on the ground here in Egypt, there was a club-type recreation area behind our supply room.  Spc Wallace was one of the soldiers who was instramental in rehabilitating the space we now use for barbeque's and gatherings.  It honors a man who was easy to talk to, fun to spend time with, and honorable in nature and deed.  Anyone who knew Steve would agree that this is a totally appropriate way to honor his memory.  Godspeed Trooper Allseits!!

Tower Duty Explained

Tower duty is demanding and easy all at the same time.  You have to make sure you stay awake, and there is no sleeping or playing games while up there.  We take shifts so you are not in there all day, but the time seems to drag.  There are towers at all remote sites, and we are looking to our areas for any sign of troops or vehicles and boats moving where they are not supposed to be.  Mostly we see the same stuff, but there are sites in the desert, on mountain tops, and even on the beach to look for boats and marine traffic.  It is a duty we do not take lightly.  We do get a tan and usually have a fan, or in the more modern towers, air conditioning.  Not exactly the battlements of medevil castles or anything.

Paradise By the Dashboard!!

Well folks,  This is the view that races by as we drive around the countryside.  We often pass scenes like this on our way along the coast to the different remote sites that we support.  The Sinai is a beautiful place.  Even in the desert, the painted rock and undulating roadway through hills and dunes is pretty spectacular.  I will post more pics of the surroundings throughout this blog.  The Red Sea becomes the Gulf of Aquaba along the eastern coast of the Sinai Peninsula.  This gulf borders Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt.  The water is usually a sparkling blue and a light green around the reef areas.  The coral reef system here is one of the most popular dive spots in the whole world.

Chicken Joe - World Traveller Extraordinaire

Chicken Joe is the best travel buddy a soldier could ask for.  He is quiet, clean, and does not mind if I snore.  I found him in a claw machine at my local market in Trooper, PA a month or so before deploying.  I "adopted" him for a paltry $15 dollars and a few attempts at trying to snag him.  My son Patrick's help was instrumental in freeing him from the confines of his glass-encased-home.  He has been in one critically-acclaimed short documentary, "The Adventures of Chicken Joe", and is the main subject for a photo essay that has kept my kids connected to me while I travel.  I have taken pictures of Joe everywhere in connection with this deployment.  He has participated in weapons training, bivouacs, land navigation and patrolling, and first aid training.  He has been a loyal companion throughout our journey.  He has even been joined on the trip by his son and been visited by his late wife. (A story for some other time)  He will continue to trek across the Sinai while with me, and he hopes to see Israel, Mt Sinai, and Luxor if time permits.  JOE is sitting in front of the Egyptian National Museum in Cairo.  The museum displays thousands of artifacts from ancient Egypt.  The most famous of these is possibly the exhibit of King Tut.  There are thousands of pieces of furniture, weapons, clothes, coins, and any other item you can think of.  his jewelry collection is secure in a well guarded room and contains, among other items, his famous mask of gold.  It is behind a few inches of glass, but it is truly a masterpiece to behold in person.  

3rd Platoon

3rd Platoon, Troop A 1-104th Cavalry Forward:  This shot is at Fort Lewis during some of the coldest weather I can remember.  We took this shot while we were out at "FOB Eagle", one of the training sites that was used to help us to prepare for the desert environment.  HMMMM?  Desert?  Yeah, right!  They should have issued us beach chairs, sunscreen, and volleyballs.

Sunrise on Memorial Day in the Sinai

Hello All!!

Went in the QRF Cage on Duty here in the Sinai.  Just a nice view from the "Dog-Pound" as the sun rises over the Red Sea.  The barracks in front of us lead to the beach.  The vague island in the background is Tiran Island.  We awoke to another hot day!!

My thought for the day is a familiar one.  I have been writing my brother's students at Glenfield Middle School, and the one memory of Memorial Day that has always stuck with me was a quote from a c-ration box that was sent home during the Vietnam War.  To paraphrase: "The taste of freedom is not so sweet for one who does not know what it means to sacrifice himself in defense of it."

On this Memorial Day, I would like to thank all of those who know the sacrafice of service to this great country.  This would include all the wives, mothers, fathers, children, and soldiers that I know.  

On that note,  enjoy the barbeque and beer, and have a great day!!

Water Safety Instructor Day

I actually got to sleep in today!!  When I did get up, I had to take one of the Humvees in for weekly service and safety checks.  I actually got called out of that duty a little early because they needed me to be a Water Safety Instructor at Herb's Beach!!  So instead of gooey, uckey, 90-weight motor oil all over me, I got to go be a "Baywatch" guy at the beach.  We swim in near the reef and provide instruction and safety training to soldiers that have a hard time swimming.  I got to drag one of those silly red safety floats around behind me while I was swimming and I really looked the part.  Well, not really, as I have about a keg instead of a six-pack, and I am pretty naturally buoyant in this water.  The salt is hideous.  The saving grace is that there are a ton of colorful fish, sting-rays, and decorative coral all along the inlet that we swim in.  The beach is also quiet and cozy after you swim for a while.  I sat on the beach and had my lunch of a power bar and some bananas, and washed it all down with a cool bottle of warm water. MMMMMMM...Yummy!  Anyway, it is back on duty later tonight for another shift in the DOGPOUND!!  QRF is not that bad.  There is internet, and ESPN.  This is almost like a payed vacation, except I would want to play with my kids at the beach!!  That would totally rock!!

Got this blogging thing down cold

For all of you who do not know, I am a member of The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry.  The FTPCC is Troop A 1-104th Cavalry in the PA National Guard.  We have been activated to be the USBATT of Multinational Force and Observers (MFO51).  We are stationed in the Egyptian Sinai.  We are along the coast in a Southern Base and have a beach-front view.  It rocks!!  We spend our days observing and reporting possible violations of the peace accord between Egypt and Israel.  There are different duties, and I am a driver and radio operator while here.  I am also a trained combat-lifesaver.  While here I am publishing a rogue newsletter called the MFO Toilet Paper.  It is a comedy piece and I have posted four issues so far.  If you would like a copy, you can email me and I will forward them to you.  To the right is the symbol of the MFO.  

We deployed in November and we hope to return toward the end of the year.  We have to be relieved first.  My family resides in Trooper, PA.  We have friends and family looking in on them from time to time, but you may reach them to drop them a note of encouragement at the following email addresses:  jodi.kay@verizon.net, or pjswarrior12@yahoo.com.

I will continue to post here as daily as possible.  I will try to include pics and videos as best I can.  Thanks for all the support while I am away!!

First Post!!

Hello all,

This is the first post on my blog!! I am still in Egypt with MFO 51. I will update this as often as possible. Please check back for more fun information, pics, videos, and other exciting things while I hang out in the land of Abraham!!