Welcome to the FOB, part #1

After leaving MOB station many of us were sent all over to start our one year of fun and fame. A few lucky sole's ended up at the FOB. With all the rumors and stories about the FOB we were unsure of what kind of year it was going to be.
With every Military move there is the mandatory in processing, a series of handing over paperwork that you are sure you will never see again. After handing over your whole military file you are confident that you are now in a system. In reality, some how everything is going to get misplaced and no one knows who or what you are. With all the on going automation this will never change, replacing the human factor is not in the equation.
Our introduction to the "FOB" included a guided (free) tour of our new home. We were introduced to the do's and don’ts of successful living in this austere environment. My first scare was when I noticed the elevated commodes; my next thought was who the unlucky bastard was going to be who had to clean the honey pots. Luckily it was a relic of several rotations ago; they actually have indoor plumbing here. To a common soldier this is a godsend, no "Porta Johns" for me. We were shown the Dining Facility, catered by civilians. Life doesn’t get any better than that, nothing against Military trained cooks but you get what you pay for. Contrary to our MOB station we actually sit to eat, what a novel concept. I mean who would have thought this would be so after several months of standing to eat. Mental note, I need to send a picture back to the MOB station with a note "I told you so!". Then we were introduced to our new living arrangements, a hardened wall, a roof, and a heater that works. I guess the guys at the MOB station were off again, I haven’t stayed in a tent since getting here. We are also told that there is WI-FI here; am I in heaven or what? We are given the grand tour of the place including what to do if something bad happens with all the scenarios too.
At the end of the first day after all this activity we head off to chow (military term for feeding our faces), its daylight when we head in to the Chow hall. After a belly full of decent food, any food I don’t have to make myself is a good meal. I head out of the DFAC (dining facility), while clearing the last door I step in to darkness (like a black hole). I am dumbfounded, who turned out the lights? Holy Sh*T!!!! Its darker then I don’t know what, my first thought was the generators went out. I then find out the hard way that we are on a blackout FOB, mental note always have a light handy. Lesson #1 for the first day with many more to follow.

Story by LT Frank