As promised, here are some pre-deployment AAR (after action review) notes from getting ready to leave home station, the week at CRC and departing for theater. Keep in mind that these insights will apply mostly to Army physicians assigned to MEDCOM (hospitals) who are tasked to deploy with maneuver units (infantry, cavalry, armor, artillery, aviation). This is accomplished thru a system called PROFIS (Professional Filler System), hence the term "PROFIS doc". While there are still useful tidbits for providers who are organic to these units (battalion surgeons & PAs, brigade surgeons and PAs), much of mission preparation is conducted uniformly within your units. Just go with the flow and listen to your NCOs.
Important take-home points will be starred (***).
***Perhaps the most important take-home message is simple and pure: BE ADAPTABLE. The US Army is one of the largest organizations in the world and I marvel at how they accomplish the mission of many moving parts. Sometimes those parts break, go missing, or get installed backwards. Chaos, missed flights, lost weapons and pooping into bags may ensue. You aren't Stephen Hawking, the Queen of England or anyone else particularly special. Roll with it.
Leading up to CRC
CRC is 7 days of the Army making sure you are ready to deploy. You may have already gone thru a SRP process at your home station and it may have been very, very thorough. Doesn't matter - the Army is going to make you go thru it again. Overall, it is a relatively well-oiled machine as they ship out many Soldiers to various theaters of operation via this one portal.
You will receive TCS (temporary change of station) orders at some point prior to leaving. The lucky ones receive them months in advance. The ones who slapped the Dalai Lama in a previous life get them 14 days or less out. These should tell you at the very least which unit you're being attached (not assigned, which connotes a more permanent relationship), the start and end dates of your deployment and what operation you are deploying in support of.
The current main CRC is located in El Paso, TX on Ft. Bliss. It is a very large post and relatively new. The crown jewel of the post that everyone will trumpet about it called Freedom Crossing. It is a mall-like complex comprised of the commissary, PX, military clothing & sales, food court, movie theater and about half a dozen restaurants including Buffalo Wild Wings, Texas Roadhouse and Smash Burger. It's within walking distance of the CRC barracks and you are free to indulge in it all - except, of course, for alcohol.
That's right. Under General Order Number 1, CRC attendees are not allowed to consume alcohol. Take that information and make your own personal decisions.
Your week will be spent in-processing, completing endless Army trainings (both online and hands-on), drawing A LOT of gear from RFI (rapid fielding initiative) and CIF (central issue facility) and qualifying on the weapon you will take into theater. Typically, as a physician, you will be issued an M9 which is a semi-automatic 9mm pistol made by Beretta. If you are a PA, you may be issued an M4 or M16 instead (or as well), as you are more likely to go "outside the wire" (off the base) in support of missions. The M4 is a shorter version of the M16 and it typically comes equipped with a collapsible buttstock to make it more easily maneuverable. The M16 is the Army's current assault rifle. It's sometimes amusingly called a "musket" since, compared to the M4, it is quite a bit longer and the buttstock does not collapse. Unless you will be frequently venturing outside the wire, the rifles will likely become more of an annoyance than their "cool-guy" factor is worth.
The CRC has a relatively complete website that explains much of what to expect during your week. Ask the Google and you should be able to find it. Having covered the basics, below are some bulleted notes:
-***If you are confident that you'll be issued an M9, you may want to consider purchasing a holster "system". System because you want to be able to quickly transition your weapon from belt to vest (IOTV or improved outer tactical vest) in the event you have to don it. Some people still use a leather or nylon "gun bra" a la Don Johnson, but while it is comfortable, it's sort of a one trick pony. Not sure how those guys are going to carry their gun when IDF (indirect fire) comes in and they have to throw their 25lb vest on real quick. Some quality systems are made by G-Code (OSH RTI holster with HMAR vest platform) and Blackhawk (SERPA). As of 21JAN2015, CRC RFI is issuing the complete Blackhawk SERPA system that includes a belt slide, drop leg, and vest attachment - great for if you don't own other firearms or in general, don't feel like spending $100 on a holster system.
-DO spend time doing Computer-Based Training at home, but only if it does
not take away from family time. You will arrive at CRC on a Friday and there are no real events until Monday. They factor this entire wknd in because many people arrive without having completed these trainings that take HOURS to complete. There is very little time during the actual week to complete them, unless you want to do them at night while your buddies are having ribs at Texas Roadhouse.
-DO obtain O-6/GS15 memo requesting Exception to Policy to
decline CIF or RFI gear (example on CRC website)
-DO obtain OCP (Operational Camouflage Pattern), aka Multicam unit
patches for the unit you'll be deploying with prior to leaving home, as CRC does not supply them. You will be issued OCP US Army
tapes (3), nametapes (4), rank (3), IR flag (2), so can forego these.
-DO make contact with anyone from your deploying unit or the currently deployed doc you will be replacing ASAP after receiving notice of
deployment. Better to make direct
contact with medical personnel (BN PA, BN MEDO, BDE Surgeon, BDE MEDO, Charlie
Med CDR). If unable to obtain, lookup
unit’s staff duty number by Googling their name, e.g. “1-27 Infantry Battalion,
2nd Stryker BCT, 25th ID staff duty phone number” and ask
for the medical person at battalion or brigade level
-If you have ACU pattern TA-50 already issued to you (e.g.
from prior duty station), determine what items on deployment packing list (from
unit) you want to bring. Current
transition period (from ACU to OCP). I only brought ACH without cover, helmet
band, “woobie” (poncho liner) since everything else was ACU pattern.
-***Try to bring a minimal amount of stuff to CRC= 1 carry-on
backpack, 1 fully packed duffel, 1 empty duffel (new side-zip type). Whatever you bring with you to CRC, you will have to carry forward to theater and then back. Many people, including me, ended up boxing up stuff we felt we didn't need and mailing it home from CRC.
-***The new Army issue duffel is much improved from the previous top load one that George Washington had when he crossed the Delaware. They sell them at the military clothing & sales store on post and cost about $40. Basically, it is the same volume and dimensions as the old one, but now has a full-length side zipper so that you can easily see what is where without unloading the entire bag to get to the item you stupidly packed at the bottom. It still has the metal pin and grommet that allows you to put a padlock on the bag, but there is a big design flaw. Unless I am missing something obvious, a fellow soldier thief could simply reach under the flap, unzip the bag and rummage around. Long story short, a sad alternative is to buy a 2nd small lock and lock the 2 zips together in order to slightly discourage determined thieves. It is difficult to explain in words, but once you take a look, you will understand. Additionally, the backpack straps are sewn at an awkward diagnoal instead of striaght across like on the old ones. When one picks up a fully loaded new duffel by these straps, the load is placed on one stitch....followed by another and another and down the line they will pop loose. Do not ask me how I know this. Take-home message: do not load these new duffels to the gills and if you must, be very gentle when you pick them up by the backpack straps. Otherwise just use the grab handles or hoist it on your shoulder boom-box style.
-I brought my own personal Mountain Hardware sleeping bag,
instead of the issued 2-bag sleep system.
Left inflatable sleeping mat at home.
Afghanistan is a mature theater and most places you deploy to will have
hard structures or plywood trailers with actual beds and mattresses. Not many people will see your sleeping bag and are even less likely to give you a hard time about it. If they do, just play the dumb medical guy card.
-Make sure you get a Change of Rater OER, as long as you
have been at that duty station for longer than 90 days. You will get another OER while downrange,
again, if there for longer than 90 days.
-***Discuss possibility of getting your department to negotiate
a split deployment with someone else in hospital. Will need replacement’s name, rank, SSN,
anticipated date of BOG (boots on ground), along with justification for downrange commander
approving an Early Release from Theater memo (DA 4187). Contrary to popular belief, your home hospital is NOT responsible for creating this memo or filling out the paperwork. They have to find and identify your replacement. Once you have the name, you will complete the paperwork while downrange and have your downrange unit route it for you.
Things I spent time doing that were wastes of time:
-Filling out Eagle Cash Card Treasury form. There is a station for that at SRP.
-Home station SRP. Not really, just frustrated that Tripler
made it sound so important, telling me to hand carry checklist since CRC would definitely need to see all the signatures. Bullshit. CRC never even asked for it. But if I hadn’t done it,
I probably would have paid for it at CRC by running around to appts, spending
more time at each SRP station, or even being found medically not-ready and sent
home or as a CRC holdover for multiple weeks.
-Home station PDHA. This really was a waste of time since CRC
SRP will make you re-initiate a Part 1 again unless the home station one was
completed <30 days from SRP date.
In addition to the take-home message of BE ADAPTABLE, it is important to make time for family and yourself in the 1-2 weeks before leaving home station. Those memories are the last ones of home you'll have for a while - make them the kind that will warm your soul when you get down in the dumps later on.
Phases 2 and 3 (At CRC and Departure for Theater) will be next up.
