Sgt. Ruffin

Hi Everybody
Just wanted to send along some pictures of my promotion ceremony from this afternoon. After two years 10 months in the Army, a 15-month deployment to Iraq and a paperwork battle with the Department of the Army, I have been promoted to the rank of Sergeant.
Since we have been back off leave after our return to the States, I have been filling the position of an NCO as Bravo Company's Senior Line Medic. I hope to be able to continue in this capacity, but as always things need to be fluid to ensure the unit is able to operate as successfully as possible.

The first picture is my platoon sergeant who "pinned" me. The term comes from when the rank was pinned to the collar, though on our uniforms the rank is attached by velcro to the center of the chest. With the pins, Soldiers of equal or higher rank would shake the newly promoted NCO's hand and hit the pins (hence the term "blood pinning")as a form of initiation or welcoming the SGT to the NCO corps. Today, this tradition carries on with a slight variation

In the last pic, the Soldier on the left (my right as I stand there) was promoted to Staff Sergeant, and the Specialist on the right (my left) received his Combat Medic Badge for actions taken while in Iraq.

Thought you would like to know
Troy

Home Safe Home

Troy called this morning to let me know that he his back in the U.S.

Troy's parents came out to celebrate the arrival of the 3rd ID back at their home base.

We look forward to getting to spend some time with troy during his post tour leave

Homeward Bound

Greetings from Kuwait!
We finally arrived in Kuwait sometime early this morning, and have only a few hours left until we start the final steps before we head home. The biggest obstacle is going through Customs; I finally got all of my bags packed, and early tomorrow morning will have to dump them out to make sure I don't have any rocket launchers or tanks hidden in my duffle bag. Once we've finished our inspections, it then becomes a waiting game. We've been given plenty of time to go through Customs, so I'm sure we'll have the better part of the day to wait around.

I couldn't help but laugh last night as we were boarding the C-17 cargo plane that took us from TQ to Kuwait. There were two long lines of Soldiers slowly loading from the rear of the aircraft, and as I looked up and watched some of the first Soldiers start heading up the ramp I saw someones arm raised well above their head...just flipping off Iraq. I think he summed up our feelings quite nicely.

We're outta here!
Troy

3/22/08

Hi everybody
I wanted to send out a quick email while I had the chance. Its official...we're finally coming home! I've got all my bags packed and ready to go; tomorrow we should be moving to the flight area of TQ to await our flight to Kuwait. Once in Kuwait, we should be there until sometime on Wednesday when we board the big bird bound for HOME!!!!! Project arrival is early morning on Thursday the 27th...just five days from now.
We've already torn down our aid station here and will be turning over supplies to the main aid station here on post. As of now, all of our efforts will be concentrated on getting home.
Since we should be arriving on Thursday, we won't start the re-integration classes until the following Monday, which will be nice; its strange to think that we'll actually get a weekend off!
Following the two weeks of classes, we'll be turned loose for leave; our start date should be April 12th, and be at least a month long.

Any more info I get along the way I'll try to pass along.

See you soon!!!
Troy

1/17/08

Troy has received word through the rumor mill about their return home. His unit has started to pack up, and move kit into containers. It looks like they will be getting back the end of March. More to follow

1/15/08

Thanks for the update man!!! And congrats on your new job! That's awesome. Sounds like you're really enjoying it, too. Thats great you'll be able to spend more time at home as you'll be working the proverbial "normal" schedule. Must be nice not to have to worry about working overnights or weekends, huh? So are you full time there, and no longer on staff at Midwest?
Trying to wade through the paperwork and check off all the appropriate blocks for recert through NREMT. Gotta love paperwork from 10,000 miles away. I think we'll be able to get it done over here, even though we should have 90 days after our return. But...better safe than sorry. I loved EMSLRC, but I'd rather not have to pay to go through it again...still paying off my first go-round, don't need to add a second.
Hopefully you got the two pics of the snow we received over here. It totalled just under 2 inches. i've got a couple more I still need to take off my camera so I can email them out to people. It was definitely different seeing everything white instead of tan. Too bad the snow only lasted about a day and a half. Its still below freezing most of the time, and if you look closely we can still spot the occasional patch of snow hiding in the shadows, but its few and far between.
According to our battalion commander, we've got less than 100 days remaining; definitely beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just another month and a half of ops, and we should start moving and turning over everything to the new incoming unit. Hopefully it all goes well.
Got another coin; this time from our battalion commander (Lt Col), and is the 2-7 Infantry Regiment's coin. Pretty cool; its actually a lot nicer than the ForceComm coin (4-star general) I have.
Still thinking about re-upping for Ft. Carson, CO. Also have been considering going to flight medic school. I've been looking at the new deployment schedule the Army has put out, and was somewhat surprised to learn that my brigade is schedule to return to Iraq the same month I'm supposed to be getting out. Yeah...that means I'd be stop-lossed even before I got on the plane! I'm not trying to get out of another deployment...just would like to do it within the "normal" confines of my enlistment contract. Plus, Colorado's a lot easier to get to than Georgia. If I get out there, maybe you and Christine could come visit for a weekend of skiing. We'll see...
Talked to Kelly a little while ago. He's still trying to get me to go SF, or at least SOCOM medic. Its always an option, and would be a heck of a challenge. But he said that he may be in Iowa sometime in April or May. When I hear back from him I'll make sure to let you know.
Anyway, hope everything is going well with your new job. I'm sure you'll do great things there, John.

Talk to you later
Troy

1/14/08

Just thought I'd say hi; not a whole lot to report, besides it being COLD!!! Doesn't help that there's nothing out here to stop the wind from Syria to Baghdad . oh well...thats what snivel gear is for, huh?
Finished "In the Company of Heros" and "Clan of the Cave Bear." Both great books!!! Really enjoyed both of them; I've left them in the chow hall for other people to pick up if they want.
Will try to get the day light pics of the snow off my computer tomorrow if I get the chance. Also, I got a short little video clip on my camera of one of my buddies sledding!!! He took a sign of the back of a humvee and bent the corners up so he could put his feet there, and took off down the hill. its pretty funny, but probably too large to email. Most of the snow is gone...it lasted for about a day and a half, but now the only places it remains is where the sun doesn't hit. It was sure fun while it lasted, though. You should have seen all the infantrymen and their snowball fights! Good times.
The Battalion Commander stopped by our "humble abode" today. I guess Paul overheard him talking about trying to give coins to deserving Soldiers, and he dropped my name in his ear. So, later this afternoon he stopped by the aid station and presented me with a coin. Its pretty cool looking, too. Its the 2-7 Infantry Regimental coin. Now I've got one from my battalion, division and major command ( Lt Col , 2-star general, and 4-star general respectively.) My collection is growing, plus we'll all get one for the deployment. Paul was really happy that it worked out; he was really happy with how I was able to take care of my guys with no direct oversight since we left Hit. He was bragging to everybody we saw this afternoon that I got a coin from the BC. Kinda cool.
Other than that, not a whole lot going on right now. Will have a couple things to take care of tomorrow, but nothing too big. I've been slowly working at typing out an email (aka abbreviated version of events since we left Hit) but it is taking more time than anticipated. I'm not sure anybody will read the whole thing, but it'll be nice to have a record (if somewhat abridged) of events over the past several months. I'll get it out when I can, but there's still a ways to go.
Just got off the phone with Kristen before I sat down at the computer to write you guys. Not too many people out right now as it is COLD and the wind is really howling...makes guys tend to stay inside next to the heaters (like normal, sane people). She's doing well, and is trying to get ready for her next semester of classes. I guess U of I doesn't start till next week; seems late, but then again its been a while since I've been in college. Can't WAIT to get my degree finished!!! That'll be really nice to have completed that step in the process.
Speaking of completing processes, we're trying to get everything together for my paramedic recert; the packet you mailed off will help immensly, thanks for doing that! Looks like I may have to spend several days on KV to be able to go through some classes with Doc Brown so I can check off the necessary blocks. I'm definitely not opposed to this, as it'll be a great learning experience, plus it'll be the only real test of knowledge I've had since I joined the Army.
Well...I should probably head to bed. 07 comes early...

Love you guys more than fresh-fallen snow!
Troy

1/10/2008

Its been a long time since I last wrote, and as much as I wish this was a full update, I don't have the time. I am working on it, though. Since our computer time is limited, I have to type it on my laptop, put it on a thumb drive, and then transfer it once I'm in the computer room. It all works out, though.
I had to share these pics with everyone, though. Today started off cold and cloudy, but we didn't give it a second thought. I was originally told that I was to have a "down day" where I didn't have anything on the schedule. Those are few and far between, and are a much enjoyed break. However, this morning one of our NCO's stopped in the aid station and told me that we had a mission in 30 minutes...so much for a "day off." Our patrol consisted of checking out areas of interest out in the middle of the desert. Usually there's nothing but a whole lot of rocks and sand, though occasionally something is actually found. On our drive out it started raining, though it quickly changed to freezing rain. About 30 minutes later, there was no doubt about it...it was snowing!!!! That's right...snow in Iraq. I tried taking a couple pictures while we were out in the desert, but since everything is so monotone out there, the snow had nothing to contrast against. Our patrol lasted five and a half hours (which is a long time to sit in the back of a humvee and shiver), and it snowed almost the whole time. Nothing was really sticking at first, but it didn't take long for the ground to cool off and start to show a dusting of white. Its now many hours later, and the snow is still coming down. We're at an altitude of about half a mile, and things are cold enough that its sticking. I'll get a couple pics in the morning once I get up; from the looks of things, there will definitely be a layer of snow on everything.
Since my last email, we've moved several times; our current location is a train station in the far western Anbar province, which is a high wasteland. Its not mountainous, but there are plenty of large plateaus and hills in our area, though once you start decending towards KV everything levels out, and is flat for as far as you can see.
We're counting down until we start getting ready to move back to the States. Still looking at early April (I think) but of course that's always subject to change.
I wanted to get these pics out to you guys; we heard that they occasionally got snow up here, but not many of us believed it. Obviously, they were wrong! The weather has stayed cold for the last month, though the wind makes things even less enjoyable. Besides this snow, the only precipitation we've seen in the last 8 months has been a 5 minute shower that did nothing but turn the top layer of dust to mud.

I hope to email everyone again soon.

All the best
Troy

1/8/08

HAWKEYE!
Hey, my dad said that you called the other night wondering what I've been up to. Pretty much the same old crap, different location. Living in a train station, driving a lot through the open desert looking for bad guys. I know, I know...sounds exciting. Don't worry...its not.
Heard you got a new job!!! Congrats, man! That's awesome! If you get the time, you'll have to tell me all about it.
Sorry this is so short, but I gotta run.

Later, John
Troy

12/23/2008

Hey!
Finally had the chance to use the computer again. I got to our new home, only to be told that I was supposed to be on KV for our annual retraining event. So, the next morning I caught the convoy headed back down south. The training was actually a lot of fun, and I had a good time (except standing out in the freezing cold with none of my cold weather gear!) While I was there, we started talking about the upcoming events for 3rd ID and what it may mean for some of us. It looks like there is a lot coming up for us once we get back (starting in early 2009 for the "possible events"), and it got some of us talking about reenlistment. Some of the NCO's started talking to me about what I wanted to do, and some of them said that I really need to reenlist and go to a different unit as there are a lot of opportunities out there that we should be taking advantage of. Don't worry...I haven't signed anything yet!!! But, I've got the reenlistment NCO looking at a couple of things for me. I've pretty much decided that I won't reenlist unless they can get me Ft. Carson , Colorado and a slot in the flight medic school. I figure being a flight medic out there would be a LOT of fun, plus its a much easier drive than Georgia !!! And being right down the road from Brekinridge isn't a bad thing, either. We'll see...I still have to get him some stuff (like a copy of my paramedic card) before he can see what he can do. But I'll make sure to keep you guys in the loop before I do anything. It'd really only push me back about a year, plus it would get me to a base that I would love, doing a waaay cool job! I think it would probably help me get into med school and with those plans, too, as I would have more freetime to take classes and maybe even finish my degree before I get out of the army. Med school is still me end goal...not gonna change that one. I got to talk to our doc out here this weekend, too. Yeah...he just got me all the more pumped up about going to med school, and all the opportunities and residencies and how the scholarship program works. Sounds like a SWEET deal!

I got the first box today; its the one that had the salty jerky in it...not too bad, but definitely saltier than anything else you've made. It also had Da Turdy Point Buck, which I'm going to listen to after dinner. I may watch one of the Jeff Dunham DVD's tonight, too...depends on how tired I am. Its been a hectic weekend!
So our new home isn't too bad; we're living in a train station, much like the firmbase across the street from where we lived back in Hit. Its ok, but it means that we have to go outside to get to anything: bathroom, shower, chow hall, you name it. But, we're tough...we've survived this far, and a little cold isn't going to knock us down now! I haven't gotten my thermometer up and running yet, but I'll let you know what the temps are like when I do. I'm sure they're nothing like what you've got, though; too bad it doesn't measure wind chill! Most of us are still running around in just our uniform...the same thing we wore when it was 150 degrees outside...about 120 degrees warmer than it is now!!! But, I've got some cold weather gear in my bags that will probably be making more of an appearance here shortly.
The town is small, and we're pretty isolated, so there really isn't much going on out here. Its safer than where we moved from, so I'm sure you're happy about that. Of course, this place has its own unique "fragrance." This time we get to add sulfur to the usual aroma of feces. MMmmm...eau de Iraq ; I don't think it'd be much of a hit, though.
I just got back up here from KV this afternoon, and haven't done much unpacking. I've got 4, yes 4 giant boxes of coffee...and no coffee maker. But one of the guys has a coffee press, and I'm pretty sure I can get a water heater out in town, so we should be sitting pretty.
Other than that, there's not a whole lot going on. Tell everybody hi for me, and that I love them. Hope you guys have a great Christmas!!!

I'll try to call in the next day or two if I get the chance.
Love you guys!!!
Troy

New address

Hey all,
Troy is moving to another small base with a different company and platoon. New address is below. Thanks, Tim

SPC RUFFIN, TROY
B Co, 3rd PLT, 2-7 IN BN
UNIT # 73431
KOREAN VILLAGE
APO AE 09371-3431

11/26/2007

We actually had a semi-decent meal out here. We got turkey, roast beef and ham, but by the time I got to go to chow the turkey was already gone. I tried the ham (bad idea) and the roast beef was ok...so I filled up on mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. Yeah...talk about carbo-loading!

Christmas

I don't think we'll need anything to celebrate out here. I'm sure it will just be another day; missions as usual, which was just like Thanksgiving. Supposedly we're supposed to be moving shortly after Christmas, so we'll probably be packed up by then anyway. Seems like we just get settled in, and then they decide to move us again. Oh well...
Its actually starting to get kinda chilly around here. Its down into the low 40's at night...I think a couple of times its dipped into the upper 30's, but just for the night. Highs are probably upper 50's to low 60's still. You really notice the chill in the air when we're sitting on a rooftop overwatching the streets. Still haven't brought any of my "snivel gear" on the missions, but thats just because we usually walk around for a little while and warm up before we go and sit. In all honesty, I would probably take a knit helmet liner with me, though. Once we get set, we take our kevlars off and its pretty cold if the wind is blowing.
I can't think of any special requests for the package. Oh...actually, if you run across some of those hand warmers, a couple of those would be great. Other than that, I think I'm set.
I'm looking forward to getting back to Iowa. Glad that everything is going well there.

Things are kinda picking up around here. We've had some activity in the last couple of weeks that we haven't seen for quite a while. Its really got us back on our toes again. Everyone is ok; a couple of guys from the company we're attached to sustained minor injuries (especially compared to what they could have been) but I'm sure they'll be back in short order.
I guess we've got some big-wigs coming through sometime soon...so of course we've had to "tidy up the area." Doesn't make much sense, the whole country is covered in trash and garbage, and we're doing a police-call across our compound. Yay for brass.


Talk to you later, John
Troy

On the way back to the desert

Troy’s last few hours home are upon us. If you would like to see or talk with him before his departure you better drop him a line soon. Troy departs the Cedar Rapids airport at 0600 tomorrow morning. It will take approximately a week of traveling before he returns to his unit in the western edge of Iraq. Troy promises to keep us up to date as he finishes his tour.

As the Picture shows, we really enjoyed having troy in town

Promotion

It is my pleasure to announce that prior to his mid tour leave PFC Troy Ruffin was promoted. Troy has now earned the rank of Specialist. We are all proud of Troy for this milestone.

On the move

I got a phone call today from troy.

He has moved off of the front lines, and is currently resting up at Al Assad air base. He should move next to Kwait. From there he will fly to Dallas, and finally home to CID.

We expect him home on Wednesday.

9/27/07

Hey...I'm almost all packed up here, just have a couple things left to throw in my bad, and then I'll be all set to leave out of there. Got less than XXX hours till I hitch a ride to XXX, and from there begin the long journey home. When I start getting more information, I'll pass it along.
I'm wearing a brand new uniform, which looks waaaay out of place around here. Everyone else is wearing uniforms thick with dust and dirt from our daily activities, and here I sit in a bright, crisp uniform. I haven't worn anything this clean all year! Its kinda strange. I'm sure it'll get dusty/dirty on the drive tomorrow, so I'll pack a second one in my bag. It'd be interesting for people to actually see what we look like over here instead of the bright and shiny uniforms they see us wearing in the airports. But...they said we have to wear clean uniforms on our way home on leave. I'm not going to risk anything, so I've got on a brand new uniform, and one in my bag. Nothin's gonna stop me getting home!
Anything new in your neck of the woods? I'm sure I'll be spending a couple days at XXX, so I'll try and call sometime while I'm there.

Hope all is going well! Can't wait to see you again, John

Troy

09/13/2007

Can't wait, man!!! Tentative day for me to leave here is Oct 2. I figure travel time is probably 3-5 days. Will keep you posted, though.
Been getting your emails

Nothing too exciting out here, other than one of my guys burning his balls. Seriously...a flare was set off and it burned his thigh and penis/scrotum. Yeah...2nd degree burns, and his dick is on a long road to recovery. Probably will lose a large chunk of skin off his balls, too. But, gives him a great pick-up line: Hey baby, wanna see my war wound?
Anyway, should probably go...

On the move update

As I figured, things have changed regarding the move. We're still heading to the same general area, but my destination has changed a little bit.
From our company (B Co), our 3rd platoon is being attached to E Co (engineers) to help augment their capabilities. At first, the plan had been to have one of the E Co medics cover the platoon, and I would stay with Bravo to cover the platoon we would be getting from D Co. This, however, has changed, and I am now flying out Thursday (I think) to E Co's area of responsibility. I'm actually happy with this change, as I have done most of my missions with 3rd platoon; they all know me and are confident in me and my abilities, and I know how they work. I think this is going to work out in everyone's best interest.
My address is changing just a little; all that is changing is the platoon assignment.

PFC RUFFIN, TROY
B Co, 3rd PLT, 2-7 IN BN
UNIT # 73431
KOREAN VILLAGE
APO AE 09371-3431

Still don't know much about the area for which we'll be responsible, or specifics on living conditions. As so much of this is up in the air, and it doesn't appear that any more information will be passed down to us, I am taking the "worst-case scenario" standpoint and anticipating not having the chance to use the phone or internet after I leave here on Thursday. If that is the case, my next chance to use them will be when I arrive at one of the larger bases on my way home on leave. Still don't have a confirmed date yet, but I have been told I'll be on the first or second flight out for the month. Rough estimate is 6-10 October, but will have a more definitive idea when I start my travels back towards the States.
I have most of my gear packed for the upcoming move; just the stuff I need on a daily basis left to throw in my bad. I'm also stuffing my aid bag with as many extra supplies as it will hold. For now, it sounds like I may be close to one of the established aid stations, though I don't want to be caught without the supplies I need.
The nice thing is that I'll be running missions right up until I leave for our new "home." This is definitely helping the time pass quickly. I haven't been keeping a calendar or anything, but we should be right around the "halfway point" for our deployment. We've heard talk of our return date being anything from mid-March to early April; most of us have decided to take the latest date and shoot for that...if we return any earlier it'll just be icing on the cake.
Not much else to report from here. If anything pops up in the next couple days I'll pass it along.

Best wishes
Troy

On the Move

Hi everyone,
Not much new to report regarding the move. As of right now I'm slated to fly to our new base on the 4th of September, so its coming up pretty quick. We won't know much more until we get there; the first two weeks will be spent doing some recon of the area to figure out where they want to put all of the different units. From what we've heard, while at Korean Village (our initial destination) our living conditions will not be so great; more than likely it will be 80 men in a tent, limited showers, and in all reality no chance to use the phone or internet. Once we move away from the base, we'll probably be building our own little outpost for either a platoon (25 or so Soldiers) or company (approx. 150 Soldiers) sized element. If thats the case, we won't have phone or internet up for a while; initial estimates are 2 weeks to 2 months. So, looks like I'll be going to back to snail-mail for a while.
We have our new address, which can be used already as we will be arriving around the time the first mail makes it there.

PFC RUFFIN, TROY
B Co, HQ PLT, 2-7 IN BN
UNIT # 73431
KOREAN VILLAGE
APO AE 09371-3431

We're still trying to find some background on why its called "Korean Village," but from what we've been told, apparently it used to be the center of a large Korean population around the time of the Korean War. Not sure why anyone would want to move to Iraq, nor are we sure if they were from North or South Korea. We'll see if we get any more info when we get up there.

I'll write again soon,
Troy