Honoring the California Fallen

Army Corporal Brett W. Land, 24, of Wasco, Calif.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Oct. 30 in Zhari district, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

Honoring the California Fallen

Army Specialist Diego A. Solorzano-Valdovinos, 24, of Huntington Park, Calif.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 506nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Oct. 29 in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit on Oct. 27 with small arms fire in Yahya Khel district, Afghanistan.

Honoring the California Fallen

Army Specialist Ronnie J. Pallares, 19, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; assigned to 27th Engineer Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Oct. 23 in Andar district, Ghazni province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.

Honoring the California Fallen

Army Staff Sergeant Aracely Gonzalez O’Malley, 31, of Brawley, CA, was assigned to 307th Integrated Theater Signal Battalion, 516th Signal Brigade, 311th Signal Command, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. SSG O'Malley died Oct. 22 in Homburg, Germany, of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident Oct. 12 in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan.

TX Drivers...

First pictures of my new-to-me car were finally taken today. The downside...they were taken at the scene of an MVA. Yup, I have only had my car for a week and she has already been violated. Thankfully we all walked away and both cars are driveable, but it sure is frusterating. Looks like a new bumper and a new trailer hitch for me...

Lesson to be learned: STOP TEXTING WHILE DRIVING!!!

Weapons Training

This afternoon was a nice break from the monotony of the classroom. Most days here at the Captain's Career Course are spent in group lecture or in our small groups with PowerPoint after PowerPoint after PowerPoint...(get the picture?) Our afternoon was spent in one of the skills labs firing simulated M-4s. I loved it!!! And I was the second best shooter there! We are getting ready for an Army Skills style PT event which will include a "react to fire" event. Did I mention that I loved this?!?

Kelli and Chet's Wedding

Kelli and Chet said "I do" today at the Monrovia Historical Museum surrounded my friends and family. The ceremony and reception were awesome! Probably one of the most fun celebrations I have ever attended. And the food was the BEST reception food ever!!! In N Out Burger!!!!! Amazing!!!!!!

An added bonus was getting to see friends I had not seen in a while. Amy and Kristi were gracious enough to allow me to crash in their home. A mini KKYM reunion at the wedding itself. I had not seen most of my college roommates since just before deploying. It was nice to get to swap stories face to face and not on facebook.

Honoring the California Fallen

Marine Lance Corporal James D. Boelk, 24, of Oceanside, Calif.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Oct. 15 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Saying Farewell

I said goodbye to a trusted friend today.

We have been through sand, snow, and a lot of miles of open road.

After a great 6 years together she is ready to go out to pasture.

And sadly, we said goodbye...

Honoring the California Fallen

Army Specialist Rafael Martinez Jr, 36, of Spring Valley, Calif.; assigned to the 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Oct. 14 while conducting combat operations between Moqur and Darreh-Ye-Bum, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Sgt. Carlos A. Benitez and Pfc. Tramaine J. Billingsley.

Honoring the California Fallen

Marine Lance Corporal Joseph C. Lopez, 26, of Rosamond, Calif.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Oct. 14 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Honoring the California Fallen

Marine Private First Class Victor A. Dew, 20, of Granite Bay, Calif.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Oct. 13 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations. Also killed were Marines Cpl. Justin J. Cain, Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Rodewald and Lance Cpl. Phillip D. Vinnedge.

Horseback Riding on the Beach

Having a 4-day weekend away from my normal life in DC is awesome!!! Today was spent working out, doing laundry, and horseback riding on the beach. Yup, that's right! We went to Corpus Christi to see some of the sights and decided to see the beach via horseback. It was so much fun!

I know, you are jealous. Well, just jump in the car and head to Corpus Christi and South Padre Island. The weather is perfect for a little vacation from reality...

Sea World San Antonio

I love Sea World!!! I am convinced that every little kid at one point in their life has wanted to grow up to be an animal trainer.

Sea World is great as they allow each member of the US Military one free admission a year and since I am here in San Antonio with a Sea World just miles away I had to take advantage of the offer! My classmate Elena and I even got to tour behind the Azul show with the Beluga Whales.

A great day spent away from the Army world!

Kayaking

Today was spent enjoying more of Texas, specifically Austin. If I had to live in Texas and could pick what part I would choose Austin. It felt like a mixture between Santa Cruz and Seattle.

I spent the morning kayaking with friends from the Captian's Career Course and even found a rope swing. My attempts to climb high on the tree failed so my jumps into the river are pretty funny.

After a morning of kayaking we headed to a local weekknd street fair for a rattle snake and rabbit sausage/hot dog. It was delicious!!! The next time you are in Austin you should give it a try...

Honoring the California Fallen

Army Sergeant Brian J. Pedro, 27, of Rosamond, Calif.; assigned to 2nd Engineer Battalion, U.S. Army Reserve, White Sands Missile Range, N.M.; died Oct. 2 in Pol-e-Khumri, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

Staff Ride

Today's class time was spent walking the actual site of a battle that we have been studying. We were just outside of Sisterville, TX where we furthered studied the battle of Walker Creek. It was the first time the Comanche Warriors experienced the harsh reality of the Colt Revolver, a weapon that changed everyone's method of attack.

After walking and discussing the battle our instructors allowed us to fire weapons that were replicas of those used during the battle itself and some older ones. I chose to fire the flintlock rifle. I lined up with the watermelon that was placed the furthest away and was just high right. In fact I was the closest shot to that particular watermelon. Yeah me!!!