Long time no blog

Howdy sports fans! Life is good.

Do have some bad news. Air Force MSG (Ret) Will Himes has passed away. Himes was instrumental in my decision to enlist. He was the guy with the most beautiful grass in the city. (Period) Himes retired from the Air Force around 1980 and never took a civilian job. He managed to own his home, and automobile when he was called. He loved to banter with the students from Carson Middle School, and he would often water his lovely lawn as the youngin's let out. Himes's last assignment was at Ft. Huachauca, AZ. I was`attending school there at the same time. On Friday's, we would carpool home, quaffing adult beverages along the way, discussing world affairs. Will Himes will be missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him. RIP MSG Himes!

Mr. Jesse is doing well, working at Pinnacle Peak and attending Pima full time. Berri is still having adjustment problems....more to follow.

Please everybody, have a safe holiday weekend and ...Have the bugler sound the charge!!

Mid Month November update

Hi everybody!
Quick update…… My e-mail address book and history have become corrupted, so I sent out a mass mailing after I re-constructed my address book. If I got you at an old or less favorite address please let me know.

Strawberri is going to come home on her mid tour leave some time in late November. She will be home about 10 days. More to follow.

“Doc” Robber was home a few weeks ago on his mid tour from Korea. That young man was looking good! A lean, mean, fighting machine. Robber has extended his tour in Korea for one more year! Gee 20 years old….in Korea….shucks, I bet I would have extended too.

Mr. Jesse is still attending Pima. His grades have continued to be outstanding. He, like I miss Strawberri a bunch.

I hope everybody has a safe and tasty Turkey day! Remember to toast “absent companions” at every get together.

Berri Armed

Mid Month Update

Greetings and salutations……….YeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaY!!

September finds Mr. Jesse and me suffering from the good old URI. (Common cold). Therefore, this weeks care package to Iraq and Korea will have store bought baked goods to avoid any possibility of infecting our troops. We ventured to St. David to watch Cath cheerlead. Gotta love a school that graduates 25 a year. The school is K – 12 and the cheer squad ranged in age from 6 to 18. The football is 8-man tackle and a fast-paced fun sport to watch. The Tigers won 60 to 20, beating a team from another 1A school called St Johns from another farming community near Safford.

Mr. Jesse is taking a full load of difficult courses, Chemistry, Sociology, German 3 and some math I cannot pronounce. Really, in my opinion, all you need is business math,,,,, “Buy low…..Sell high”. My very successful friend Stacy’s, quote… We have been following Santa Rita High School this year. My sister Pat, technically graduated from there, but the reason we follow them is Mr. Jesse has a friend who plays Offensive line for them. #60 James Bingle.

Found an interesting place to get a burger. Del Taco, a chain from the Peoples Republik of Kaliforina is a chain in the genera of Taco Bell. The do have a burger that tastes very much like the old “Bob’s Big Boy” and some interesting menu items, but the burger works for me. I still owe COL Wrenn an AAR on Mexican Hot dogs……Have not been out for them lately Sir, have not forgot my mission.

Arch & Crew (-)

Here are the addresses in case anybody would like to write to our troops

Sgt Phyllis Archbold
705th MP BN
294th ASMC
Camp Taji Iraq
APO AE 09378

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/al-taji.htm


PFC Robert Marshall
HHB 6th BN 37th FA
Unit # 15410
APO, AP 96224

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/6-37fa.htm

Some interesting links about our troops units / locations

Berri is in the Mix

08 Aug 09

Strawberri has arrived in theater. She is acclimating with her unit at one of the Remote camps in Kuwait. Her route took her from McCord AFB to Bangor Maine, to an undisclosed location in Germany, finally arriving in Kuwait, where she and her unit were driven (real fast) in a pickup truck, to the corner of Sunset and La Brea, where many employment possibilities abound….ooops wrong bit….

Berri’s adventure began in May, when she reported for duty at Ft. Jackson, SC. After processing and such she was moved to Ft. Sam Houston (San Antonio) Texas. At Sam, Berri was brought up to date in modern field medical craft. Her next stop was Ft. Lewis, WA. Here she linked up with her unit and participated in collective training. Berri, who served her entire time in the active Army, was assigned to the Iowa National Guard. Her ultimate destination is Iraq, however, the time in Kuwait allows the Soldiers to try to get used to the three digit temperatures. I spoke with her today, and her morale seemed high. Throughout this deployment, she has kept an outstanding attitude. Godspeed!

Our other Army medic, Doc Robber, is doing well in Korea. Both of our Soldiers maintain (kinda) a presence on facebook. Robber has visited Seoul and participated in a world record setting softball game.

Kudos to all American forces, world wide!

Friends,

In addition to enjoying a day of grilling, family and friends, please pause for a moment to reflect on the brave men and women who gave all to preserve our freedom to do just that.

SGT Solomon Johnson Cold War RIP

SGT Arthur Jackson Desert Storm RIP

This link lists all of the fallen from Operation Iraqi Freedom:

http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/

Off post weenie roast

Doc Arch back on active duty!

Well, Berri has been back in uniform about three weeks now. She in processed and drew uniforms at Ft. Jackson, SC. Then jetted to Ft. Sam Houston, TX for refresher training. It is not all work, so far, Berri has visited Myrtle Beach, SC and the River Walk in San Antonio, so far, so good.

Her mailing address follows:

SGT Phyllis A. Archbold
HHC 232nd Medical Battalion
3155 W W White Rd.
BLDG 1375 Room 102
Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234

She's Back!

Strawberri....oops Doc....is back in uniform. At least she is not wearing that ugly Frog Beret! It will be a week on Sunday, and Jesse and I are holding up ..so far. Otherwise, not much to report. Doc Robber is still proudly serving in the land of Kimchee. Life goes on. Berri will be heading to Ft Sam Houston, TX for a bit of refresher training before heading to Rag - Head land. More to follow!

Arch and Crew (-)

Doc Arch

34th Infantry Division

Deployment nears!

Strawberri’s rendezvous with destiny approaches. She is starting to get that “deer in the headlight” look in her eye. She will jet to Ft. Jackson, SC, on Sunday, 3 May, 09 More to follow.

I wanted to take a moment and thank everybody who attended Berri’s going away last Tuesday. Although the weather was a bit warm, a good time was had by all. Strawberri was moved by the show of support! Thanks Again!

No major news from our other deployed Soldier. Doc Robber is still in Korea doing what Soldiers do. At last report, he had visited the capital city of Seoul, and avoided landing in jail. So that is defined as a success for a young Soldier…all right, you got me…ANY Soldier…

All other things are going well. We are going to jet over to San Diego to smell some ocean air, eat some decent German food and sleep in a strange bed, wink, wink!

I will do a blog page after our mini vacation, so more to follow!!

BAD NEWs

Bad week…….We had some uninvited guests on 31 Mar. Persons unknown entered Rancho de Gringo Loco and took Berri’s laptop, three of my heaters and various sundry items. The burglary took place betwixt 1230 and 1640 hours. The Jesse left for school at 1230 and Berri arrived home from work at 1640. The Police officer told us that there has been a dramatic increase in daytime burglaries. Some comfort, we are part of a popular crime wave!

No news from Doc Robber. I am speculating that he is in a state of alert, given the events in Korea as of late.

Doc Robbers snail mail is:

PV2 Robert Marshall
HHB 6th BN 37th FA
Unit # 15410
APO, AP 96224

Berri continues her physical and mental preparation for her return to active duty. The burglar should thank his lucky stars that he /she had left prior to her arrival…she is a better shot than I am. We are in the planning stages of Berri’s farewell drunk. The tradition in the barracks is to get rip-roaring drunk on the night prior to a deployment. Berri was not a barracks rat as long as I was, however I believe a send off is in order. More to follow!

Arch & Crew

P.S. I am offering a reward of $500.00 for info leading to the arrest and conviction of the offenders. Or the return of my heaters

End of Feb update!

YeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaY!

Robber got his assignment. He is in 6th BN 37th FA, which is a MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) unit. He has yet to give up his snail mail address, however I will publish it here when I get it. As an old "red leg" I am thrilled that Doc will serve with a high speed unit! My happiest times in the Army were in the FA (Field Artillery) and the ADA, (Air Defense Artillery) both patrons of St. Barbara.

Strawberri is preparing for her activation. Every other day she goes to a track or park and put in some miles. There is no doubt in my military mind that she will do well. She has been taking correspondence courses even before the call to duty, so she is pretty current with her MOS(Military Occupational Specialty) skills. Her initial entry will be at Ft. Jackson, SC which is where she first entered the Army and completed Basic Training.

Mr. Jesse continues his education at Pima. He is still employed at the Nemesis Game Store a labor of love for him.

I have joined "Facebook". I am not social networking, it is an easy way to stay in touch with Doc. Fee free to add me to your friends if you like.

Till next time!

Arch & Crew

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Well time fly’s when you are having fun! Berri has overcome her shock and has started to get ready for her upcoming deployment. We have been going to the track at Santa Rita High. She even has me and my fat ass moving a little.

It is funny, every time in the past, Berri was the one left home. I am starting to understand family member anxiety. Little things, like I have to learn how to pay the bills, budget the funds, etc. Laundry? Guess I had better find me a Chinese Laundry. Moreover, she said something about running a vacuum…….

On a positive note, Doc Marshall (Robber) arrived safely in the land of Heated floors, sliding doors and…….well you know the rest…….

Cathy Marshall’s team, the St David Tigers, made it to the ladies State Basketball tournament. The bad news is they were defeated in the second round

Well….more to follow……..Have the bugler sound the “charge”…..or lariat advance ….

Big Yeaaaay to the Lady Tigers!

St. David Lady Tigers take Region!
The lady Tigers defeated St. Gregory last night to emerge the 1A regional Champs. This victory earns the lady tigers a trip to the State tournament, next weekend in Prescott,AZ. What is the connection? Well Robbers sister Cathy, is a proud member of the Lady Tigers . Pictured above with Strawberri, Cathy was tall then and still growing. Cathy's talents and not limited to the court. Her musical ability is awesome! The young lady can play piano along with just about any instrument you blow into from flute to sax or trumpet. Cathy belongs to a traveling Jazz band who will be touring Europe this summer. On top of all that, she can cook. Furthermore, her grades are amoung the best, so needless to say I am a proud Uncle. I feel bad for giving Robber so much press time here in the blog and not mentioning Cathy, who is quite a young lady! I hope this entry levels things out!

Flicks of our Soldiers

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

Berri Re-called!
Strange things happen. The Army has seen fit to Re Call SGT Phyllis A. Archbold for a period, not to exceed 400 days, unless extended. Strawberri last served on active duty in 1992 with the 326th MED BN, an element of the 101st Airborne Division. As not to violate OPSEC, I will provide no more info on dates and locations in this format.

After she stopped cussing like a Sailor, Berri has come to grips with her orders. She will do fine. Jesse is not thrilled about this idea. Me, I understand orders are orders and a Soldier grumbles about an order he / she does not agree with, then does his / her damnedest to carry it out. However, are we to a point where we need 48 year old troops who have been out 17 years? More to follow.

Robber deploys

The newest Soldier in our Clan, PV2, (Doc') Marshall got on a bird for the trip to the Republic of Korea. All I know at this point is that he arrived alive. He will in process and be assigned a unit next week. More to follow.

YeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaY!!!!

I checked out the blog and really could not believe I have not written since July. Here is what went down:

Mr. Jesse... Is doing well. He works and attends Pima full time. His first semester grades were off the charts. And all is well in his world.

Jump Start...got the paperwork figured out and Dr. Shah zapped me 5 times at max current...still no luck. Did bite through my lip. The short term solution is coumidin, which means no booze :( .. In the next year or so, we are gonna snake a wire into me ticker and do a procedure called Radio Frequency Ablation. What is this you ask? Here is a link.

http://www.northshore.org/clinicalservices/cardiology/treatment/electrophysiology/procedures/default.aspx?id=3681&source=overture

Robber... is now a full [Photo]fledged Soldier. We got to see his graduation at Ft. Sill Oklahoma. Brought back some old memories. I was at Ft. Sill in 1978. PV 2 "Doc" Marshall is here in town for about 1 more week. He is serving as a home town recruiter. This assignment allows deserving Troops time at home without burning leave. (Needless to say, I never qualified) Doc is en route to Korea, the land of sliding doors, heated floors..and you know the rest. I never had the pleasure of a Korean tour, so I had little information. No doubt he will do well!



I have a different job, still with CITI, however now instead of CITI cards, I work for CITI mortgage. Much more difficult however quite rewarding. Got a 10% pay raise and lost my 10% weekend differential, so it was a wash. The work is truly challenging, and most of my peers are displaced loan officers. Plus we are modifying mortgages for folks having difficulty, so the position is recession proof.
More to follow.....no promise of when......Till next time!

Arch

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Haw!

News from Ft. Sill! PVT Marshall qualified with his service rifle as an Expert. This is no easy feat. Therefore, I guess he is in about week four. Back in my Army days, I could qualify Sharpshooter if the wind was right and my scorer liked beer. Now, the pistol, well that is a different story. Of course, now the scorer is a machine and they do not take bribes... L

On the medical front, I guess I failed the “wallet biopsy” and my heart zap was canceled. Now in typical military fashion, the night prior to the canceled procedure, I come out from work (at 1815) and have three messages on my machine. The Air force got the referral to Tricare, who got it to Doc Shah, and they wanted to proceed Tuesday (tomorrow). Had to opt out of that, Strawberri had already notified her boss that she could work, so more to follow. I am in no hurry to get the jumper cables hooked up again! Except of course…for the good dope!

Otherwise…not much else to report. A major thunderstorm knocked down nine power poles on Escalante near Kolb (about one mile from “Casa de Gringo Loco”) Funny, we did not lose our power. Our Cable / Internet were down most of the night…Go figure.

We will be attending the Graduation on 22 Aug 08. The last time I was at Ft. Sill was as a PVT in 1978. I will report any major changes! In case you are wondering, the photo is a M-109-A6 Self Propelled Howitzer. When I was a young Soldier I was assigned to the 1st BN 3rd FA and we had this guns Grand-daddy, the M-109-A1 .

Till next time!

Arch & Crew

Update on Robber

Robert's long awaited letter has finally arrived. His address is as follows:

PVT Marshall, Robert
5001 NE Rothwell St
Unit F-3
Ft. Sill OK, 73503-8019

http://sill-www.army.mil/434/bct%20main.htm

Robert requests that you write the number "3" on the back of the letter and to circle it. I asked if he took an apartment, however it looks like the post office wants a physical rather than a unit address.

So far so good. He thinks his Drill Sergeant is an A$$-Hole which means that some things remain the same. Had he said that the Drill was a kindly, understanding gent, then I would worry. Best of luck to our newest Soldier Trainee!

4th of July looms. Lots of stray dogs out and about tomorrow night. The explosions scare them. Arizona outlawed fireworks years ago, yet every 4th and New Years it sounds like Baghdad out there. All you gotta do is drive 150 miles to the New Mexico state line to score. On the other hand, if you are gutsy, you can cop in Nogales, but you gotta clear customs and all that entails.

No change health wise. Get a jump-start on 15 July...only good thing about that is the narcotics! Am still medically dry so I gotta get my "buzz on" somehow.

Gotta rock, write Robber a short letter, and participate in my poll...Last poll winner was Mary-Ann...matter of fact, she got both votes.......

Till next time,

Arch & Crew

Yeaaaaaaaaaaay!

Same players, different day!

Gotta love it, the three digit days are back... 107 yesterday. Kinda reminds me of Kuwait. The white whale has been spotted at North side Pool. That is a joke in its own sense. North side Pool was built in the 1930's by the WPA and named on its location in the city. Tucson has grown and sprawled out so much that “North side Pool” is probably better described as mid-town at best. For the record, its in Himmel Park. Back in the early 70's Himmel Park was famous (or infamous) for Hippy Hill...AKA the Tucson Drug Supermarket. A few years back, the pool was totally refurbished. Gone are the high dive that probably contributed to my fear of heights. The “Hippy Skum” have dwindled down to a hard-core cadre of homeless bums who moved towards the Downtown area. I will say, anybody who wants to be homeless in Arizona is either tough or stone cold crazy.

No news on Pvt Marshall yet. (Robber) I am surprised that the gentlemen in the Smokey bear hats did not make them write home on day 1. I guess its a new Army. These lucky troops now do not have to shine boots. Damn, I remember sneaking my boots on Fire-Guard to try to meet Drill Sergeant Monroe's high standards of boot shine. Guess I was in the “Black Boot Army.” Things have gone full circle. The old NCO's, when I was a pup, used speak fondly of the “Brown Boot Army” and that we were all candied asses. I am sure the “lifers” training Robber are the pups that Guys like SFC Miller and I raised.

Well, till next time:

Arch & Crew

Update!

Robber Reports!

My nephew, Robert, reported Monday to Ft. Sill, OK, to begin BCT, (Basic Combat Training) June, July and August are not ideal months for such endeavors. Of course , as Soldiering is an outdoor sport, no weather is ideal. Ft. Sill is the home of the Field Artillery, and as such has a lot of tradition and pride. Robber will do well! I will post any updates about this young Soldier as they arrive!

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Went to the sawbones yesterday.. Gonna do another "jump-start" last week of July. In the mean time, I will be using a drug called Amiodarone to increase the odds that the zap will work........more to follow.

Racing Update

Strawberri had a really good night on Monday! She picked the first half of the Twin Trifecta, and a regular Trifecta in the next race. She is really starting to get it.

Take it Over, the puppy extraordinaire, won the $20,000.00 Jacksonville Puppy Stakes. The race was a nail biter, and Take it Over proved his mettle. Check the link, Take it Over is wearing the "3" Blanket.

http://www.jaxkennel.com/high/607200811e.wmv

Ocean Beach

Well, we have returned. Our latest visit to the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia was a success. On Tuesday the 3rd we watched the Chicago Cubs destroy the Padres. We took the train in from Old Town. Given the parking prices, the train makes sense. In fact, we do not rent an auto anymore, just taxi in from the Airport and buy a multi- day pass on the local transit.

http://www.sdcommute.com/eStore/DT/Default.aspx

Another reason we do not get wheels, is the abundant and varied fare available in OB (Ocean Beach) restaurants. Within an easy walk, you can find Italian, Mexican, German, Kalforniese, Fish, Chinese and Establishment, otherwise uncategorized. Our real reason for this vacation spot is in addition to the food, the village has an easy 20 bars within staggering distance. Now that I am medically sober (drat), I just come for the salt air and of course the food. Strawberri was able to imbibe an adult beverage or two, and the water was too cold, even for the White Whale...

My nephew, Robert, has enlisted in the Army. He leaves for basic on Sunday. Going to Ft. Sill, OK, a place I know well. More to follow on the adventures of Robber!

Arch & Crew

Memorial Day, 2008

Today is the day we gather and roast wieners, quaff beers and re-hash the Indy 500. This year, with gasoline prices at record levels, many of us are opting not to travel. I do have a suggestion. Visit a cemetery. Odds are that a local patriotic group has placed flags on the graves of known veterans. The number of flags always amazes me. Many of our friends, family and neighbors served this great Nation of ours in both peace and war. To these folks we all owe a non-repayable debt. Remember the fallen, and thank a living vet. A simple “Thank you" will do more than you might think. We all have our differences about current events, however lets keep the troops and vets out of it. We served Commanders in Chief of both parties. Have a safe and Happy Holiday!

Arch & Crew