JRTC...I love Army acronyms

Because almost everyone I see and talk with in Texas is a Soldier or spouse, I've started talking in acronyms. The lingo that used to drive me crazy is now part of daily routine. I came to this realization while talking with Lindsay on the phone today, when I used an ancronym and there was a pause of silence before I thought duh....Anyway, Randall left for JRTC (Joint Readiness Training Center) in Louisiana last week and will be home between the 1st and 3rd of October. The training center provides the most realistic training opportunity for Soldiers aside from the training they recieve once down range (in the Middle East). The time they spend in the box (a designated area that looks like the Middle East with fake Iraqi soldiers) is very valuable because they run the missions exactly as they will once deployed. Randall is the XO (Executive Officer) of his company E FSC of the 1-5 CAV (that's Echo Forward Support Company with the 5th Cavalry). The XO is the "personel officer" of the company, and is second in command to the company commander. However, his second duty as the UMO (Unit Movement Officer) takes up most of his time. He's the guy who makes sure the right things get loaded onto the right mechanized vehicles, they go to the right places, and they are unloaded in the right way, ensuring they still have all the right goods. There's a lot more to it that I won't explain, and lots more that I don't even know, but basically that's his job. I make it seem simple but it's actually extremely complex and involves a lot of responsibility, paperwork, and organization, however thanks to the system we created late one night, it's going smoothly- sometimes. Unfortunately Randy's FOB (Forward Operating Base) doesn't have cell phone signal so we can't communicate. I did talk to him for about 2 minutes when he went down to the rail head (the place where they load and unload everything on and off of rail cars) on Wednesday. He said things were good but busy as usual. On the home front Penny and I are doing very well. She's a little extra ornery since Daddy is gone but we're making it. She's very good company and a great snuggler in bed at night.