Rugby Is A Mood Altering Activity

There hasn't been much of two things required for writing lately; time and motivation. The time issue is pretty obvious, there has been lots of travel. O, Maniac, and I are back at Dubs now, reunited with the original team. Everyone's got stories to tell, and everyone is fine... for the most part.

Mac and Cowboy have been key players in getting nearly everyone on the team into an exercise regimen called P90X that has yielded tremendous results for them. The change in the Cowboy is very visible. They are in great shape. O, Maniac and I were busy working with the ANP downrange until the day got pretty close, so we are in the worst shape on the team. Funny how that works. Most of the rest of the guys have lost all kinds of weight and are looking good. There are a couple of notable exceptions.

We won't talk about that, though.

Seeing the guys again is good. I have been the farthest flung from the team, winding up out east all by myself (no original team members around me,) so I felt a little out of place at first. I have also been wrestling with my anger and frustration with the overall American situation here. So my motivation to write has been low... when you don't have something good to say....

The original team has been working closely with the French these past few months, and so last night the French threw a little party for us. Our Sergeant Major secured some steaks and charcoal and the French brought a lot of French things, like different cheeses and baguettes and foie gras.

Most of the French are with the Foreign Legion. Legionnaires are really good guys, and all of the French soldiers are pretty good guys once you get to know them. There is a bit of a language barrier at times, but a lot of the French speak a little English at least. Some of them speak English quite well. We played some volleyball and then it happened; a rugby game broke out.

I played Rugby once in college as a stand in. I had no clue what I was doing. None of us knew what we were doing last night. A Foreign Legion Sergeant Major who is originally from South Africa coached us on it as we went along, and he was very patient and did a wonderful job.

We just knew that we got to tackle people.

It was more fun than human beings should be allowed by law. We wound up taking the net down on the sand volleyball court behind the FOB and just going at it. The Legionnaires were tough, but we finally wound up winning. I've got to try that P90X stuff, because the Cowboy runs like a squirrel on crack now. He's here, he's there, zipping around... running across wires... up and down the Hesco's... scoring "tries" (the rugby equivalent of a touchdown) and generally scooting about like a cocaine-enhanced arboreal rodent. He's got too much energy, and he's very quick. It has to be a great fitness program. It was hilarious.

Okay, I was kidding about the wire running and Hesco climbing, but the rest of it is true.

Everyone had a good time. Everyone wound up banged up, too. Injuries included various abrasions and contusions, bumped heads, kicked body parts, sand in the eyes, a couple of human bite wounds, a cut lip, and a broken big toe. Honorable wounds acquired battling against the French Foreign Legion on foreign soil. Now that's a good day of wholesome fun.

You can't help but have fun playing a game that includes something called a "scrum."

The team of guys from America beat the French Foreign Legion at rugby, but it didn't matter. Everyone had a good time, and we were all sharing a lot of laughs by the end of the evening.

This morning the doc told me that there's not much that can be done for my toe. It'll heal.

We still don't know exactly how we're getting back to Ft Riley, or exactly what day. Some of the plans briefed have included zodiacs, unicycles, and Radio Flyer wagons. I'm not concerning myself with it. I know that we are talking about a spread of a couple of days in either direction, not a year. Just another example of amazing staff work done by our joint services in the theater of combat operations.

Yes, God bless staff officers; every one.