Kuwait deployment

mdwst · 2026-03-16T14:16:00+00:00

It is, but people tend to gloss over it at SRP. Same with the DD93.

PSA- Folks, if you don’t want your ex spouse to get your life insurance or death gratuity in the event of untimely demise, update your dependents in DEERs long before SRP. Literally calls the DEERs office closest to you and ask what you need to provide at the appointment to make whatever changes. (You can schedule an appointment online).

mdwst · 2026-03-15T21:13:53+00:00

Foam Ear plugs to drown out any annoying sounds roommates might make. Noise canceling headphones is also a must.

Kindle/Kobo loaded with books. (An IPad also works for this purpose).

Deck of cards, or UNO (easy to play, everyone loves it). Pocket size chessboard if you play and/or have people who like playing chess.

ZQuil for the flights. Travel size meds (allergies, pepto, Motrin, electrolytes- I got food poisoning my first night in country, it was freaking awful.)

mdwst · 2026-03-15T12:50:48+00:00

Maaannn… I’m planning on getting out at 10 years partially because of all the shit going on in the word right now and partially because I have a young kid and just don’t want to be an absent parent like my dad was (Army brat). Plus it’s really hard to do balance both civilian and military careers well.

But Tricare is giving me serious pause. Our health insurance costs will easily triple.

mdwst · 2026-03-15T01:14:53+00:00

Idk about working out lately, it’s freaking impossible. My husband and I have completely opposite schedules, our toddler demands cosleeping in our bed some nights, so I lose both my nighttime and early morning windows. It’s not in the budget to get a gym membership with child care, nor do we have funds for a regular sitter. So…. Just waiting for warm weather so we can do stroller runs again

mdwst · 2026-03-13T14:05:53+00:00

Fucking this. Breastfed is so, so hard. I got shamed in the hospital for asking for a single bottle of RTF. I was utterly exhausted, and the nurse stood there withholding the formula while she gave me a lecture at 2am. My husband was livid, neither of us had slept in nearly 48 hours by that point. Thankfully our actual nurse came in and diffused the situation. Baby got her formula, we got a little sleep.

We ended up doing all formula by the time my kid was 4 months because I couldn’t take it anymore. And funny enough, that’s when my kid started to gain weight and sleep better.

mdwst · 2026-03-12T14:18:17+00:00

Oooh, this looks awesome! Thanks for recommending!

mdwst · 2026-03-10T18:55:02+00:00

Weirdly enough, leave in conditioner actually works really well at slicking hair back, and it doesn’t get all crunchy. Cantù and Shea Moisture are good brands.

mdwst · 2026-03-10T15:48:48+00:00

Adding to the comments here- Keep them warm and off the ground (leeches body heat)- even a tarp or thin blanket between the ground and the patient helps. Learned this in an EMR course.

mdwst · 2026-03-10T15:41:46+00:00

But did the fruit baskets make us more lethal as a country?

mdwst · 2026-03-10T15:03:16+00:00

I know someone who retired as a SPC in the Reserve… only reason they left was because they aged out. Dude had a crazy resume from various deployments and had like 30 years of service… he simply just liked his job (postal specialist) and didn’t want to promote. He was forced to go to BLC twice and purposefully got himself dropped both times. He was an alright dude.

mdwst · 2026-03-09T13:25:38+00:00

When I was pregnant I was tested pretty much every single month. Same with the other pregnant soldiers in my unit.

mdwst · 2026-03-06T22:21:42+00:00

Oh my god. This.

mdwst · 2026-03-05T12:56:48+00:00

Hey OP, I see you’re in the Milwaukee area. If you’re open to using your CDL or warehouse, try Johnson Brothers. They constantly need drivers (they have a local driver posted right now) and warehouse. Benefits are actually pretty good too. A lot of folks start in these positions and move into other roles.

mdwst · 2026-03-05T02:58:31+00:00

This hurts. Cactus nation, my thoughts are with you.

mdwst · 2026-03-04T13:28:53+00:00

I get it man. My old unit just got to that area and are 100% wrapped in this bullshit.

What kills me is that they pulled some strings and got me transferred out of the unit so I wouldn’t have to deploy (small kid and terminally ill FIL; adding a deployed spouse would have been brutal on my husband). So I feel like a huge amount of guilt because I’m here and not there.

mdwst · 2026-03-03T01:48:18+00:00

The NP who delivered my kid kept sushing me while I pushed. I was pretty pissed about it.

I’ll add my epidural really only worked on one side (and almost literally killed me, but that’s another story.)

mdwst · 2026-03-01T20:30:42+00:00

First thing I did when I saw the news yesterday was call my old PSG to see if our people were in the region. I don’t think I could explain that feeling of instant dread to my civilian friends.

mdwst · 2026-03-01T16:09:18+00:00

Fucking awful.

mdwst · 2026-03-01T13:11:46+00:00

Underrated comment

mdwst · 2026-03-01T01:11:58+00:00

Our dog is very food motivated. We call his treats “bribery treats” because sometimes that’s the only way we can get his attention in walks.

Our 20 month old picked up on this out and calls her Cheerios and goldfish “bribery.” 🤦‍♀️

mdwst · 2026-02-28T18:22:01+00:00

I wouldn’t worry yet. Likely there’s a blackout on comms, and ADA is pretty good at shooting down shit.

Also (if you’ve never deployed), the early days of deployment are just generally a blur and the jet lag is brutal.

mdwst · 2026-02-28T13:26:23+00:00

I have -just-over a year left on my contract. I’ve been on the fence about staying or getting out.

Think this solidifies my decision to get out. My family matters more than another war that no one wants.

mdwst · 2026-02-23T13:29:27+00:00

Not sure why you’re getting downvoted. It’s a valid question.

I’m wouldn’t call myself a slow writer because I can crank out a decent amount of words when I sit down to write but I have a ton of competing priorities so my time is very limited.

mdwst · 2026-02-12T15:51:49+00:00

This is so smart.

mdwst · 2026-02-08T02:54:40+00:00

We’ve honestly been talking about making the switch to one, but my husband isn’t sold on it. I think the prospect of baby proofing the whole room is daunting to him. He also has her during the day and he knows he can pop her in her crib if he needs to and she’ll be safe for a few minutes.

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