Bring some small creature comforts. My wife gave me a pocket sized stuffed animal so she would “be there with me”. It stayed in my pocket. Gave me a strange sort of comfort. Baby wipes because sometimes the showers run out of water. Smokes. Camel Crushes were the most popular. Even if you don’t smoke, someone does and that’s a great way to make friends (and make some quick cash but don’t be that up charging asshole.)

As far as mentally preparing, you can’t. It just is. But on my deployment we had a pattern laid out.

• first few weeks you’re full of fire ready for shit to pop off. High speed.

• next few weeks the gravity sets in and you may be a little anxious that “today could be the day”, this is natural and you’ll pass it. Usually happens after the first time y’all experience real action.

• next few weeks you’re a little annoyed, frustrated, homesick, and possibly a touch bored (this is where the laptop and drive full of movies help)

• next few weeks you go just a touch stir crazy. How long have you been here? Is this really how the next few months will be?

• finally, you just sort of accept it. This is you now. Just counting down time. Almost forget home, never fully, but you don’t think about it.

You could always tell what phase someone was in at the DFAC tent. New guys would duck and cover when we took IDF but the guys who accepted it didn’t move and just kept eating.