I remember that day. I remember all the troops processing in. I remember all the crates and crates filled with brand new desert brown uniforms all over the lawns by the barracks. I remember the buildings being instantly converted to processing centers with portable walls forming cubicles. I remember running around like a chicken with my head cut off at o'dark thirty that morning (and many others before that)when my company was picking up additional personnel from among those new veteran troops that were coming in.
I finally caught a break later that morning and went to the nearest PX to get something or other and I noticed that many of the people there were almost frozen in their tracks with their eyes glued to the many TV sets, all with CNN on them. I knew what was happening all along but it was just at that one moment that it really struck me (anyone who's been through it knows what I mean) that switch goe on and you say to youself: here we go again. I mean really and truly, here we go again. Within a few short days we were on our transports with all our vehicles and weapons being deployed to the middle east. Not much was said all the while we were enroute at least not much that I recall. I think we all slept as much as we could.
One thing I do remember that a short time after we landed, one of my Platoon Sergeants who had served with me in Vietnam said to me "Top, we're not in the jungle anymore". I looked at him and he was looking at some camels off in the distance while he was talking to me. That old duffle bag could crack a joke in the middle of a fire fight, and did many times.
Hard to believe it's been 15 years already!