Scouts Out!!! (Short Response 5)

When asked to think about experiences I've had as a member of a team, my thoughts always go back to when I was in the Army. Being a part of this country's great military tradition was both an honor and a privilege. Knowing that the success of my team's mission helped in the overall mission of ensuring terrorist attacks never again happened on our own soil was reward enough. But the specific mission I want to tell you about today means something to me personally.



18 April 2003, I was serving Apache Troop 1st Squadron, 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment. We were deployed to Camp Golf located in the center of Al Kufa and An Najaf. Our mission objective was to locate and eliminate Sadr's Mahdi Army, which was responsible for the uprising of Shiites across Iraq trying to disrupt the New Iraqi Government. Although we had engaged in dozens of engagements, the one on 14 May 2004 had to be the one I recall the most vividly and accurately. This particular firefight lasted over five hours. It resulted in 30 Mahdi casualties and  0 American casualties. It was one of the few times we didn't suffer casualties. The way my team reacted that day is what allowed all of us to go home shortly thereafter.

At around 0940 hours, we were on our way to assist Charlie Company during their movement to the Karrar police station. At approximately 1145 hours we began taking mortar fire. We could not immediately identify the mortar position, as their were several buildings and landmarks in the surrounding area, including a huge cemetery. (The Shiites have above ground cemeteries and it they are considered holy ground to them.) My squad was tasked with scouting the area as a dismount team and locating the mortar position. I led my squad, consisting of 9 other joes,  covertly through the small town. we separated into 2 smaller teams and covered the east and west flanks of the cemetery, as we were unable to locate the mortar position in the town itself. My team, Team 1, had constant radio contact with the vehicles taking fire and Team 2, the other smaller squad. The trucks, armed with .50 cals and MK19 grenade launchers, had manged to take some cover and had neutralized 11 enemies. Team 2 had finished their sweep and and had eliminated 7 enemies. My squad swept around the southern most end of the cemetery and found the mortar position. Manned by 12 Mahdi, we engaged them, first with our fragmentation grenades, killing 5. The remaining 7 retaliated with small arms fire from their AK-47's. A strong weapon, but not entirely accurate. My team moved under fire and immediately killed the remaining Mahdi.

After months of having come to learn all there is to know about one another, my team worked quickly and efficiently to neutralize a threat. We moved, communicated and operated as a team. The fact that we had been constantly trained to react to this situation time and time again led to our overall success as a team, and as a unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Although our objective was to locate and eliminate, we all knew and understood that our main objective EVERYDAY was to go home safe and sound.

Scouts Out!

Short Response 4

My career. I've never put much thought into the whole choosing a career process. I mean, don't get me wrong. I think everyone should have a job, or a plan to get a job one day. I'm 28 years old, I've been with the federal government for over 10 years now, and I don't have a clue in the world about what I'd want to do as a career. Am I happy, sitting back and allowing my federal job to allow me to cruise through life? No. Am I ready to figure out what kind of work makes me happy? Perhaps. Do I know what makes me happy now when I do it, even if it's not a career move? Yes, actually.

I love to cook. Truth be told, I'm happier in the kitchen, or even at the grocery store picking out food, then I am just about any other time of the day. I plan my meals for the week, the week prior. I purchase groceries according to the recipes I've already come up with in my head. I don't even need to write them down.

Ideally, I'd love to live at the beach and go fishing in the morning and whatever I catch, well, that'd be the lunch special. It would just be a little taco hut on the beach. I could make fish tacos all day, serve them on homemade corn tortillas with fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, crumbled cotija cheese and a nice, cold Corona. BOOM!!! Winner.

I would work for myself and make my own hours. I'd be able to do what makes me happiest. Cooking for others enjoyment. 2 fish tacos and a Corona, $5.00. That's a surfers dream. Any beach bum would pay that! Hell, even the fisherman and lifeguards and beach police would benefit from Brian's Beach Tacos. I could sell sodas and water too, you know, for the kids...

So, I guess if given the opportunity, I'd want to be a beach taco sales representative and entrepeneur.

That's be the life for me...


See you on the sand!

Transitioning to "real" college

I think the transition from CCBC to the University of Baltimore would be a challenge, but successful. Since 46% of the student body focuses on Business degrees, and the school offers several academic support options, including; Accelerated program, Learning center, Study Skills Assistance, Honors Program, Tutoring and especially Veteran's Assistance to ensure that students are provided every opportunity to succeed as a part of their School of Business. Being a full-time employee and having to focus on night and weekend classes, finding a group of students that are in a situation similar to mine wouldn't be that difficult.

Short Response 3

Rites of passage are best defines as a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. A coming of age. Marriage. Death. Puberty. All considered rites of passage that include ceremonies, events that include three stages. Separation, transition and incorporation. These stages consist of a change in patterns of interaction between the individual and other members of society. Seeing as how this is my first real college experience, I will be telling you about my Army experience today.

This is my tale of my initiation into the Order of the Spur. I joined the Army straight out of high school. I was 17 years old, which that in itself was a rite of passage that met all 3 stages, but I will be focusing on the transitioning stage. In order to obtain your spurs, as a Cavalry trooper, you must be nominated by a current spur holder. I was fortunate enough to have had my former First Sergeant nominate me, since I was his driver/gunner. 1SG Hickey was a man's man. He smoked Marlboro reds, drank Budweiser, drove a high school hero Camaro and didn't need to impress anyone, because EVERYONE wanted to be like him. He wore his stetson and spurs whenever he wanted.

The act of earning your spurs is, in fact, the most difficult thing I've ever had to do in my life. It was basically a 48 hour hazing ritual. You went without sleep, without food, without fresh clothing and without showering, all while hauling around an 80lb. rucksack, Kevlar helmet and vest and your issued M-4 carbine assault rifle. We marched in groups to different stations that were all military based. Evacuate a casualty, personal camouflage, employ a claymore mine, issue a SALUTE report, employ chemical detection, land navigation and recite "Fiddler's Green". "Fiddler's Green", also known as the Cavalrymen's Poem, is the place where all "dead troopers camp, near a good old time canteen."  Your group must complete each task at each station in order to move onto the next station. The rest of you are "dealt with" until all members of the group have completed each task. This group of men I rode with, we all became friends, we shared a common bond. Years later, I ran into one of those guys in Iraq. He was with a different unit and we hadn't seen each other in about 9 months, but we shared a nod and went about our business.



After the Spur Ride, you are given your spurs by your mentor. It is explained to you what the spurs mean and stand for, the importance of why this event takes place, the men & women that earned theirs before you and the Cavalry troopers that took theirs with them to "Fiddler's Green". After that, I found myself standing a little taller in formation, marching a little straighter, calling out cadence a little louder. I made sure that I was more helpful to younger, newer troopers in the unit. Helping them with everyday workloads and assisting them in learning the details of our profession that count. I incorporated a leadership role, as my mentor had done for me, after obtaining my spurs. Something that I am, and always will be, proud of, something I can pass on to my sons or daughters. That event changed my life and helped mold me into the man I am today. I incorporate that feeling I got after earning my spurs into my everyday life, whether at work, school or out with friends and family. Even though we went through all 3 stages, being able to continually incorporate it, I feel, is the most important.

Short Response #2

OH MY GOD!!!!!

I remember this commercial to this DAY!!! I HAD to have a Yo-Yo Ball!!!

This appealed to me as a child, somewhere between the age of 8-12, sometime between 1990-1992. It was a yo-yo, that you couldn't really screw up. It wound itself. All you had to do was loop it around your finger and throw it at the ground, or up in the air, or at your little sister and it would come back to you. EVERYTIME!!! You could get it at every toy store, which in Baltimore back then was Toys-R-Us and Kay-Bee Toys. I was especially good at it because it is, in fact, a lazy kids toy. I remember having one because ALL my friends had one and we would all do Yo-Yo- Ball tricks with them. (Which, in reality, wasn't anything special...)

It appealed to kids because it was easy and fun to use. EVERYONE was using it in the commercial. It's marketed for boys AND girls, which showed an appeal to be a part of a group. You could yo-yo your leg, your friend, you could even walk up friggin' WALLS and yo-yo!!! This thing was NO JOKE!!! It actually made me think I could defy the laws of gravity and walk up walls and yo-yo!!! It made you feel like you weren't a part of the in-crowd if you didn't have one and that I could do unrealistic things. If you didn't have a Yo-Yo Ball, you were looked down upon in the yo-yo community. (Not a true fact whatsoever...)


Knowing what I know now, I can NOT, in fact, walk up walls while yo-yoing, or at all. I've tried and it is impossible.


I'll catch you on the flip side...


BK

Short Response 1 09/05/11 (#whatsinaname?)

What's in a name?  - Shakespeare


My name is Brian Patrick Kinlein. I was born on November 23rd, 1982. I was my mother's first child, my father's second. My father originally wanted to name me Colt. Yeah. Colt. I know. Not as in Colt 45, or Colt revolvers and handguns, but because my dad, Mike, wanted his son to have an unusual name. Thanks, by the way, Mom...I'm the first Brian Patrick Kinlein in existence. I've Googled my name several dozen times, and still continue to be the one and only!!!

My mom, JoEllen, likes the name Brian. I wasn't named after anyone famous or even well known at that time. My middle name, Patrick, was the name of my mother's youngest brother, who passed away of Leukemia before my frst birthday. I like, no, LOVE my name. I've known a few other Brian's in my time on this planet of ours thus far. In fact, I even work with another Brian!!! (Fancy that, eh?)

My core group of compadres tend to call me Mr. Trish...long story short, when I first started dating my girlfriend, Trish (obviously), she was on a co-ed softball team and they needed an extra player, but didn't bother actually ASKING me what my name was. I also, spent 4 years, 3 months and 8 days in the Army, where everyone there called me Kinlein, because my last name was ALWAYS on the front of our BDU jackets. Fact.

I have limited knowledge on my last name. I know it's of German heritage and was originally spelled Kindlein. I'm not sure when the actual change occurred, but there are some records of Kinleins in Maryland as early as the 1820's. I have both an older and younger brother that can speak, read, write AND comprehend German. I can not. I can do a pretty good fake German accent, like Mike Myers from the "SPROCKETS" skit form Saturday Night Live

My name means a lot to me. Brian. Patrick. Kinlein. Each part stands for something that has helped define me as a man in this world. It's a name that has good name rhythm and is fairly appeasing to the ears. Unlike SOME names...

There are some famous people that have also held the name Brian.

Brian Boru - 1st King of Ireland

(Seems pretty important to me...)

Brian Griffin - Peter Griffin's best friend

(another fairly important gig...)

Brian Wilson - Relief Pitcher, San Francisco Giants

(World Series winner...need I say more???)

So, all in all, I'd say the name Brian is a fairly important one to have.

I'll catch you on the flipside...

BK



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