The Joint Capabilities Tour (aka I can't believe I'm actually getting paid for this!)

Well, a week late, but as promised I am going to hopefully give you a little insight into my week-long adventure on the JCT. Essentially, the school sponsors a trip to various military installations in Australia so that we can 1) gain a better appreciation for the other services, and 2) cultivate relationships with our classmates. I can honestly say that it accomplished both, but I definitely took advantage of the social aspect of the trip. The title I thought was appropriate since, in retrospect, I really can't believe that I got paid to go on a whirlwind tour of Australia.

The trip started off early on the 10th of March. Up bright and early, I caught a 0430 cab to the airport and we were off to Brisbane. We landed and were immediately on our way to Royal Australian Air Force (RAFF) Base Amberley. It was a fun day of briefings and seeing static displays of what the RAAF equipment and capabilities.

This is me in the cockpit of a F-111C strike fighter. Unfortunately, they hadn't gotten the F/A-18F Super Hornet on the ground.

Made me almost want to join the Air Force....YEAH RIGHT! Give me some tanks and some hard-charging soldiers any day of the week.


That night, a group of us headed out to ChaChaChar Wine Bar & Grill for a late-night feast.
How do you prolong the experience? Put two Americans in charge of the bill(I think at this point Steve and I had counted the money three times.)
I can honestly say that I left there with an empty wallet and a full stomach. Good wine, great food and exceptional company!

Steve and I ended the night by walking through Brisbane and doing our best impersonation of an Australian (they all ride kangaroos, right?)

Truth-be-told, just a couple of dumb"yanks" doing what we do best...embarrassing ourselves.





The next morning it was up bright and early for our trip up to Darwin. My only comment is, if you ever want to punish someone...send them to Darwin. I thought Iraq was hot! Even the Iraqi student in my class was complaining about how hot it was.

As soon as we arrived, it was off to visit the Australian Army's Northern Command. That evening I played in my second rugby competition against the "Straycats." I'm surprised we made it through the game since we were all in a full sweat by the time we ended warm-ups. Did I mention how hot it was?

I have to be honest in saying that I love this sport. Heather isn't sold on the idea(she is afraid I'll get hurt). There is something great about stepping onto the pitch with a group of guys and knocking each other around for an hour or so. I have made some great friends. This is picture of my USMC classmate Toby. We have made a pretty good showing for the U.S., considering neither of us have played a day of rugby before in our lives. We are never without a cheering section since Steve can always be heard chanting "U.S.A.....U.S.A!!!!"

The game was followed by a night on the town with the class. The next day we were out in the oppressive Darwin heat for a visit to the Australian Army's 1st Brigade. That night it was another social outing with the class and an early night to bed for me.

Up at 0500 on my day off. I took advantage of our Saturday off to go fishing off the Darwin coast. By 0700 we were out on the ocean, lines in the water and a beer in hand. It was a great day. I even managed to win the gentleman's bet for the day with the largest catch(Pete, the guy behind me to the left, actually caught a small shark, but it didn't count for the purposes of the bet since we had to throw it back). After a long day out on the ocean, we brought our catch back to the hotel. They prepared it for us and we all sat down to a wonderful dinner of fish, chips(fries for you back in the States) and salad. It was a great way to end our time up in Darwin.


We spent the following day traveling, via Brisbane, to Sydney. We arrived late that night, and a group of us made our way to Chinatown for some late dinner. The next day we were off to the Sydney Harbor to visit the navy vessels there.

It was amazing, considering I had never been on a naval ship before. I kept referring to them as "boats," much to the dismay of my navy classmates. Here I am on the Sydney Harbor. (In true Big Head fashion my large head is blocking the Sydney Opera House) That night, we had wonderful evening out on Darling Harbour. Dinner at South Steyne(an old harbor ferry) followed by cigars overlooking the water.

The next morning we boarded a bus and were on our way back to Canberra. We stopped at Holsworthy Barracks and spent our morning with the 2nd Commando Regiment. By far the most impressive unit we visited and a great way to end the trip.

The greatest part of the trip was arriving back at the school and being greeted by my two princesses. No matter how much fun I had, nothing can replace the feeling of seeing my three girls.

**It has now been "5 hours" according to Heather since I started this post. I guess I will leave all the blogging to her until October when I head out on my trip to Malaysia/Singapore! That's right-I'll be getting paid once again to travel abroad -free of charge!

Cheers!

John