Preparations for deployment have started.

To prepare for the mission I have to follow a 3 week training course at the Dutch Army's Peacekeeping Mission School along with the 16 other candidates. The other people come from all military disciplines and vary in rank from luitenant to colonel. Turns out that the mission was as much a surprise to the school as it was to all of us. Normally you need at least a couple of months for a decent preparation. So with just 5 weeks till D-Day it wasn't a surprise that not all of the necessary information was available. I can tell you this is pretty frustrating because there's a lot to be done. Apart from training you need the proper vaccinations, gear and red tape sorted out. Fortunately we have a great group of guys and a gal and our instructors are doing their best to help us out.