Getting settled

We arrived at FOB Shank on the 13th of October early in the morning by C-130 flown lights out with the pilots wearing NVG's (Night Vision Goggles). The FOB itself is a lights out area. We immediatley received classes on the layout of the FOB and its standard operating procedures.  For the next 2 days we had aviation related classes.  On the 14th, we had our first IDF (Indirect Fire), usually a rocket or a mortar round land just inside the FOB.  We went to the bunkers and waited for the all clear.  I flew my first flight on the 16th.  It was a flight that took us out to the live fire range to test the weapons of the aircraft.  We shot 30mm chain gun, 2.75" rockets (Point detonating, Flachette, Smoke, and Illumination). We did that both day and night and returned to the FOB for dust/brownout landings. I flew again on the 17th for a local orientation flight that covered the area that we will be operating in.  It was a day/night flight and lasted about 4 hours.  We were routinly operating above 10,000 feet and using supplemental oxygen.  On the way back to Shank, operations called us that another IDF round impacted the FOB and we were sent to the area where they thought it had come from.  We took a quick look and saw nothing.  We then did a perimeter sweep around the FOB and returned for landing.  While eating a late dinner after the flight, we heard another loud explosion.  We were told that a person (enemy) exploded an IED while trying to move or emplace it nearby.  I will now have a day or two to get myself on cylce to take over as a AMC (Air Mission Commander) for a flight of 2 AWT's (Air Weapons Team - 2 AH-64D's) on the night schedule.