I was called up by my National Guard unit with my buddy, Josh. Luckily, we will be flying over to the Middle East together. I am glad that I will have someone to keep me company. Here are some photographs from my deployment ceremony: Stone Cold gets Mobilized for OIF

I was issued a uniform and helmet before I left, but they could not find a duffle bag or other equipment for me. GRRR. I guess it's tough to find equipment of a suitable size and weight for a polar bear to carry. Josh has informed me that they were able to secure an adequate supply of seal MREs to get me through the deployment. We'll see about that. I don't know if the Army truly knows how much I eat. Strangely enough, seal MREs are not the meal of choice for most of our soldiers so I might have lucked out in that department.