A number of months ago I posted an email by a friend of mine, CPT Chris Myers. CPT Myers is finishing up his deployment in Afghanistan. He has a gift for prose and real talent at humor through sarcasm. I love reading his emails and enjoy sharing them here. This is his most recent email as he prepares for redeployment.
Dispatches from the Front Lines: 21 February 2010 - By CPT Chris Myers
21 February 2010
Kabul, Afghanistan
Salaam from Camp Phoenix, Afghanistan, where I find myself once again, gradually coming full circle enroute to redeployment at Fort Stewart, Georgia and, eventually, back home to San Francisco. In a way, it's hard to believe that I first arrived here in June, but lo and behold I've been in Afghanistan eight months now and you know what that means--time for Jay Leno to force me out of my job. Not much has changed here since I relocated to Camp Alamo back in August. Things are a little calmer, that's for sure, and there are fewer extraneous people lurking around--at least until the 48th Brigade's replacement unit arrives here in full force. Still, with nothing official to do until I board the plane out of country (any day now!), I once again find myself in the position of being a deployed soldier without a job to do. I am currently sitting in front of a computer, surfing the web and writing long-winded e-mails; proof that, even in the direst of circumstances, if you give an American Studies major enough time, he will eventually find a way to get paid for doing nothing.
>> Memories Can't Wait
With this experience preparing to fade into the rearview mirror, I suppose now is as good a time as any to look back on the past few months of life during wartime and fill you in on some of the details before they get lost in the blur of my impending post-traumatic stress disorder. Happily, I encountered very little of what one would consider dangerous, exciting or dramatic in terms of serving in an overseas warzone. Good for the mind, body and soul, I suppose, but it will leave me severely wanting when it comes to ripping-off a good wartime yarn. So if you ever hear me start rambling-on about the time "me and the platoon took the hill amid a flurry of dust, gunsmoke and bullets," you can be pretty sure that I'm snowing someone in hopes of either getting a free drink or getting laid. Possibly both. And since I'll be looking forward to those two things upon my return home, you can expect that hill-taking story to be a doozy.
In reality, though, my job (and I did, eventually, get a real one) may not have been the most dangerous, glamorous or exciting, but it was, by turn, both challenging and frustrating--and in the end, hopefully productive. Explaining this should probably involve alcohol, so for those of you who still need the prompt to drink while reading these e-mails, go ahead and pour yourself something now. The rest of you can use this opportunity to freshen-up your beverage and brace yourself for the next few paragraphs, which you will likely find ponderous, mundane and occasionally frustrating, but that I will try my best to enliven and infuse with interest and excitement. It will not be unlike this past season of Notre Dame football, so those of you who were able to endure that fiasco should have no problem getting through this, and because of such experience, you likely haven't stopped drinking since, oh, the fourth quarter of the Michigan game.
>> Road to Nowhere
As mentioned, I left Camp Phoenix in August, when it was eventually agreed upon by the Powers That Be that my role as an IRR recall would best be filled by occupying a job that actually existed, as opposed to one that they continually hoped would come into being. The politics of this are tedious and it involved a lot of high-ranking officers pleading their cases as to why there should or should not be a separate 48th Brigade staff in addition to the larger Joint Task Force Phoenix staff that was already in place. For my first two months in country, I was the de facto 48th Brigade Staff S6 (communications officer), but our Brigade Staff had not been approved as a separate entity, so literally, it was a non-existent job as far as most people around here were concerned. It was kind of like asking someone how they make a living and they reply, "I'm a blogger." I got the smile, a little laugh and a head-nod, followed by, "No, really, what do you do?"
I will say, however, that working at a non-existent job was a unique experience. Daily, I would report to the 48th Brigade's makeshift office, where the Brigade staff--all of whom also occupied not-officially-recognized jobs--huddled about and did things in the anticipation that, one day, Someone of Importance would see the error of their ways and officially bless-off on not only our existence, but dammit, our necessity, too. The novelty of this wore-off quickly, though, when it became apparent that inevitably we would all get farmed-out to other sections, locations and existing positions that needed our services, and no one really had much respect for the fact that we were trying to create our own little universe. As the weeks dragged on, there was palpable disdain between the hoity-toity Task Force Phoenix staffers and the annoying little revolutionaries of the wannabe 48th Brigade Staff. That's over-dramatizing a bit, but people actually got into heated arguments and fights over this--and these were people serving together on the same base in the same goddamn unit.
>> I Wish You Wouldn't Say That
The tedium of it all reached its zenith during a particularly sweltering August morning. Some of us on the fake-Brigade-staff were asked to attend a meeting to discuss long-term plans for the unit that would replace us in the spring (yes, planning actually starts that early). This was going to be a long, laborious meeting of vague ideas and unspecific plans--the kind of meeting that you don't have to be at but you're asked to go to anyways. There were about 30 of us crammed into a makeshift conference room of a wooden hut. One air conditioner did its best to cool the room, but everyone was drinking coffee (it started at 8:00 am) and within five minutes of "Let's get started now...," we were all beading with sweat. The affair kicked-off as virtually every military meeting is wont to do--with a parade of ponderous PowerPoint slides, apparently built with the hopes of conveying simple information in the most complicated way possible. The soldier giving the presentation clearly spent weeks preparing it--little arrows would slide in and out on pertinent text, and different parts of maps bulged into hyperfocus on his well-rehearsed mouse clicks--and when the final slide blessedly dissolved into view ("Questions?" in 48-point Helvetica, with a spinning question mark behind it), ninety minutes had passed and everyone looked ready to die.
I'm pretty sure he was talking about geography and different areas of operation that the incoming unit would be occupying. At least that's what he started out discussing. By the eighth slide (Header: "Geographical Concerns: Discussion") I began molding my oversized Styrofoam coffee cup into a square at the brim. Over the course of the impending geographic discussion, I found that, with careful handiwork, you can actually change an entire, circular Styrofoam coffee cup into a four-sided square without cracking the sides at all. You have to be patient, but if you are ever stuck in a five-hour meeting that does not require your participation, that is one way to pass the time. For general-use purposes, here are some other activities that can fill five hours of the day:
- Reenact "The Godfather" epic in your head. You can get to the scene in "Part II" where Moe Greene dresses-down Fredo in the Vegas hotel.
- Run a marathon in your mind. You'll even have time to warm-up and cool-down, and if you've done the San Diego Rock N' Roll Marathon, every nine minutes you can envision passing a U2 cover band playing "Vertigo" or "Mysterious Ways."
- Reimagine the classics. I got through the first half of "Alice in Wonderland" pretty straightforward, but at the mad tea party, I substituted the March Hare and Dormouse with Howard Roark and Lady Macbeth.
- As best you can remember, retake the Myers-Briggs Career Survey in your head, and then imagine yourself doing the most bizarre job that the results spit-out. Your imaginary life manually fertilizing livestock will have the hours flying by.
Alas, in the sweltering conference room hot-box, the hours did not fly by. Only about eight people at the meeting talked, and when they did, they tended not to stop until they were interrupted by someone else, who would then drone on and on until interrupted. By 11:00 (hour three by the clock, or the scene where young Vito sings to himself at Ellis Island before the dissolve to Anthony's First Communion), a look around the room indicated that everyone's soul had been summarily destroyed during the course of the proceedings. It was only now that things got somewhat interesting--enough to rouse everyone out of their stupor.
At one point during the fourth hour, frustrated by the lack of progress on anything, the Brigade S3 officer (another IRR recall tending-to a non-existent job) got annoyed at the continued discussion of brick-and-mortar building projects. He interrupted the guy who was talking and stated, "Oh, the hell with it. Sometimes I think the engineers are on the moon." Judging by the shared laughter, this was the most amusing thing said all morning, and it surprised me that so many people were actually paying attention to hear it. To me, though, it was a rather poetic image. "The engineers on the moon." Kind of sci-fi-mysterious, like the title of a Brian Eno album. Anyways, it stopped me from molding my coffee cup for a moment and I pictured little men with slide rules, bounding up and down in spacesuits on the cool, lunar surface.
The other remark was by far the best thing I've heard during the entire deployment, and the fact it was uttered publicly, amongst superior officers and in mixed company, illustrates the end result of a five-hour meeting where nothing gets accomplished. The Joint Task Force Phoenix S6 officer (the S6 job that actually existed) did not mask the fact he was annoyed at having to sit through four hours and thirty minutes of bullshit to eventually give his presentation, nor was he particularly pleased at the plans that the previous speakers had presented. In a rushed summary of his talking points, he said that all the plans had problems, pretty much none of them would work and "the whole thing is an abortion on rye bread."
THAT remark got everyone's attention, and an audible group gasp led to a rare moment of silence. The lone female soldier in the room looked physically ill after hearing it, and the rest of us had our mouths partially agape, as our brains still processed the words "on rye bread." Within ten minutes, the meeting was over. It was as if a tacit, collective agreement had been reached that nothing of any sense or value could possibly be discussed in the wake of that comment. As we peeled out of the room, the Brigade S1 officer (another IRR guy, another non-existent job) turned to me, exasperated but smiling, and said, "That comment made the entire meeting worthwhile." I'm not sure about that, but it did pretty much sum up my two months here at Camp Phoenix.
>> Found a Job
Eventually, news of my daily routine of reporting, Bartleby-like, to a job that wasn't there finally made its way to the Camp Phoenix headquarters, and the general in charge wisely decided to end this charade by relocating me to nearby Camp Alamo--a base that was about to lose its (real, existing) S6 officer to redeployment. After a few terse e-mails between full-bird colonels, the deal was done and I reported in mid-August to quaint Camp Alamo, home of the Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC) Mentor Group.
As you've seen from the pictures (they're on Facebook; e-mail me if you can't access them), Camp Alamo is a pretty small base here in Kabul, and when I arrived, only about 120 people called it their home. My S6 position there was a two-fold responsibility: As communications officer, I was ultimately responsible for all the communications assets on the base--computers, phones, radios and satellites. If you needed any proof that they don't ask for your resume when you're in the Army, my appointment to this position should provide ample evidence. Fortunately for me (and, for that matter, the residents of Camp Alamo who needed their communications equipment to work), the S6 office was also occupied by six civilian contractors who--let's be frank here--made an American Studies major look like he knew what he was doing with computers, phones, radios and satellites. The fact that they were civilians meant that I did not have to bother with all the military rank and mumbo jumbo and we more or less ran the S6 shop like a civilian IT office--right down to the morning coffee, tacky holiday decorations and occasional office party with Triscuits and summer sausage. Rounding-out our crew was Master Sergeant (MSG) Fred Castro, the only other military member of our S6 staff. With over 25 years experience in the Army, MSG Castro was another guy who made my job immensely easier and often provided sage military advice, such as, "Sir, I don't think the commander would approve of you having your Czechoslovakian bride sent here." Seriously, it is because of this staff that progress was made, work got done, and I will not spend the rest of my nights waking up at three in the morning in a cold sweat. Be it fate, karma, blessings or dumb luck, I was fortunate to spend the majority of this deployment in the company of these seven people; I honestly can't thank them enough for getting me through the year.
Staying on this aspect of the job for just another moment, you may ask what, exactly, the day-to-day work was for us. In a nutshell, it was pretty much what any office IT staff would deal with--creating e-mail accounts, mapping printers, installing software and generally having people come up to you asking "Why doesn't my computer work?" My role in this often ended-up being the first line of defense. When someone had a commo issue, I would immediately address it by examining the piece of problematic equipment, turning it off and then turning it back on. This line of troubleshooting, I found, had about a 60% success rate, and it truly is one of the only things that will stick with me as far as computer-savvy techno fixes go. When this failed, things were handed-off to the civilian contractors, who would type something into their computers, make a phone call to someone else and then--often just five minutes later--the dilemma would be remedied. I'm not sure of the specifics here, but usually the phone call involved the phrase "reset their account," which I think is system administrator code for "You won't believe what this stupid motherfucker did..."
>> The Democratic Circus
The other facet of being Camp Alamo S6 was assuming the role of mentoring my counterpart at the Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC). The Afghan National Army (ANA) S6, Lieutenant Colonel Jamil, was the communications officer in charge of the facility where over 100,000 Afghan soldiers are currently being trained. In many ways, this was the more important aspect of the job. After all, Camp Alamo is home to the KMTC Mentor Group--meaning that pretty much everyone there was acting as some sort of mentor to the Afghan Army. MSG Castro was mentor to the ANA S6 non-commissioned officer in charge (NCOIC); our commander at Camp Alamo, Colonel Quinn, mentored the Afghan commander of KMTC; the British troops ran the ANA's non-commissioned officer training team; the French contingent ran the ANA's officer academy; etc., etc. Whatever position you held at Alamo, you basically acted as mentor for your ANA counterpart across the street (which is where KMTC was in relation to our base).
This was, by far, the most intriguing part of the job (no similar responsibility was held by the Joint Task Force staff at Camp Phoenix, or the 48th Brigade Staff there, which, eventually, was recognized as its own separate entity, albeit after I was long gone). It was also the most frustrating, since the Afghan National Army...well...has their own way of doing things. That's not a bad thing, necessarily--after all, any military organization that can operate without the need to put every piece of information on a PowerPoint slide is doing something right--but nothing, it seems, in the Afghan Army moves particularly fast, gets done particularly quickly, or goes quite how you (or they) think it will.
If you step back and think about it for a moment, that makes sense. After all, establishing and running a facility that trains over 100,000 soldiers of a newly-developing army...just the logistics of it all is awesome to comprehend. Feeding them, clothing them, housing them, equiping them, training them--add to the fact that most of the trainees (over 75% by most calculations) are practically illiterate, and you can see some of the issues. Add to that the fact that most of the senior officers on staff (including my mentee, LTC Jamil) were brought up under the Russian Army, whose old-school ways of doing things conflict with modern, NATO/coalition sensibilities (one striking obstacle is that the officers pretty much don't trust the enlisted soldiers to do anything right) and there are more issues. Add to that the fact that the Afghan infrastructure is so weak, most of the supplies they get are through American or coalition contracts (rerouted through local contractors, when possible, but most of the big-ticket items of necessity are being paid for by your tax dollars) and there are even more issues. And on top of it all, there's corruption, nepotism, favoritism...frankly, if it wasn't for all the mountains and sand surrounding us, one might well confuse KMTC with Washington D.C.
There are many examples of the frustration involved with getting things done around here, and in summarizing this I'll invoke the Tale of the Light Bulb. A light bulb burned-out in an overhead projector for one of the KMTC classrooms. Such light bulbs are specifically tailored for that equipment and cannot often be found outside of office supply stores or industrial catalogs (because of this, they are rather expensive items). In America, you'd just take the company credit card, go to Office Depot, buy a bulb and be done with the matter. In Afghanistan, however, there are no Office Depots (but there are plenty of Targets! Rimshot!) and you can't just go online and order the bulb for them because "ANA problems require ANA solutions." So you do it their way:
You start this Kafkaesque process by submitting a supply request to the ANA Misistry of Defense. If they have the equipment, they will (usually) give it to you, but, alas, the light bulb was a piece of equipment that they did not have. So--theoretically--the Ministry of Defense clerk marks down that this is a piece of equipment they will need to eventually supply and--theoretically--eventually they will. But they didn't have it at the moment, so you then wait a few days and resubmit the same supply request to the Ministry of Defense, in hopes that:
a. the equipment is now in stock,
b. the equipment was in stock before but the clerk at MoD didn't realize it at the time,
c. the equipment was in stock before but the clerk at MoD was looking for a bribe or favor,
or--as was usually the case--
d. the item still isn't there.
Eventually, after doing this Kabuki dance a few times, you turn-in all the denied MoD request forms to the American supply officer (the S4 officer), who would then see that an "ANA solution" wasn't in place yet, and--for the time being--the problem would require an American solution. So you do it our way:
Back at square one, you can attempt to get Army money and try to purchase the item on the local economy if:
a. the item is approved for local purchase by the Army and,
b. you and a fellow soldier go through training on how to purchase items on the local economy and,
c. you acquire three competitive prices from local vendors for said piece of equipment and,
d. you fill-out 15-pages of paperwork to sign-for and purchase the item through the most-trustworthy and least-expensive local Afghan merchant.
Despite meeting these above requirements, no local vendors seemed to have access to the necessary light bulb in a timely manner. Eventually, it was reasoned that the U.S. Army S4 officer could set-up a long-term contract to supply KMTC with overhead projector light bulbs until the Afghan Ministry of Defense could supply their own, but that request would have to go through its own process of vetting, bidding and approval and could take weeks or, more likely, months if it ever received final approval. Sooo...in the end, we did it neither The Afghan Army Way, nor The American Army Way, but The Old Fashioned Way: We ultimately just found a spare overhead projector bulb in a supply closet and gave it to the ANA.
And that's how you get a light bulb in the Afghan National Army.
Sigh. In a nutshell, that illustrates the frustrating parts of the mentoring job. So much you wanted to fix, to help, to improve...but hopes and reality rarely play well together out here and you quickly realized that if you were indeed going to allow ANA problems to be solved with ANA solutions, the first supply you needed was patience. So after some expectation-adjusting, we--the ANA S6 mentors and mentees--focused on the things we could impact in the short-term and set realistic goals for progress during our time here.
And, despite the frustration, some progress was made. For starters, we got the ANA S6 officers and enlisted soldiers to start talking, meeting together and planning their training events on a weekly basis. The fact they had not done this in the past illustrates the expectation-adjusting necessity; you take it for granted that people within the same office would talk about and plan what they are doing on a regular basis. Prior to my arrival at KMTC, I was told that a meeting between the ANA S6 officers and soldiers ended when one of the ANA S6 majors got so upset at the NCOIC, he threw a remote control at his head from across the room. The fact that none of our regular weekly meetings featured launched projectiles or head trauma was seen as a sign of progress.
Likewise, we were able to see some significant "Good Idea Fairy" projects through to their conclusions. These were complex, highly-involved undertakings for the ANA that previous mentors had started, apparently not realizing they were working in Afghanistan with the ANA, and believing instead that these projects were taking root in The Land of Oz, where workers would toil in round-the-clock efficiency and Glinda the Good Witch would wave her magic wand and, Poof!, everything would come together in a matter of weeks. Not so much, it turns out, as one particular effort--the notorious KMTC Phone Center, started in the Spring of 2008--is now being inherited by its fourth U.S. Army S6 mentor, with the sincere hopes that he can bring this damned Bridge to Nowhere across the finish line.
>> Television Man
Still, the mentoring thing was a good gig. I got to work directly with the Afghan Army and, hopefully, put some ideas in place, some things in motion, that will eventually lead to their improvement, prosperity and--eventually--independence, which is the ultimate goal of the KMTC Mentor Group. Our "Mission Accomplished" moment will come when all the ANA's problems can be solved with ANA solutions and coalition mentors are no longer needed to provide outside counsel, guidance, supplies and advice. Perhaps it is a somewhat Quixotic notion that my presence here made any lasting impact, but being involved at this level was more rewarding than, say, sitting behind an office computer for twelve-hours a day, seven days a week. And for all the frustrations we endured, the interaction with the Afghans was, in truth, a lot of fun. We'd meet almost every morning (except Fridays, which is their Holy Day), and after tending to whatever business matters were at hand,
we'd sit in LTC Jamil's office and shoot the breeze over hot chai--me, MSG Castro, a few of the civilian contractors who also helped mentor, LTC Jamil and our interpreters. We'd talk with mutual interest about the cultural difference between Afghans and Americans; about dating and marriage (apparently Afghan weddings are ridiculous--they invite over 500 people and the event takes three days), work habits, schools, news, politics and television.
Television was often the source of conversation, as LTC Jamil had a small TV set in his office and it was almost always on. (Suggesting he turn it off during our weekly S6 section meetings was seen as yet another bold step in progressing the Afghan Army toward independent status). There are a handful of Afghan TV stations now and, according to my interpreter, each of them has its own political ideaology (sound familiar?). Since many of the Afghan TV networks are nacent endeavors, most of the daily progamming is filled with music videos--usually clips of Bollywood musicals or Pakistani Top-40 songs. MTV hasn't yet cracked the Afghan market, so the videos are often innocently naive in their production values--you half expect Toni Basil to shimmy across the screen in pigtails. Tinges of Western culture abound, though, none more evident than the weekly airing of "Afghan Idol," as well as Dari-dubbed versions of "24" (which is huge out here) and "WWE
Smackdown" (John Cena is a particular favorite of ANA soldiers).
I, personally, got hooked on a daytime serial that always aired during our morning visits to LTC Jamil's office; a show that he regularly followed the storyline of (he would often zone-out during conversations whenever his program came on, prompting the "TV off during meetings" mandate). Uncreatively-titled "Mother in Law, Daughter in Law" ("It means that the mother-in-law was once the daughter-in-law," as my interpreter explained to me), the show was a half-hour Indian soap opera, dubbed in Dari, that featured the usual plot elements of familial secrets, lies, affairs and courtroom cliffhangers. I didn't understand a word of it, but you didn't really have to in figuring-out what was going on and, anyway, the show featured a thunder-and-lightning sound effect every time something supposedly dramatic was happening. This got your attention the first few times it occured, but the novelty wore off after the producers employed this device dozens of times during the broadcast, often to fill in lulls when nothing substantial seemed to be happening at all. I will say, however, that I'l never forget the scene when, during a bizarre masquerade ball where everyone was dressed in elaborate costumes, the bad guy climbed to the roof of a nearby building and shot someone at the downstairs party with a crossbow. If they had done more shit like that on "Guiding Light" that show would still be on the air.
And speaking of soap operas, that's an appropriate analogy for the weekly KMTC staff meeting of ANA officers and their mentors. Every Tuesday morning, we'd cram into the KMTC conference room to hear the ANA staff discuss their current projects, progress and--quite frequently--how the fact that everything took so damn long was invariably the fault of the American mentors. Occasionally informative, the meeting was more often than not accidentally entertaining, as the senior Afghan officers are an old, weathered lot. Not that a meeting of U.S. Army officers is any GQ fashion shoot, but the ANA officers have the look of perpetually-hemmoroidal, middle-aged men who were trained by the old Russian Army and have suffered through decades of war. Sitting around their conference table, they look like a chapter of the Del Boca Vista Elks Club waiting to down a fistful of Doan's Pills and a few boilermakers.
Highlighting this weekly congress was the KMTC commanding general's end-of-meeting comments. Often, he would focus on important matters of immediate concern, but he was just as likely to go off on some stream-of-consciousness rant that no one could anticipate. At one meeting, he animatedly berated the ANA supply officer for a good fifteen minutes. I asked my interpreter what the problem was and it turned out the general was upset because word had gotten to him that the Afghan soldiers-in-training were not getting enough cake with their lunches. "I will not stand for this! They must all get an equal piece of cake with their lunch!" I'm not making that up. Another meeting featured the general going-off on a 20-minute diatribe that "All grapes given to soldiers should be ripe! You must inspect the grapes!" You kind of looked forward to the end of the meeting just to see what trivial, inane thing he might pontificate about that week (you also looked forward to the end of the meeting because being enclosed in an unventilated conference room with three-dozen Afghans for an hour really does a number on your olfactory nerves).
>> The Big Country
Anyways, somewhere between expanding the size and independence of the Afghan National Army and giving them enough baked goods and fresh produce lies The Road Ahead. Given the difficulties in making headway within our little piece of the Afghan puzzle, it will be a rocky road, especially considering the pressure to obtain rapid results amidst the general instability that permeates all corners of this country's government and military. In an attempt to curb rising attrition rates within the Afghan Army, the Afghans devised the solution to announce that, if you went AWOL from KMTC, you could come back and, not only would you be welcome back to your old job without punishment, you would be automatically promoted as well. So basically, you can quit your job, come back a week later, and get a promotion and a raise to boot (An ANA solution to an ANA problem if ever there was one). Ah yes, had the U.S. Army adopted that brilliant re-recruiting pitch, I'd be a major now.
The feelings here seem to be mixed for long-term success. This past fall, in the wake of the corrupted Afghan elections and President Obama's decision to send additional troops, my interpreter told me that "People here are hopeless. We have seen war for years; people come and people go, but nothing ever changes." Without hesitation, a second interpreter walking with us said that wasn't entirely true, and a lot of people--himself included--saw signs of progress. "It is easy to destroy something," he remarked, "but it takes time to build it back up. Things have gotten better over the last few years. It will take time, but we are not hopeless."
I should note that the latter interpreter is currently applying for an American Visa, in hopes that he and his wife can move to the U.S. and raise a family "where our kids can go to school and be safe." He has worked as a ANA-coalition interpreter for over seven years now, a job that--if certain people discovered what he did--he could be killed for doing. Hopeless, no, but practical, yes. As Iris Crowe told Tommy Dolan, "Pray to God, but row for shore."
>> This Must be the Place
Only time will tell what the long-term results of our involvement in Afghanistan will be. There are far too many mercurial political and cultural considerations to debate, and for that, a drink in my hand will indeed be necessary. Since that option is not available to me at the moment, you'll have to wait until I get back for further discussion on that topic. But that won't be long now. From here, there are only one or two stops to Georgia, and after a few days of outprocessing, I'll be home free to San Francisco, where there better be a double Manhattan on the rocks and a doobie the size of a Cadillac waiting for me.
As I mentioned, all things considered, there's been nothing traumatic that has happened to me during this deployment; I won't be arriving home with any gnarly war wounds or psychic emotional scars, so hopefully my transition from Army of One to Civilian Slacker will be a relatively smooth affair. Still, I will have about a week of outprocessing to go through at Fort Stewart, and if it is anything like the inprocessing at Fort Benning, then there's still time for some psychic scarring after all. And I can honestly say that, surprisingly, the most dangerous part of my travels will not be--as expect--riding in a miltary convoy through the streets of Afghanistan, but instead riding home from San Francisco International in my sister's Prius Deathmobile.
Provided I survive that, I look forward to seeing, or at least talking with, all of you. Typing "Thank You" again in another e-mail doesn't begin to do justice to the gratitude I owe you all for writing, e-mailing, keeping in touch, shipping care packages or just sending good vibes. Ditto for the incredible people I've met and worked with along the way, from the fellow IRRians (who are also--at nearly 400 days--trickling back to civilian slackerhood as well), to the soldiers and contractors at Camp Alamo, to the ANA soldiers at KMTC, to the crazy 48th Volunteers here at Phoenix, this deployment can be chalked-up as an overall positive experience thanks to them. Looking forward to staying in touch with many of them upon our safe redeployment home.
To wrap things up, I'll invoke a well-known Bay Area muse in saying what a long, strange trip it's been. Almost to the end of it now, and can't wait to get back home where I can tell those real and occasionally made-up war stories over a Trumer and Rosamunde at Toronado or an Iron City and Roast Beef sandwich at Primani's. On rye bread, of course.
Peace.
--chris
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Leadership Philosophy
This is the last paper I wrote for the US Army's Intermediate Level Education (ILE) course. (This used to be the Command and General Staff (CGSC) course.) It was an interesting assignment and I thought I'd post it here to see if anyone has any feedback. Feel free to let me know what you think.
lead⋅er⋅ship: an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction.
This is a simple definition for a word that describes a human act that we struggle to understand and to quantify. I’m a student of leadership philosophy. I’ve studied the leadership styles of many different historical figures in politics, business, religion, and the military. Leadership styles derive from leadership philosophies. A leader’s philosophy is the frame for his/her leadership structure. Within this structure, a leader can then create a vision, core values, missions, and intent.
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”
~Warren G. Bennis
I define my leadership philosophy with three words….Dedication, Intensity, Patience. Dedication; “first you have to show up”. I reinforce this through example. I believe first you have to show up every day to have the opportunity for success. Intensity; once dedicated to the mission, focus is critical to staying on task and accomplishing as much as possible in a finite time period. A good leader extracts the necessary amount of intensity to ensure success. Patience; I teach that results do not always come over night. Patience allows us to wait for results of our hard work to develop.
From this framework, I created my vision statement. If my philosophy is the frame, the vision is the roof. We will be the premier unit/office/team. We’re professionals in our field and we will provide exceptional service through hard work, concentration on innovation, and dedication to each other and our community. I want those that follow me to be the very best. I believe part of my responsibility as a leader is to squeeze every ounce of potential out of every peer, subordinate, and supporter. We’re going to show up every day. We’re going to work hard. We’re in it for the long haul.
“Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.” ~Bill Bradley
A leadership philosophy provides for a vision, which now helps produce core values. Core values help set the ethical compass and the emotional center for the group. A leader’s core values are part of the finishing touches in the structure of a leadership philosophy.
Core Values
1. Keep It Simple
2. Be Professional
3. Provide Exceptional Service
4. Be Involved with Each Other and Our Communities
5. Work Hard, Have Fun
These core values are guides helping me to help my people understand how we reach our destination. These values are essentially the rules to follow for achieving success. I teach those in my organization that I follow these rules, and if they do also, success is sure to follow
“Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in control.” ~Tom Landry
Armed with a philosophy, a vision, and core values I can craft a mission statement or mission statements. A leader needs an overall mission statement for each organization, and individual mission statements for every mission. A unit’s or company’s mission statement tells the organization what road to travel. The individual mission statements for each mission tell which direction to travel and what resources to take.
My overall intent is to create an atmosphere that fosters positive attitudes and desire to work hard in a relaxed and patient environment. I try to create an atmosphere of success where we “keep it simple” and provide them with the best tools. My desire is for my organization to concentrate on the mission success and service rather than worrying about the little things that clog up a day.
My leadership philosophy and style continue to evolve, but this is my foundation. I believe in doing this the right way. I believe in taking care of people. I believe my responsibility is to bring out the best in myself and the best in all that work with me and for me. I’m always looking to learn and grow as a professional, and I expect the same from those I lead.
“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” ~John F. Kennedy
Dedication, Intensity, Patience. These are the words I use to define my leadership philosophy. Whether in the office, on a sales call, at the gym, on an exercise, or participating in community service, I know, if I can get the people I live and work around to understand what these words mean, I can build a successful organization.
lead⋅er⋅ship: an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction.
This is a simple definition for a word that describes a human act that we struggle to understand and to quantify. I’m a student of leadership philosophy. I’ve studied the leadership styles of many different historical figures in politics, business, religion, and the military. Leadership styles derive from leadership philosophies. A leader’s philosophy is the frame for his/her leadership structure. Within this structure, a leader can then create a vision, core values, missions, and intent.
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”
~Warren G. Bennis
I define my leadership philosophy with three words….Dedication, Intensity, Patience. Dedication; “first you have to show up”. I reinforce this through example. I believe first you have to show up every day to have the opportunity for success. Intensity; once dedicated to the mission, focus is critical to staying on task and accomplishing as much as possible in a finite time period. A good leader extracts the necessary amount of intensity to ensure success. Patience; I teach that results do not always come over night. Patience allows us to wait for results of our hard work to develop.
From this framework, I created my vision statement. If my philosophy is the frame, the vision is the roof. We will be the premier unit/office/team. We’re professionals in our field and we will provide exceptional service through hard work, concentration on innovation, and dedication to each other and our community. I want those that follow me to be the very best. I believe part of my responsibility as a leader is to squeeze every ounce of potential out of every peer, subordinate, and supporter. We’re going to show up every day. We’re going to work hard. We’re in it for the long haul.
“Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.” ~Bill Bradley
A leadership philosophy provides for a vision, which now helps produce core values. Core values help set the ethical compass and the emotional center for the group. A leader’s core values are part of the finishing touches in the structure of a leadership philosophy.
Core Values
1. Keep It Simple
2. Be Professional
3. Provide Exceptional Service
4. Be Involved with Each Other and Our Communities
5. Work Hard, Have Fun
These core values are guides helping me to help my people understand how we reach our destination. These values are essentially the rules to follow for achieving success. I teach those in my organization that I follow these rules, and if they do also, success is sure to follow
“Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in control.” ~Tom Landry
Armed with a philosophy, a vision, and core values I can craft a mission statement or mission statements. A leader needs an overall mission statement for each organization, and individual mission statements for every mission. A unit’s or company’s mission statement tells the organization what road to travel. The individual mission statements for each mission tell which direction to travel and what resources to take.
My overall intent is to create an atmosphere that fosters positive attitudes and desire to work hard in a relaxed and patient environment. I try to create an atmosphere of success where we “keep it simple” and provide them with the best tools. My desire is for my organization to concentrate on the mission success and service rather than worrying about the little things that clog up a day.
My leadership philosophy and style continue to evolve, but this is my foundation. I believe in doing this the right way. I believe in taking care of people. I believe my responsibility is to bring out the best in myself and the best in all that work with me and for me. I’m always looking to learn and grow as a professional, and I expect the same from those I lead.
“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” ~John F. Kennedy
Dedication, Intensity, Patience. These are the words I use to define my leadership philosophy. Whether in the office, on a sales call, at the gym, on an exercise, or participating in community service, I know, if I can get the people I live and work around to understand what these words mean, I can build a successful organization.
Friday, January 1, 2010
END OF 2009 & BEGINNING OF 2010
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER
The first month back from R&R was one of the toughest in my deployment. Unlike when I first got here, I knew what I was doing. The first month here in May-June was tough, but it was also a blur. I had the fire hose plugged into my mouth and on full blast. The first month back from R&R just crawled. When you’ve got 4, 5, 6 months to go, it seems so far away.
I got back in mid-October and jumped right onto night shift. This is the first time in my entire life I’ve ever worked on night shift. I’ve done 24+ hour ops or been on exercises where we didn’t sleep, but I’ve never been assigned to night shift. I realized quickly it’s a matter of taking my day shift battle rhythm and flipping it upside down. I stayed with the same system. Sleep till right before I go on shift at 1800. Work-out at 2230. Chow at 0000. Return to desk and work till 0600. Go to breakfast. Go back to room, take shower, spend an hour or so of “me” time reading or watching a movie, go to sleep. Do it again. It took me about two weeks to settle back in. I don’t like night shift for the simple reason that there are just not as many people to talk to and not as much going on. It is a lot more laid back because most of the key leaders are sleeping, and you get to watch all the sports in the States real time. That’s nice, but I still don’t like it. I’d rather be in the action.
My 1st roommate left the beginning of November and my new roommate came in about 5 days later. My first roommate, CPT Bill Jennings a lawyer with the JAG Corps, heads back to Atlanta and my new roommate comes in, MAJ Jeff Breloski a lawyer with the JAG Corps, replaces him. Small world. J Jeff stays through the beginning of December.
Finished off October with another 5K on October 31, Halloween. This was my first one since returning and I could tell I’d been off. Gotta get back on track! J This was the first one we’ve done in the evening. It was really fun. I dressed up as hippy, though I didn’t go all out with the bell bottoms and boots. I still wanted to run a good time. As you can see in the picture, I wore a pink afro. My tribute to Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You should have seen how all out some people went. We had the full complement of Super Heroes…Captain America, Wolverine, Spiderman, Thor, etc. There were a whole unit of guys in togas and much more. The most fun run yet!
We also had a pretty cool Fitness Challenge for this quarter. We had to do a full Triathlon in 45 days or less. That means 2.4 miles in the pool, 112 miles on a bike, and 26.2 miles of run. I was able to convince Corey (MAJ Gerving) and Jim (He’s now LTC Schultz. He got promoted at the beginning of the month.) to do it with me. Corey was in Atlanta and he had a tough time. I’m learning it’s tough for the guys in Atlanta, because they spend so much time commuting. (I know what that’s like!) Oh, and I put the challenge out on Facebook and lo and behold Ben Rao jumped in from St. Louis, MO. That was cool. In fact, Ben ended up being my greatest competition. I had two additional challenges while doing this. First, just like with the English Channel Challenge, I was determined to still do my usual weight lifting and just work in the swim, bike, run. Second, I had to go to Qatar to Al Udeid Air Base to help Corey on a mission. I lost a couple of days to travel, but kept going in Qatar. I finished in 20 days. Ben finished in 19 beating me by a day! As his prize, I sent him the t-shirt and then to my pleasant surprise, found out he sent me his t-shirt from a triathlon he’d done in St. Louis. Very Cool!
Back to the trip to Qatar. This was a really cool opportunity for me. Jim and I were given the opportunity for one of us to go now and the other to go to the Space Conference in February by COL Henderson and LTC Zellmann. I took the first trip, because Jim was just coming back from R&R. I went up to Ali Al Saleem Air Base (same place we fly out of to go back and forth to the States) to meet up with Corey. From there, we caught a C-130 to Qatar. Long day, because you sit there all day and have to wait and see if you can get on the flight, but still and adventure. Believe it or not, this was the first time I’d ever flown on a C-130. It was a long uncomfortable 
flight, but still interesting. We arrived on Sunday and checked in to the transient housing (tents). Al Udeid is an interesting post. It’s a lot more spread out than Camp Arifjan or Ali Al Saleem. They have a bus system, but they also have this really cool unwritten rule where anyone with a government vehicle that has room stops and picks you up. We were there for 5 days and never rode the bus. While accomplishing our mission (mostly classified) and checking out the Air Force’s command facilities (also mostly classified), Corey and I did a comparison between Camp AJ and Al Udeid. Here’s what we came up with.Al Udeid is better because…..
* Free internet over the whole base
* Pub with 3 beers or cocktails per day
* Large common area with big screen TV and music
* Computer/phone center with free calling and internet
* People pick you up and help you get around the base
* Ladies can wear bikinis at the swimming pool
* Dairy Queen right on the swimming pool
* Better pizza at DFAC
Camp Arifjan is better because…..
* The DFAC is much better overall. Better fruit, better salad bar, Gatorade
* Easier to walk across
* Much nicer work-out facilities with newer equipment
* PX, MWR and work-out facilities more centrally located
* Better surf and turf night
* Quarters walking distance to work
* 5Ks better organized and you get a t-shirt
* Transient quarters are not tents (I bldg)
The return trip was a real treat. Corey had asked Larry (MAJ Kimbrell) back in Kuwait to see
about getting us on a C-12 flight back rather than the C-130. Larry really came through. It turned out that a C-12 was available on Thursday…..the CGs C-12. For those that don’t know what these are (I didn’t know.), these are the small private jets the Army uses. The CGs jet is brand new. The jet was used to fly a COL and team up into and around Iraq. They’d just dropped everyone off and were headed back to Al I Al Saleem. We were essentially hitching a ride. Two majors lounging out in a 3-star general’s private jet. Very nice ride. The flight was 1 ½ hours rather than 3 hours. Thanks Larry!
Outside o f the trip to Qatar. November just crawled by, as I talked about earlier. Like in the first half, I’m trying to take this in bites. I’m thinking just get through Thanksgiving and then just get through Christmas and the New Year. I know that the Holidays is going to be no fun being away from the family, so I figure if I can get through it, it’ll smooth out from there. They folks at the DFAC did a great job with our meal 
and the decorations. Check out the different pictures. They really do go all out with the sculptures and the cake. Amazing what our cooks do with butter! Pretty good food. Not like home, but pretty good. Angela and the kids went to Bowling Green, KY to be with my family for Thanksgiving. I got to talk to everyone a couple of times. It was nice to talk, but also a painful reminder that I’m not there. I was glad to get through it.
We had multiple 5Ks in November. The Marine Corps birthday, the National Guards birthday, and a Turkey Trot run on Thanksgiving Day. I’d decided after I missed the Warrant Officer birthday in July that I wouldn’t miss another 5K or fitness challenge. Four 5Ks in a month is kicking my butt! That’s what I get! Definitely getting my behind whipped back into shape after R&R.
DECEMBER
I’ve picked up a new work-out partner. SGT Jeremy Coleman with AMD, the missile defense section that sits right behind us in the COIC, approached me about joining in. I was more than happy to take on another partner. I’ve fallen into a bit of a rut. I go every day. Can’t miss a day, but I wasn’t pushing myself like in the beginning. Having a partner to spot me and push me to do more is a good thing! And…being a social animal, it’s nice to have someone to talk to while working out! SGT Coleman leaves in February, so we’ve got 60 days to get him working in the program.
December came on with more 5Ks. I’m starting to lose track. I’ve got to collect up all my t-shirts to see how many 5Ks and Fitness Challenges I’ve competed in. There was also a 40 and over basketball tournament called “It’s Cool to Be Old School” Tourney. This one rather than officiating, I got to play in. I turned my name in as an extra and got picked up. There were only 4 teams, but surprise, surprise if we didn’t win the thing! We won a game, lost a game and then
I’ve picked up a new work-out partner. SGT Jeremy Coleman with AMD, the missile defense section that sits right behind us in the COIC, approached me about joining in. I was more than happy to take on another partner. I’ve fallen into a bit of a rut. I go every day. Can’t miss a day, but I wasn’t pushing myself like in the beginning. Having a partner to spot me and push me to do more is a good thing! And…being a social animal, it’s nice to have someone to talk to while working out! SGT Coleman leaves in February, so we’ve got 60 days to get him working in the program.
December came on with more 5Ks. I’m starting to lose track. I’ve got to collect up all my t-shirts to see how many 5Ks and Fitness Challenges I’ve competed in. There was also a 40 and over basketball tournament called “It’s Cool to Be Old School” Tourney. This one rather than officiating, I got to play in. I turned my name in as an extra and got picked up. There were only 4 teams, but surprise, surprise if we didn’t win the thing! We won a game, lost a game and then
had to come out of the loser’s bracket. We did it winning two games against the team that had previously beaten us. It was really funny. We all came out getting after it in the 1st game of the finals. We were down at the half, but went on a run in the second half. We ended up winning by about 10 and the score was in the 50s. The second game of back to back, not so much energy. You can see in the picture what the final score was. We were lucky to get into the 30s. There were a lot of guys sore. It sucks getting old!I got right back into refereeing in November and December. MWR does not hesitate to start one sport right after the other. We picked up in flag football and had a couple of tournaments I worked in. There was a basketball tournament Thanksgiving week and a 1 pitch softball tournament Christmas week. I was originally surprised to see such a robust intramural program when I got here. I’m used to this at posts in the States, but didn’t expect it here in the war zone. What I’ve learned is that most all of us with USARCENT are on TCS (temporary change of station) or TDY (travel) orders, the support folks that run the post are mostly on PCS (permanent change of station) orders and the civilians come here for 1-3 year tours many times with their families. Those of us with ARCENT fight just like the folks in Iraq and Afghanistan with many traveling back and forth among the different war zones doing our jobs, but the folks here running the place are just like the folks running a post in Europe or the States. Thus, more continuity to support an intramural program. Good for me and other soldiers here more temporarily. This is probably what Victory Base in Iraq will turn into over the next decade or so when we pull most of the combat troops out of Iraq and the security continues to improve.
The DFAC folks again went all out. I don’t know where they get all the butter, but man do they go all out with the sculptures.
The weeks around Christmas were a real bummer. I’m a pretty upbeat guy and I’ve figured out 
how to survive and even thrive while here, but not being home for the Holidays got to me. The week leading into Christmas and the week between Christmas and New Years were the hardest I’ve had to deal with since I first got here in May. I was pretty down. Angela and the kids sent me a tree and ornaments and my mother-in-law, Olivia, and grandmother-in-law, Louise, sent me lights and some other decorations to put up in my room. I decorated our work area also. That helped a little, though I was glad to get through Christmas and I quickly took everything down.
Angela and her mother took the kids to Orlando and Disney World as a surprise. They were surprised and had a blast! They then drove up to Myrtle Beach to Olivia and Randy’s (father-in-law) house for Christmas. I got to record some messages on Oovoo video for t hem to watch. I read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” for the kids to watch Christmas Eve. I was able to get online for a short time via video conference and watch the kids open presents. I was glad that the link wouldn’t stay up, so I didn’t get to stay on long. Made me too sad. Better to get back to work and get through the day. The blues stayed with me the week after Christmas.
how to survive and even thrive while here, but not being home for the Holidays got to me. The week leading into Christmas and the week between Christmas and New Years were the hardest I’ve had to deal with since I first got here in May. I was pretty down. Angela and the kids sent me a tree and ornaments and my mother-in-law, Olivia, and grandmother-in-law, Louise, sent me lights and some other decorations to put up in my room. I decorated our work area also. That helped a little, though I was glad to get through Christmas and I quickly took everything down.Angela and her mother took the kids to Orlando and Disney World as a surprise. They were surprised and had a blast! They then drove up to Myrtle Beach to Olivia and Randy’s (father-in-law) house for Christmas. I got to record some messages on Oovoo video for t hem to watch. I read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” for the kids to watch Christmas Eve. I was able to get online for a short time via video conference and watch the kids open presents. I was glad that the link wouldn’t stay up, so I didn’t get to stay on long. Made me too sad. Better to get back to work and get through the day. The blues stayed with me the week after Christmas.
I was wondering what would happen when I got to New Years. New Years is my favorite holiday of the year. I love the idea of a fresh start. I love the idea of setting goals and preparing for a new year. I love the joy and celebration that goes with New Years. I wondered how I would feel being away during my favorite holiday. I was a little bummed out New Years Eve morning, but interestingly enough while watching everyone’s posts on Facebook my spirits started to lift. I started thinking about the New Year. I got to talk to Angela and the kids. I had some nice chats with friends via Facebook and email. I started getting fired up! I celebrated the New Year at the gym. I was actually on the treadmill right at midnight Kuwait time. I had this euphoria that swept over me. I was running full speed into 2010. Right then, while running, I prayed. I thanked God for everything wonderful in my life. I thanked Him for guiding me and I thanked Him for the amazing perspective I’d gained through this experience. I guess a combination of adrenaline and energy just filled me with this amazing euphoria. It was pretty amazing! I began the New Year on a truly high note!
I always write down my goals for the New Year. I always write them down, put them aside, and then many times forget what I wrote. This year I’ve decided to share them with everyone. I hope that by sharing them with my wife and my readers that either this’ll help me remember them or everyone will remind me. J Anyway, here are my ten 2010 goals.
I always write down my goals for the New Year. I always write them down, put them aside, and then many times forget what I wrote. This year I’ve decided to share them with everyone. I hope that by sharing them with my wife and my readers that either this’ll help me remember them or everyone will remind me. J Anyway, here are my ten 2010 goals.
NEW YEARS GOALS 2010
I believe in goals not resolutions. I’ll quote my brother John. “Resolutions are made to be broken. Goals are not.” New Years is one of if not my single favorite holiday. I love the idea of a fresh start. I love the idea of starting fresh. Fresh energy, fresh passion, fresh ideas. So….each year I list my goals. This year is no exception. Here are my 10 goals for 2010 in no particular order of importance.
* Marry my wife…again
* Get promoted to Lieutenant Colonel (LTC)
* Establish or join two local charity organizations
* Step up to the next level in my career
* Continue to improve credit
* Complete mini-triathlon
* Celebrate 40th Birthday with family and friends in June
* Begin traveling to new places on vacations with my family
* Learn to ride a snowboard
* Get fitness/wellness/nutrition certified
I don’t know what 2010 has in store for my family and I. I don’t know what 2010 has in store for our nation and our world. But…..I’m hopeful. I’ve seen such much of what is going on in the world in 2009. I’ve seen the good and bad, but I’ve really seen more good. I’ve seen what treating other respectfully does between Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc. I’ve seen that
most people in the world want to raise their families and earn a living. I befriended the young Indian man at the DFAC that serves me breakfast every morning. He’s there every single day and when he sees me his face lights up just because I smile and say hello. He’s there every day earning in a month what many of us earn in a week or less. I see the Pakistani men that work for MWR at the gym that smile and come up to shake my hand when they see me, because I always take the time to stop and talk to them to ask them how they’re doing. It’s amazing what happens when we treat each other respectfully. I know there are those extremists out there that just don’t care about a smile and a laugh. I know there are some that are just too far gone, but I think I we isolate them and get the rest of the world behind us that we can make this world a better place.
I’m determined in 2010 to be better than I was in 2009. I’m determined to enjoy every minute, even those I’ve still got here in Kuwait. I’m determined to treat everyone with respect no matter how different our opinions may be. I’m hopeful for a great 2010 and I’m determined to do my part.
So….I’ll start out with my first positive thought of 2010. I’m going to be home in 2010 more days than I am deployed. Hooray! :)
I believe in goals not resolutions. I’ll quote my brother John. “Resolutions are made to be broken. Goals are not.” New Years is one of if not my single favorite holiday. I love the idea of a fresh start. I love the idea of starting fresh. Fresh energy, fresh passion, fresh ideas. So….each year I list my goals. This year is no exception. Here are my 10 goals for 2010 in no particular order of importance.
* Marry my wife…again
* Get promoted to Lieutenant Colonel (LTC)
* Establish or join two local charity organizations
* Step up to the next level in my career
* Continue to improve credit
* Complete mini-triathlon
* Celebrate 40th Birthday with family and friends in June
* Begin traveling to new places on vacations with my family
* Learn to ride a snowboard
* Get fitness/wellness/nutrition certified
I don’t know what 2010 has in store for my family and I. I don’t know what 2010 has in store for our nation and our world. But…..I’m hopeful. I’ve seen such much of what is going on in the world in 2009. I’ve seen the good and bad, but I’ve really seen more good. I’ve seen what treating other respectfully does between Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc. I’ve seen that
most people in the world want to raise their families and earn a living. I befriended the young Indian man at the DFAC that serves me breakfast every morning. He’s there every single day and when he sees me his face lights up just because I smile and say hello. He’s there every day earning in a month what many of us earn in a week or less. I see the Pakistani men that work for MWR at the gym that smile and come up to shake my hand when they see me, because I always take the time to stop and talk to them to ask them how they’re doing. It’s amazing what happens when we treat each other respectfully. I know there are those extremists out there that just don’t care about a smile and a laugh. I know there are some that are just too far gone, but I think I we isolate them and get the rest of the world behind us that we can make this world a better place.I’m determined in 2010 to be better than I was in 2009. I’m determined to enjoy every minute, even those I’ve still got here in Kuwait. I’m determined to treat everyone with respect no matter how different our opinions may be. I’m hopeful for a great 2010 and I’m determined to do my part.
So….I’ll start out with my first positive thought of 2010. I’m going to be home in 2010 more days than I am deployed. Hooray! :)
One last thing I’d like to share…..
READING LIST
I haven’t had as much time to read as I’d have liked, but I have made a little dent in the library of books so many wonderful people have sent me. Here’s my list with each book rated 1-5 stars with 5 being the best.
Rating Title Author
***** Travelers Gift Andy Andrews
***** The Shack William Young
**** Lost Symbol Dan Brown
**** The Gathering Storm Branden Sanderson & Robert Jordan
**** A Man After God’s Heart Thomas Nelson
**** What Would Google Do? Jeff Jarvis
**** The Noticer Andy Andrews
**** The American Lion Jon Meacham
*** No Ordinary Time (FDR & Eleanor) Doris Kearns Goodwin
*** When I Relax I Feel Guilty Tim Hansel
*** D-Day: 24 Hrs That Saved the World Time Magazine / Tom Hanks
** The Simple Truth David Balducci
** The Cambridge History of Warfare Geoffrey Parker
** Makers of Modern Strategy Peter Paret
** The Rum Diary Hunter S. Thompson
** The Dynamics of Military Revolution Knox & Murray
** The American Presidents David C. Whitney
* Mongoose Theatre R.W. Meredith
* National Sunday Law A. Jan Marcussen
Sunday, November 8, 2009
September in Kuwait, R&R and October in Kuwait
For those that are really curious about where I'm working, check out this link. This is a pretty good blog post about Camp Arifjan and what a soldier needs here.
http://twowheelsburning.com/article/articleview/116/1/9/
It’s mid-November already. Time is rolling on past and for me right now….that’s a good thing. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to try and appreciate every day and not to be in a hurry to go from one day to the next. They pass fast enough as it is. However, during this deployment, I’ve got no problem with the days passing quickly.
The deployment’s not been too bad. I’ve got a pretty good job in a secure location and I work with some good people. However, I just cannot stand being away from my family. I knew it was going to be hard. Ang and I had some long talks about it, and how we’d coop. We’re doing well, but it sucks. I really don’t know how soldiers do this over and over again. I adore my wife. I love to be with my children. I know I’m doing the right thing here, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Anyway, September brings me that much closer to my 15 days of R&R. I’m scheduled to head back to the states on September 29th. I cannot wait!
It’s mid-November already. Time is rolling on past and for me right now….that’s a good thing. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to try and appreciate every day and not to be in a hurry to go from one day to the next. They pass fast enough as it is. However, during this deployment, I’ve got no problem with the days passing quickly.
The deployment’s not been too bad. I’ve got a pretty good job in a secure location and I work with some good people. However, I just cannot stand being away from my family. I knew it was going to be hard. Ang and I had some long talks about it, and how we’d coop. We’re doing well, but it sucks. I really don’t know how soldiers do this over and over again. I adore my wife. I love to be with my children. I know I’m doing the right thing here, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Anyway, September brings me that much closer to my 15 days of R&R. I’m scheduled to head back to the states on September 29th. I cannot wait!
SEPTEMBER
Talk about counting the days…..for a minute I thought I’d never get through September, but I did. I finished the English Channel Swim Channel on Labor Day. That was 30 days after I started. I am definitely a much better swimmer now. I can swim a mile in about 45-50 minutes. That swim took me 1 hour and 10 minutes in the beginning. But….I’m sure glad that’s done. It was a bear. I got the MWR worker on duty to take pics of me just as I finished. He got some good shots that I posted on Facebook. We got a nice blue tee-shirt for our efforts. J
That brings me to Facebook. Wow! I was a pretty big user before, and I taught classes on social networking for Coldwell Banker United and the Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS, but now I’m an avid user. 12 hours a day in front of a computer will do that to you. It’s been a great way from me to keep connected with everyone back home. I love the pictures and I love the commentary. Unfortunately, I’ve fallen in love with something else on Facebook. I’m totally addicted to Mafia Wars. It’s a game application on Facebook. I’m not a big video game person and I’ve never taken the time to do any online gaming. I guess I’ve just been too busy on other stuff. But I’ve gotten into this one….I just can’t seem to tear myself away from it. Thank goodness you run out of energy and stamina. You can only play for about 15-30 minutes at a time and then you have to wait 3-5 hours. Oh well, just something else to help pass the time.
I spent September working on getting our sections equipment drawn and a work station set-up in the G3 operations area. Because I was the day shift soldier and one of the people with the longest time left to serve back in the summer, I got designated the property book person. Basically, I get to sign for all the equipment for our section. This includes an up armored HMMMV with all the bells and whistles. (No weapon, yet.) I also get to sign for all the computer equipment, which includes 3 laptops, 5 monitors and all the accessories that go with. I’m now responsible for about $150,000 in equipment. Oh well, it could be much more. Anyway, we’re working on getting a work station set up of the Command Operations Information/Intelligence Center (COIC) floor. That’s a good thing. We’ll have a computer and work center for when we have more than 2 people working at time. This is usually when the whole section comes into down for exercises.
I’ve pretty much got the job down. I can still learn a whole lot more about space operations, but I’ve got the current operations job here with ARCENT pretty figure out. Mostly trying to figure out what else I can learn about the world of space and 3rd Army operations. MAJ Corey Gerving has been a good teacher. He’s also been a great work-out partner. Since we started working out together at the end of August, I find I’m pushing myself harder. Having somebody watch over you adds to the motivation!
We ran a couple more 5Ks. Seems like we have one every couple of weeks. The weather has had an interesting impact on us this month however. All through the summer, we had dry wind out of the north (Iraq) and 110+ degree heat. We’d run at 5a-6a in the morning when it’d usually be 90-100 degrees. You got used to it. Ran a 5K in that weather early in the month. I ran it in 22:30. Feeling pretty good about myself. A week later, the wind shifted and began coming in off the Arabian Gulf to the east. That brings humidity, which if you’re not used to it is brutal. 50-75% humidity when you’re used to 10% makes if feel like its 150 degrees. We ran a 5K in this kind of weather that morning and I didn’t hydrate properly. I started out like I always do….really fast. About halfway through, it hit me. I couldn’t cool down. I felt like my head was on fire. At the 4K mark, I was toast. I was light headed and struggling. I soldiered through. I finished in 22:47. Realized as I was drinking water and hydrating afterwards that the humidity had such a huge impact. It didn’t just hit me though. One of the really fast runners collapsed at the finish and had to have medical attention. Gotta remember that. The humidity will be in Florida when I get home for R&R.
Talk about counting the days…..for a minute I thought I’d never get through September, but I did. I finished the English Channel Swim Channel on Labor Day. That was 30 days after I started. I am definitely a much better swimmer now. I can swim a mile in about 45-50 minutes. That swim took me 1 hour and 10 minutes in the beginning. But….I’m sure glad that’s done. It was a bear. I got the MWR worker on duty to take pics of me just as I finished. He got some good shots that I posted on Facebook. We got a nice blue tee-shirt for our efforts. J
That brings me to Facebook. Wow! I was a pretty big user before, and I taught classes on social networking for Coldwell Banker United and the Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS, but now I’m an avid user. 12 hours a day in front of a computer will do that to you. It’s been a great way from me to keep connected with everyone back home. I love the pictures and I love the commentary. Unfortunately, I’ve fallen in love with something else on Facebook. I’m totally addicted to Mafia Wars. It’s a game application on Facebook. I’m not a big video game person and I’ve never taken the time to do any online gaming. I guess I’ve just been too busy on other stuff. But I’ve gotten into this one….I just can’t seem to tear myself away from it. Thank goodness you run out of energy and stamina. You can only play for about 15-30 minutes at a time and then you have to wait 3-5 hours. Oh well, just something else to help pass the time.
I spent September working on getting our sections equipment drawn and a work station set-up in the G3 operations area. Because I was the day shift soldier and one of the people with the longest time left to serve back in the summer, I got designated the property book person. Basically, I get to sign for all the equipment for our section. This includes an up armored HMMMV with all the bells and whistles. (No weapon, yet.) I also get to sign for all the computer equipment, which includes 3 laptops, 5 monitors and all the accessories that go with. I’m now responsible for about $150,000 in equipment. Oh well, it could be much more. Anyway, we’re working on getting a work station set up of the Command Operations Information/Intelligence Center (COIC) floor. That’s a good thing. We’ll have a computer and work center for when we have more than 2 people working at time. This is usually when the whole section comes into down for exercises.
I’ve pretty much got the job down. I can still learn a whole lot more about space operations, but I’ve got the current operations job here with ARCENT pretty figure out. Mostly trying to figure out what else I can learn about the world of space and 3rd Army operations. MAJ Corey Gerving has been a good teacher. He’s also been a great work-out partner. Since we started working out together at the end of August, I find I’m pushing myself harder. Having somebody watch over you adds to the motivation!
We ran a couple more 5Ks. Seems like we have one every couple of weeks. The weather has had an interesting impact on us this month however. All through the summer, we had dry wind out of the north (Iraq) and 110+ degree heat. We’d run at 5a-6a in the morning when it’d usually be 90-100 degrees. You got used to it. Ran a 5K in that weather early in the month. I ran it in 22:30. Feeling pretty good about myself. A week later, the wind shifted and began coming in off the Arabian Gulf to the east. That brings humidity, which if you’re not used to it is brutal. 50-75% humidity when you’re used to 10% makes if feel like its 150 degrees. We ran a 5K in this kind of weather that morning and I didn’t hydrate properly. I started out like I always do….really fast. About halfway through, it hit me. I couldn’t cool down. I felt like my head was on fire. At the 4K mark, I was toast. I was light headed and struggling. I soldiered through. I finished in 22:47. Realized as I was drinking water and hydrating afterwards that the humidity had such a huge impact. It didn’t just hit me though. One of the really fast runners collapsed at the finish and had to have medical attention. Gotta remember that. The humidity will be in Florida when I get home for R&R.
R&R
I left Camp Arifjan via bus on a Tuesday morning at 6.00am. I told Angela that since I was going back to the states I’d get back the 8 hours I’d lost and hopefully be at the Ft. Walton Beach airport sometime Tuesday afternoon. Boy was I off! I arrived at Ali Al Saleem Air Base around 8.30am. We had a 9.00am briefing where we signed in and then were told to return at 12.30pm to go into customs. I had some lunch, got my watch fixed. While wandering around, I met my friend, LTC Keith Farley, from all the way back at the first mobilization station, Camp McCrady. He was headed home to Annapolis, MD for his R&R at the same time. We reported for the 12.30pm formation. We then entered “lock down” until we got on the plane. We went through another briefing and then proceeded with our bags through Navy customs. This was painful! We had to take every single thing out of all of our bags for inspection. I had two bags (I took a bunch of stuff I didn’t need home for good) and a carry on. It took me about 1 ½ hours to get through all the scans and searches. We then sat in a little holding area where we could eat and watch TV. We finally boarded a bus for the airport about 5.00pm. The next stop was at the water point / holding area that they have between Ali Al Saleem and the Kuwait International Airport. I wrote about this back in the beginning. We sat there for about two hours. I’m still not sure what purpose this place has. Why couldn’t we sit back in the nice air conditioned holding area at Ali? Why stand out in a sandy parking lot with nothing but water for two hours. Anyway, we finally boarded the bus and headed to the airport. We climbed on the plane about 7.00pm. (Are you starting to see why the trip takes so long?) We took off about 7.30pm. The first leg was 5 hours to Leipzig, Germany. Coming through in May, it was only 2 ½ hours from Shannon, Ireland. Why the longer route? I was stressing by this time. I’d had no contact with Angela since the day before. I found a pay internet point and emailed her to give her a status update. (Internet was free in Shannon, Ireland.) She had been worried. I’d finally gotten my itinerary for my connection to Ft. Walton Beach by that time. I told her I wouldn’t be in until sometime Wed. We took off from Germany about an hour after we’d arrived. Really tired by this time. No first class seating this time through. I sat with Keith and we had a seat between us, but it’s still not very comfortable. Slept fitfully. Landed in Atlanta at about 6.30am Atlanta time. That’s 2.30pm Kuwait time the next day after I’d left. Went through customs and the Delta ticket line they’d had set-up for us. Got my connection ticket moved up to 10.30am. Yippee! Said good bye to Keith and headed to my gate. Starting to actually get excited now. I met a nice guy on the flight to Ft. Walton Beach to talk to. Helped to pass the time and settle my nerves. I’d been dreaming about this day since June. I can’t believe it’s here. I arrived in Ft. Walton Beach at about 10.30am central time. Walked briskly off the plane and through the gate terminals. Not a big airport. J As I came down the escalator to bag claim, Trey and Audrey saw me. Trey came sprinting to me and leapt into my arms. I cannot properly describe the joy in that moment, though Ang did a pretty good job catching it on camera. Audrey, interestingly enough was a little more hesitant, but after she saw me pick up Trey, she came to me. I got a huge twin huge. Kissed Ang and hugged everyone. Couldn’t stop smiling. One of the most unbelievable feelings in my life to see my family after such a long time. I didn’t lose that smile the whole time I was home.
I won’t go through all the details of my R&R here, just the highlights. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. I’d resolved to just live each day one at a time and not be in any hurry to get somewhere or do something. I’d conditioned myself to have to expectations and make no demands. I just wanted to savor every moment. I did just that. The trip actually lasted longer than I thought it would. We get exactly 15 days from midnight the day we arrive at our home airport till midnight of the day we arrive in the Atlanta airport to return. Thank goodness they don’t charge us for traveling!
The first week was mostly settling in and trying to rest. I took great pleasure in driving the kids to school and picking them up at the bus stop. Ang organized a little party of close friends the
first Friday I was home. Big cook-out by the pool at Kim Houdashelt’s Mom’s community. So many people to talk to. So little time. I did the best I could, but enjoyed every minute of it, until we had a little drama. Audrey slipped on a very slippery section of the pool deck by this manmade waterfall. She fell head first into the rocks in the waterfall. Split her head clean open. Ang and Kim rushed her to Sacred Heart Hospital’s ER, while Ritch Houdashelt and I held down the fort. Drama, drama. They returned hours later. Audrey with a nice doctor’s glue job and ice cream! She was the center of attention. The weekend consisted of the kid’s soccer game, which Audrey wasn’t allowed to play, because of the injury. The poor team had only 5 players and they needed 5. They all had to play the whole game. I was so proud of Trey. He played his heart out. We moved them up to U-8 this year, so at 6, he and Audrey are two of the youngest. He held his own, taking quite a few shots on goal. After soccer, as promised, we took them camping. We went to the Grayton Beach State Park just down the road. We did the beach that evening, set-up camp, grilled out, and had marshmallows and smores. That night….the kids slept like rocks while Ang and I chased off marauding raccoons again and again. The next morning exhausted Mom and Dad took the kids kayaking on the dune lakes. Beautiful. We also discovered at breakfast a place to get the world’s best Omelets. Red Bar in Grayton Beach. We then had raw oysters (at least I did) for lunch, and took the rest of the afternoon rest. (Ang and I needed it.)
The second week was pretty busy. The kids had school and Ang had just started her new job. She’s working part-time for an engineering company to try and build their business in the Panhandle. I worked around the house doing little chores. Wednesday I went to Audrey and
Trey’s school in uniform. We had lunch with them and then I talked to their 1st grade class about what I do over in Kuwait. It was fun and the class was great. They asked a lot of really good questions. Thursday, it was time to head to New Orleans for our cruise. Ang had booked just the two of us on a cruise to Cozumel. Our good neighbor, Linda Cournow in conjunction with my parents, came to take care of the kids for us. Just a little couple time. We cruised out of New Orleans on Saturday and returned home on Sunday. What a nice trip. I hadn’t realized how easy it was to get to New Orleans much less to take a cruise. It was a little over 4 hours to the port in downtown New Orleans from our house. Not bad! We had an amazing time. I love my wife so much. I love spending time with her. I love seeing her happy.
I left Camp Arifjan via bus on a Tuesday morning at 6.00am. I told Angela that since I was going back to the states I’d get back the 8 hours I’d lost and hopefully be at the Ft. Walton Beach airport sometime Tuesday afternoon. Boy was I off! I arrived at Ali Al Saleem Air Base around 8.30am. We had a 9.00am briefing where we signed in and then were told to return at 12.30pm to go into customs. I had some lunch, got my watch fixed. While wandering around, I met my friend, LTC Keith Farley, from all the way back at the first mobilization station, Camp McCrady. He was headed home to Annapolis, MD for his R&R at the same time. We reported for the 12.30pm formation. We then entered “lock down” until we got on the plane. We went through another briefing and then proceeded with our bags through Navy customs. This was painful! We had to take every single thing out of all of our bags for inspection. I had two bags (I took a bunch of stuff I didn’t need home for good) and a carry on. It took me about 1 ½ hours to get through all the scans and searches. We then sat in a little holding area where we could eat and watch TV. We finally boarded a bus for the airport about 5.00pm. The next stop was at the water point / holding area that they have between Ali Al Saleem and the Kuwait International Airport. I wrote about this back in the beginning. We sat there for about two hours. I’m still not sure what purpose this place has. Why couldn’t we sit back in the nice air conditioned holding area at Ali? Why stand out in a sandy parking lot with nothing but water for two hours. Anyway, we finally boarded the bus and headed to the airport. We climbed on the plane about 7.00pm. (Are you starting to see why the trip takes so long?) We took off about 7.30pm. The first leg was 5 hours to Leipzig, Germany. Coming through in May, it was only 2 ½ hours from Shannon, Ireland. Why the longer route? I was stressing by this time. I’d had no contact with Angela since the day before. I found a pay internet point and emailed her to give her a status update. (Internet was free in Shannon, Ireland.) She had been worried. I’d finally gotten my itinerary for my connection to Ft. Walton Beach by that time. I told her I wouldn’t be in until sometime Wed. We took off from Germany about an hour after we’d arrived. Really tired by this time. No first class seating this time through. I sat with Keith and we had a seat between us, but it’s still not very comfortable. Slept fitfully. Landed in Atlanta at about 6.30am Atlanta time. That’s 2.30pm Kuwait time the next day after I’d left. Went through customs and the Delta ticket line they’d had set-up for us. Got my connection ticket moved up to 10.30am. Yippee! Said good bye to Keith and headed to my gate. Starting to actually get excited now. I met a nice guy on the flight to Ft. Walton Beach to talk to. Helped to pass the time and settle my nerves. I’d been dreaming about this day since June. I can’t believe it’s here. I arrived in Ft. Walton Beach at about 10.30am central time. Walked briskly off the plane and through the gate terminals. Not a big airport. J As I came down the escalator to bag claim, Trey and Audrey saw me. Trey came sprinting to me and leapt into my arms. I cannot properly describe the joy in that moment, though Ang did a pretty good job catching it on camera. Audrey, interestingly enough was a little more hesitant, but after she saw me pick up Trey, she came to me. I got a huge twin huge. Kissed Ang and hugged everyone. Couldn’t stop smiling. One of the most unbelievable feelings in my life to see my family after such a long time. I didn’t lose that smile the whole time I was home.
I won’t go through all the details of my R&R here, just the highlights. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. I’d resolved to just live each day one at a time and not be in any hurry to get somewhere or do something. I’d conditioned myself to have to expectations and make no demands. I just wanted to savor every moment. I did just that. The trip actually lasted longer than I thought it would. We get exactly 15 days from midnight the day we arrive at our home airport till midnight of the day we arrive in the Atlanta airport to return. Thank goodness they don’t charge us for traveling!
The first week was mostly settling in and trying to rest. I took great pleasure in driving the kids to school and picking them up at the bus stop. Ang organized a little party of close friends the
first Friday I was home. Big cook-out by the pool at Kim Houdashelt’s Mom’s community. So many people to talk to. So little time. I did the best I could, but enjoyed every minute of it, until we had a little drama. Audrey slipped on a very slippery section of the pool deck by this manmade waterfall. She fell head first into the rocks in the waterfall. Split her head clean open. Ang and Kim rushed her to Sacred Heart Hospital’s ER, while Ritch Houdashelt and I held down the fort. Drama, drama. They returned hours later. Audrey with a nice doctor’s glue job and ice cream! She was the center of attention. The weekend consisted of the kid’s soccer game, which Audrey wasn’t allowed to play, because of the injury. The poor team had only 5 players and they needed 5. They all had to play the whole game. I was so proud of Trey. He played his heart out. We moved them up to U-8 this year, so at 6, he and Audrey are two of the youngest. He held his own, taking quite a few shots on goal. After soccer, as promised, we took them camping. We went to the Grayton Beach State Park just down the road. We did the beach that evening, set-up camp, grilled out, and had marshmallows and smores. That night….the kids slept like rocks while Ang and I chased off marauding raccoons again and again. The next morning exhausted Mom and Dad took the kids kayaking on the dune lakes. Beautiful. We also discovered at breakfast a place to get the world’s best Omelets. Red Bar in Grayton Beach. We then had raw oysters (at least I did) for lunch, and took the rest of the afternoon rest. (Ang and I needed it.)The second week was pretty busy. The kids had school and Ang had just started her new job. She’s working part-time for an engineering company to try and build their business in the Panhandle. I worked around the house doing little chores. Wednesday I went to Audrey and
Trey’s school in uniform. We had lunch with them and then I talked to their 1st grade class about what I do over in Kuwait. It was fun and the class was great. They asked a lot of really good questions. Thursday, it was time to head to New Orleans for our cruise. Ang had booked just the two of us on a cruise to Cozumel. Our good neighbor, Linda Cournow in conjunction with my parents, came to take care of the kids for us. Just a little couple time. We cruised out of New Orleans on Saturday and returned home on Sunday. What a nice trip. I hadn’t realized how easy it was to get to New Orleans much less to take a cruise. It was a little over 4 hours to the port in downtown New Orleans from our house. Not bad! We had an amazing time. I love my wife so much. I love spending time with her. I love seeing her happy.
We returned on Monday and so began the last of my R&R. We spent some good quality time with my parents. We had some great dinners and talked a lot. For the first time, I began to get apprehensive about leaving. Can’t believe I have to leave all this and go back to a war zone. Kind of surreal. Thursday was my last full day. We kept the kids out of school and had a kid’s day. Ang had to work half the day, so it was a whole lot of Daddy time. We rode bikes. We went to Fudpuckers (one of Audrey and Trey’s favorite restaurants) for lunch and saw the alligators. We played Putt Putt. We went 
bowling, where Ang met us. We bowled and then watched the kids play video games and air hockey. I didn’t realize they were so good at air hockey. We went home and then went to the swimming pool. We went home and changed again and headed to Baytown Wharf for dinner. We got there just in time to sit on the deck of the BBQ joint to watch the sunset as we had dinner. Perfect day, perfect evening. We finished up with letting the kids play on the playground to burn off the very last of their energy. Home finally to put the kids to bed and finish backing. Last night at home. Time just wouldn’t stand still for me.The next day Ang and I drove the kids to school and dropped them off. There were hugs all around, but no drama. They really don’t like the emotion of good byes, especially Audrey. I got hugs and kisses and then they ran off with their friends. The next part was much tougher. Ang 
took me to the airport this time. The last time we couldn’t do it, and our friend John Schroeder took me. We thought we would give it a shot. We did really well until it was time to go through security. Too much. A quick hug and a kiss and we had to move on. I just don’t’ know how military folks do this for deployment after deployment. It’s so hard to leave.
Anyway, on to another trip across the pond. I wasn’t near as apprehensive this time, because I knew what I was headed back to. I met up with Keith Farley in Atlanta and we talked about that. It’s a bit easier when you know where you’re going. So, I went from Fort Walton Beach in the morning to Atlanta. We sat in the Atlanta airport until 7.00pm eastern time for the flight. Unfortunate surprise…no 1st class seating going in this time. Same set-up as coming out. We did fly through Shannon, Ireland just like last time to going in. That’s a much better way to go. We arrived Kuwait at 6.00pm on Saturday. We then went to the dirt parking lot and waited for 2+ hours, for what I’ll probably never know. That wait made sure I missed the last bus to Camp Arifjan that night. I had to wait around Ali Al Saleem from 1.00am till the next bus at 6.00am. Not fun. I caught the bus and finally arrived at Camp Arifjan at about 8.00am.
MY WIFE
I am a very lucky man. My wife, Angela, is an amazing woman. I talk from time to time about “soldiering on” and developing “battle rhythm”. Ang has done both of these things without any military training. She’s incredibly smart and gorgeous. She’s an amazing mother, sister and friend to everyone. But, what I’ve come to realize during this deployment is she’s tough as nails. She seems to have not missed a beat. I know me being go has been tough, because she’s got double duty, but the kids are thriving. Our home is just like it was when I left. They’re in the same routine. It’s amazing. So, on top of taking on single parenthood, my incredible wife has started working again. She’s working 10 hours week marketing for an engineering firm. Oh yeah, she’s also teaching a class each Sunday at church, volunteering with the PTA at the kid’s school and she’s taken over my coaching duties with the kid’s soccer team. But wait there’s more. She calls me the other day to tell me she’s just been hired to teach once a week at Northwest Florida Junior College. Amazing! She has such incredible energy and such a positive spirit. I know this has been tough on her, but she “soldiers on” and makes the best of it. I’m truly very blessed. I love you babe!
took me to the airport this time. The last time we couldn’t do it, and our friend John Schroeder took me. We thought we would give it a shot. We did really well until it was time to go through security. Too much. A quick hug and a kiss and we had to move on. I just don’t’ know how military folks do this for deployment after deployment. It’s so hard to leave.Anyway, on to another trip across the pond. I wasn’t near as apprehensive this time, because I knew what I was headed back to. I met up with Keith Farley in Atlanta and we talked about that. It’s a bit easier when you know where you’re going. So, I went from Fort Walton Beach in the morning to Atlanta. We sat in the Atlanta airport until 7.00pm eastern time for the flight. Unfortunate surprise…no 1st class seating going in this time. Same set-up as coming out. We did fly through Shannon, Ireland just like last time to going in. That’s a much better way to go. We arrived Kuwait at 6.00pm on Saturday. We then went to the dirt parking lot and waited for 2+ hours, for what I’ll probably never know. That wait made sure I missed the last bus to Camp Arifjan that night. I had to wait around Ali Al Saleem from 1.00am till the next bus at 6.00am. Not fun. I caught the bus and finally arrived at Camp Arifjan at about 8.00am.
MY WIFE
I am a very lucky man. My wife, Angela, is an amazing woman. I talk from time to time about “soldiering on” and developing “battle rhythm”. Ang has done both of these things without any military training. She’s incredibly smart and gorgeous. She’s an amazing mother, sister and friend to everyone. But, what I’ve come to realize during this deployment is she’s tough as nails. She seems to have not missed a beat. I know me being go has been tough, because she’s got double duty, but the kids are thriving. Our home is just like it was when I left. They’re in the same routine. It’s amazing. So, on top of taking on single parenthood, my incredible wife has started working again. She’s working 10 hours week marketing for an engineering firm. Oh yeah, she’s also teaching a class each Sunday at church, volunteering with the PTA at the kid’s school and she’s taken over my coaching duties with the kid’s soccer team. But wait there’s more. She calls me the other day to tell me she’s just been hired to teach once a week at Northwest Florida Junior College. Amazing! She has such incredible energy and such a positive spirit. I know this has been tough on her, but she “soldiers on” and makes the best of it. I’m truly very blessed. I love you babe!
OCTOBER
I was back at Camp Arifjan on a Sunday morning, and right back to work Sunday evening. I’m working night shift now, so I slept all day and went in. Corey got me up to snuff. I really hadn’t missed much. The war kept on going. Everybody kept on doing their jobs. That’s one of the amazing things about this place. It goes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. People just keep rotating in and out, but things just keep rolling on. USARCENT is a big logistical machine. It just keeps cranking stuff out and taking stuff in. There is no stop. There is no day off. There is not rest for this people machine. It just goes and goes like the Energizer Bunny. Pretty amazing to watch.
Corey’s replacement is here. MAJ Larry Kimbrell. Jim Schultz and I know Larry from back at Ft. McPherson in May. We went through a space class with Larry the week before we deployed. Good guy. Air Force officer that switched over to the Army. I bit quieter than
I was back at Camp Arifjan on a Sunday morning, and right back to work Sunday evening. I’m working night shift now, so I slept all day and went in. Corey got me up to snuff. I really hadn’t missed much. The war kept on going. Everybody kept on doing their jobs. That’s one of the amazing things about this place. It goes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. People just keep rotating in and out, but things just keep rolling on. USARCENT is a big logistical machine. It just keeps cranking stuff out and taking stuff in. There is no stop. There is no day off. There is not rest for this people machine. It just goes and goes like the Energizer Bunny. Pretty amazing to watch.
Corey’s replacement is here. MAJ Larry Kimbrell. Jim Schultz and I know Larry from back at Ft. McPherson in May. We went through a space class with Larry the week before we deployed. Good guy. Air Force officer that switched over to the Army. I bit quieter than
Corey. J Corey’s been taking him to the gym and introducing him to our work-out. Larry seems into it. I hope he keeps it up. I know he’ll l be impressed with the results when he’s done
in 6 months.
Me, I’m working out by myself again. I’m night shift, so I work out around midnight. It’s really quiet. There are about 5 people in the gym when I’m there, which in some way is nice, because I don’t have to wait for something I want to work-out on to come available. I’ve pretty much
Me, I’m working out by myself again. I’m night shift, so I work out around midnight. It’s really quiet. There are about 5 people in the gym when I’m there, which in some way is nice, because I don’t have to wait for something I want to work-out on to come available. I’ve pretty much
got the place to myself. Night shift is much quieter than day shift, as you can imagine. Only the current ops people have night shift duties. All the planners, primary staff, etc. work during the day. I don’t like it. I’m a people person. Day shift is much more difficult, because you’ve got to constantly be on your toes, but there are people. I link interacting. I like networking. I like talking. J You can talk to people during night shift, but it’s always the same people. Not thrilled with being on night shift, but everybody’s got to take their turn. I’ll soldier through. There’s just 4 months or so left.
I’ve worked out a soft date with LTC Zellmann for rotating back to the states to out-process at Ft. McPherson and move towards demobilization. The date is the 1st of March, give or take a week. I told him I’m would be flexible and work around when our replacements are coming through to make sure he/she is trained, but I’ve got to be careful that I make sure to have enough time to go through demobilization and burn up any leave that I need to take. We’ll see.
I’ve worked out a soft date with LTC Zellmann for rotating back to the states to out-process at Ft. McPherson and move towards demobilization. The date is the 1st of March, give or take a week. I told him I’m would be flexible and work around when our replacements are coming through to make sure he/she is trained, but I’ve got to be careful that I make sure to have enough time to go through demobilization and burn up any leave that I need to take. We’ll see.
THE HOLIDAYS
My goal right now is just to make it through November and December. It’s going to be tough not being home for the holidays. I’m missing Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years with my family. The kids love Halloween. We go to Baytowne Wharf every year. All the shops give out the candy. It’s nice and secure with tons of other kids. They have a ball and we get to walk around with our adult beverages. The end of the night they have a show and then fireworks. I’m not a huge fan of Halloween, but I love how we do it in Destin. Thanksgiving Ang and the kids are going to Bowling Green to celebrate with my family. Lots of turkey, lots of BSing, lots of football. I’m going to miss everyone. Christmas is special because the kids really are into it right now. They’re going to Myrtle Beach this year to be with Ang’s family. No Christmas day golf with Randy for me. They’ll have fun with their Nana. New Year’s is one of my favorite holidays. I love the newness. I love the thought of starting out the New Year fresh. We always have a blast on New Years and then lie around and recover watching football and cooking good food on New Year’s Day. I’m curious to what it’ll be like here.
Oh well, everything’s just a new experience. That’s all I’ve got for now. See you all again after the holidays! Happy Halloween. Happy Thanksgiving. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year!
My goal right now is just to make it through November and December. It’s going to be tough not being home for the holidays. I’m missing Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years with my family. The kids love Halloween. We go to Baytowne Wharf every year. All the shops give out the candy. It’s nice and secure with tons of other kids. They have a ball and we get to walk around with our adult beverages. The end of the night they have a show and then fireworks. I’m not a huge fan of Halloween, but I love how we do it in Destin. Thanksgiving Ang and the kids are going to Bowling Green to celebrate with my family. Lots of turkey, lots of BSing, lots of football. I’m going to miss everyone. Christmas is special because the kids really are into it right now. They’re going to Myrtle Beach this year to be with Ang’s family. No Christmas day golf with Randy for me. They’ll have fun with their Nana. New Year’s is one of my favorite holidays. I love the newness. I love the thought of starting out the New Year fresh. We always have a blast on New Years and then lie around and recover watching football and cooking good food on New Year’s Day. I’m curious to what it’ll be like here.
Oh well, everything’s just a new experience. That’s all I’ve got for now. See you all again after the holidays! Happy Halloween. Happy Thanksgiving. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year!
Monday, November 2, 2009
New MWR Fitness Challenge
Anyone want to joing me for Morale, Welfare and Recreation's (MWR) next diabolical fitness challenge? In August, we had to swim the English Channel in 45 days. Guess what they have in store for us now? A full triatholon....but we do get 45 days. There's no way I could do one in 1 day, but 45 days....I've got a chance!
Who wants to try this one with me? Here are the parameters for the challenge.
Rules of Competition:
Each competitor may take up to 6 weeks to complete a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run.
- Competitors may use a swimmingpool to complete the 2.4 mile swim. A total of 90 laps must be completed (down and back is considered 1 lap at our pool / 50m).
- For the 112 mile bike ride, competitors may ride a Stationary Recumbent or Upright Bike (or a Spin Bike if it has an odometer affixed to it), a checkout bike from the MWR Services Warehouse (building 129, located behind the Zone 1 Track) or a personal bike. If competitors ride a bicycle, they must complete 35 laps of the 5k run course.
- Competitors may run the 26.2 miles on a Treadmill, a Cross-trainer/Elliptical machine, or they may run outdoors on the track or the 5k run course.
The competition will end on 15 Dec 09. All competitors must have completed the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and the 26.2 mile run by this date. (We have to have a goal!)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Nutrition, Wellness and Fitness as I've Learned It While Deployed
Before (March 2009)
After (October 2009)A number of your have asked me for my fitness and nutrition program that I used to lose 25 lbs in 5 months and to get myself in the best shape of my life. Honestly, I'm flattered by the attention, but I'll tell you that I had little idea of what I was doing when I started. I had a goal to drop 20 lbs and max my Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) by the time I took R&R in September. I used some that I'd learned years ago combined with some that I'd read in Mens Health Magazine and the rest I figured out as I went. The biggest key for me (other than eliminating alcohol) was just plain consistency or stubborness. I knew I had to show up every day no matter how I felt and I knew I had to stick to my dietary plan. Anyway, it worked for me, so here it all is for any interested. I will say that I'll challenge any and all to try this for 6 months. I promise that if you do that you'll get results that'll surprise you and impress everyone around you.
NUTRITION & WELLNESS
FIRST: We set our target weight goals, and then we calculate our caloric intake. Here is an example showing how I came up with my numbers using a standard formula.
Target Weight: 175 lbs
x Base Factor: 10
Weekly Intake: 1750 calories
We now modify our factor based on how often we work out. Add 1 for every hour you work out weekly. I work out about 8 hours a week.
Target Weight: 175 lbs
x Modified Factor: 18
Weekly Intake: 3150 calories
Please note this is the amount of calories that can be consumed to maintain the target weight. To lose the weight, we have to consume less than this number.
SECOND: Set-up daily dietary goals. You don’t have to take your calorie counting calculator to the grocery or to dinner. Just get to know the general numbers and shoot to go lower for each meal. One big issue that is easy for me to deal with while deployed, but not at home is…alcohol! Alcohol consumption can easily add 500-1000 calories to a day. Think about drinking wine instead of beer with dinners and limit consumption except on special occasions.
These are my daily diet goals.
Breakfast: [30%] 2 Eggs
Wheat Toast w/ Margarine
Oatmeal, Grits or Yogurt
Fruit
Glass of Orange Juice
Glass of Milk
Snack: [5%] Energy Bar or Granola Bar
Lunch: [25%] Sandwich or Salad
Chips or Rice
Fruit
Pudding, Jell-O or Yogurt
Glass of Juice
Snack: [5%]: Piece of Fruit or Granola Bar
Dinner: [35%] Steak, Chicken or Fish
Rice, Potato or Pasta
Vegetable
Small Salad
Low Fat Desert
Glass of Juice
Weekly Tips:
1) Once a week eat whatever you want.
2) Eat within 1 – 1 ½ hours of working out.
3) Watch the “business lunches”!
4) Be consistent!
5) Cut down on carb heavy meals.
Wellness Words of Wisdom:
1) Have sex as much as you can. :)
2) Work to lower daily stressors.
3) Don’t check your weight every day. Make a plan and give it time to work.
4) Laugh….a lot
5) Find an active hobby and do it every week!
WEEKLY WORK-OUT SCHEDULE
Work-out Words of Wisdom:
1) Show-Up Every Day
2) Set Goals
3) Plan to Work-Out at Least 1 Hour Each Day
Daily Tips:
1) Do 3 sets of each exercise with 10-15 repetitions per set. Increase weight to get resistance. Work to muscle failure at the end of each set. Try to use free weights as much as possible.
2) Work quickly. Allocate 7 minutes per exercise with just 30 sec rest to move to the next exercise. The goal is to complete 8 exercises in an hour. If you have less time, simply eliminate an exercise or two.
3) Feel free to substitute new exercises. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
DAY #1: Chest & Triceps [1hr 20min]
1. 5-7 minutes of upper body stretching
2. bench press
3. triceps press with cables
4. incline bench press or incline machine chest press
5. curl bar overhead triceps press
6. decline bench press
7. dips
8. chest and triceps press down machine
[2 Mile Run]
DAY #2: Legs & Abs [1hr 20min]
1. 5-7 minutes of stretching
2. squats or leg presses
3. incline sit-ups & crunches (40+ per set)
4. leg curls
5. crunches (75+ per set)
6. groin press
7. leg/knee lifts
8. calf raises
[15-20 min on Bike]
DAY #3: Back & Biceps [1hr 20min]
1. 5-7 minutes of stretching
2. upper back pull down machine
3. bicep curl machine
4. lower back pull machine
5. bicep curl with cables or curl bar
6. rows
7. single arm dumbbell curls
8. dumbbell bent over row
[1.5 Mile Interval Run]
- Break the run into ¼ sections. Run ¼ as fast as you can and then jog a ¼ mile. Do this for 1.5 miles. Work to increase the intervals over time.
DAY #4: Shoulders & Abs [1hr 20min]
1. 5-7 minutes of stretching
2. shoulder bench press
3. swiss ball jack knife
4. lat pull downs
5. ab machine or crunches with weight on chest
6. single arm dumbbell shoulder lifts
7. lower back exercise (inverted, right side, left side)
8. chin-ups
[15-20 min on Bike Intervals or Elliptical]
- A tip for the bike intervals is to do it to music. Ride as hard as you can for an entire song. Slow down and rest on the next song. Repeat.
DAY #5: Mega Stretch and 5K [1hr 20min]
1. stretch entire body for 15-20 minutes
2. joint exercise – neck rolls, wrist rolls, knee rolls, etc.
3. run a 5K (approx 3.2 miles)
DAY #6: Sport / Aerobic Activity [1hr]
1. go for a swim
2. play a game of pick-up basketball
3. go for a hike or a climb
4. ride a “real” bike
5. play tennis
6. Do something fun, but get the heart rate up!
DAY#7: Rest
Work-out Words of Wisdom:
1) Show-Up Every Day
2) Set Goals
3) Plan to Work-Out at Least 1 Hour Each Day
Daily Tips:
1) Do 3 sets of each exercise with 10-15 repetitions per set. Increase weight to get resistance. Work to muscle failure at the end of each set. Try to use free weights as much as possible.
2) Work quickly. Allocate 7 minutes per exercise with just 30 sec rest to move to the next exercise. The goal is to complete 8 exercises in an hour. If you have less time, simply eliminate an exercise or two.
3) Feel free to substitute new exercises. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
DAY #1: Chest & Triceps [1hr 20min]
1. 5-7 minutes of upper body stretching
2. bench press
3. triceps press with cables
4. incline bench press or incline machine chest press
5. curl bar overhead triceps press
6. decline bench press
7. dips
8. chest and triceps press down machine
[2 Mile Run]
DAY #2: Legs & Abs [1hr 20min]
1. 5-7 minutes of stretching
2. squats or leg presses
3. incline sit-ups & crunches (40+ per set)
4. leg curls
5. crunches (75+ per set)
6. groin press
7. leg/knee lifts
8. calf raises
[15-20 min on Bike]
DAY #3: Back & Biceps [1hr 20min]
1. 5-7 minutes of stretching
2. upper back pull down machine
3. bicep curl machine
4. lower back pull machine
5. bicep curl with cables or curl bar
6. rows
7. single arm dumbbell curls
8. dumbbell bent over row
[1.5 Mile Interval Run]
- Break the run into ¼ sections. Run ¼ as fast as you can and then jog a ¼ mile. Do this for 1.5 miles. Work to increase the intervals over time.
DAY #4: Shoulders & Abs [1hr 20min]
1. 5-7 minutes of stretching
2. shoulder bench press
3. swiss ball jack knife
4. lat pull downs
5. ab machine or crunches with weight on chest
6. single arm dumbbell shoulder lifts
7. lower back exercise (inverted, right side, left side)
8. chin-ups
[15-20 min on Bike Intervals or Elliptical]
- A tip for the bike intervals is to do it to music. Ride as hard as you can for an entire song. Slow down and rest on the next song. Repeat.
DAY #5: Mega Stretch and 5K [1hr 20min]
1. stretch entire body for 15-20 minutes
2. joint exercise – neck rolls, wrist rolls, knee rolls, etc.
3. run a 5K (approx 3.2 miles)
DAY #6: Sport / Aerobic Activity [1hr]
1. go for a swim
2. play a game of pick-up basketball
3. go for a hike or a climb
4. ride a “real” bike
5. play tennis
6. Do something fun, but get the heart rate up!
DAY#7: Rest
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