Reunions

Yesterday was a great day. My company, Bravo 403rd Civil Affairs, is reunited once again! On 14 October, I flew to Baghdad with my personnel/administrative sergeant, my operations sergeant, and my supply sergeant. We flew up early to start the transition process and to attend a conference on civil-military operations in this region.

We took a convoy from our base and drove thirty plus miles on a major highway to what is called, Victory Base, at the Baghdad International Airport complex. It was my first time outside of our FOB (Forward Operating Base) by ground. We arrived and had to drop off people, paperwork, and refuel before going to the tents where the rest of B/403rd spent the night. I was anxious. The whole time I felt like a parent who hasn’t seen their children in a long time – but that the last time they saw them they were glad to be away from them for a few days. We entered the tent complex and there was Zimmerman and Stotlar and a few others. We hollered back and forth to one another. When I entered the tent we all cheered. Some Soldiers rushed me and hugged me, others busted my chops for my leaving them in Kuwait for so long. There were smiles all around.

We were a family again.

In another reunion going on at the same time, my Soldier, PFC Garretto, was spending time with her dad, SSG Garretto, who is a helicopter mechanic with the Army National Guard. Although they had only half a day together, SSG Garretto flies to our base on a regular basis and father and daughter will get to spend time together when they can. It was the first time I had ever seen a parent and their child in Theater before, although the news covers it all of the time.

They were a family again.

Those haven’t been the only reunions. The other day I was in the dining facility when I was approached by one of my former students, Chris Remillard – now Captain Remillard – who is on the FOB as a physical therapist. Since then we’ve had lunch together and caught up on where everyone else from his class is at. This includes yet another of my former students who was living on the same base as I am but is currently and hour south of here. I’ve exchanged emails with CPT O’Brien and we’ll have dinner the next time he comes here.

And then, finally, I was walking into the “big” PX at Victory Base the other day and I ran into my friend’s wife, a Warrant Officer with the 101st Airborne Division. The last time I saw Carrie, she, her husband, Lisa, and I were all at dinner together in Cortland, NY on the eve of Kurt being deployed.

I am amazed at how small the Army is to be able to run into so many people that I know.

Now that we are on the FOB we are getting settled in and learning our way around. Now starts the process of learning the specifics of the jobs we will be doing. Now the real work begins.

Babylon, Waiting, and My First Run

I flew to Al Hilla, Iraq, on the west bank of the Euphrates River yesterday to attend a conference on Provincial Reconstruction. It was my first time crossing the river that has given this region so much.

The flight down was at night in the body of a blacked out Blackhawk helicopter. We flew low enough that I knew we were no more than several hundred feet off of the ground. I stayed in an old Ba'ath Party hotel and met a group of State Department people who were spending a year in the country trying to get the government - at the provincial level - going again.

Across the river from the meeting place was the ancient ruins of Babylon. Once the greatest of cities in the world; the place where Alexander the Great died in 235 BC; a place still revered today. In the low, late day sun, I was fortunate to fly over the ruins. I'm sure they weren't all 2,400 years old. Babylon was destroyed and rebuilt more than once. However, to see them and imagine the size and scope of what it might have been like was a thrill.

I have been here since 15 October and my Soldiers are finally coming up from Kuwait tonight. I arrived early to attend a Civil Military Operations conference and start the hand over of responsibilities from the out-going unit. My troops have been in Kuwait training and waiting to come up.

I miss "my" guys. Without them I am not a commander. I'm sure that when we get together there will be high-fives and hugs all around. The work ahead of them will require their very best.
The other day I went for a run around the FOB. It was difficult at best. The mud from the spring rains have left the internal roads pocked and hard to even walk on. This forces runners to the perimeter road, a four mile trek through moon dust, past the sewage dump, and out past where they burn trash. The moon dust is a talc like dirt/dust/river silt combination that and be up to an inch deep. Running in it kicks up clouds of dust and makes it look like you are running on the moon. The sewage is where the black water from all of the toilets goes and is basially an organic reclamation point - and I won't run by it again. By the third mile you are out past where anyone lives and they burn some/all of the trash. The smoke blows away from the camp - and I won't run by it again, either.

There are shorter routes and I will learn them rather than go on a treadmill. Running is important, especially given all of the food here. It lets me blow off steam, enjoy my ice cream without too much guilt, and it gets me away for a while.

All is well.

I'm Flying, I'm Flying

Here is an image that should terror into the hearts of those who know me.

Here I am, cruising at 36,000 feet over Greenland, sitting in the pilots seat.

One handed! No kidding!

This photo was taken on 09 OCT 08 en route to Kuwait via Germany. The autopilot was on and no one was ever really in danger. Really.

On A Wing and A Prayer

I have been in Iraq for 48 hours. I left Kuwait Tuesday afternoon and flew to Baghdad in a C-130 along with two dozen other Civil Affairs people and some miscellaneous contractors. The flight was typical for entering Baghdad, we went from 30,000 feet to 10,000 feet in a matter of seconds and then banked into another combat dive onto the runway. At one point I think my feet left the floor.

Prior to leaving Kuwait they gave FORCEPRO (Force Protection)ammunition. This ammunition is meant for one purpose, and I have been wearing it every waking moment since I got here. I guess that makes it real - I am back in a hostile fire zone.

However, arriving in Iraq was anti-climatic. This airport is in the middle of one of the largest and safest bases in the country. I kept telling myself to expect to have everything different. However, I found out that it was mostly the same. There are more buildings and more twenty-foot concrete barriers, but the location of the "terminal" is still the same. The barracks where I spent the night is still the same. Even the location of the Subway shop is the same.

The next day (yesterday) I flew by helicopter to my base. As I was running to the helicopter - blades turning - I realized that I forgot my glasses. Great. I had to make hand motions to the crew and then sprinted back across the flight line to the terminal. I am relying on my glasses more than I thought.

My flight to my base brought the last three years full circle for me. As we flew south I was familar with the area we were over because I had worked nearby in 2004-2005. And then I recognized a place I knew. And then I saw one of the projects I had built in 2005: a water tower in a small, rural village. And then we flew over the other one. Wow. They were still standing. No one had come in after they were completed and destroyed them. I had to assume they were working and serving the needs of the community.

We flew over vast agricultural lands full of different crops. There were workers and tractors, similar to the ones I distributed in 2005, working in the fields. From the air I could see life on the ground.

I landed at the FOB and met the men and women we will be replacing. The FOB is dusty, and as I write this we are in the middle of thick dust storm. Dust covers everything, everywhere. I'll write more about the FOB another time, when I have had time to wander around.

I fought to get here with a four person detail to attend an important conference as well as start the process of transferring equipment, paperwork, and information. Most of my Soldiers are still in Kuwait. Before leaving I gathered them all into a small circle. I told them that we were going to go to work soon and that some of us would go to different locations. In fact it may have been the last time that we'd all be together as a unit. And then I asked them to pray.

Together we said a prayer for strength for each of us when we are weak. To know right from wrong and to chose the right path. To look out for one another. We asked for God to look after our families-- especially the ones with small children. We prayed for peace and patience and safety for the next nine months.

And then we said, "Amen."

All is well here.

Why I Love The Army. Reason #214

Soldiers are the world's best complainers. They can bitch about anything.

This Kuwait. This is the middle of the desert. This is where Bedouins and their camels roam freely (I've seen them). It is over 100 degrees here in the middle of the day and the wind blows so hard that the port-a-potties need to be anchored to the ground. To walk anywhere here - and you have to walk everywhere here - requires you to drink a bottle of water before and after your trip. In other words, it's hot.

What do my Soldiers comlain about? What is it that causes them to vetch at breakfast?

It turns out that the air conditioning in our 60 person tent is too COLD!

That kind of complaining takes practice.

I won't be in Kuwait for very long. However, I was here to celebrate the Navy's 233rd birthday by running a 5k fun run in one of the heaviest and wettest fogs that I have ever encountered. The fog was so thick that I couldn't see more than four runners in front me. Out of the 150-200 people who ran I have no idea how I finished other than a respectable time of 20:24. (Neal, I sprinted the last 1/4 mile for you as a wedding present.)

I will be posting pictures as soon as I get to Iraq and get settled.

Welcome to Kuwait!

We are safely in Kuwait with all of our gear ready to start the last phase of our preparations for Iraq.

We left New Jersey in the early morning of October 9th. Our take off was delayed for several hours. Fortunately for me, because of the delay, I was able to call home shortly after midnight and wish Lisa a happy anniversary.

We flew on a contracted United 747 with a great, and very attractive, crew who met us at JFK for our refueling. Although many of us slept for the first few hours of the flight eventually we all woke up and moved freely about the plane. The flight attendants let us get our own coffee and tour the cockpit, and we in turn let them get pictures holding our weapons. On a funny note, yes, we were allowed to bring our rifles on board the plane, but not our knives.

We landed in Germany for ninety minutes, changed out crews, and flew on to Kuwait. I slept as much as I could on this leg knowing that I'd land in the morning hours. We came in over the desert as the sun was rising and I was reminded how desolate parts of the world are.

After we landed we were hustled on to busses for a ride into the middle of the Kuwaiti desert. In fact, the exit sign on the major highway read, "DESERT" with an arrow. Two hours later I was reminded in very clear terms what "desolate" actually is.

We are in the middle of no-where on a huge staging base. Here we will get used to the heat and the time change, refire our weapons, get some more training, and then move on to Iraq. We could be here a week. We could be here longer.

Despite being in the middle of no-where, this base is firmly established. Once inside the perimeter our bus passed a Taco Bell, Burger King, and Subway. This morning I stopped over to a Starbucks and ordered a coffee. The gym is enormous. The new dining facility has an ornate water fountain in it. Austere this is not.

The mood in the unit is very positive and everyone is doing great. Personally, I feel like I am in a time warp, instantly sucked back to 2004-2005. The sights, smells, and sounds of this place made it feel like I had never been away - very strange.

Finally, there are representatives from the unit we are replacing here. We are able to pick their minds and get ready for the mission ahead of us. We all have dozens of questions apeice and they are doing their best to answer them all.

That's all for now. I will keep in touch.

Anticipation

We are waiting for transport to the flight line. The bags are packed and loaded. The barracks are cleaned and empty. The farewell ceremony is over. All of the weapons have been issued.

There is laughter, some of it nervous, as Soldiers joke with one another.

There are lot of cell phones out with text messages and call being sent.

Some are reading. Some have found a whiffle ball and bat and have started pick up game. Others are sitting under a tree picking at the grass generating rumor mill content.

This is the longest part of the entire deployment; getting there, or waiting to get there. The anxiety is real. No matter how many past deployments someone has been on, those nervous butterflies manifest themselves in many ways.

Writing, for me, is the way to relieve some of that waiting anxiety.

I hope all is well with you, wherever you are.

24 Hours

24 hours to go.

What goes through a Soldiers mind at this time? It ranges from the critical to the absurd.

I think about my family and worry about the challenges that they will face without me. I also think about the joys that they will share with me in pictures and video. I feel the ache of starting a long time of being physically apart from them.

I think about the mission. Ft Dix is no longer a concern. Kuwait, additional training, movement to Iraq, and learning the particulars of the area is a concern. What can I do to make all of those things smooth for my Soldiers?

I think about the packing that I've done and the identification of luggage. Everything I own or that has been issued to me is going into green duffle bags that look e-x-a-c-t-l-y like everyone else's green duffle bag. I think about what to put in my carry on in the event that everything is lost or misplaced (it wouldn't be the first time).

I think about the responsibility that I have for these Soldiers. I think about the obligation that I have to their families to train them, send them into harm's way, and bring them all home safely. I think about what else I need to do for those who will sacrifice so much - because I owe them everything.

I think about the laundry that I need to get done so that I can fly in clean clothes.

I think about my bed in Cortland and how much I will miss it.

I think about the good times to come - Thanksgiving, and the Holidays, where I serve (literally) my Soliders and share a meal with them.

I think about how I can be a good Civil Affairs Soldier. I think about how to do my job and enable my commanders to help the people of Iraq. The sooner they can establish/run/manage their essential services, infrastructure, and government systems the sooner we can all come home.

And then the process starts over. I think about my wife, my daughter, my son and how much they mean to me and how much I will miss them.

The clock is counting down from 24 hours until a new clock starts counting down 300+/- days.

48 Hours

48 hours ago I was home with my family in the middle of one of the nicest weekends anyone could ask for. 48 hours from now I will be on an airplane somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean on my way to Kuwait.

Last week I spent Wednesday night to Sunday evening on pass at my home, with my family. It was four absolutely wonderful days.

Lisa brought TJ downstairs to find out who was behind the mysterious voice coming from the living room. TJ smiled and walked by me as if I had been downstairs the whole day long. It took him a day but he soon realized that the guy in the picture he kisses every night was the same guy picking him up. He got so big in such a short time that I wonder what the next ten months will bring. I will have to live vicariously through Lisa and the photos and video she sends me.

Lisa and I took the time we needed to connect. We went to dinner to our favorite places. We went for a run. We went shopping for TJ’s Halloween costume. We ran in the Pumpkin Fest 5k. We went to church. We hung out. She reminded me how lucky I am every day to have her as a friend, wife, and mother of my child. We reminded each other that we are strong enough to face the challenges that will come over the next year.

On Friday, we picked up Samantha from school and she took over the primary role of TJ’s favorite person in the family. She is involved in so many things at school that I have a hard time keeping up with all of her activities. Sam did great all weekend long until Sunday. Whether she tuned me out, mentally blocked the message, or didn’t understand – Samantha didn’t come to the full realization that I was leaving home until two hours before my ride arrived. In the last ten minutes the full weight of my departure hit her like a ton of bricks. Unfortunately, my daughter is also a bit of a drama queen. Fortunately, I missed her running down the street after the car and dousing herself in my cologne after I left.

My brother and his family came to town on Saturday. We cooked out, went to a football game (without the children, allowing my niece to babysit!), and had a great dinner together before coming back to the house for an outdoor fire.

The weather was nice and autumn was already present in Upstate New York. Everything about these last few precious days helped recharge my batteries for the next few days and will hopefully carry me for the next few months.

This afternoon we received the itinerary for our flight. We will be on a huge contracted commercial airplane flying from New Jersey to New York to Europe to Kuwait. It only took me a few seconds to realize that I would be spending my wedding anniversary on the plane; ugh. I also found out that all of the packing that I have already done needed to be un-done and packed over. There is not much left to do here except attend a farewell ceremony.

I am glad that we are leaving soon. Another group will be here until Saturday, and that is just too long to sit around and do nothing; now that we’ve said good-bye to our families let’s get going. I feel the anxiety building – not just in me but in everyone – as the last minute things that can get accomplished here press against us and the uncertainty of the next few weeks is only hours away.

There is more work to do before we get into Iraq. We’ll spend some time in Kuwait to train, acclimatize, and outfit into the latest protective gear available. We are only getting started.

If you are reading this and I did not call, stop in, or otherwise let you know I was in the area this weekend – I apologize. I you are reading this and I did get a chance to see you and say “good-bye” – thank you for adding to my weekend.