Day 208

The End of the Road

As I write today, it's Friday, November 4th and I am sitting in my home in Ohio. Yes, not Kansas and today, no longer anonymous. Today, I'll take you through Day 208 and introduce you to Dorothy, Tin Man, and Scarecrow. 

Day 208 began with a Skype call to my Tin Man who was VERY excited about the day. Finally, we could say "I'll see you tonight!" Once I told her good morning, her and her sister headed off to school. For me, a few items still remained before I could hop back on the Yellow Brick Road and head HOME. First up was a visit to the doctor. I had a blood draw for HIV and Hepatitis C then met up with the doctor who went over any issues that came up during my deployment. Nothing to speak of, really. She did put a note in there about the horrible air quality in Afghanistan due to burning trash and feces and the dust everywhere. After that, the last thing to do was to get my DD-214 drafted. This is a CRITICAL piece for any veteran getting off of active duty and is a direct tie to any benefits in the future and is proof of service.  I headed on over to the personnel office where I sat down and had them finish it. All of my medals were on there, the mention of serving in Operation Enduring Freedom, dates, and other miscellaneous dates. I found out I was getting another medal for being mobilized here, too. When I was deployed, I had 10 ribbons/medals over 10 years of active duty service. Here, after being mobilized for 7 months, I got 8 more! Dang! Once I got that done, I headed on back to finalize my checkout with the command and I was done.

It was only 11am at this point and we were slated to head to the airport at 2pm. In the meantime, I had some sushi and did some cologne shopping...had to smell good for Dorothy! Once 2pm came around, myself and 3 others headed to the airport and checked in. Pretty much uneventful from this point on. My flight took me from Gulfport, MS to Atlanta for a 2 hour layover followed by the flight home. We were delayed by over a half hour but ended up having a really strong tailwind and picked up much of our lost time and arrived almost on time...around 10:30pm last night in Akron, Ohio. 

So, the plan was this: Dorothy and the girls were going to get through security and come to the gate. They'll do that for returning service-members from deployment. Unfortunately, all of the departing flights for the day were gone and security was shut down. So, when I landed, I immediately got a bunch of accumulated texts telling me they wouldn't be there but would be just outside security. No big deal as Akron is a very small airport. Was I excited? Heck, yea. Honestly, I was still very numb to it all. Like I told Dorothy last night, when I was in Afghanistan it felt like I'd never leave and going home was just a dream...not reality. So now, it was happening but still...even walking off that plane, it was so strange...like it wasn't "really" happening. But it did...and I certainly felt it.

As I came into view of them and them of me, there was Scarecrow...waving to me. As I got even closer, she took off running towards me...over the security line! The Department of Homeland Security guy nearly jumped out of his skin but he immediately saw me and sat back down. Scarecrow was crying and jumped into my arms and I picked her up. Her tough "like Dad" exterior was broken and all I saw was her. By this time, I was there with Dorothy and Tin Man...kisses for Dorothy, hugs for all....and more kisses. It was awesome. The others who had gathered stood back and gave us privacy to say our hello's which was really appreciated. As we turned, the applause broke out and I was blown away...there had to be 50 people there along with their handmade signs. How awesome! I will not list who all was there in fear of forgetting a single name but I remember vividly every person who showed up...at nearly 11pm on a Thursday night to welcome me home. I knew many of them who would be there but I certainly had some surprises, too. Even some running friends showed up! So, I made my way around with hugs and handshakes. I wish I could've spent more time with many of them but I was trying to stay tuned into the time and that baggage carousel that would have my gear around the corner. Once I said my thank-you's to all, I headed on over, claimed my bags, and headed on home.

When I got home, an awesome banner was across my front porch. Hard to see last night, I brought it inside this morning. It is too large to take a good photo so I made a quick video of it. It really is amazing and thanks to Amy and Bekah for doing it. I love it!!! You ladies really outdid yourselves! THANK YOU!!!

So, folks...that is the end. The Yellow Brick Road has landed me at the 100 mile finish line in northeast Ohio. I had thought about how to end this...do I write some more or seal it forever? I decided to seal it effective with today's post.

I want to thank so very many of you but want to focus on just one... Marjie...my love...you are beyond awesome. I love you more than anything or anyone in the world. We ARE a team and WE did this...together. We both struggled many times but we persevered and did it. WE served our country together. Many people will thank me and shake my hand but nearly no one will do that for you. Rest assured, your sacrifice does not go unnoticed. Like I've always said, you are equally serving our country. I am serving no more than you. If not for you, I could not serve. THANK YOU and I look forward to another 19 years plus with you. (I will try to not create too many piles around the house. :-))  )

There have also been a handful of friends/family have supported Marjie on the home front in a very big way. You know who you are and thank you. Thank you so much. Your help in my absence was felt 7000 miles away.

To the many others who continue to send me messages, e-mails, texts, and phone calls...thank you. I have saved EVERY SINGLE ONE so I can reflect back on them. For many of you, I cannot wait to see you on the trails soon and for others, I'll see you in a few weeks at my welcome home party. Thank you so much! Your support does not and did not go unnoticed!!!

So with that, we are at the end. Thank you for following my journey for 208 days and to those who have shown the real, tangible support, thank you so much. I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas. Keep your priorities in check and never forget that Marine, soldier, sailor, or airman who is serving a half-world away so we can all sleep peacefully beneath the blanket of freedom and do as we please 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 207

Very light day here today. We have to share the schedule with the folks who heading to Oz so not much happened today...only the mental health consultation and a quick look by the dentist. So, I slept in then was done by lunch. Before lunch, though, I did get my flight schedule HOME. Tomorrow is the day! So with that said, Day 208 is where the Road ends. Please don't expect a post tomorrow because I know I won't get to it given everything going on tomorrow. I'll write Day 208 on Friday, hopefully. Before I leave, though, I will see the doc tomorrow morning and get my discharge paperwork wrapped up.

So here we are...about the cross the 100 mile finish line. It's been quite a journey, eh? It was cool to talk with the girls tonight and tell them both: "See you tomorrow!" That felt good.

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 206

As promised, I want to go back to early on Day 205 and bring you forward until now. Thousands of miles traveled and now in the U.S., I need to bring it full circle tonight. Be warned, though, I am super tired tonight so if I type a bunch of mumbo jumbo, you know why!

Day 205

After I drafted and set Day 204 to publish, we all met up that evening (Sunday) around 7pm and waited for the buses to show up. Once they arrived, we were set to go to customs. One rumor I had heard was that not every single person gets a full search of their bags...it's random. Well, guess who "randomly" got picked...yep! Me! Two full bags of strategically packed gear had to be pulled out and searched by the Navy customs agents. Afterwards, we were off to the terminal adjacent to the approximately 375 passenger, Boeing 777...a BIG jet. By this point, we had collected many more people to completely fill the flight. All four services now represented on the Freedom Flight with no open seats. As 2am arrived on October 31st, we were finally taken out to the jet to board our chariot home to America. After way too many head counts, we lifted off just after 3am. 5 hours to Germany!

My seat was not comfy at all. I'm 6'2" and had a cramped window seat. Plus, the lady in front of me insisted on leaning her seat back as far as she could. I maybe got an hour's worth of sleep and no more. As we approached our landing in Germany, I snapped this photo:

(OK, so since I posted this picture, I gave up. It was 9pm on November 1st and I could not stay awake so now, it's 3am on the 2nd, after sleeping for 6 hours...an awesome 6 hours, so let's try this again!)

Once on the ground in Germany, we had about a 3hr layover which was uneventful. Looking out the windows of the terminal and while taking off, it looked so much like America. Beautiful fall colors, cars parked in the parking lot, buildings... Yes, cars and buildings catching my eye. That's what being in Afghanistan will do. What we all call normal in the U.S. is so far from normal over there and it was refreshing to see "normality" again as I saw it. Lifting off out of Germany, I snapped a few photos of the landscape.

Now for the long, long flight over Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, northeast Canada and along the east coast of the United States to Baltimore-Washington International Airport. 8 1/2 hours of flight. By this point, it was mid-morning in Germany and early morning back on the east coast. Up to this point, I would say I had no sleep. I doubt anything counted en route to Germany and if I could just stay awake now across the pond, I could crash eventually late Monday night and try to reset my body's clock all at once. We shall see about that. (I think you know that didn't "totally" work as I just woke up from 6 hours after not being able to type a complete sentence due to being so tired!) 

Anyway, the flight went very well. We lost about 50 folks in Germany who had final destinations there and replaced those with many military families going back to the States who are stationed in Germany. That's called "flying Space-A"...or space-available. If there is room on the flight like mine, they can fly for free to fill the seats. The service-member or dependents of the service-member. All of a sudden we had a few newborns on the flight...NOW it felt like home! :-) I was sitting next to an intel specialist, enlisted guy who had a blanket over his head most of the time up until now. We got talking and ended up passing a good, solid 3 hours of our flight. Conversations from Dave Ramsey to our families (he has twin 8-year-olds) to our wives and the upcoming homecomings, to our past Naval service, to politics, to the future of Social Security, back to budgeting and getting out of debt (!!!!), and finally me clicking through over 800 photos of my deployment on my Mac. He was in Iraq and me in Afghanistan which are extremely different in landscape and people so he found them quite interesting. Here are a few more photos I captured in flight:

As we drew near to the U.S. of A., I watched the ocean beneath me (we were 44,000 feet up) disappear and get replaced by SNOW!!!! What?!?!? Yea....snow. This past weekend, the northeast U.S. got slammed and here it was. First, though, we flew over northeast Canada. When I left back in April, there were buds on the trees for the coming Spring and now....snow?! Good grief! Still, though, it looked like recognizable America down below which felt goooooooood! As we drew near, it was passing 2pm and we were 20 minutes out from touching down. Not a second of sleep all the way! I did watch "The Breakfast Club" again on my computer. A cool 80s flick can never hurt!! So classic! Here is a photo I snapped just before touchdown at Baltimore:

Touchdown!!!!! Applause broke out immediately when the wheels touched down and of course, I was one of them! Looking at my phone, it was 2:15, EASTERN STANDARD TIME, and I didn't need to add 8 1/2 hours to figure out my time. This WAS my time! WOO HOO!! Anyway, after the applause died off, I had a priority: dial 611 and re-activate my iPhone with AT&T. I'm a bit addicted to that awesome piece of technology and looked forward to being reunited again! That was extremely easy....before we even pulled up to the gate, I was up and running. The guy simply reinstated the plan previously in force on my account. Once we were able to de-plane, we all made our ways into the LONG line for the customs agent. I called Dorothy and let her know I had arrived safe and sound and finally, I heard that long-awaited excitement in her voice. THIS made it real for her. For me, it hadn't quite hit yet. Eventually, I made it through customs and headed into the concourse, en route to the ticket counters with my baggage to check in for my final 2 flights. As soon as I left the customs room, I was in a tunnel of American flags, applause, and countless "Welcome Home" shouts! It felt great! I'm not sure of their affiliation like back around Day 30 but the USO was just ahead. Not sure. As I neared the end, this little girl, maybe 5 or 6, was wandering around and trying to be led by example. She had red, white, and blue ribbons in her hair and waved a little American flag. I dropped both of my bags and gave her a very gentle high-five and thanked her. It was AWESOME. I wanted her to remember all of those "soldiers" walking out and make her feel part of it. I'm so glad, looking back, that I stopped for just a moment for her. As I left that tunnel, more thank-you's followed then I was on a mission for the ticket counter. I checked in for my flights then headed for security where I was immediately taken to the head of the line (because I was in uniform). Now I'm sure you've seen military guys and gals wearing these combat boots...a major pain to put on and take off. As I put my stuff on the table and took out my laptop, the security guy yelled over to me to just leave my boots on and walk on through the metal detector. BONUS!!! And with that, I was done with security and off to my gate.

Once at my gate, I asked for an exit row which in today's airline market, was an up-charge. But, if I would wait until 30min before departure, I could get it for free. So, precisely at 31 minutes before departure, I walked back up and they were happy to take good care of me. Once I boarded the flight to Charlotte, NC, I re-looked at my boarding pass, thinking I was in the wrong airplane. "I'm in First Class....my ticket is "1D" which is the front seat in First Class. There must be a mix-up." Nope! That lady at the counter didn't give me an extra row, she upgraded me to FIRST CLASS! Never in 38 years on this planet had I sat in First Class nor been upgraded for free. (insert BIG smile right here) That totally made my day! As I sat down, I was welcomed and asked what I wanted to drink. Drink? Like a shocked kid, I had no response. I asked what she had and her response? "Anything. I'll make you anything you want." She had a full bar back there! Honestly, what sounded really good at that moment was an ice cold glass (plastic, that is) of white wine. It just sounded relaxing and calming. So that's what she provided and it was so very, very good. I also noticed that a few other of my military friends were starting to fill in the remaining First Class seats around me. Next to me sat an Army Master Sergeant. She was wearing the same patch of the brigade I was working in during my entire time in Afghanistan so we struck up conversation which took us all the way to Charlotte and through one more "glass" of wine. :-)

On the ground in Charlotte, it was a very fast layover so before I knew it, we were in the air to Stop #2 on my trip along the Yellow Brick Road, en route to Kansas...the stop where I'd be processed off of active duty and back in to the Reserves. As soon as this plane took off, that was all she wrote. 2 glasses of wine and well over 40 hours of being awake did me in. Wheels up = me passed out. I didn't wake up until the descent into my current location in the southern U.S., along the coast. On the ground, I retrieved my bags and waited with only a few other sailors for our ride to base. Palm trees waving in the wind, cars zipping by outside...I was in the U.S....finally. Once our van arrived, it was a short 20min ride to base and to the Inn on base where I laid my head down on Day 1 of this journey. I remembered it well! After checking in, my room, ironically, was next to my room from before. After dropping my gear, it was to the shower. I hadn't been out of my uniform since Sunday morning so it was needed. Plus, the ability to shower out of shower shoes? BONUS!!!! :-) Once I laid down, I had the hardest time falling asleep. It was too darn quiet. From F-15s taking off for 6 months all night, every night, to that old Army tent flapping and scraping on the floor all night in Kuwait, I wasn't used to the silence. I had to do the 'ol trick I taught my kids...start counting from 100. I did so and it worked but only until 4am the next day...a too-quick 5 hours away. Still..I had a very comfy bed to sleep in and it was starting to set in...I am almost home...I really am. I am not in Afghanistan anymore (for some reason, I wasn't accepting this reality). Here's where I'm at now.

Day 206

ugh...5 hours of sleep? REALLY? I didn't even need to be anywhere until 7am and I thought I might sleep in! No chance. I couldn't sleep anymore. My head was pounding, I was aching from the flying, and why not...I took another shower! I just loved the first with no shower shoes on. :-) I also have a Keurig coffee maker in my room so I brewed myself a coffee.

E-mail, text messages, Facebook....wow, I have some amazing friends and supporters. I really do. One thing I subconsciously did when turning that phone back on was to not put myself under the pressure of making a list and checking it twice about who I should call. Dorothy. She is my priority and my girls. If anyone else wants to reach out, I am highly accessible so they can just do that. Anyone can dial a phone and send a message....and that they did. I've been humbled by the outpouring and really do appreciate it all. It's been a job in itself just to keep up! The really cool part? My only surviving grandparent who is 86 years old called me today. I was at lunch and of course, I took the call. She wanted to know when I was coming home because she wants to be at the airport. How cool is that? I just need to find her a ride! So, we talked for a brief few minutes which was great.

Back to the morning: at 7am, we were all over at the processing area and awaiting further direction. They were certainly ready for us and we wasted no time. As I remembered the staff from Days 1 through 5, they were very efficient and actually cared! No change. They expressed many times today how they acknowledge how badly we want to get home and would do everything they could for us to make that happen. Still, though, we are Navy Reservists and need to go through a process to be taken off of active duty and back in to the Reserve. That included lots of paperwork and hearing from the Chaplain about stress, reintegration, etc., the VA, legal, medical, and a few others. As the day wore on, my head was pounding and "zombie mode" was in full effect. This time change, long flight, and only 5 hours had caught up with me. COFFEE! That helped and around 4pm, we cut loose for the day. It was a brilliant, sunny day and one thing I knew...we were 1 mile from the beach. So, I stopped in at the supermarket on base and grabbed some sushi for dinner (I remembered it from Days 1 through 5), then put on my running clothes and headed for the gate.

Outside of the gate, it was a beeline for the waterfront. Before I knew it, I was there. Options: I could run on the sidewalk near the street, or I could run along the water and perhaps in it a bit. Yea...the water was the easy choice. It was beyond awesome...it really was. I had my iPhone with me and captured lots of great photos. I estimated I still had about 30 minutes to sunset so I just took off running and soaking in the salty air. All I could think of was Dorothy. I so wanted to be walking along this beachfront, hand in hand. It totally consumed me. I'll admit, too, that it wasn't my typical running-without-stopping. There were plenty of "oooohhhh, ahhhhhh" moments to just stop and soak it all in. Here are some photos from my run on the beach and the sunset:

Removing Afghanistan sand and replacing with U.S. sand

So, it was a great run..no doubt. I left the beachfront just as the sun disappeared below the horizon. After a mile, I was back on base (and got wanded as I walked on!)...can't be too safe with security these days. Back in my room, I got some more photos uploaded online and took yet another shower. Great again! And wow...that sushi...simply amazing. What a very excellent choice that was!!! Next? Blog. I could already feel it...there was no way in the world I was going to be able to write this monster post. I will try...but it was not looking good! I started this post and I couldn't even finish a sentence without falling asleep and waking up to 50 same letters on the screen as my fingers were laying on the keyboard. So now that you've read the post, you can understand what an unsurmountable challenge I was up against! I'm glad I slept (as my youngest brother insisted) and wrote this morning. 

So here we are, it's Day 207 and I'll leave it there. I still have NO idea when I'm going home. "How could that be? How could you not know?" Well, flight arrangements aren't made until they verify we are here. Immediately after that, they send out the request to get our flights booked by the military travel office. As of last night, they hadn't heard back yet. Hopefully today, I'll find out. For today, though, it'll be time to talk with the mental health folks, the dentist, and hopefully the doc. Should be a good day and another day closer to home. I'll leave you with my Photo of the Day. As I wrapped up my run and Dorothy consumed my thoughts, this quote popped in my head so I carved it in the sand. Seemed fitting given my trip to Oz and being "almost" home. 

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 205

The room next to me is the room I checked into a Day 1. Today, Day 205, I am next door and forever changed. While only separated by a few inches of drywall and 2x4's, thousands and thousands of miles were traveled between these two rooms and countless experiences gained. Tomorrow, after I've been able to get a good night sleep and gather my thoughts, I'll write about the last 40+ hours. I now sit at stop #2 on the way home. Since I last wrote, I have traveled from Kuwait to Germany (5 1/2 hours), Germany to Baltimore (8 1/2 hours), Baltimore to Charlotte (1 hour), then 1 1/2 hours to my current location which is my last stop before being reunited with my family only a few short days away. For now, though, I've been up for about 47 hours straight which should facilitate me resetting my body's clock to United States time as I expect to be asleep within seconds of my head hitting the pillow in a few minutes. Like I said, I'll write more tomorrow. I will say this, though...it was nice to take a shower in my bare feet tonight. First time since I was last here...over 6 months ago. Still...coming back to the USA hasn't hit me...and it won't...until I hand over that little bear in my uniform pocket to Tin Man and Scarecrow and embrace Dorothy. Mile 99...yep, I'm right there. Just a few more steps...

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 204

"Oh, General Patton, why must you wake me every morning at 6am?" Well, I suppose it's better than F-15 Strike Eagles taking off and the occasional rocket attacks that woke me up back in Afghanistan. So I slept in to 6:30am...I know...living dangerously. I made my way over to the decompression tent and caught up on some e-mail and benefited yet again from the Keurig coffee maker and Wolfgang Puck's blend. (my espresso pot is packed away) I headed off to my last breakfast in Kuwait and just barely made it in before they locked the doors. Afterward, the next thing up on my agenda for the day was the final travel brief but first, I took up the ex-Marine now Navy chaplain on his offer for the Sunday morning service. I think I was only 1 of about 6 in there but it was good to be there. Shortly after that, I headed back to my tent to grab all my baggage and head over to the main hangar/tent for our final brief and have me and my luggage weighed. It was PACKED! All of a sudden, we had Army personnel on Navy ground....wuz up wit that? Well, it turns out that they will fill the flight to the United States and leave no one behind or seat unfilled. Yea, I'm definitely good with that. "Bring us ALL home, I say." So as the hangar filled with soldiers, sailors, and their gear, we had a seat and listened to the instructions about weighing our bags, customs forms, and the schedule for TONIGHT.

Afterward, I went and watched another movie to pass the time..."The Adjustment Bureau" this time, starring Matt Damon. Pretty good flick. After that, it was lunch and more downtime to kill.

OK..confession time. I wrote this blog post in the middle of the afternoon, Kuwait time...morning for you. A cool feature of Blogger is, though, that I can schedule the post to go up when I dictate...I actually use that feature all of the time. Well, in interest of operational security and never talking about future movements before they happen, this post will go up later tonight when I will lack the ability to write. I'd hate to miss a post, right? Right. So, by the time you read this, I will be on my way HOME. Most likely, if you read this timely, I'll be in the air somewhere between here and the U. S. of A. A lot of travel will happen on one day...nearly 17 hours of in-air time and four different flights...all bringing me to my processing station which is the final stop before my trip home to Kansas. Hopefully, you'll get a Day 205 post which will tell the tale...hopefully some photos, too, of the journey. I'll have my iPhone ready. Remember the plane shots on my way out here? We'll see what I can get.

So that's it for today...much will have happened before you read this and I (and many others) will be in uniform, on a packed commercial (but chartered) flight, heading for America...appropriately named the "Freedom Flight."

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 203

It was a rough day in Kabul today. If you haven't seen the news yet, a suicide bomber in a vehicle hit one of our convoys and killed at least 13 Americans. Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan and about a 15min helo ride south of where I was. I have friends there and luckily, have heard from all of them. The loaded suicide vehicles are not uncommon for charging entry points at bases are uncommon to ram a convoy. To take that many lives in a convoy, the blast had to be significant as most of our armored vehicles don't hold that many people. Please keep the families in your prayers who most likely, just had two uniformed service-members knock on their door and deliver the most feared news.

Back here in Kuwait, this morning stayed busy. It started at 8am with another travel brief, but specific to the place we are headed for out-processing Stateside. I had a feeling that most would be heading to Norfolk and San Diego as those are big Navy hubs in the world. I was right. There are only 6 or 7 of us heading to my location in Mississippi. That's a great thing! Less folks to process through = more efficiency in pushing us through. During that brief, I met another Navy reservist who also is from my area, is going to the same processing site, and is flying back to the same airport! RATS! I'm not going to get that plane to myself on the final trip home! The funny part? His first name is the same as mine! So, I'll be sure to forewarn him that there may be signs or shouts where he may think someone is shouting out for him! Funny, eh?! He's a young guy and I think, only him mom and dad will be there to pick him up. I tell ya...what are the chances of THIS happening?! Flippin' hilarious, I tell ya!

After that travel brief, we had our one workshop, mandated by the Chief of Naval Operations. There was about 8 of us...all Navy officers of almost the same rank. The conversations rotated around reintegration, coping with stress, our different experiences while deployed, and expectations when we arrive home. It's true...I have a picture in my mind what homecoming will be like on that day and the days and weeks following. So does Dorothy, Tin Man, and Scarecrow. I guess we all just need to communicate and work together. We also talked about the cheers and thank-you's that we'll hear and how that makes us feel. Like the others, it feels "weird" and undeserving. To me, the "heroes" are on the frontlines and the ultimate heroes have sacrificed their lives. But, since less than half of 1% of our country is serving right now (yes, 0.45% of the U.S. population is in uniform), I can see how folks do show their appreciation to anyone in uniform and I/we do appreciate it! We just don't know how to react because we simply don't feel like we deserve it. Make sense? So please, show your appreciation and never stop...it is appreciated but just know, we really have no idea how to respond. Me? I usually just shake your hand, smile and nod my head. Doesn't feel right to say "You're welcome." Anyway, it was good to share with others and listen to what the others had to say.

For the rest of the day, it was relaxing and watching a few flicks. Tonight, I'm doing another load of laundry and getting myself squared away for my eventual departure. One last travel brief is coming up tomorrow morning where we'll bring all of our luggage in to have it weighed. They need the cumulative weight of every person and gear to properly load the jet out of here. So with that, friends, Day 203 is a wrap. Onward to 204...

Oops...."Happy Birthday, Dorothy. I hope you enjoyed your short and sweet "Happy Birthday" video I sent you this morning. I hope you had a wonderful day!"

Goodnight, everyone.

Day 202

One day closer to home and the day I got to shed a LOT of gear. If you remember back to my first few weeks of this deployment, I was issued a lot of gear including my body armor...about 3 seabags worth of "stuff." Today at 8am, I was in the first of 3 groups to haul their gear out of their tents and bring them over to the entrance of the main tent. At 8am, we were briefed that as soon as the big roller door went up, we'd all walk in and be told how the gear drop would go then we'd come out and get our gear. The door went up and about 70-100 sailors broke out in thunderous applause. We were totally shocked as we walked through them all. It reminded me of the night we boarded the plane to leave the United States. Remember that? All of those Boy Scouts and VFW members were out there to send us off. It was really cool today and I'll admit, it felt darn good. Like I was telling Dorothy earlier, we don't look for thanks or anything and haven't heard any kind of applause since that night we boarded that plane, but to be thanked in applause like that from fellow sailors who are deployed themselves is pretty darn cool. The gear drop went well and in under an hour, we were done. I also got rid of all my Army uniforms except for my favorite pair, the ones I'll wear on the flights home.

Afterwards, I watched another movie, had a catnap, then was back for our admin brief at 1:30pm. Talks from the Chaplain and others regarding future travel were covered. I picked up a command t-shirt and coin afterwards. For the rest of the day, I just hung out and relaxed. Not much to speak of. Tonight at 7pm, the Chaplain invited us out to the Memorial Garden for "Holy Smokes," as he called it. Cigars for all and a time to just unwind. I'm no smoker but I figured I'd give it a puff. Afterall, the Chaplain said smoking isn't a sin, it's a vice! True dat! So I did and after a few puffs, it was confirmed why I never took up smoking...yuck! Still, some good downtime to relax with the others. Tomorrow, we have more briefs on travel to our processing site Stateside following by a workshop to "talk" about our deployment. I'm not sure what this workshop entails but it is CNO-mandated. (Chief of Naval Operations) I'm curious to see what it's all about. Not much for the rest of the day after that. Sunday will be busy, though. :-) With that, Day 202 is history. Time for a shower and bed.

Goodnight, everyone.