Home for the Holidays, and beyond

Hello All. This is the final chapter in my deployment to Iraq.

Today you'll find me settled with blue jeans and unshaven x 2 days (after 14 months of shaving every single day, my face was ready to file for a restraining order). To get here though was a long, drawn out process. It wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. It was certainly longer and colder though. The night we took off, 10 December 2008, we sat out on the flight line waiting for our helicopter for over 4 hours in 40 deg temperatures. The moon was full and beautiful, but the wind was vicious and chilled us down to the core. After that night, we would be able to escape the cold in our tents. The trip home consisted of a day and two nights at BIAP (Baghdad International Airport), then a stomach churning flight to Kuwait on the 12th and 2 more nights there. On the 13th, our dear friend Michelle celebrated her 2nd birthday in theater. As a gift, my roommate for the past 2 weeks, Chris, and I shaved the "rally-stache" (yes, the last 2 weeks - 16 days actually -we grew mustaches. It looked dirty/disgusting, but it was better than not changing our underwear or socks.) and consumed copious amounts of ice cream at the DFAC. Sunday the 14th, at 0400 Iraqi time, started the final stages of the trip home. We packed up our sleeping bags, loaded on a bus, and rolled out to the Air Base to go through customs. Customs coming home from Iraq is probably different from what you are used to. They have x-ray scanners, but they still make you un-pack your entire duffel bag and carry on, then you repack it at another table. At that point it was 1000 AM, and all we had to do is wait in the lock down compound/tent until our flight. Our flight was at 0130 on the 15th. Yeah, 15 hours in a tent with a few hundred other people waiting to get home. They had a coffee shop and a pizza hut stand (10.99 for a 6 piece pizza.... grossly overpriced and they only offered pepperoni, meat lovers or something else with meat). At that point we didn't really care. We were going home. At 2130 we loaded up the buses and headed out to the Airport. We loaded the plane an hour or so before take off and we were on our way home from there.

There wasn't much sleeping on the plane though despite being exhausted from being up for 22 hours already. We stopped every 4-6 hours because of the size of our plane. Stop one was Leipzig, Germany. Two was somewhere in Iceland (which was an absolutely beautiful airport). Then finally at Goosehead, Canada for a quick refueling, then finally on to Hunter Army Airfield/Ft. Stewart, GA. Total time in transit from Kuwait to Georgia, 22 hrs 7 min, disembarking the plane for about an hour at a time in Germany and Iceland only.

We were all a little sore and for the most part, ravaged by lack of sleep. But nothing could knock down the high finally being only a few minutes from being with our families. The anxiety did build as we sat in rushour traffic between HAAF and Stewart. Welcome back to the US, typical sightings, drivers not pulling out of the way of the police escort directing us back to our finally destination. But when we did get there.... Hallelujah.

Dee and I had our re-union on Cottrell Field at Fort Stewart after a brief ceremony. Spent the next day sleeping in, walking around Savannah and having dinner with Chris and Michelle and their family. The following day was the 10 hour drive home.

Home at last. We are here. Together. Comfortable clothes, good home made food and the Christmas decorations finally up around the house. Yeah there is a small explosion of Army issue equipment in the 2nd bedroom, but that can be ignored for a while, and it will be. For now, it's all about enjoying the time with Dee, and celebrating Christmas once again with comfort and joy.
Thank you all for the support you have given Dee and me throughout this deployment. You all played a role in getting me home in sound mind and body.

This is the final chapter and end of this Blog. Thanks for following along.

With that I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and a long, healthy life surrounded by those you love.

Thanksgiving #2 and some re-deployment thoughts

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

I know this post is a day late, but we had some internet problems last night. That, and I slept after lunch and dinner due to turkey intoxication. Unlike last year where I was slammed with patients, housed the entire turkey dinner in 10 min, then ran back to my clinic only to have my patient no-show on me, I did not even conceive the idea of going into the clinic today. One, because I don't really have that many patients anymore, and two, I just didn't feel it was necessary. So overall, Thanksgiving 2008 was actually quite enjoyable.

Thanksgiving 2008 was a day of beginnings, and a day of finality. As a lead up story..... Some of you are aware that I have been struggling with a tremendously limiting case of achilles tendonitis. It started with training with Kathy for her marathon in September (that she downgraded to a half marathon due to the "roads" tearing her legs up as well....that she did not get to run anyway due to bad weather delaying her return to the States for leave). I continued to run, and after the Labor Day 5k run, I could barely walk. I hit the bike hard for a month, then trialed the elliptical. Still too painful and swollen. Finally, November 5th, I was able to run 1 mile with no pain. The miles built up since then, leading to the Thanksgiving 10K. This was a first. It was my first 10K "race". I didn't race it at all. The "roads" (in quotation marks for a reason) are awful, and how my legs got tore up to begin with, so I didn't want to risk another 10 weeks of being an invalid. So Kathy, Chris "Eugene" and I had fun running it, joking and singing the majority of the run. We finished within a minute of each other all coming in around the 53 min mark (plus or minus 30 seconds). This was also a first in that I am usually traveling on Thanksgiving, and was able to complete my first Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. I had a great time and actually was in a better mood throughout the day in having done it. I hope to continue to run some sort of Turkey Trot in the coming years. Now that Deanna runs and enjoys 5Ks, I hope to complete the runs together as a tradition. The other point to make is, you start the day in a calorie deficit, so eating that piece of pie for breakfast doesn't seem so difficult, or later in the day for that matter.

Today was also a day of beginning of the end. Today was the last major holiday spent in Iraq. We deployed on 29 October of 2007, missing the first holiday, Halloween, and all the holidays in between, including 2 Thanksgivings. We were on tap for 2 Christmas' and New Years', but by the Grace of God and some great Leaders high in the Echelons of Command, we are able to return for the Christmas holiday. Over that past 13 months, which is now complete, I have made some great friends, who have been my family here in theater. Affectionately known by each other as "The Disgruntles", we have been here for each other through tough times and through the easier parts of the deployment. When support from home waxed and waned with convenience and acknowledgment coinciding with holidays or family events, their loyalty was steadfast. With redeployment crawling towards us, there is some anxiety involved with coming home. The people who have been my immediate, support here in theater are going to be an intimate, but distant part of my life. I will forever be impressed by their character and friendship. It's hard to leave a friendship that tight behind as you return to "life". Especially as an attached asset to the unit, I will likely not see these people anytime in the near future, as some are getting out of the Army and others are pursuing greater things in the Sister Services or within the Army, in different commands. On this day, I am truly thankful for meeting them, and being accepted as part of the small family of deployed providers.

This leaves me here. 2 weeks from starting my journey home. The final chapter of this Blog is about coming home and re-uniting with family and life in the States. I hope that you all enjoy(ed) your Thanksgiving Turkey and took a moment to truly give thanks for the people that surround your life. I Thank you all for your support. Without you, this journey would have been too difficult to describe.

See you soon. And try not to get run over at the Shopping Center this week.

One Year

1 year.

Well, it’s been 12 months. 366 days (this year was a leap year right? Figures.). 52 weeks. Umpteen thousands of minutes. Any way you look at it, it is a long time. Or is it? I guess it is all perspective. In the grand scheme of life, a year is pittance. To a 1 year old, it’s a lifetime; literally. To my marriage, it’s about half of it. But a lot can happen in a year. Here are some thoughts and observations that I have on both my life and the world around it:

I was all about “winning the hearts and minds” of the Iraqi people and doing amazing things here. Now, this is a generalization, but for the most part, the Iraqi culture appears to thrive on deception and greed. It’s a civilization wrought with corruption for the sheer necessity of survival. You give a man a fish. He’ll sell it for profit and bomb you until you give him another fish. If you teach a man to fish, he’ll bomb you because you stopped giving him the fish and now he has to fend for himself. Draw the parallels how you like. That’s how it works out here. So now I’m leaning more towards the U.S. getting out while the getting is good.

On a lighter note, 1 yr ago, I was still striving to lose weight. I was struggling for about 3 years to drop about 7-10lbs. In that past year I was able to do that (get it, “lighter note”. I’ve been in Iraq a year now people, cut me some slack). We’ll see how my friends “Porter” and “Ale” help with maintaining that loss, when I return. But that is a battle to be fought. You’ve got to have goals right?

I guess that last bullet ties in with physical changes. I feel a bit older now as well. Little more mature. At least when I look at the pictures of me before and of now, I looked naive and inexperienced. It may not be true age, in years. Maybe Bitter-Army-Face. Who knows.

Professionally I have grown, both in the Physical Therapy world and as an Army officer. I was very uncomfortable with the elbow, wrist and hand; typically left for Occupational Therapy. Now, I’m only slightly uncomfortable. I can definitely tweak out the structure (sometimes using a reference such as Netter’s Bible. I mean Anatomical Atlas), but with more complex injuries I still feel shaky with the treatment plan. But that is still growth. I also feel significantly more confident with shoulder and neck injuries. And I branched out and tried things I would have never done, such as TMJ treatments, which ended up being very successful, with both patients. Is there still room to grow? “OH YEAH”, as the Cool-Aid Man would say. That is the amazing thing about Physical Therapy, there’s always somewhere you can advance to. In reference to the military growth, I feel that I can stand up to some of the higher powers at be, and support myself fairly well all while expressing respect to their authority. Before I would be more timid. I think that because I was the subject matter expert for musculoskeletal injuries, and having Docs and PAs alike seeking my opinion and advice, made me stand up and take charge in both professions at the same time. When you marry your job to an organization, the roles meld and you carry both out in front of you and hope that success in one, builds the other. I think I’m on the right track.

Religion. Brought up in it. Told what to believe and the prayers to do it. But did I understand? Not really. I had the concepts. I embarked on a religious awakening while here in Iraq. I turned this experience in the desert, into my desert experience. I was sequestered with some people who had the Spirit of Christ burning within and were willing to share. I opened my heart and mind to it and took in all that I could. I have a better relationship with God now and I hope that it reflects in the way I live my life and the way I raise a family in the future.

Politics. I still hate it. Nothing has changed there.

I guess beyond that, this has given me some insight as to the best and worst of people. We didn’t have any major events on the FOB to date. 3 mortar/rocket attacks in the beginning of the year, but that’s about it. No injuries other than breaking people’s perception that we are untouchable in our little cement surrounded plot of dirt. I’ve seen some heroic actions by some to save the lives of other, or at least the effects of that effort. I’ve also seen some tragic, disgusting acts of human malevolence and the wretched and emotional effects on people that it had, and I only saw the parts in theater. The ripple effect on the home front must be devastating. (The story about the 2 US Soldiers shot in cold blood by one of their own. Yeah, my unit. I actually knew the killer. It’s sickening to think about.) I know that reflecting on these events and the deployment as a whole so far, will help me keep my life much more centered than I previously thought that I was.

Now, last month I asked family and friends to reflect upon this past year and give me some thoughts. You can see some in the comments area, which I will rehash a bit. And I got a few in emails. Here’s the skinny on what a year has meant to you all:

Ryan, one of two of my cooler than life Brother-in-law-in-laws, in Maryland commented:

I say to let you know that it is not just the people with one degree of separation that have you in their thoughts. The whole group down here always asks about you. They read your updates, thank you for your service.

The past year has seen the birth of a nephew and soon, his first birthday. Amy's toughest year teaching. The Isles crapping the bed and missing the playoffs, the J-E-T-S... ugh 4-12, my realization that Louisville is not that far of a drive if you have good tunes, a deeper love and appreciation of Wegmans……

This is great because despite feeling alone and abandoned at points, there are people who do support me. (And I say me right now, because this is my BLOG, it’s about me. I’m not really that selfish, but right now it’s in context, so lay off.) When I arrived here, there were messages of support and love and by the 3rd month or so, they kinda dropped off. You knew who your close friends are by who continued to write, even the sporadic and the random notes. I hear from Dee that lots of friends of hers follow along and show support to her through their reading and asking questions and what not. So it is warming to know that the support stems beyond the few comments left each month on the BLOG and the intermittent emails that creep into my mail box. Then there is the issue of new life. My friends here have wee ones at home. When we left, they were by my account, blobs of pink skin with a hint of personality. Now, they are small people. Amazing. And finally, the realization that nothing is out of reach. Remember that when I’m in Alabama. (Yeah.. .AL-A-BAM-A. PLEASE VISIT…. PLEEEAAASE!)

I received a comment from Dana on the BLOG page (which I found ironic that she wrote b/c I found her profile at the Ithaca Alumni page a few weeks prior and was like “Sweet, Dana has a profile. I should write sometime.”) Dana is a blast from the past. Dana was one of the first friends I had at Ithaca. She was in the PT program and lived down the hall. She was always around to make us all smile. When she decided to go another direction and left the program, I didn’t see her nearly as often, and ties were lost. This deployment has brought out caring words from people who I’ve failed to keep in touch with, which I find to be the most emotionally touching gesture anyone can make to me. Despite my negligence, they stepped up and tried to make me feel supported.

And from Justin, my best friend. We’ve been friends since we were 8 and have been friends through it all, regardless of distance and time. He has an excellent point that we are all guilty of.

It is so easy to lose sight of the little things that are so important to us. This is particularly true when things are going fast and relatively well.

The way he and his lovely wife handle this is a yearly reflection around their anniversary and writing down and putting pictures in a scrap book. Not a bad suggestion to keep life in perspective. He adds,

We write down the easy stuff but what always gets me is the looking at past years. Looking at the pictures and thinking about how different I really was just a short year or two ago. I look at a picture of us [Lisa and him] and thing about what as important then compared to now.

I am surprised at the difference between then and now as well. For example, I was always concerned in the past as to what people thought about me all the time. To some degree everyone has to live with a third eye watching their own back, but beyond that, why worry about the fickle nature of society and those we live around. If you live a solid, ethically and morally sound lifestyle, you should have very little in life to prove.

Lastly, I want to reprint part of Katie D’s comment to last month because it sums up this past year pretty well.

Adapting to a new climate [Florida], as well as a job and lifestyle has been full of ups and downs, but it's an experience I wouldn't exchange for anything else. I've always believed that everything happens for a reason, so I take what comes and do what I can with it. It's all we can do.

Yup. It’s all we can do.

One might think that this would be more appropriate as a deployment wrap up. I agree. But one year is a huge milestone. So why not now? Plus, when the deployment is over I’m probably going to be more wrapped up in returning to life that has been on pause, than updating this thing. So I am offering this opportunity to reflect a few months early.

So with that, I say, see you in December. Yeah you read that right. Less than 2 months to go! We got word around mid October that Division is pressing for us to be home by Christmas!! OH HAPPY DAY! It’s a month sooner than expected. I can’t ask for much more.

Thank you all for your support to me and Dee. I’ll repeat that over and over. But at this major milestone, you have all helped to get me here in sound mind and spirit.

On a final note, the Family Readiness Group (FRG) has put out this message: “not to mail packages after 1 NOV 08 to Iraq. It will take approximately 4 weeks for it to arrive in Iraq…” We'll be preparing to come home. If it is durable in any way shape or form, it'll either go in the trash or be left in Iraq. (We get one bag per person, and we have to drag that sucker everywhere)

11 Months

The 29th of September marks the end of our 11th month in theater. Next month I’ll try to reflect upon the significance of One full year. October starts the countdown to an entire year away from our families, friends, and things that we are comfortable with. We now have new comforts. Comforts that we would otherwise rather do without, never have turned to, or never have thought of as a comfort given any other situation.

What do I find comfortable? Well, the past 3 months have a different level of comfort due to the fact that I moved into a CHU what allows some personal refuge. Initially, when we arrived, a bed with a mattress constituted comfort both physically and mentally. While some people were still sleeping on stretched nylon/canvas cots, I made the effort to scavenge the pieces of a bed and a decent mattress. After a few weeks, my tough box came in and I had linen. A small creature comfort? Sure. It was a tiny semblance of something from home. From there, it took 8 months until I was to a better place; a greater level of ease in this austere environment. In July, as you have probably read I finally moved out of a large tent without privacy, to a can. Four walls, a door with a lock, and climate control. It was a small paradise. Closing the door of the CHU, I can go to my own little world. Turn on the music I like, with speakers, no longer being forced to use headphones, sit in the clothes that I choose without someone leering for not being in the proper T shirt with those shorts, etc. And walking bare foot. Yes, bare foot. I clean my floor with Clorox every other day or so, so I can do so. I can’t tell you what it is like to feel that free. When I went on leave in June, the most extraordinary sensation, other than being around my amazing Wife, was being able to walk barefoot around our hotel room. When we were in Garmisch, I ran on a freshly mowed soccer field bare foot. The moist soil under my foot and the soft grass between my toes was the most sensually awakening experience. That was the first time, other than walking to the bathroom in the hotel rooms the few days prior, that I had been bare foot in over 8 months. Now, in my CHU, I can walk on the vinyl flooring or my little area carpet, sans foot wear. Small event. Big feeling.

The other major thing that I have immersed myself in to find a level of mental and physical ease, is coffee. Caffeine aside, the flavors of different roasts, the aroma, the actual act and sounds of making that magnificent beverage, brings me back home. Sunday’s with my parents in the living room reading the paper, or the weekends in KY with my extraordinary wife watching real estate shows on HGTV. Pure, unadulterated peace and relaxation. I can try (try being the operative word here) to replicate that by sitting in my camp chair, Ray Lamontagne (or whomever I choose) playing on speakers, magazine/book in hand, and a hot cup of coffee. I have reverted to this activity daily now as opposed to just the weekends, and every time I still feel ultra relaxed. It’s one of the few ways to maintain a sound mind out here, between stupid uniform rules and the increasing level of stupidity and ignorance and disrespect that the soldiers all around me are exhibiting, as we continue to plod along in this deployment.

I never thought that walking barefoot, listening to music through speakers and simply having sheets instead of a sleeping bag would make such a difference in the level of my morale. I hope that when I return home to the luxuries of life in the States, that I don’t forget the little things and start to take for granted what I have. Good coffee, comfortable furniture, and something that I know I’ll never take for granted, the company of loved ones, especially my wife.

I’m glad in some ways to have been given this opportunity to inspect myself internally. I’m not glad to be separated from Dee, or my friends and family. This desert experience, both in figurative and literal sense, has been eye opening in regards to self assessment and awareness. As much as I hate it here, there has been some good that came from it. Now we should be going home, but are still settled in for 3+ months of continuing the same ol’ routine.

As we enter the countdown to a year of being separated, I urge you to take stock of your blessings and even misfortunes and see how they have affected your life. Appreciate it all. Or at the very least, acknowledge it.

Also, think about what a year means to you. I want to put into perspective the concept of ONE YEAR. Social, personal, economic, political, I’m not picky. Give me your thoughts and observations and I will put them and some of my own into the next BLOG. 22 October, will mark the day that Dee and I parted ways from the Army Lodge at Ft. Stewart. 29 October will mark the day I boarded a plane to this ….. this…. place.

Until then, I’m counting down the days. I’m guesstimating approximately 95. Oh to be in that 30 day window.

10 months down.

Like I promised. Here is the outside of the CHU. It literally is a shipping container with insulated, paneled walls. Also, a more lived in desk/work area, with the much needed coffee maker. (With some product placement for a shout out to Justin and the Folks at SRC...Thanks for all you do!)

So it is essentially September. September marks the 11th month of this deployment. If it were only a 12 month deployment, we would be in the 60 day window of coming home. But it is not. It's a 15 month deployment, with, what we are being told, no outlook of coming home early. So I am here, for another 4 and a half months. This is a topic that constantly comes up. Some people are doing the daily countdown. Others, weekly. Some of us, like myself, just count down to the next meal to tick down another event on the way to completing the day. Dinner means one day done and one day closer to getting out of here and coming home. In the grand scheme of things, 4 months is a drop in the bucket. I can remember in February feeling like the first 3d of a year flew by. Now that span seems infinite, especially when you flip through your calendar. Remember when you were a kid, or even still today, when you think school's starting and Christmas is eons away (for which I'll still be here). We try to break it up setting calendar based milestones. In my group, only one more person has to go on leave. When she returns in mid October, we'll only have 3 months to go. Then Turkey Day, then Christmas, New Years then finally going home soon after. I guess the main point of this little rant.... micro time goes by fast but the macro time is dragging its sorry butt.

Other news: Things in Iraq seem to be slowing down. As you have probably read, we are at a historic low for battlefield casualties and attacks on US Troops. The attacks are now, for the most part, Iraqi on Iraqi. My opinion, we are never going to change that, no matter what legislation we put in place or how many US troops occupy this country. We are slowly turning things over to the Iraqi Army and Police force for security and "law enforcement". The stability thing is another issue, for which I'm not educated enough on to even comment. The slowness of things over here just creates contempt for being in this place and puts pressure on commands to find things to do in the absence or diminished presence of combat operations. As my friends and I have discussed, we are now fighting Terrorism on FOB Kalsu, one uniform violation at a time. This idea came about one day when we went to chow at the DFAC (dining facility) and there was a 8 foot by 3 foot white board with about 10 or so new uniform rules. Or, at the very least, old rules that were so dumb that nobody enforced them. One such rule... wait... back ground info.... Most Soldiers in their down time, if they actually have a concern for their general physical health, go to the gym to work out before, during or after the work day. While at the gym, about 90% of the Soldiers are listening to a personal mp3 player of some sorts. As per usual, they have them strapped to their upper arm or clipped to their waist to allow freedom of movement during exercise. Well, now we are no longer allowed entrance to the DFAC with the device on our person,unless carrying it by hand. Now, you can walk all over the FOB with it on, so long as your ear phones aren't it, but to get your food, which you need your hands to carry your to go plate (you can't eat in the DFAC if you are in PTs... I don't know why either. Apparently proper nutrition after working out is shunned) you have to hand carry your personal audio device. Other stupid rules include but are not limited to: not wearing coveralls (an issued uniform) from the motor pool (b/c going from the motor pool in the far corner of the FOB, back to your room on the other end of the FOB to change to go to lunch then back to your room to return to the motor pool makes alot of sense when there is work to be done??? Besides the infantry guys coming in are far dirtier and probably haven't shower in a week are allowed in the DFAC with their nasty-ass uniforms... just an observation if it is a hygienic issue) and no unit physical training shirts (okay, if a unit is promoting pride in performing physical training enough to create a t-shirt that you can wear officially to work out it, and you are actually going to the gym, why can't you grab a to-go plate in it????). And that's only 2 of I can remember from that stupid sign. They even used gov't money to take that list and print what looks like a 6x6 foot poster and frame it on the wall as well. Talk about waste.
So you can see how frustrating this place is getting (beyond the absurdity that existed already) and why the next 4 months cannot pass fast enough.

Finally, I wanted to show a demonstration of the un-Holy heat that we deal with. It is still, in the last week of August, reaching well in to the 120's for daily temperatures with the heat index in the upper 140's. This photo is of me on 31 Aug at about 1230, after being outside for less than 10 minutes, walking from the Aid station to my room (3 min) down to Battalion HQ, and back to my room (other 5 min or so round trip). And that's just my TRUNK. My legs are a whole other level of misery.


That's this month's update/vent. I hope all is well back in the States. Enjoy your Labor Day weekend.

New Housing Situation.... Finally

It's August 11th. In 5 months time, I should be on my way or already home. Here's to the already part.

As you have been tracking, I went on leave in June and arrived back on the FOB in the first few days of July. About a week after returning, we were given the A-okay from housing to move out of the tent. 2nd Brigade had fully re-deployed and we could move into their old housing areas. I was extatic. Of the 6 of us in the tent, i was the 4th to move. One of the guys was on leave so he was last by default. I packed up my stuff into my duffle bags and tough box, which made me realize that I never really unpacked. It only took about a half hour to have it all piled up and ready to move out. At 0600 I got up, walked down to my new dwelling place, called a CHU (Container Housing Unit) - affectionately known as a "can" - and started to unload all the things that I could manage to carry over the 300m or so by myself. The heavier stuff, like my plastic drawers and tough box were loaded in a truck and driven. I acquired a plywood desk from a friend who wasn't taken it with her and now I've got a dorm room like place to myself. (I Pray it stays that way). I couldn't be happier with my new quarters. I have my coffee maker, some speakers and my computer. Music, a chair, coffee, personal space that is air conditioned. If only it were not in Iraq.

So you want to know more about the CHU. Well......
The CHU is essentially a cargo container with a door and a window on one end and an HVAC (window A/C unit) in the wall on the other. The walls are insulated, so it stays relatively cool during the scorching heat of the day and muffles alot of the noises from outside. The only thing that is different is that the out going artillary sounds significantly different and louder (we are closer to the source with less b/w us and them). It shakes the door when it goes off. But I've gotten used to that, so it really only startles me to have it go off when it's been really quited for a while. I only realized as I was writing this entry that I don't have a picture of the outside, so I will add that later. The Can itself is, from my estimation 8ft x 20ft, with 2 florescent lights and vinyl flooring (Easy to clean. Hard to keep clean). That's about it. Enclosed are some photos of my set up the day after moving in. It's much more lived in now with the addition of the coffee maker and some storage devices to keep things organized.

This is a photo standing at the front wall looking back.
This is a photo standing by my bed looking forward.


Now you have to remember that this can is typically for 2 soldiers (the second bed is broken down and stuffed under my bed). Because of the space on the FOB currently, they allowed Captains and above their own Can. That is why I Pray for this situation to stay as it is. They rumored only days after we moved in that they might move people in with us later this year when the replacing units start to stream in (nothing like killing a good vibe). I was told from day 1 that we stayed in tents for 8 months because "the current unit on the FOB had been deployed already [for X number of months] had earned their time in the CHUs and we should respect that". Well, my only response to the prospect of someone moving in w/ me is "Wait it out buddy. I lived in a tent for 8 months to "earn" this. You can hold out for 6 weeks." Besides, just yesterday they finished tearing down the entire area that I used to live in. There are no more tents and they will be putting up whole new areas of CHUs. So cram in and enjoy your first few months here at Kalsu.

So that is my new situation. More comfortable and much easier to relax and do my own thing in the morning and at the end of the day. At least the 2nd half of deployment will be more comfortable.... right when we need it.

So, here's to 5 months and to coming home more soon than late.

Hottest Day Yet! - July 23, 2008

Okay, I have a task for all my Blog readers. Actually it's two tasks.
1. turn on your oven, just pick a temperature. When it's to temperature, place your hands just and inch or 2 from the edges of the oven wall. Feel the heat.
2. Get your hair drier. Turn it on high and hot. Blow it on your face and chest.

What you have just experienced:
1. What the sun feels like on exposed skin between 10 AM and 6 PM.
2. The wind that accompanies said sun blast.

That's what it has been like here for the past month. August has been historically hotter. So we have to look forward to this the next 4-6 weeks. They say September starts to cool off again. I sure hope so.

So you may ask what prompted this short and highly demanding blog entry. Well, today was the hottest day that we've experienced thus far. We have to take tempurature and humidity ratings with a wet bulb hourly between 8 AM (0800) and I assume 7-8 PM. (1900-2000). Today, with all the readings and calculations....

Air/Actual Temperature: 130 degrees F.
Heat Index (Feels Like Temp): 160 degrees F. (No, that is not a typo--- one hundred and SIXTY DEGREES).

I hope you all are enjoying your nice cool temperatures back in the states. 90 degrees here is what it is like indoors, and what a relief it is!

Oh, and next friday is August and that is another month closer to getting the Hell (appropriate given today's temperature) out of here!