See you soooooon!

Wonderful news! Barring anything truly ridiculous, I will be home by Christmas! Yay! The replacement me is on the way here (but let's be honest, who could ever replace me?) and we are making the arrangements to come back to the states. I will still have to go through Kuwait and Fort Benning, GA again, so I don't have an exact date, but I do know it will be after the middle of the month, but before Christmas.

One note, I will not be here all that much longer, so if anyone has any more mail to send, if it is not on the way already, I would just hold onto it so I do not pass by it in transit. Now if I can just find some way to send this land mine home as a souvenir...

Ah Qatar!

Now some might think that, like there is no crying in baseball, there is no vacation in war, but let me assure you, there is, and mine was spent in a place where the beer flows like wine- Qatar.

Even if this had only been a chance to not work and wear civilian clothes for four days, it would have been awesome, but they do not stop there. With a three beer a day ration and fun little trips you can sign up for, clearly they can only get people to leave by force. I chose the "go to the beach trip."
It started off with a trek across the sand dunes at a pace which can only be described as "ludicrous." I believe at one point, we went plaid. This experience was made all the more interesting by being in the not- really- secured-to-the-floor backseat.





Then, we crested the last dune to see the Persian Gulf below. I went swimming, got stung by a jellyfish (a little one, so it barely even registered), played a little volleyball (with the tour guides who took it a little too seriously) and ate kabobs for lunch. It was a just plain nice day.

















The next day I ran into a friend of mine that I was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas with last time I was doing this Army gig. She is stationed in Qatar, which means she was allowed to take me off post. We went to the mall (exciting, I know!) and while it was really just like one in the states in so many ways, it was so very different. The men in their white robes, the women in their black burquas, all the signs being in English and Arabic, but with the same logos and models. Very surreal. To clear my head, I decided to go to the indoor ice skating rink.
Which is next to the camel ferris wheel.

Another odd thing about Qatar? The population is only about 30% Qatari, the rest being third country nationals, mostly from India and the Philippines, who do all the work. And instead of income tax? The government pays the Qataris a certain percentage of the oil revenue each year.Oh, and along the way? I saw this giant oyster.
Awesome.

I think that sums it all up- feel free to create your own moral to the story.Bye!

I'm a hero...

...but not like from the show.

So you know how I was working my butt off? Well, someone noticed. I think the best line of this is "cheerfully accepted the challenge." Not only did I get this MVP of the week-type thing, I got a real award too- an Army Achievement Medal that I can wear on my dress uniform and everything.

Another thing in the military is commander's coins. Well, my boss got new ones made and I got the first one. This is what they look like. Yes, yes, it is the previously unseen trifecta of Army goodness. As Gluck would say, "Without me, it is just aweso."



In other good news, while previously me making it home before Christmas was just not going to happen? Now, it has a chance. This is not to say that it WILL, it is just that it COULD. I'll know more in another month, and I'll keep you all updated.

Take care! -Pat

100 Hours Later

This is a formal apology to all those people that have written me emails or sent me mail in the last week or so. I just finished a week where I worked 100 hours. No, there was no balloon drop or flashing lights when I hit that milestone, just me falling asleep at my desk.

It is unlikely that this situation will get much better very soon- the reason I am doing so much is, in addition to my normal job, I am filling in for someone else who waited this long to go on vacation. (I think I would have gone quite mad if I had waited through 9 months of this place to take a break.) So, along with the group apology, I will also do a group thank you. Thank you! And I will be in touch soon. -Pat

US Army- So Easy A Caveman Can Do It

Hee hee. And below is me receiving what I like to call a Certificate of Respiration from a 4 star General. It is really a Certificate of Appreciation, but it was given to just about everyone that has managed to keep breathing, so meh.I know it has been a really long time since my last update, so I hope no one was worried. It is just that if I thought I was busy before, now it is about triple. Apparently I did something right once so they decided to see just how many things I can handle all at once. As of one day next week, I will be: Acting Commander, Acting Executive Officer, Communications Officer, and project lead on three major operations. I should have known this would happen if I kept telling them how awesome I am.






Also, I have been traveling a bunch too. Here is a picture out the tailgate of a Chinook helicopter that I took a flight on. (I am aware the date stamp is wrong.) That guy is the tail gunner, and he is strapped in with a belt. The other picture is what a Chinook looks like from the outside. To give you an idea of how big it is, that is a Humvee it is picking up.



Our flight was really early in the morning, and then takeoff got delayed, so I actually ended up sleeping on the runway itself while they were prepping the helicopter for the flight. But not to worry, I got to the choppah.

Hope to hear from you soon! -Pat

The Emotional Stages of a 12 Month Deployment

This is the pamphlet that they gave us upon arriving about what to expect while we are here. I had not looked at again until now, and it is awesome. Some is true for me, some not so much, but there is plenty of ridiculousness too. So, instead of me making snide comments all over it, I am going to give you the chance! Just leave your mockery in the comments. There is plenty to make fun of in this, so go nuts. (This is copied verbatim, so all grammar/spelling errors go with a [sic])

1. Honeymoon: Excitement of the NEW! Like going to Disneyland

2. Wilting: Excitement wears off- loneliness- feel the separation from familiar luxuries (the family, civilian clothes, Mini-Van, etc.) One solution: Make sure you make yourself write to family.

3. Leveling: You realize that you're going to live through the tour- begin to adjust and get a routine (get your bearings) Solution: Set goals for work, PT, courses, etc.

4. 4th Month Slump: You're tired of the grind of the 12 to 18 hour days- gets old- physically, emotionally exhausted. You've realized you just can't work the deployment away. You've just got to find something else to do. Solution: Find positive recreational activities- Holy Scripture studies, AA meetings, sports, crafts, movies, music, etc.

5. Midpoint: You know everything is downhill from here. Mid-tour approach- encourage to take a leave/pass even if brief and only in country. Recommend we find some sort of pass program even if it is merely to CAS where a brief refresher can occur so individual can get their second wind.

6. Post Mid Tour Blues: One of the most difficult things you'll ever do is return to the whirlwind workplace (for formal long unaccompanied tour, this is to leave the family a 2nd time.)

7. Topping out: You can see the end- you are a double digit midget.

8. 11th Month Slump: You look back and have to face what you did with past 11 months- will you "tell all" at home; you're a different person than you were 11 months ago- will the family like the new you (fatter, thinner) will you like the new spouse- more independent- must face the changes- scary thinking of going home. Reintegration Reunion training prepares individual to face these issues and think them through and plan.

9. Home After Shock: Re-entry- like going back to real world you have to readjust your vocabulary... understand alcohol tolerance is down... family expectations will be high... different culture verses military only, etc.

Where have I been to?

In answer to some kind peoples' questions, yes, I was able to see the Transformers movie thanks to the wonders of bootlegging. It was actually a really good copy, so I was able to see all the genius of Michael Bay's directorial skills. My review? Well, for a movie about them, there was not nearly enough of the Transformers themselves. I think I was looking for something more like the show where there were some human characters, but they were totally secondary. Also? I loved that one of the main people was a Captain in Qatar. I am going there in a month or two (on a 4 day R and R pass) so I will keep an eye out for robotic scorpions.

I also picked up a copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but it was filmed to dark and the camera operator's thumb was over the lens for the first five minutes, so it was more frustrating to watch than anything. Oh well, I will catch it when I get home.




The return flight was a completely different thing than the way down. First, here is the plane that I was on.





Smaller, with windows, and with a tailgate that they left OPEN for the whole flight. Also, the view was amazing because they flew all of 50 feet up. Holy frick! This is not a picture from takeoff, this is 20 minutes into the flight. It was pretty awesome.

That is about it for that trip- I made it back safely, and it was back to work. I was sent back with the first two season of Boston Legal by a guy that works down there. Any fans out there?

=Pat