Back to work.....

Sorry I’ve been off the blog lately. I was on leave prior to our deployment. I left Austin Wednesday morning, where it was sunny and 80 or so. I finally got to Fort Riley about 6:00pm where it was 45 degrees, raining, and windy. The team is trickling in, and we will be on our way soon.

I miss home already.


I had a great leave. It was super to spend time with the family and I very much enjoyed getting back into the routine of figuring out what to wear and what to eat. I got to eat lunch with Hailey at school, I got to go to a parent-teacher conference (a good one), and I got to sleep in my own bed. I was even home for our 12th wedding anniversary. Shannon and I went to see Neil Diamond in San Antonio—it was a hoot. I finished my chores list, we carved a pumpkin, and we even got a bunch of Halloween decorations up in the yard.


I also got to go vote. Good luck to whoever pulls it off. I hope they can get past the bickering and the partisanship and decide to get some work done. I don’t think I would want the job. While I was standing in line to vote (It took us about an hour and a half) I overheard some people complaining about the wait time “in the hot sun.” One guy complained how he doesn’t do the early voting anymore, “because all they do is throw away the ballots.” I put all of that into perspective when I recall reading stories about the January 2005 elections in Iraq: The first truly free elections since the pre-Saddam era. During the 2005 elections, all vehicle movement was banned, a precautionary measure against the vehicle-borne IED attack. Folks there walked to the polls, where they were then searched. They negotiated their way through barricades and T-walls, all emplaced to minimize the effects of gunfire or explosions. Voting took the entire day. Security was everywhere, all in an effort to make sure people were afforded the opportunity. And they came out in droves, excited about the opportunity to have their voice heard.


But Wednesday hung on the family like a heavy burden. I mentioned before about what I imagine it would be like to be on death row. Now, I’ve never obviously been on death row, and I have no desire to replicate the experience, but I would imagine it is a lot like the last days prior to leaving for a deployment: You figure out what you want for your last meal, as well as your other ‘lasts’ of clothes and visited places, and activities, and you stay up as late as possible, playing games and enjoying every last waking minute with the family. I thought leaving wasn’t going to be as hard on me as it was for Shannon and Hailey. I thought it would be easier because I had the euphoria of deploying, which is what the Army is supposed to do: Here is my chance to finally get off the bench and get in the game. But it turns out it was just as hard. It is not a pleasurable experience, but it is one that helps you appreciate certain things in life more.


I purposely had Shannon and Hailey drop me off at the curb at the airport because I knew I wouldn’t be able to stomach it. We said our goodbyes, we shed a lot of tears, and then it was done. I turned and waved, and walked inside the airport and ducked into a corner and cried for about 2-3 minutes. It was a little embarrassing, as grown men aren’t supposed to do that. But I did it. It was an important part of the experience. After a bit, I composed myself and checked in, and took the first step of a long journey towards Iraq.

Something nice did happen in Kansas City as we landed, though. There were four guys from my class on the same plane, and one of them mentioned to the flight attendant through casual conversation during the flight that he was headed to Iraq. When we landed, the flight attendant announced our presence on the plane and our “ultimate travel destination” and asked everyone to remain seated as we were allowed off the plane first. I am sure it irritated some on the relatively full flight, but it was a humbling gesture to see appreciation like that. It made leaving a bit easier, knowing at least that our sacrifice of separation was acknowledged.

In all, it was one of the harder days of my life. Any day you make an 11-year old girl cry is never a good day. But I accept that this is another event of my life, brought about by the choices that I have made. And there is the line of thinking that says the sooner we get there, the sooner we get to come home. Life is full of ups and downs, and this is a down. Downs make you appreciate the ups and all of the good things you have.


Hope you and your family are well. Take some time to enjoy them and take care.

Ron