22 Hours in a plane. Good times. It seems our excessive weight in the plane necessitated several additional stops. We arrived at Camp Buering after a four hour bus ride in the fog, found our home for 10 days and then were promptly hailed on. I took a shower, then bought some internet that works occasionally.
The coming days include preparation for the rest of the Squadron getting here, then some training, then a move north. To where, we don't know yet. The Brigade knows where it is going, but our Squadron mission is up in the air.
Much more to follow. Only 364 more to go...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Fast Forward 15 Months
A lot has happened in the 15 months since the last post. I thought about doing a final wrap up, making some predictions about the future of Iraq and what I thought would happen, and also what it was like readjusting. I was having such a good time I never got around to it. Sure there were challenges- readjusting to home after prolonged separation, moving to a new house, new friends, catching up with old friends, changes with family, and starting a new job. In summary-A bunch of life happened.
All of that is water under the bridge now, as fifteen months after coming home, the unit I am assigned to is redeploying.
A bit about the unit and my job: I am now the executive officer for the 6th Squadron 9th US Cavalry, a reconnaissance squadron assigned to the 3d Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood. My duties will change once I get to theater-- not sure what I will be doing yet, or where we will be going, but I know three things: 1) It will be in Iraq. 2) It will be for a year. 3) It will be something.
I wasn't going to do a blog again, as I wasn't sure if what we were going to do was going to be blog-worthy or not. The security situation in Iraq has changed, and US forces can't and don't do the things they used to do. Missions and tasks aren't as dynamic or exciting, and are mundane compared to actions in Sadr City in 2004, or in Diyala in 2007. While it doesn't make for good blogs, it does make good for security, progress, and healing. Our unit will get to be a part of the drawdown process, and we will get to see closure up close and personal, which will be neat to see.
It sucks to leave again. You go through the week of "finals" --My wife asked me "what do you want for your last meal/want to do for your last weekend, etc..." While I am not going to jail, and I have no previous experience with incarceration, I imagine it feels a bit like this. (I referenced this topic in last tour's blog too). The subject of leaving is the 1000 pound elephant in the room- you can smell it, and sense a presence that suffocates. I am not wild or excited about leaving, and not crazy about putting my family through another year of absentee fatherhood and husbandhood. But this is the path I have chosen, and there are consequences to all choices. So be it. There is a bit of a sense of urgency though, with this deployment: The faster we get there the faster we can get home, and the faster we can bring eight years of sustained conflict to a conclusion. All preparations are complete, all contingencies discussed with the family, all administrative requirements completed, all bags are packed, and goodbyes are in the process of being said.
Stay tuned. And thanks for reading.
All of that is water under the bridge now, as fifteen months after coming home, the unit I am assigned to is redeploying.
A bit about the unit and my job: I am now the executive officer for the 6th Squadron 9th US Cavalry, a reconnaissance squadron assigned to the 3d Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood. My duties will change once I get to theater-- not sure what I will be doing yet, or where we will be going, but I know three things: 1) It will be in Iraq. 2) It will be for a year. 3) It will be something.
I wasn't going to do a blog again, as I wasn't sure if what we were going to do was going to be blog-worthy or not. The security situation in Iraq has changed, and US forces can't and don't do the things they used to do. Missions and tasks aren't as dynamic or exciting, and are mundane compared to actions in Sadr City in 2004, or in Diyala in 2007. While it doesn't make for good blogs, it does make good for security, progress, and healing. Our unit will get to be a part of the drawdown process, and we will get to see closure up close and personal, which will be neat to see.
It sucks to leave again. You go through the week of "finals" --My wife asked me "what do you want for your last meal/want to do for your last weekend, etc..." While I am not going to jail, and I have no previous experience with incarceration, I imagine it feels a bit like this. (I referenced this topic in last tour's blog too). The subject of leaving is the 1000 pound elephant in the room- you can smell it, and sense a presence that suffocates. I am not wild or excited about leaving, and not crazy about putting my family through another year of absentee fatherhood and husbandhood. But this is the path I have chosen, and there are consequences to all choices. So be it. There is a bit of a sense of urgency though, with this deployment: The faster we get there the faster we can get home, and the faster we can bring eight years of sustained conflict to a conclusion. All preparations are complete, all contingencies discussed with the family, all administrative requirements completed, all bags are packed, and goodbyes are in the process of being said.
Stay tuned. And thanks for reading.
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