I've decided to mix things up this week and actually blog in the middle of the week. Not that you have come to expect my blog on any given day, but it is a change for me...so here goes. The past 2 weeks have been full of highs and lows. I've been told by folks who have deployed in the past that month 5 is often the hardest, from a mental, physical and emotional perspective. I would have to say that I agree with them. For those of us on a 6 month deployment, at this point you come to realize that the end is near and begin to look forward to a glorious reunion with family and friends. However, you cannot begin to count the days as the work remaining to accomplish is still in front of you.
I have determined that I have "billed" enough hours to take the next 16 months off and still maintain a full-time status without working another hour. Of course, it does not really work that way in the military, and I doubt Booz Allen is going to let me carry these hours over. Needless to say, there are days when the new couches we purchased for the MWR area in our tent call my name, and I squeeze in a quick 30 minute nap. My guys are great at "preserving" this time for me and shielding me from visitors. This ends up being some of the best sleep I get all week! I'm certainly not complaining about the hours because the work we are performing here is exhilarating, but I will enjoy having some down time at home with the girls come July!
As the subtitle of this week's blog implies, events happen in our lives at the perfect time of our Risen Lord and Savior's choosing. I had one of these experiences this past Friday evening. After what was a very challenging day when I questioned why I was working so hard to only have everything I'm trying to accomplish here questioned by some who have very little situational awareness (SA) of the day-to-day operations, I headed off to the dining facility (aka chow hall, DFAC, mess hall, place where we eat) for what was supposed to be a quiet dinner to churn my bitterness and anger. I made my way through the serving line selecting nothing of particular interest, more looking for fuel to get me thru the rest of the evening. As I walked to the dining area to find a place to sit and watch whatever dated program AFN (Armed Forces Network) was running, I noticed one of the O-6s with whom I have been working on a couple of pretty high priority projects over the past weeks sitting alone. Now, as all of you know, I am a very shy and reserved individual who doesn't like to talk to others (especially senior officers). So what did I do, I joined the Colonel. I know, surprising...
Regardless, what was supposed to be a dining experience of solitude ended up being an hour long conversation about coming to faith, family and the crazy experiences the Colonel had faced while running the camp. I won't bore you with all of the details of the conversation, but I can tell you this - the Lord's hand was at work on Friday night as he led me to that table. I left dinner with a smile on my face, a renewed joy in my heart for the work we are accomplishing here, some great stories that I will pass along in time and an even greater respect for the Colonel who provided a blessing beyond anything I could have imagined. I realized as I finished my cold butter noddles and corn bread that the work my incredible team is accomplishing here at Camp Leatherneck is valued beyond anything I can measure and our opinions are respected and wanted - and at the end of the day, this is all that matters. My time here at Camp Leatherneck is not about some award or a Letter of Evaluation that will end up in my personnel record. It is about making an impact and doing so with a smile and joy. It is about saying hello to the Marine checking IDs at the Entry Control Point to our compound, thanking the server in the dining facility, and being a positive influence to others. You know, this deployment has really taught me what it is I love to do...it is positively impacting people's lives. And my way of doing that is through construction and facilities. I know, sounds kind of strange, but in some way I have figured out that my technical skills are merely a tool to allow me to interact with people.
Below are some pictures from my adventures of the past couple of weeks. I had the chance to ride out to the area just outside the Main Entry Point (MEP) to the camp called Soak City II. This is the area where all of the trucks hauling goods and material to the camp wait before being escorted to the MEP. In case you have ever wondered if the Afghans are capitalists, what I saw outside the MEP proves they in fact are. Numerous merchants have set up all kinds of shops to serve the needs of the truck drivers...from gas stations, to places where the drivers can wash, to small "Afghan 7-11s". There is an area called the strip mall with some food vendors that sell some incredible flat bread. I purchased some to bring back for me and the guys to enjoy.
I also got to see some Afghan construction first hand as one of these entrepreneurs was hard at working building a shop along the strip mall.
Below is a picture of me with one of the trucks that is typical of what is used to haul everything into the camp, affectionately known as a "Jingle Truck". The Afghan drivers take great pride in their vehicles and go to a lot of effort to make their trucks as "jingly" as possible.
I leave you this week with several quotes from former President Ronald Reagan. I was doing some Google searches earlier trying to figure out the context of one of Reagan's quotes and came across a gold-mine of statements he made throughout his Presidency. I think his statements below are as applicable today to the struggles we face as a nation and a world as they were when he was President.
Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. Ronald Reagan
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. Ronald Reagan
The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas-a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated. Ronald Reagan
And finally, one of the Marine Lieutenants forwarded to the office the picture below, which I thought was so appropriate.
Until next time...
