Well, it has been quite some time since I have actually updated the blog tracking my experiences here in Afghanistan. For some reason, the time since my last update has flown by, which I guess is good thing. Since March, I crossed the half-way point of my 6-month deployment, passed the 100th Day (which I understand is a big deal in schools these days), had a birthday, said good-bye to some incredible Air Force Civil Engineers, and received the dreaded email that one of the girls had to visit the Emergency Room.
Before I get into the nitty-gritty of the Camp Leatherneck happenings, I first want to send out many thank yous for the great care packages that have arrived over the past 6 weeks...Mom & Dad, Susan & Wade Cox, Jeff & Heather Brown, the Smiths, the Thetis, Julie & Josh, MPC MOPs Leadership, the Janetskys, Anne Lanz, Jerry & Lisa Lanz, the Hamilton 4th Floor Crew at Booz Allen, the Andrews AFB Booz Allen team, Carlton & Kristen Hendrix, the Flemings, the O'Quinns, and Park Presbyterian Church. All of the goodies have been spread far and wide, and some of the treats we re-packaged here at the office to send out to the Marines at the smaller forward operating bases and combat outposts.
At the end of March, the original 777th Expeditionary Prime BEEF Squadron - Leatherneck crew bid us farewell. Lt A.J. Harris and MSgt Will St. Peter (pictured below) were here for the stand-up of the new Prime BEEF Squadron and were a tremendous support for me as I got up to speed on the chaos otherwise known as the Camp Leatherneck construction program. A.J. went back to Alaska to prepare for a wedding, and Will went back to Dover AFB via the beaches of Florida. I would never have survived my first 2 1/2 months here without their knowledge and expertise. They are both fine Air Force Civil Engineers and did our career field proud here at Camp Leatherneck.
MSgt Will St. Peter, Maj Todd Graham, Lt A.J. Harris - in route to the Passenger Terminal!
In early April, the 2D Marine Expeditionary Brigade transitioned authority for the control of the Helmand Province Battle Space to the I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). This probably means absolutely nothing to most of you reading this blog. It really didn't mean anything to me until the Marine Lieutenant Colonel I support explained that I MEF (FWD) would be arriving with about 4 times the number of folks as 2D MEB. I quickly learned that a "MEF" is a larger military unit than a "MEB". I would have known this already had I completed this section of my Air Command and Staff College course. The picture below is of the 2D MEB welcome sign into Camp Leatherneck. We ran out to the sign in early April to get this picture before it was swapped out for the I MEF (FWD) sign...which I have not taken my picture with yet.
You are probably thinking, "What's the big deal...MEF, MEB...they are just acronyms?" Well, when you are in charge of all contracted construction activities on the camp about to receive all of these service men and women, it means a heck of a lot of construction in a very short period of time. We have been building facilities at a "cyclic" rate, as the Marine Colonel likes to state. Currently, we have over 100+ active construction projects valued at something like $64 million. Needless to say, this amount of construction has resulted in some very long days, late nights and early mornings for the entire team here with me. Fortunately, I've been blessed with an incredibly talented team to make all of this construction a reality.
With the arrival of the I MEF (FWD) Engineers in early April, I got to serve as the continuity for the office. Essentially the entire G-7 (Engineers) staff turned over in a matter of weeks. One of the new Marine engineers with whom I work happens to be another South Carolinian from Darlington. Maj Gary Humphries (pictured below with me standing atop one of the new 10 meter communication towers we built) walked into my office when he first got here, saw my Clemson Flag hanging behind my desk and stated that we were going to get along just fine!
Gary ordered a South Carolina State flag when he first got here and it finally arrived last week. We flew it over the I MEF (FWD) compound in which we work. Below are some pictures documenting the glorious event for the State of South Carolina! Since Gary's arrival, we have tracked down another 3 fellow South Carolinians...all thanks to the Tiger Paw behind my desk.
Early April also brought a bit of drama in the Graham household back in Virginia. Poor Campbell had 2 separate visits to the emergency room/urgent care. The first was for what was reported as a "huge splinter daddy"! Campbell was out playing on our swing set, took her shoes off and walked around on the mulch barefoot. Needless to day, the result was not all that pleasant. Jennifer did everything she could at home to remedy the situation, but to no avail. The next stop was the ER at Walter Reed. Below is a picture of the good patient after the doctor removed the splinter. I hated not being home to hold my sweet little Campbell's hand during the "procedure".
The second visit was a result of a spill down the stairs and a hard smack on the head. Fortunately, she only ended up knot on the head and another entry into her medical record. If there could be a silver lining in all of the incidents it would be that Jennifer now has the whole Tricare thing down pat.Merritt also had some excitement - losing 3 teeth. She now could pass for a citizen of West Virginia, but I told her they would not keep her since she will have teeth grow into the empty spots. Supposedly the Tooth Fairy has been very generous during my deployment...I'm going to have to chat with her when I get home to make sure she understands that the going rate for teeth is far exceeding the rate of inflation!
Well, I could go on and on...especially since I'm trying to capture something like 6 weeks of activities, but I won't. I'll promise to blog more frequently as I head into the home stretch! I have not started counting the days/weeks or loaded up the infamous "Donut of Misery" onto my desktop yet. As I tell Jennifer, there is too much to accomplish before I leave to be counting the days already. Being away from my girls has been hard, especially with all of the happenings home. But I have been blessed to be a part of a great group of engineers with a mission that most of us will never see again in our careers. The Good Lord continues to watch over us, and it is only thru His strength that I can endure the time away. Thanks for all of the thoughts, prayers and notes of encouragement. The Lord is hearing your prayers!
Until next time,
Todd
P.S. I leave you with a quote from the Chapel Service last week: "Joy is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ."
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