Same Moon

I've been in Afghanistan for a month now.  Hard to believe.

Heidi's blog last week included a picture of the moon.

Every night I walk from work back to my can under the same moon.

You can't really tell in my picture (my $90 Fujifilm camera isn't quite like Heidi's), but way in the background it's the same moon a couple of nights after she took her picture.

It's the one thing that we can share in common.  It's about the only commonality between Afghanistan and Indiana.  Some nights it makes me feel a little closer to home.  Other nights it reminds me of just how far away I really am.

13 Things About Heidi

13 years together, almost 11 in marriage.  9 different vehicles, an apartment and a house.  3 different universities.  8 jobs between the two of us.  Me to Iraq twice, currently in Afghanistan.  My favorite - the 3 beautiful, smart, funny offspring we share together.

Heidi and I have shared a lot of things together.  Here are just 13 quick things that you may or may not know about her.

1.)    Heidi is the most creative person I’ve ever met.  She’s also the most thoughtful.  She has the ability to turn the simplest idea into some pretty fancy luggage tags.  When she does something like this, it has not only a practical use, but it has a deeper, special meaning.

2.)    Heidi has a serious problem…her obsession with Burt’s Bees chapstick is beyond ridiculous.  I would rather listen to all the mean things she says while she’s in labor than have her around without her chapstick…sorry, not just chapstick, but Burt’s Bees.

3.)    If it were not for the Garmin GPS I’m not sure Heidi would know how to navigate any
where.

4.)    I may have had several speeding tickets, but I’ve never tried to run over a tree in the middle of the road…in a Dodge Neon.

5.)    Heidi can rarely sit down and watch a movie in it’s entirety.  She either falls asleep 20 minutes into it, or she is grading papers or folding laundry or anything else besides watching.

6.)    Heidi has not been officially diagnosed, but in my professional opinion she becomes narcoleptic between the hours of 8-930 pm.  It stops after 930 because she’s usually already passed out by then.

7.)    Heidi is a terrific teacher.  She has helped dozens of her students become published poets.   (She is twice published herself, by the way.)  She started a poetry coffeehouse and a Veteran’s Day program at school.  She is impacting the lives of America’s youth in and out of the classroom, teaching them not only hyperboles, participle phrases, and Shakespeare, but some life lessons along the way.

8.)    Heidi will not try new foods…especially if that food once upon a time lived in any type of water.

9.)    Heidi will never be allowed to clean behind the refrigerator without my permission and my presence.  She didn’t understand that you can’t just shove the thing back against the wall without first making sure you’re not going to crush the power cord, resulting in a huge black spark up the wall, a tripped breaker, a trip to the gas station to get ice, a lot of research to find someone that carried a replacement power cable, a $75 replacement power cable, and who knows how much time spent replacing a stupid power cable that was crushed when she just shoved the thing against the wall.

10.) Heidi rarely will take a mid-day nap.  This is usually to my benefit on Sunday afternoons.  After all, someone has to watch the kids.

11.) She is a wonderful mother of three beautiful children.  Those three kids are beautiful not only on the outside, but on the inside as well, of which Heidi has had a huge part in developing.  They do not yet realize how fortunate they are to have the mom that they do.  One day they will.

12.) Heidi has no idea how blessed her husband is for having her.  She is not told often enough how much she is loved and appreciated.   I have put her through a lot in the decade we’ve been married.  There’s no one out there that I’d rather spend the rest of my life with.  Maybe that wasn't really a fact about Heidi, but still wanted to throw it in there.

13.) Heidi knows how to play the piano, although she doesn't play it often enough.

Bonus:  Okay, I did almost accidentally push Heidi into a pool of like 20 sharks on our honeymoon.  It’s only because she was partially leaning over the edge to get a closer look and when I grabbed her she about jumped in.  Heidi definitely screamed.  Would you believe that out of all the people there I was the only one who laughed?  I still laugh.  They were only nurse sharks.

Groundhog Day

Every day is like Groundhog Day.  Especially out here.  You no longer have a meaning for "Monday" or "Tuesday" or the other five days.  Seven days a week, every day being the same as the previous.

Today I saw Reagan through some Facebook pictures.  I love seeing pictures of my girls.  As much as it's good to see them, it makes me miss them that much more.  I see how quickly they are growing up without me being there.  They are transforming from my little girls to little people, and I can only see it through photographs.  That's hard to take as a parent, especially when it was my choice to do this.

My sister sent me a message saying she's been thinking about me and that she misses me.  That quick line came at a much needed time...it's been a long couple of days.  Only a little over 200 more to go...

Day 1 of the Battlestache

Needless to say it’s been an interesting couple of weeks.  I started off in North Carolina and now I’m in Afghanistan.  Over the course of my travels I’ve flown up the Atlantic coastline and across Europe.  The airplane we were flying in was chartered from an airline I won’t mention.  For the first time in my life I was able to kick it in 1^st class!  Talk about the way to travel!  Not long after takeoff the pilot came on and invited us into the cockpit at any point during the flight.  A couple of hours into the flight I decided to take him up on his offer.  Over the next hour I sat in the cockpit of this ginormous plane as we departed the Canadian coastline to head over the Atlantic Ocean bound for Germany.  Those guys do not realize how awesome of job they really have.  That view was incredible at 35,000 feet in the air.  I don’t think I’d ever tire of that being my office.  Being in communications, the pilot was sure to brief me on all the comm systems available in the cockpit.  Towards the end of my stay up front the pilot asked if there was anybody I wanted to call from the cockpit.  Of course I called Heidi.  It was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity to talk to my wife over a VHF radio system cruising at 35,000 feet somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.  Pretty cool!

We had a couple hour layover in Hahn, Germany while our plane was being refueled.  Nothing spectacular to report about Deutschland.

We then landed in the former Russian republic of Kyrgyzstan.  This place was definitely intriguing to me.  Once upon a time it was part of the USSR.  The people look like a mix of Asia and European, and speak Russian.  There was snow on the ground and it was extremely cold out.  Off in the distance rose mountains that are connected to the Himalayas to the south.  Manas is the point of entry for US and coalition forces entering into Afghanistan.  I look forward to seeing Manas again…this time as the point of departure.

We loaded up on Air Force C-17s for our flight into Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan.  Nothing too exciting.  The flight wasn’t too long and was extremely smooth…no combat landing this time.

After debarking the plane and heading to the AGDAG (military airport terminal) I happened to walk right by a Marine captain that I went to high school with.  I graduated with his brother.  It was good to run into Greg Scott.  Not too long after running into him, I ran into my old buddy, another Marine captain, Jared Farnsworth.  He was just finishing up his tour and heading home the next morning.  I’ve always enjoyed my time spent with Jared.  We go a long ways back.

Later that day, as we were getting settled into Leatherneck, I ran into a few more old buddies.  Those guys were from my unit back home.  SSgt Cotter, Sgt Hughes, Cpl Chesty, Cpl Arthur, Cpl Renninger, LCpl Terry, and LCpl Warner.  It was good to see those guys too, and it was sweeter for them to see me…it meant they were that much closer to going home.  It was also good to run into Dave Houseman from my last deployment.

Now down to business…I’ve had my meet and greet time.  After time spent on the firing range and on the counter IED range I was ready to get my turnover from the Marine I was going to replacing.  I hopped on a C-130 and flew down to Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan, in southern Helmand Province.

I’ve rambled on for long enough, so I won’t get into details of what I’m doing out here just yet.  I am set up extremely well with work and living areas.  I even have a 4-legged friend I’ve been spending about an hour a day with.

It’s getting hot here…saw a thermometer yesterday that said 110.  Granted it was right in the sun, but so was I!  My face, ears, back of my neck, and hands are all burnt and peeling.

Certain traditions occur while on a deployment that do not happen back in the States.  The greatest of these traditions being what I will call the “battlestache.”  It goes by many other names: combatstache, deploymentstache, or just plain mustache.  Today is day 1 for me.  I have begun the time honored tradition of growing a mean battlestache.  Since it is only day 1, I will spare you the picture proof…that will come in a few weeks when it has grown hideously out of control.

For now, that's my side of the story...more to follow later.  And don't worry, I will definitely be sure to include some photos of the battlestache as it grows in.

The Day Has Finally Arrived

Finally!  The day has finally arrived.  I've waited, not very patiently, for this day to get here.  It's a double-edged sword, you see.  I wish away time so that this day will come.  I try to enjoy all the simple pleasures that I have day in, day out, trying not to take them for granted.  Win-win.  Lose-lose.  I don't know.  It's hard to say either way.

I've slept with a stuffed bear next to my head for the last four months.  I slept on the same pillow that Heidi used while she was here a month ago.  The scent faded a couple of weeks ago, but the spots from her hair coloring were a reminder.

To my friends and family: I know this is falling on deaf ears, but do not worry.  In fact it is I that should be worrying about you.  You all have a greater chance of something happening every time you get in your vehicle.  I'm treating it as a walk in the park...so should you.

K-K, Brutus, & Pester: I do not feel whole when I'm not with you girls.  Be good for your mother.  I love you, girls.

Heidi: I've never been good with words when it comes to this point.  I'll simply leave it at I'll talk to you later.  Hang in there, dear, you're stronger than you think you are.  I love you.

See you all on the flip side.

Going to the Movies

I went to see a movie today.  It looked pretty funny in the previews and I thought it'd be one of the last chances I had to go see a movie until after I return.  The downside to it was that I was going alone.  No friends to go with and certainly no wife close by I could take.  (I'm talking about my wife, by the way.)

The movie was okay.  It made me realize that not only do I have an affinity for 80's music, but I'm pretty sure most of my dance moves came from that decade as well.  I realized one thing in particular.  Funny movies are not as funny if you don't have someone with you to laugh with.  Today was a day that I just really missed being around my wife.

Leaving Soon

I'm leaving soon.  I'm not entirely sure when, just an approximate date.  The closer that day comes the more real it feels that I am leaving again.  Nearly four months ago when this whole thing started again it seemed so far off.  Now, it's right around the corner.  It's safe to say that I have not enjoyed my time out here in North Carolina prior to deploying.  On most days I'm a pretty grumpy individual, just bitter on a good one...bitter and grumpy on bad ones.  The past week has made me slow down a little.  All I've wanted to do the last few months was to get to Afghanistan.  I've come to realize that as much as I do not like it out here in North Carolina I need to slow down and appreciate the small things that are easily taken for granted.  For example, I can pick up the phone and call my girls anytime I want.  I can send texts to my wife throughout the day (of course since she is a teacher busy teaching today's youth she does not answer them until after working hours!).  I can enjoy network television and free wifi.  These are just a few things that I know I'll be without here very soon.

A little bit about where I'm going:  Afghanistan
You may or may not be bored to tears if I got into the history leading up to current times.  I do challenge you to read some history on the country though.
Where I'll be specifically:  I won't say for now, just trying to practice some semblance of operational security.  I will tell you that I'll be Helmand Province.  Helmand Province is located in southern Afghanistan and is roughly 22,000 square miles in size (a little smaller than West Virginia).  The population is estimated at somewhere around 1.4 million.  Most of the population is comprised of Sunni Muslims.  The predominant language for the province is Pashto.  Temperatures for the region can be below freezing in the winter and up to 120 degrees in the summer.


Helmand Province is reportedly the world's largest opium producing area.  Approximately 90% of world's opium comes from Afghanistan.  So if any of you would like some heroin while I'm there, just let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Currently the military mission in Helmand Province is a NATO mission.  Military forces from the United States are joined by those from the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, France (surprising, huh), Estonia, Georgia, and the Netherlands.

Note: I was kidding about the heroin.  No, really, just let me know.

Map found at: http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/map-afghanistan-s-helmand-province/7148442-1-eng-US/Map-Afghanistan-s-Helmand-Province_full_600.jpg