The Big Cheeseburger

Moondust

2009-11-28T08:41:00.005+01:00

I received an interesting request from a third grader the other day. His class is doing a class on different types of dirt. His mom said she knew a Soldier in Afghanistan. I can only imagine how wide his eyes must have gotten, "there's dirt in Afghanistan." Oh yes my young friend there is indeed dirt here. Not much else really. But we don't call it 'dirt' around here; we call it 'moon dust'. Just like the regolith on the Moon, this stuff gets everywhere. After a lengthy walk, you have dust in places you didn't know you had. And it wreaks havoc on our equipment and supplies. Its worst property is also its best and the main reason why people can survive in Afghanistan. The dust absorbs water better than a sponge. Add a teaspoon of water and the stuff turns into miry clay faster than you can blink. This is great if you want to rebuild the fortress at Ghazni or plant crops just before the winter rains but terrible if you have to walk 4 miles across it for some odd reason unbeknownst to you. So here are a few pictures of the moon dust. When I get back to North Carolina I can send you pictures of that other wonderful substance, red clay. :)

Thank you Nathaniel Baldwin and Martin Lange

2009-10-23T16:22:00.002+02:00

It was 1910 and 1957 respectively when one of the most pervasive instruments came into being and then improved upon. No I am not talking about the iPod though it is the spring board for this post. I am talking about headphones of course. Kate and I were chatting the other day about getting a new iPod. Kate has not been able to find hers since our holiday in NY. This led me to asking for new headphones, wireless if possible. A wireless headset would be nice for when I am working out. I am currently using the Sennheiser travel headset Uncle Jim got me for Christmas. My earbuds have gone where the wild things are. Typical of me however is when I went looking for a set to show Kate, I couldn't find anything less then 100 clams. /Sigh Its like the time we went to Carmax to peruse their offerings and I found every marquee brand on the lot. But I digress. So headphone; I am going to get a nice pair for 30 dollars. I will use them for the gym and keep my portable headset for iTunes. Why does this all come up. Well at this writing, I can hear Hip-Hop, Katy Perry, Call of Duty 4, George Lopez Live, and two 19yo Soldiers discussing the finer points of how to pick up a girl when they go home on leave (they shall remain anon to keep their dignity). So thank you Nate and Marty for helping me stay sane while sitting in my hooch writing my blog. God Bless you both.

Care packages

2009-10-19T17:17:00.002+02:00

Hello everybody. I assure you this post will have a happier tone than my last post. The deployment is progressing as well as it can. Some days go faster than others, but thankfully I have settled into a mindless routine. I wake up, check email, play a video game (or nap if there is no Internet), have raymen for lunch, work off the raymen in the afternoon, check email again, eat dinner, then sleep. There is very little deviation from this cycle. Not much excitement here I am afraid.
There are a couple sources of excitement every now and then: an email from Kate, a chance to chat on Skype for a few minutes, and mail. I have received packages from Katie, but now I am starting to receive other packages. The most recent packages are the reason why I am updating my blog. Andrew and Patti sent a most welcome box. It included some of my favorite snacks: Doritos, Pop Tarts, Cup of Noodles, raymen and Clifbars. The box was promptly squirreled away into my wee living space and unlike Hammy, I will not forget where I put it. The other box was a complete surprise. Rich Bond sent a box of canned goods which are now proudly displayed on the kitchenette shelf. Some of the cans have already disappeared. The fruit that was included is in Andrew and Patti's box as fruit of any kind is hard to come by. Rich is a fellow veteran of a foreign war, and we were able to chat about a great many things during our stay in NY during pre-deployment leave. We were all gathered together as a family to celebrate Sarah Knaggs' dedication. Any chance I have to meet family and get to know them better are great times. As a Soldier, I don't get very many opportunities to do that, and that is something Rich as a fellow Soldier can understand.
Thank you Andrew, Patti, Rich and my darling wife who have sent packages so early in the deployment. Your generosity is very much appreciated. I hope you are all well and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. Take care and God speed.

Another year, another one gone

2009-09-22T06:08:00.002+02:00

This has been going on for too damn long. I can’t believe that for the better part of this decade I have had to say goodbye to people, people who mean a lot to me. And it never gets easier. First my parents, Pop Pop, Kyle, and Becky, then the god damn Towers, now the US Army. I can remember the ones that have gone ahead too soon. The trend has been since I joined the Army to lose one medic in combat every odd year. This year I was hoping to buck the trend. I had hoped there would be no McCarthy, no Campell, and no Restrepo. But it was not to be. This year it is Winkleman. He was a young man full of life and one of our best medics. The first time I met him was at PT formation when he was so smashed he could barely stand up. Despite this he still managed to make the 4mile run that morning. After that day, I got to see another side of Wink. During sick call hours, Wink was always busy, seeing who ever needed to be seen. Soldiers knew that if Wink was taking care of them, they were in good hands. Sad now that Wink is the hands who made him who he was. The fury inside is subsiding now and I am finding it hard to write anything further. So I will end with this: Winkleman it was an honor and privilege to have met you and to have served with you. God speed.

Sunrise in KAF

2009-09-16T09:55:00.001+02:00

Sunset in Afghanistan

2009-09-11T21:13:00.002+02:00

Kandahar

2009-09-10T14:29:00.003+02:00

2009-09-10T14:29:00.000+02:00

First Hop

2009-09-05T17:05:00.006+02:00

Good evening Everybody. I have arrived at the midway point en route to my fourth combat tour. There was a possibility that I could stay behind and catch a later flight, but that was not to be. I am sorry to those whom I missed in my whirlwind calling on the eve of the deployment. Hopefully I will be able to contact you through the months as the deployment progresses.
The flight over was eventful. The food was meager and terrible; the worst being the pasta they left in the warmer during our lengthy hold over in Europe. Also, I might be a paratrooper and am used to aircraft doing their best to make me lose lunch, but am not used to being abused on a civilian aircraft. I woke up mid flight when the craft lost lift for a moment, swayed to and fro, then climbed back up into the thunder bumper the pilot was trying to push through. It was the one moment in my life that I all wanted was for someone to land the darn plane. The clouds parted as we moved over eastern Europe and it was beautiful. Sadly, I got a little choked up looking down on the medieval layout of the cities. I lived in Europe for 5 years and it came to be my home. Katie can attest that all I want to do is move back to Europe, sit on the river in Bassano del Grappa and eat gelato. If I can't get stationed there again, there is always the pipe dream that I can be on HGTV International House Hunters looking for a apartment in Asiago. Time will tell.
So, now I am on hold again waiting to get to my time share in Afghanistan. People have asked if I am happy to be going back. There are a lot of mixed feelings for me. I have spent 34 months in the Sandbox. I know the area, and the people. Plus the landscape starts to grow on you after a while. The near East is an amazing place. I am excited to be going back knowing that is the one place I can truly make a difference. However, the year in Afghanistan will be another year from home, away from friends and family. So, if the Army said I didn't have to go back, I certainly wouldn't be upset. But they have, so here I go again.
Thank you to those who have sent early emails. Your support and words of encouragement are much appreciated. I wish you all well. Till my next post., take care.

Once more into the breach....

2009-08-23T03:44:00.002+02:00

Hello Everybody. I know it has been some time since I posted. This blog functioned as a "combat exercise" during my third tour. Katie and I were able to read each others thoughts and keep in touch in a way that IM never could allow. She recently updated her blog; it reflects how our circumstances has changed since the last deployment. In light of her renewed effort, and my starting another tour in Afghanistan, I have decided to renew my blogging. I will do my best to keep everyone in the loop as the deployment progresses. If there is anything you what to see in this blog, kindly let me know. Till my next entry, best wishes to you.

Home at Last

2008-07-26T10:37:00.001+02:00

Good morning everybody. At 14 and half months I have finally returned home to Italy. I actually arrived on Friday after a whirl wind tour through the combat theatre. We had to take a cargo helicopter out of COP Lowell to the main Forward Operating Base (FOB), then on to the nearest airbase. Everyone managed to hold onto their lunch on this flight, but from what I have heard, this was a rare occurence. We were fortunate to take a C-130 from the airbase to Bagram (BAF) which made the journey that much shorter but again we were fortunate. The group following us missed the manifest and had to carry on to BAF via helicopter. They all looked a bit green once they caught up to us. Then began the long wait. In the Army it is common to hurry up and wait. Well hurry up and wait we did. A week in BAF is akin to being stabbed to death by ducks. Thankfully we were able to get an earlier flight to Manas, the last stop before Aviano, Italy. Someday I would like to measure the distance from start to finish. The difficulty with this would be that I have no idea where I was. Kamu is most decidely not on the map.
So now I have been home for 2 days. It is certainly an adjustment, and I will write more about this in my future blogs. Needless to say, I am wide awake at 04.20 am and I don't have to go to work until 07.30. Today is going to be a long day. Thank you everyone for sending your well wishes. I hope to catch up with my correspondence before month's end. If you sent me a letter or care package, please know that I will be sending you a proper thank you very soon. My friends and family certainly made this most recent deployment bearable and I am eternally grateful for your love, prayers, and support. I wish you all the best in the days ahead. Take care and God speed.

2 down, 1 to go

2008-07-24T11:07:00.000+02:00

Hello everybody. I have finally made it to the second air base on my trek back home. So, 2 down, 1 more to go. And once I get to Aviano, my journey home will be complete. It's been 15 months since I was home. The first couple days will be interesing, but enjoyable as I will be with Katie, and the wee furball, Stud. Thank you all for the well wishes over these past few weeks. I hope my next update will be from the comfort of my home, chillin on the back porch with Stud, and enjoying the Italian summer. Take care and best wishes.

Slow return to Normalcy

2008-07-20T13:55:00.002+02:00

Good afternoon everyone. This weekend has seen a slow return to normalcy. I woke up at 0130zulu, worked out in the gym, and then got breakfast. The only missing parts were kissing Katie goodbye as I shuffle out the door, and with Stud burying his face into his food dish. At home Stud knows that I am a morning person and has been know to attack me if I am not up at the same time just so he can get food. Cats, what can you do. Today was a true garrison moment: a stupid detail needed to be done, and naturally it took all day. So although I am still in BAF and have not returned home, things are starting to revert to a pre-deployment routine. Hopefully I will get home soon and get back into that routine for real. Soon and very soon. Take care everyone, and best wishes.

Homeward Bound

2008-07-18T12:58:00.002+02:00

Hello everybody. I wanted to post a new update: I have finally left COP Lowell and am now coolin my heels in Bagram Airfield. We still do not have a timeline, but no one has stayed in BAF for a long time. Course anything longer than a few hours seems like forever, but we are coping. So, very soon I will home. Once I get home, I will let you all know that I got there safe. Till that future happy day, take care and best wishes to you all. See ya soon. :)

Birthday Wishes

2008-07-16T12:29:00.000+02:00

Hello Everybody. Thank you all for the birthday wishes that I received through email and Facebook. It means a great deal to get messages from friends and family while so far from home. There are few things better than a short email or note from family while deployed. I learned this important lesson during my first deployment in 2003. I have told the new Soldiers to do their best to keep in touch with family back home especially for those who are away from home for the first time. Summer camp does not count. I am hoping that my next update will be from an airbase, as I make my way home. Till that future day, I am still cooling my heels at COP Lowell. Hopefully someone will start a blog and carry the torch into the new year. To those family members from Apache Troop, just keep working on your boys and they might run with it. Or you can do what a family friend did for my wife and I: make a blog for us both then threaten bodily harm if we didn't update it. Yes Mhairi I am talking about you. :D Best wishes to you all. Take care and stay cool through the dog days of summer.

Exhaustion

2008-07-05T18:03:00.003+02:00

Hello everybody. Another day down, and July marches on. It is nice to know that with each passing day our battalion is ever closer to going home.
A regular occurence in Army life is training. I have often joked that if I wasn't deployed, I was training. And for the most part that is true. Don't believe me, just ask Katie. Even though we are deployed, we still train. Training encompasses all sorts of things ie. weapons, first aid, commnications, and of course PT. Another type of training that we do that is very important is base defense. In the old days it was called "Stand To". It is affectionately know as 'Alamo drills' here at COP Lowell. Bagram Airfield we certainly are not. Well, we conducted the training the other day, did a pretty good job (after a year, I could do it in my sleep), and then returned to what we had been doing before. For me, that was taking a nap. As I walked back into the aid station, this is what I saw. Poor Soldier had gotten off guard only minutes before the drill, did the drill, then never got any farther the aid station since it lies halfway to his hooch. The Soldier managed to hold this position for 10 mins, before he slipped, realized he had passed out, then went to up his own bed. Apparently with all the training we do, we learn something that the Army never intended to us: how to sleep anywhere, at anytime, at the first opportunity. :)
Best wishes to all. Hope your summer is shapin up very nicely. Take care.

Happy Fourth of July!!

2008-07-04T07:31:00.006+02:00

To everybody out there: **Happy Fourth of July!!** I hope your day is funfilled with lots of goings ons and plenty of partying. We here at COP Lowell will find a way to celebrate this awesome holiday, some way, some how. We will not be denied. ha ha
Best wishes to everyone back home. Hopefully someday soon we can have a barbecue and wiffle ball game in the back yard. Soon and very soon. Take care and best wishes.

We want...a Shrubbery!

2008-06-28T19:24:00.000+02:00

Good evening everybody. Deployments are a strange thing. Usually they last about 12 months, and go fairly quickly. I have an awesome tshirt that explains the various mood swings that one goes through. I wish I could remember what they were exactly, but if you are in my family, you have seen me wearing this shirt proudly. Deployments aren't so bad when you have the means to pass the time inbetween missions. This usually involves reading a book, watching a movie, playing cards, etc. When the deployment gets long in the tooth you start looking for new things to do. And this is where the ennui sets in. You have watched all the movies you brought, read everything that is fit to read on the COP, and played enough various cards games that you have memorized the facial ticks of every Soldier who is capable of holding 5 cards or more. So what do you do? You could watch the Godfather enough times to the point where you could rewrite the script for the third movie, pull the Cusack manuever in your sleep (classified as a malaria med nightmare), level as many characters in the World of Warcraft before the next expansion, or.... plant a garden. CPT Pederson came to us late in the deployment, in truth he has only been at COP Lowell for 3.4 months, but this is the result. It keeps him busy though he has become quite protective of his little garden. We had a cow meander its way onto the COP the other day and decided the watermelon was easy pickings. After we convinced Doc that it would be a bad idea to shoot the poor thing, he built Ft Knox. And now, he patrols the 14 paces in front of the Aid Station at least twice a day to fend off any would be assailants. I asked the armorer if he had any bayonets but he frowned upon the idea. No idea what Doc might do to our mascot, the local donkey, CPL Ed.

Down days

2008-06-24T14:38:00.002+02:00

Hello everybody. I know a while back that I said I would try to update my blog every Friday. So what happens when every day, is in fact, Monday. We have a had a few hectic days this past week. I had gone through most of the deployment without having to treat anyone. The guaranteed randomness that is our local population does not count. I usually give them pain medication and some vitamins. If I know precisely what they have, and do not think they are whistlin dixie, then I do what I can to treat them. Overall though, thank God for tylenol and motrin.
It is interesting to note, that people, regardless of where they come from, will find interesting ways to hurt themselves. And this leads me to this post. I have treated five patients over the past week. The first was a young man who nearly lost his hand when his sleeve got caught in a piece of farm equipment. You would think that since he was missing fingers from said machinery he would be more careful, but nope. Seeing the inner mechanics of a hand is kinda cool if in a morbid sort a way. The next was a young guy hacking away with a axe. Problem was the axe started life as a hoe, and was not intended to cut trees. One swing, axe hit the tree, then bounced back.... you can guess what he looked like. Next was my ever popular frequent flyer: the ANA cook. I have stopped asking this guy what is wrong since he usually shows up on my doorstep bleeding profusely. I have now stitched his hand shut four times this deployment. I am wondering if Mr. Iron Chef has taken the old adage 'chicks dig scars' a wee bit too far. The last two guys I saw were combat related so cannot post info about them save to say that they are doing well and that it is generally wise to duck when stuff starts going boom. And do you know what happened today.... absolutely nothing. I slept till 0430Z, had two pop tarts for breakfast with my black coffee, then sat in the aid station for 7 hours. I was bored for a change. As my wife can attest, I do not do well with down days but on this day, I will certainly try. Tomorrow I may get a local stabbed within a inch of his life, by chickens. Ya never know.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-06-17T16:00:00.002+02:00

To the woman I love, thank you for saying yes. Two years married today, and although we have spent most of it a part, I am happy that I have you. Thanks for being the best part of me. Someday soon we will be together. Love ya babe. Happy Anniversary!

R.I.P. my old friend

2008-06-12T14:38:00.003+02:00

Today was a sad day. A day when I had to put down an old trusty friend who has been by my side for a decade plus one. He first joined me on my travels starting way back in La Ciudad de Mexico in 1997. He had a certain bling back in the early days when he was young and hip. Alas as all things go, he and I both started showing our age in Iraq 2003. Like me, he wasn't so quick to get started, was cranky at times when pushed too hard, though he proudly showed his scars and various dings. Chicks dig scars after all. He also made a brief foray to the United Kingdom with my wife, but was eventually replaced by a hipper companion. So now after eleven years together, my dear friend failed to rally this morning. I guess he was as tired as I was pretending to be a Rough Rider under Roosevelt for over a year now. So today, I dedicate this blog to an old and trusty friend, one who will be fondly missed. To my dear friend, Mr. Canon Powershot A70 (June 1997- June 2008), thanks for all the memories. Rest in peace my old friend.

Lots going on

2008-05-17T12:50:00.002+02:00

Hello everybody. You know I usually start my blog this way and I just remembered where I got it from: Super Grover. And just like Grover, I have up and flown away from Kamu if just for a few days. As some of you know, I have been putting together an application to the US Army Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Ft Benning, GA. I needed a physical to complete my application, and CPT Page, my company commander, sent me to Bagram Air Field (BAF) to get it done. He did not have to do this, but he has been very supportive. He has helped other Soldiers in Legion prepare for Ranger, Airborne, and Jumpmaster school. I have been in BAF for just over 24 hours and the first portion of my physical is done. The funny thing is, I had to get a flight physical done. I thought, sweet, now if I pass, maybe later I could fly helicopters. Unfortunately, as the poor doctor in Optometry found out, I have no depth perception and my left eye only goes to 20/30. She said she was sorry that she couldn't pass me for the eye test, and I said, 'no problem. I only jump out of aircraft.' After about 5 minutes explaining what that meant she was laughing, and I waltzed out of the office with a big green GO stamped on the folder. So, long and short, I am qualified to be an officer so long as I never attempt to fly any aircraft... no problem. I have an appointment scheduled to chat with a doctor on Monday to complete the medical interview than I can submit my packet. Then the waiting begins. Hopefully I will here something about school before Katie and I go to NC.
Once I submit my packet I will have to leave this place. This place that has a 24hour coffee bar, 4 meals a day with a chow line that takes you 2 minutes to walk past the en trees and another 5 minutes to walk past the desserts, where I can call Katie as often as I like so long as we keep our conversation to 30 minutes, and where the is always coffee and ice cream. I think I mentioned coffee, didn't I. :) So everything is going well, another week in Afghanistan draws to a close. Thankfully there are few remaining to when I can go home to Italy and Katie. And when that time comes, I will definitely be up, up, and away.

In Memoriam

2008-05-13T17:34:00.003+02:00

Last June, we had to say goodbye to a good Soldier. I didn't know him personally as I came late to Legion Co, but my platoon medics knew him pretty well. SPC Lowell was killed in action early in our deployment. Thankfully he has been the only combat casualty this deployment. Last deployment, I knew 7 of those killed in action. We held a ceremony on Monday renaming COP Kamu to COP Lowell in his honor. During the eulogy, which was given by CPT Page, the wind picked up for only a few moments. It was a profound moment for everyone there. Even though I didn't know him, I dedicate this note, to a fine Soldier and friend to many in the company. To SPC Lowell, you are gone but not forgotten.

On the Lighter Side

2008-05-11T21:39:00.005+02:00

Good evening everyone. Sorry I didn't post recently. We have been very busy as of late. I knew the tempo would pick up as we moved into summer, but the change was a bit abrupt. So over the past few days, I have been over hill and through dale several times. Hopefully we can get a breather soon, as my knees are feelin like an old rubber band.
On the lighter side, when ever I come back to the COP, the photos are what I see. Recently a family practioner was assigned to Kamu. In the short time he has been here, he has been quite busy. He built the rock wall on the right, and has started a garden. And being that the aid station sits in the shade for most of the day, the stone and mortar building is a lot cooler than outside. It is always nice to come back to some place nice. To think, in just a few months I will be returning to some place even better. :) Home to Katie and the wee fur ball named Stud. On that day I will truly be on a light side, as the sun will shine that much brighter.
Happy Mother's Day Mom! Hope you had a special day. I look forward to seeing you sooner rather than later. Till then, take care and thank you for everything.

Warm regards to everyone out there. :)

Musings from an Observation Post (OP) in Afghanistan

2008-04-26T03:41:00.002+02:00

Musing #1
Wow, we are really high… Wonka you can keep your elevator
Musing #2
When you are the only Northerner in a squad of 11, you feel like a white elephant with pink polka dots and red toe nail polish, or, if you prefer, a duck in a pig suit
Musing #3
When you find such comments as ‘bovines on the boulevard’ or ‘the crows be a crowing’ amusing, that’s when you’ve lost your mind
Musing #4
Trying to drink coffee from a mug while wearing night vision is a challenge. Either you do one or the other. Tough decision, I think not
Musing #5
When you have spent a week detoxing from 1.5 pots of coffee a day, upon coming down from the mountain do not proceed to down 3 cups in succession. No one will be able to understand you, especially when trying to explain such things as the difference between ‘da Brooklyn Dodgers an da Bronx Bombers’ or why da Bronx is up while da Battery is down.’ We’re not even tawking about da goils on toid n twoidy toid…smile and nod.

So after downing said coffee and still zinging after 5 hours, I have managed to sit still long enough to write this post. Been a long week staring at rocks, counting livestock (bonus points for a spotted cow), and listening to guys talk about the cow tipping championships in Oklahoma (not kidding). If I never go back to an OP, it will not be soon enough. Love to you all. Take care and best wishes.

Another Friday, another week down

2008-04-26T03:38:00.001+02:00

Hello everybody. Another Friday has come and gone. And today is Sunday, barely noticed. Amazing how one day rolls right into another one, in one great big gigantic blur. So, another week, not much to report. Went for a couple walks, greeted the new doc who is going to help treat locals in the area, and started a new character in World of Warcraft. Walks are always fun though it is starting to get warm. When we got here last year, by July I had lost 10 pounds so here we go again. Doc Pederson arrived from Germany and is excited to be here. The word is already starting to get around that we have a Family Practice doc in Kamu; my days are certainly going to be exciting if they weren't already. As for World of Warcraft... as Katie can attest, I do not play computer games all that much. I was a slave to the original Nintendo, proof in that I beat the secret level in the Zelda after you type in the Princess' name backwards. Aside from this I have played the Age of Empires Trilogy but that's about it. Warcraft is fun, takes a lot of time, and some of my Soldiers play which is cool. I may not be into Xbox, but this online game is another way to connect with the hardcore gamers of Kamu.
The highlight of everyday is chatting with Katie online. We chat about stuff, finances, the latest cookware from Williams Sonoma and the bed room set we would like to have when we move stateside. Whatever the conversation, it is just nice to be able to spend some time with her everyday. Thankfully our time in Afghanistan is drawing to a close. It will be nice to chat with Katie, in person, while kicking her butt in a Phase 10 match. (Now if only I could sneak a 2nd deck, then I might actually win). There is so much to look forward to when I leave the near East. Best part is once I leave the Near East it will not be long after till I cross over the Pond for good after 5 years. It will be an awesome day. But till that day, I take one day by blurry day at a time. I wish you all well. Take care and best wishes.

We Got Mail!!!!

2008-04-13T16:53:00.001+02:00

*We Got Mail!!!!!!!* Woo hoo. Nuf said. :)

Long week

2008-04-11T22:42:00.000+02:00

Good evening everyone. This week has been lackluster at best. It has been raining off and on since Monday, with no signs of letting up. Everyone is a bit anxious that the weather might cancel our mail delivery. Here’s hoping that it flies regardless of the thunder bumpers. We haven’t gotten mail in sometime so it will be nice to get some. Thankfully the Internet has been working well so email is pretty regular and I do my best to keep up with Facebook.
Today, Friday, was a bit of a down day. Our brothers in arms, the Afghan National Army (ANA), had a friendly fire incident this morning. One of the Soldiers discharged his assault rifle killing a friend. The Soldier did not make it; there was nothing I could do. I would like to tell the ANA med team that there are people thinking of the two families; despite our differences in faith, I am sure they would appreciate the prayers.
On to happier news, Katie is doing well. She discovered yesterday that she does not have to go to Germany for her MRI, and is quite excited about this. The Italian facilities are not as good as at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Kaiserslauter, Germany, but it is close and does not involve a rather long bus ride, to say nothing of an early morning. Kate does not like early mornings. Stud and I are the morning people, course I do have to go to work at 5.30 in the morning when not deployed, and Stud, well he’s just Stud. Hopefully Katie’s MRI will be okay and she can get her surgery just before her holiday in England. She is looking forward to it. She has promised to find some biscuits, and then promptly hide them when she gets back home. I give them 3:1 odds of making it to when I get home. Katie, if you read this, I love you. 
April is steadily marching on. At this time, there is approximately 16 weeks left in the deployment. As you all know, I cannot state specific dates, but I am hoping to be with Katie before summer’s end. I will be sure to call as soon as I can with the happy news. Till that future day, thanks to everyone who has sent an email and/or added me as a friend on Facebook. I hope you are all well and wish you the best. Take care and God speed.

April!

2008-04-06T14:04:00.004+02:00

The sun is finally shining. It has been raining for the past 3 days in the lower valleys; snowing on the peaks. Afghanistan is certainly a land of opposites. Naturally the Internet has not been working since it has been raining cats and dogs (or goats and sheep as it were). Thankfully I was able to call Katie and chat for a while which is always nice. Aside from the crazy weather, very little has changed. One of my Soldiers, SPC Klein, is being reassigned to HHC in the southern province. We are all expecting every excel spreadsheet he wrote (likes to tweak macros in Office) and the Internet itself (like Tebbetts, he has memorized the programming code) to suffer a spectacular crash as soon as he leaves. We will have our own Y2K crisis in Kamu. Oh joy! On the upside, since Klein will not be playing World of Warcraft for six hours a day, there will be fewer fights for the Internet cable.
Overall though, it has been a good week despite the rain. Now I am going back to spoil what happens in Lost Season 3 to all the guys who are now watching Season 2. Wish me luck!
Editor's note: 2 hours after posting it started raining again, and yup, it's still raining.....

March is almost gone

2008-03-28T08:34:00.002+01:00

Hello everybody. Another Friday has come, and it is also the end of the month. I have not updated my blog in recent weeks but I hope to rectify this in the remaining months in the deployment. I will try to post an update every Friday from now till the end. So here is my first foray as a dedicated blogger…..
March has been a lackluster month. Not month has been going on for which I am grateful. Winter has past and now we are well into spring. Time is not wasted here in Afghanistan. The picture is from a walk we did west of the main village, Kamu. As you can see, the grass is very green. It was also nice to see all the new farm animals; the goats actually looked cute roaming around like giant cotton balls, all poofy and such. But I digress. Our routine is pretty much set with getting up each morning, eating food, finding things to occupy the time till the next meal, and sleep. The missions help to break up the monotony. As is typical, very little changes.
Katie and I talk regularly which is nice. Now that she is home in Italy, and has a VoIP line, it is much easier to chat. I am looking forward to the deployment’s end, so that I can get back home to her. It is our hope to be moving from Italy late November, early December, so that we can have Christmas in the States. We are hoping for Ft Bragg, but Ft Benning, GA, may also be possible. Wherever we may get posted, I have one humble request: when you come to visit make sure you wear as much Northern regalia as possible. Yankee’s jerseys, ball caps, Giant champion t shirts, etc. We are from the North, or as one of my Soldiers likes, ‘Doc, you truly are a damn Yankee.’ Why thank you. Look out, the northerners are coming.
Well, I am going to put this post up. If there is anything you would like to know, please email me and I can add it to my next post. Thank you everyone for the card, letters, and care packages. They are welcome as always. I wish you all well. Take care and God speed.

Michael

First Snow

2008-01-10T23:08:00.000+01:00

Good evening everyone. This week has marked the first snowfall of the year. As is typical in the Near East, there was little warning. One moment it was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky; the next it was 20 degrees and snowing. And it kept snowing for three days. Today we had some sunshine and the snow is starting to recede a little. The weather will continue this crazy little dance for the next 3 months. Oh boy. The snow is cool, but I find much cooler is that our deployment is now 50%. There are still plenty of days left but knowing that we are that much closer to going home is a great feeling. Thank you to everyone who has sent greetings via Facebook and email. It is always nice to hear from family. I wish you well wherever you are and I hope the weather is fine.

I'm back!

2008-01-04T11:15:00.000+01:00

Hello everybody! Happy New Year! I wanted to let you know that we have received a civilian Internet in Kamu. Thank you to everyone who has sent packages and mail; it is much appreciated. I wish you all well. Take care and God bless.

Michael

Leave, aka an Awesome Vacation

2007-11-03T00:41:00.000+01:00

Hello everybody. I apologize for the lapse in posting on my blog. I have just returned from an awesome dare I say stupendous vacation. It was certainly the best one I have had in years. Katie and I went to the Bahamas on a Royal Carribean Cruise; we finally got to have our honeymoon and threw our first anniversary into the mix for good measure. We had a great time and are looking forward to booking another cruise, this one for our second anniversary and others I might miss from now till whenever. :)
This leave was different from past furloughs as I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to. Aunt Carol, the Hepburns, Jay and Leslie, Melissa and Ruth Hull come to mind. I did get to spend a day with Steve and Alli, as well as Chris, Kristie, the wee ones, Jon and Jacy. I even put Andrew to sleep at the resturant which was cool. I have told a few people that the next time I see Jake, he will be giving me stock tips. It is the nature of my job that I miss a lot because time marches on.
Thank you to everyone I had the chance to talk to. Your words of encouragement and well wishes are much appreciated. I look forward to seeing everyone again next year. Till then, please take care. Best wishes to you all and love to you Katie dear.

Michael

One Week on the Outside

2007-10-03T23:02:00.000+02:00

Hello everbody. As Katie says, the countdown is into single digits. I am still in limbo on my flight which is maddening. But having down this before, when it happens it will happen quick. This is in accord with the Army's mantra, "hurry up and wait." Or as in my personal favorite oxymoron, "prepare to stand by." Thank ou for all the emails and well wishes on Facebook. It means a lot to me. I will be home soon and look forward to seeing everyone. Till that future day, sometime next week, take care and best wishes.

Update

2007-09-26T20:19:00.001+02:00

Here is a new photo of me. I am in need of a haircut and some more coffee, hench the pot.:P Thank you to everyone who has emailed me these past few days. I will do my best to get in touch with each of you. And yes, I will be updating my Facebook as best I can.:) Best wishes to you all.

Video from a friend

2007-09-25T03:18:00.000+02:00

My friend from college sent me this video. Many of you have voiced the sentiments contained within and I am very grateful. Each deployment has been made easier by your care packages, letters, emails and pictures. Someday, I hope I won't have to leave my family so often for so long. Thank you to those who support me and everything you do to demonstrate that support. Best wishes to you and your families.

Fruit and Football

2007-09-25T02:31:00.000+02:00

Hello again. I have begun my journey home for mid tour leave and will be with my lovely Katie soon. I have to make a few more stops before I get off the plane in Newark, but that day is fast approaching. The first stop is a virtual paradise compared to Kamu. I had a rare pleasure this morning. I got to eat something aside from an MRE and watch T.V. My usual routine is eating a pop tart, drink coffee and talk with the local contractors who arrive in Kamu to work on various projects. Today, I got up late (02.00 Zulu), took a warm shower while standing up, and then had eggs, sausage, and grapes while watching the Dallas/Chicago football game. So the game was Sunday Night Football aired at 3 in the morning, on Monday, but hey, who cares. I look forward to when I can just grab an apple and watch HGTV. Or the TV Guide Channel, which ever I find first. Love to you all.

To Kamu and Back Again

2007-09-25T02:25:00.000+02:00

Hello everybody. It has been a long time. A month ago, I joined my company at our newest campsite. And what a campsite it is. I have been in some rough spots in my 2.5 years deployed during our country’s latest war, but this one takes the cake. It surpasses my short tenure in Kuwait, but just misses the mark of topping my ‘mostest favorite spot in the whole wide world’: Grafenwhoer/Hoenfels, Germany. The day anyplace beats that particular garden spot of the world, is the day I take up underwater basket weaving as a professional hobby. But getting back to the topic of concern: Kamu.
It is a small little place in the middle of nowhere, which is exactly where an infantry company needs to be. Or usually finds itself, but I digress. Kamu is a beautiful place: tall imposing mountains, lush greenery, swift moving river accompanied by decent rapids, and generally benign weather. I even have a rose garden outside my aid station. Being a city boy, I am doing my best not to kill them. My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them. The key point is scenery is all Kamu has; there are 3 things which put Kamu solidly in second place.
Our power comes from a wee generator which must power at least 4 Xboxes, 1 Nintendo Wii, and multiple laptops to say nothing of the main office. The poor thing is in constant need of TLC, which keeps our Maintenance chief busy. Power is one thing, water is another. We have a small canal running through our camp. It ends in a small waterfall just before exiting the camp and meets up with a creek. This is where we shave, wash and water the plants. The only other option is to go swimming which the guys like doing. Unfortunately the summer has passed and now the water is freezing. Laundry is usually done with a rock. Thanks to my awesome in-laws, I have a wash board. The last thing is our Internet, or lack thereof. We have a certifiable genius who was/is also a certifiable nerd. He has memorized the satellite signal by its particular sine wave which he matches by manually moving our satellite dish two or three times a day. MIT eat your heart out. This lack of reliable Internet is the reason why I will post several blog entries at once. I thank you for your patience and for humoring me. Best to everyone. See ya’ll soon. :)

Ice Cream

2007-08-17T17:48:00.000+02:00

It’s funny what reminds me of home. Today at the mess hall we had a mediocre dinner, but we had mint chocolate chip ice cream. As anybody who knows me, knows that this is my favorite ice cream. It was always a treat in my family. It was also my preferred ice cream to get during the summer months; it even won out against the vanilla and chocolate swirl on a sugar cone that is available at DQ. We’ll leave gelato out of this since it isn’t truly ice cream (which is how I can reconcile my extreme fondness for it). I had thought this summer would pass without getting ice cream. Fortunately I was wrong. While I was eating my ice cream, with coffee of course, I begin thinking about summers at home. I haven’t had many since I joined the Army. In fact only one and I got to spend it with Katie. We even celebrated my birthday with ice cream cake. I also tried to remember the last time I was in the States to celebrate a birthday with my brother and sister. I finished two servings of ice cream and three cups of coffee, and I couldn’t think of an answer to that question. This important holiday will have to be rolled into the tour de force that will be my leave in October: wedding anniversary, Katie, my little brother Steve, and my birthdays not to mention Canadian Thanksgiving. Part of me longs for the idyllic summers past when I worked at camp, or even earlier when my family used to go to the Cottage for a few days after celebrating my birthday with extended family. Unfortunately those days are past, and my ice cream is gone. What to do… Look forward to spending summers with family and friends again real soon, and to have some more ice cream. 

Care Packages and Correspondence :)

2007-08-15T17:51:00.001+02:00

Hello Everybody. :) I know it has been some time since I updated my blog. Course, it hasn't been as long as others. hint hint This update finds me at another camp, thankfully with a more reliable net. I will not be here long, so I am taking full advantage when I can. Having said that I still only get a few minutes at a time, hence writing this in my hooch to be uploaded later. I wanted this update to thank people who have sent vittles and voiced their support.

1. Karen Chamberlain - my birthday present which arrived yesterday, thank you very kindly. I will nail it to a wall once I find one. Till then, it is currently resting beside my camo teddy bear in my foot locker.
2. Ms. Ellie - it was a welcome surprise to get what we call pogie bait in the Army: munchies and crunchies to eat when you get sick of the mess hall, when you can't possibly eat one more MRE, for bribery when trying to get out of guard duty, or as is more the case, when you are bored out of your mind. Thank you Ellie for a means of escape as well as a poignant reminder of friends at home.
3. Katie - I received my Amazon box, to much fanfare. Seems within moments everyone wanted to watch Rome Season 1, course with the snide remarks they kept making about Stargate, all they will get is Feivel Goes West. :) Thank you sweetheart.
4. Nana - I received the box shortly before I had to move. The box has finally caught up with me. Thank you very much for the vittles. They will be gone in short order.
5. Mom and Dad Maxwell - thank you for the continued correspondence, it means so much to get letters from home. As Katie is fond to remind me in her emails, the day to my leave is fast approaching. I look forward to being home and spending time with you.

One common request in all my gifts from home is what can people send. Doritos, cliff bars, pop tarts, twizzlers, and anything that needs hot water i.e. Raymen noodles, cup o noodles. To the dear heart who sent me instant alfredo pasta, thank you very much. This particular food groups' salt content rivals the Dead Sea, but I don't care, its good. Truth be told, I am grateful for anything you send. If I don't eat it, I know plenty of guys who will. Not everyone receives packages like I do. I definitely share the love; as long as they don't touch my poptarts or Doritos. :)

Thanks again to everybody. I hope you are well. Take care.

Care Packages and Correspondence :)

2007-08-15T17:51:00.000+02:00

Squadron Surgeon's blog

2007-06-25T07:06:00.001+02:00

Good morning everbody. I wanted to post this website so that many of you can see where I am and what I do. Our squadron surgeon has an excellent blog which includes links to our medical newsletter and squadron home page. If you have any questions, please send me an note. Best wishes to everyone.

http://web.mac.com/hipp.family/iWeb/1-91%20Cav/Home/Home.html

What a week!

2007-06-23T18:59:00.000+02:00

Hello everybody. How have you been? It is hard to believe the week I had. Here are some of the highlights:
1. Sunday, Father's Day - An interesting thought occurred to me. On this special day I realized that I now have 3 fathers. My dad, Al, has been gone a long time but I still remember everything he meant to me. After my parents were promoted to glory, Jim Knaggs became my fatherly influence and I believe I am a better man from the conversations we've had over the years. And it was he that married Katie and I, my beautiful wife whom we have now celebrated our first anniversary. We will celebrate said anniversary in style the next time I am stateside. Which brings me to my father-in-law. It will probably be a few years before I stop calling him sir, but during my time at home in April, it was nice spending time with him, getting to know him a little better. Even after a year, we have had some memorable moments, such as when I called to ask permission to marry Katie, our first Trivia Pursuit game in the dining room, and the last Pinochle game. I wish you all Happy Father's Day and pray that someday, I will be as good as a father as you have been to me.

2. Katie's birthday - under pain of death I will not reveal my beloved's age. Here's to 25 and holding sweetheart. You look marvelous. :)

3. Let's do the time warp again! - I am still not sure what this song means, but it certainly applies to my living conditions at Camp Liebert. On Tuesday I was told to move, Wednesday I was told don't bother, then Wed. evening someone asked me why I hadn't moved (?). Thursday, um nope not moving again, and 'I am sorry that you had to pack for a third time'. If I could have put my hands on my hips without fear of repercussions, I certainly would have. So, I still live in my little pigeon hole with a picture of Katie and Studebaker on my foot locker, right next to my Beanie Baby Camouflage Bear. Moving on.

4. Thank God it's Friday....oh wait that was yesterday. Right...

5. Finally, I come to the conclusion I am not as young as I once was. We went on a little stroll, and by little I mean 12 kilometers, uphill both ways, smack dab in the middle of the afternoon. Our mission was to check on the new road (which leads nowhere) and locate its most recent terminus (it starts and stops at 7 points along the river, so this was interesting). We knew where the nothern portion was but did not know how to get there from Daba. So, we do want comes naturally, follow the river (see previous blog entry). Four hours later, out of water, beat up and sore, we crashed midway up the mountain on the new road. That's when 2 soldiers decided to suffer from heat exhaustion. One recovered fairly quickly, the other not so much. My medic provided excellent treatment while I got a poleless litter ready. In all my years, I do not want to do what we did next: carry our casualty up the mountain side, roughly 2 kilometers through hill and dale back to our camp, rotating 4 guys on the litter every 3 minutes or so. Thankfully our camp had a rigid litter and a team ready to replace our litter bearers once we got in sight. In my four years in the Army, and seven as an EMT, I have never felt like I felt today. Rizzo the Rat said it perfectly in the Muppets Christmas Carol, "God bless my poor broken body."

I wish everybody well. Thanks to those who have sent letters, they are much appreciated. Until my next entry, take care and God speed.

PS. Congratulations to Andrew and Patti for updating their blog. I am right behind yea. :)

The Art of Crossing Water

2007-05-31T16:12:00.000+02:00

Now one might think the easiest way to cross water would be to stand on the shore and yell mean things at it, similar in the way that beavers damn the river. Hyuck, thank you Acme.
On the serious side, crossing creeks and streams would seem a straight forward enough process: cross quickly, safely, and with the sole intent of remaining dry. Ah, but welcome to Afghanistan, where the Gowardesh river valley is the only way to get anywhere. This entails crossing said river 8 or 20 times depending on the point man's mood. Here are some of the ways to cross the water:
1. Follow the point man like sheep - "look, here's a waterfall, fast moving current, can't see the bottom, an ideal spot don't you think." Baaah
2. Guy in front is daydreaming about being in the Bahamas, goes traipsing through knee deep water, everybody follows. Again like sheep, only more stupid.
3. Guy in front of you has seen Superman Returns to many times, and tries to fly across the stream... and fails. Guy behind with a pocket full of kryptonite chuckles, till he too winds up in the drink.
4. Make like the locals and try to jump from boulder to boulder. Simple enough, that is if you weren't carrying 10 lbs armor, 40 lbs gear, etc.
5. Cross at the bridge - course by bridge I mean the tree branch lodged between boulders. Or much better, the 8x2 balanced precariously across the only rapids in the sight.
6. Or make like Sgt 'Geronimo' and ignore all the above options, and just fall in, then swim to the other side. Way to go Surefoot.

Thanks for the warm wishes on Memorial Day. Love to you all.

Gowardesh

2007-05-26T18:02:00.000+02:00

Hello everybody. I am still getting settled in at Camp Liebert. This past week has been relatively uneventful, save for a nasty sunburn. I forgot that being at 7ooo plus feet means you burn faster. Oops.

We have been on two patrols into the local communities: Gowardesh (1 &2) and Daba. The people are very friendly and receptive. I wish they lived a bit closer. It took us 3 hours or so to get down from our mountain, through the valley, across the river 8 times and up into thier mountain valley, roughly 5 kilometers. Fun. My legs shook for a good 20 minutes once I put my gear down. Course now I can tell my future kids that I actually did walk up hill both ways, in the mud and cold, and liked it. Ok, not so much the last part. The Army is all about character building exercises and this certainly was one.

I want to let you all know that I am doing ok, and am looking forward to coming home. I know I am only into the second week of this deployment but I am ready for it to hurry up and get over with. Please pray for Katie while she is at home. I miss her daily and look forward to when we can be together again. Till my next post, take care and God speed.

It Begins

2007-05-18T15:48:00.000+02:00

I am moving out to the Himalayas tomorrow (I think). I arrived in Bagram, Afghanistan, yesterday about 12.00Zulu. Being here is strange. When I look at the mountain ringing the air base I feel almost at home. Course if it were a choice between here and with Katie, she wins hands down. So, the new deployment starts "back at Bagram." Please keep Katie, myself and our cat, Studebaker, in your thoughts. :) Till my next post from a campsite in the mountains somewhere, best wishes to you where ever your somewhere is.

Update: Here is a picture of our camp. Purrty ain't it. :)

Кыргызстан

2007-05-17T06:24:00.000+02:00

Good morning everybody. I am writing this from Kyrgyzstan. Since Monday I have been in deployment limbo waiting for a flight to Afghanistan. This will be my second tour and my third full length deployment in four years. This deployment will be very different from the rest: duration (15 months), my job (senior line medic), locale (western Himalayas), and of course married as opposed to single.
Katie and I said our goodbyes on Monday. This deployment will be hard for the both of us. We will miss our first and second anniversaries and her major birthday. Before I left I think we decided to celebrate our anniversaries in October and birthdays with ice cream cake whenever we get the chance. We need very little excuse to throw a party.
I will try to update my blog as often as I can. Please know that you are all in my thoughts, especially you babe. :) Best wishes to you all. Take care and see you when I get home. ttfn

Going Home

2007-04-03T18:04:00.000+02:00

'Going home, to see my baby.' Great line from a song, one of the best. Don't know the rest of the words, but my dad used to sing this line all the time. Tomorrow I leave Germany enroute to Italy. This has been a long month, away from good food, hot showers, decent coffee, and most importantly, Katie. I am so looking forward to going home and being with her. Once I get back, we will get ready for block leave. All dates are tentative so far. I expect to show up one morning, stand in formation and here the First Sergeat say, 'Thanks all folks, go home.' At which point a miracle will happen: a whole company of soldiers will disappear simultanously. Sweet.
As a final epilogue for Hoenfels and Grafenwohr, a lot of soldiers write on the latrine walls. I can't do that so here is my final salute to the mud pit of Germany.... Peace! I'm out of here. :D

Spades & Spoons

2007-04-02T22:50:00.000+02:00

Hello Everybody. I have just returned from The Box: a remote area where we role played through our upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. It was interesting to say the least. Once we got back to near reality in Hoenfels, Germany, my soldiers and i decided to celebrate by playing cards. Spades and Hearts are a favorite way to pass the time. I had only won one game since coming to Germany, 4 weeks ago. Tonight, PFC Klein and I won out a brutal game: total time 2.5 hours, final score 536-531. It is the longest game I have ever played and the longest one I have ever heard of. Either way, I won. Ha ha, so there. As a means of celebrating, Klein and I went to the mess tent to have coffee and finish the brownies Katie made for me. They were a big surprise when they should up at our camp so I have been hoarding them as best as possible. Tonight there were only two left. But there was a slight problem. After a week and a half in my medical bag, countless missions, time after time hitting the dirt, the poor brownies (which where nice and fluffy to start) where now completely pulverized. It didn't matter though, we shoke out the crumbs into our canteen cups and ate them with plastic spoons for victory was ours. Katie, thanks for the snack. The boys really appreciate Mrs Doc. :D
I am glad this rotation is over. In two days I get to go home, to my beautiful wife and furry cat. :) The best part about getting back to Italy is that we will get ready to go on block leave. Katie and I are excited about going home; it will be a nice vacation for us both. Katie really misses her family; I did kinda steal her away as our friend Mhairi is fond of saying. Don't worry Mhairi, we'll be home soon, Katie will race you to the nearest Starbucks.
To all, thank you for the emails this past month. They have meant a lot. I hopefully will be seeing all of you soon. Till that future happy day, take care and best wishes.

Observations from today

2007-03-20T23:33:00.000+01:00

Today I made a few observations I would like to share:
1. German weather is merciless. I knew this but today it was proved beyond any doubt. It has been snowing off and on mixed with freezing rain for good measure these past few days. Today I had to go to the main post to get a humvee fixed. My team had not gone a mile when all the snow dissapeared. It appears that the only valley that it has been snowing in the whole darn country is the one in where we are camped. Go figure.
2. Since WW2, the Germans have decided to save/conserve everything. There are so many laws in effect to make sure this happens. As a result, we can not build trenches, cannot access watershed areas, and any area where new trees are starting to grow. The other thing is the deer. Picture if you will, a herd of deer, numbering in excess of 40, playing tag in the middle of a mock battle between us and the bad guys. We had to stop, take a knee, while a German consulted with the Deer Chief and asked him politely to move his herd to the watershed since the bipeds in armor weren't allowed to play there. He agreed reluctantly. Am I making this up, a little but I swear this is what it looked like the ranger mienster was doing.
3. Soldiers, when they are bored, get into philosphical debates. Todays debate was whether or not E.T. was a progenitor of Master Yoda. The discussion was rather heated. And aside from ETs glowing belly button, most agreed that is was possible despite Yoda being from a galaxy far far away. The proof: ET's parents did have a space ship, he was probably force sensitive since he made Elliot's bicycle fly (and Luke could barely lift rocks), he was short like Yoda, and he recognized Master Yoda during the Halloween parade. I think the jury is still out but hey, these are 19 year olds we are talking about. Please feel free to email me your thoughts on this one. Personally I think its bubkis.
4. Finally, given enough time, anything becomes edible. The 5 second rule goes out the window. And when all else fails, pass the MRE.
Ah yes, the life of a Soldier. I pray that you are all well, enjoying homecooked meals and most importantly, heat. With love from the middle of nowhere Germany.

Support network

2007-03-19T14:29:00.000+01:00

Good afternoon all. The week is slowly progressing here. It snowed two days ago and was followed by freezing rain. Typical training weather, and typical German weather. No wonder the Army loves sending us here.
Katie had the flu this past weekend. She is feeling better though I am sure she still needs your support. I feel bad that I am not home to take care of her; being away for so long is another reason added to the 'not going to stay in the Army' column. As Katie knows I fluctuate on this topic daily. But today, knowing that she is alone and sick without me is definetly cause to not pursue a career in the military. Please keep Katie in your prayers, it is still another week till I get to go home.
I would ask that you pray for one of our officers. His wife lost her father yesterday. The Army is sending him home so he can travel with his wife back to the States. I know how hard it is to lose a loved one. What makes this harder still is that we are scheduled to go home in April. As Katie can attest, we are far away from our families and we miss them dearly. I am sure that they were looking forward to a happy time at home. Please pray for them during this time of loss.
Thank you to all for have kept in touch. Take care and God speed.

Hoenfels

2007-03-15T18:48:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone. I am into the second phase of training and am that much closer to coming home. The next couple days will be spent getting our new soldiers ready for Afghanistan. And there is a lot to learn. Today was our first day and very quickly discovered that 3/4 of the company had never worked around a helicopter. Helicopters are our primary means of getting around the mountains down range. The new guys are learning the ropes rather quickly but they have to overcome a steep learning curve.
On Katie's blog she asked for prayers. She isn't sure if she wants to stay in Italy for the deployment alone without me and far from all of you, her support while I am gone. I can certainly understand this. Please pray for her; I am certainly doing so. Thank you.
To all, I wish you well. Can't wait to see you when Katie and I come home in April. Till then, take care.

A smile

2007-02-12T19:48:00.000+01:00

A smile is a great thing. Well today I got a great smile. It came from Katie just after I told her that my training trip had been cancelled. We thought I would be away for a couple days; a short time compared to the upcoming Germany rotation, but a time away nonetheless. It also comes at a time when we are preparing to move to our new three bedroom apartment closer to post. With the cancellation Katie and I get to spend more time together. So tonight, we are watching the Grammys together. :) Any time where I can sit with a woman who smiles so beautifully, who loves as deeply, is awesome. Love ya babe.

Hello from Austria

2007-02-03T19:37:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone. It has been some time since I posted. I wanted to let everyone know that Katie and I are well and enjoying our time. I hope to post something about our most excellent vacation in Australia with our family soon. Till then, Katie and I send our love from Vienna, Austria. (This trip was a little surprise preValentine's present) :) Take care.

Starbucks by the Water

2006-12-29T01:54:00.000+01:00

Here we are in down town Melbourne. Just the two us and our Starbucks. I will get around to posting more. Till then, take care and Happy New Year!!

Christmas Markets

2006-12-18T16:53:00.000+01:00

Katie and I have been laying low since my return from Germany. This past weekend we enjoyed a little time together. We had been wanting to go to the Italian Christmas markets in the Veneto. The closest that we knew of where in Marostica and Bassano del Grappa. Marostica is where the human chess game is played every even year. I took Katie there and she enjoyed the festival. It is one of the more unique events in Italy. The market there was rather small which was dissapointing. It did have a small ice skating rink just off the chess board piazza; when I asked Katie if she wanted to skate she said, 'no way Jose.' Don't worry, I'm stubborn and will keep asking her if she wants to go ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, sky diving etc. :) We then went to Bassano del Grappa, which is one of my favorite towns in the Veneto. I have included a link to the Commune di Bassano. There are pages in English. It is a nice town just south of the Dolomite foot hills. The Christmas market there was very nice. There were multiple stalls with various Christmasy acoutrement. I bought a few things for our tree, Giuseppe. It is starting to look like a decent tree, all be it a puny one. Katie and I would have like to go to Verona and Venice, but we don't have enough time before Australia.
I hope you are enjoying the final days to Christmas. It is definetly an exciting time of the year.
P.S. Mom, if you go to the Christmas tree shop please think of our little tree. You have been great help in decorating our apartment for the holiday season. Thanks.

Training in Germany

2006-12-17T18:06:00.000+01:00

Season Greetings everyone. I have returned from Germany. My time spent there was cold, wet and muddy. The base we were training at wasn't on any map I could find, and our local yokel got lost going there. Very promising. Katie and I struggled through the week to talk to each other as there was very little reception.
I had gone to Germany to compete for the Expert Field Medical Badge. It is a very prestigious award for Army Medics; Army-wide only 26% have earned the badge in the past 5 years. We are tested on treatment for trauma injuries, triage (who gets treated first-last), weapons (our M-16), field sanitation, medical treatment of detainees/Enemy Prisoner of War, and land navigation. The over arching theme is Tactical Combat Casualty Care (or TC3). In a nut shell, we are trained to treat Soldiers in under 10 minutes for anything from a bruise to a penetrating chest injury resulting in a collapsed lung and increased pressure in the mediastinum. I had studied for this event on my own, as well as with my soldiers. We had also conducted land navigation ad infinitum to the point of ad nausea. Aside from the 100 question written test, we thought we had the event locked up. We were wrong. The test claimed my two soldiers. PVT Thomas came close to passing with a 73 (75 is passing). My Coporal (CPL) needs a bit more work. Then it happened. Land Navigation, duh duh duh. I had four hours to find my points in the German forest, at night, with no moonlight. Fun. Btw, did I mention it was cold, rainy and muddy. Needless to say, I found 3 out 0f 4. Only the end points had been changed from the last time I went through the woods. So Hotel point was now Alpha; I never checked to verify it. So, you guessed it, I was a Go preceded by a No. Since I had failed the Land Navigation event I couldn't compete in the event any more. Aww Shucks. Katie said it was hubris that got me, and I think she is right. Up to this point I have passed every school, training, and test I attended. Definitely a first and one I wish I didn't have. Hopefully the 1st Armor Division will host another EFMB for their medics in the Spring, where I will compete again for the award. So two weeks in Germany, away from Katie and I come home empty handed. Bummer.
Thankfully we will be getting far away from Germany and Italy, and travel to Australia for our first vacation together. We are both very excited. 4 days and counting. Thank you for the Christmas cards and presents we have received so far. Our Christmas tree, Giuseppe, looks awesome with wrapped gifts at his metal feet. I wish you all continued Joy in this magical season. Take care and God speed.

Back to Germany

2006-12-02T22:12:00.000+01:00

Hello everybody. I am off to Germany again. I will miss you all. I hope in the upcoming days that you enjoy the Christmas season. Take care and keep Katie in your thoughts.

New Job

2006-11-28T19:32:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone. Well today is Tuesday and it already feels like Thursday. The past two days have been rather hectic. On Monday I started my new job with the new company. I am now the senior Medical Sergeant for Bravo 'Legion' Co, 1-503rd. The Legionnaires have done good work in the past deployments and it is an honor to join them. As the senior medic, I have two Soldiers under me, one a coporal and the other, private first class. Coporals live on in the Army, 'Radar' O'Reilly has not been forgotten. I know they are good medics and am looking forward to working with them. Course no new job would be right without a hiccup within a few hours. My hiccup was the cubby hole the company gave me to work in. It looked like a Cat. 5 hurricane had blown through. I got it fixed up; all it took was 5 Soldiers and 3 hours. No worries.
Today was awesome. I got to perform Jumpmaster duties for the first time today. We had a lot of new Soldiers which made things interesting. I am definetly going to have to conduct a refresher on how to rig our equipment. Some of the rigging I saw today was, well, um, interesting. And in typical fashion we were ready to board the airplane about the time it broke. Our warning lights (red and green) wouldn't go on. We waited an hour on the tarmac waiting for our bird to get fixed or find a new one. The new one arrived an hour later. Nothing like waiting to jump with a 65lb back pack hanging upside down from your waist. Today I served as the Safety for the flight. My primary role was to make sure my Paratroopers' equipment was rigged properly and when the time came, hooked their static lines to the cable inside the plane (so their parachutes would open.) The only interesting thing from the jump was on the first pass we missed two time warnings and had only 30s to get everybody ready to get out the plane. I have never seen the Jumpmasters move so fast. My job was easy: stand there and make sure the jumpers handed off their static lines on the way out the plane. So, definetly a cool day. I can't wait till I get the chance to be a Jumpmaster again.
I know a lot of what I do is a mystery. And also, I am writing this blog after getting up at 0345. So if you have any questions, just send me a line. :) Take care and God bless.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T19:38:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone. I want to wish everyone a verry Happy Thanksgiving!! Katie and I went to a friend's house for a late lunch. We had a good time, but I certainly miss spending time with the family, all 36 persons strong. I pray that your days are special and memorable. Happy Thanksgiving to all!! Take care and God speed. :)

Crazy Busy

2006-11-21T22:38:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone. For fear of being upstaged by my darlin wife's slippers, I am updating my blog. Course after getting at 5, moving through a 12 hour day, and still remain cognizant isn't all that easy. Well here is a quick update since I nearly lost my wedding band (still attached btw) a few days ago:
1. Continue to improve my cooking prowess. Ok, so I still can use only one pot and have to strongly resist the urge to look up the minutiae concerning the lastest greatest spice that a certain recipe calls for. Final remark on cooking, 'thank God for the skillet/wok and the garlic press thingy is cool. Amen'
2. Spent a great day at home doing absolutely nothing except read the 700 page book, Eldest, by Christopher Paolin. I wonder what it would be like to be 21 and a New York Times bestseller. Hmmm?
3. Counted the gray hairs now visible, caused by the US Army. Thankfully I can come home to a beautiful woman, make popcorn and watch 'The Muppets Christmas Carol'.
4. Lastly, today I was told that I would be moved into a senior position and given my own company. This would give me an opportunity to work with younger soldiers as well as have my own medical team. I am excited about this possibililty. Will let you know how this works out.

To family and friends, thank you for humoring me. Katie does all the time. :) I wish you all well. Take care and God speed.

Back to Work, & First Husband Panic Attack

2006-11-13T20:15:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow I have to go back to work. Thankfully this month is within the recovery phase. I only have to work Tues and Wed. Still, I have to get up at 5am and be at work at 6 for physical training. Yippee. Katie will be joining me so that she can attend PWOC at 9. She already has my woobie (poncho liner) packed for tomorrow. :)
Tonight during dinner I had my first real panic attack as a husband. We were sitting at the kitchen table when I went to start playing with ring. After 5 months of marriage fiddling with my ring has become a habit. Only tonight when I went to play with it, it wasn't there. It may be just a titanium ring, but I am old fashioned and it is a constant reminder of the promise I made to an amazing woman and one whom I love dearly. At that point, dinner was over. I immediately began to think back to where I had it last. So after about an hour turning the house and garage upside down, my ring is now safe back on finger. In fact, I have gone so far as to tie my wedding band to my ring finger using the gut from a parachute cord. Katie thinks that may have been ridiculous, but, hey, this is me we are talking about. So, with my ring securely tied to my finger, panic attack over, I am going to have a cup of coffee and help Katie with the dinner dishes.
I wish all the best, and have a pleasant evening.

Hello Bloggers, First salvo, many more to follow

2006-11-12T20:04:00.000+01:00

Hi Everybody. This is my first blog entry. Katie and I are about to sit down and play Rummicube. We are getting back into our usual rhythm. I had to be at the Noncommisioned Officer Academy in Grafenwhoer, Germany, for 30 days and we have missed each other terribly. Five months married and a total of 2 months spent together. So tonight I made dinner: couscous paella with keilbasa and chicken in a skillet (my favorite tool in the kitchen next to the garlic press). Now we are going to sit at the kitchen table and enjoy each others company over a fun game, walnut brownies and coffee. Thank you to all who have sent Katie and I well wishes. It is much appreciated. Love to you all, best wishes and God speed.