Finally!

Well, we finally made it! Got past all of the "decompression" time at Atterbury (which was far more stressful than the uber-planners thought it would be...idiots), all of the processing (which was decent) and all of the petty personality issues we had thanks to processing and "decompression". We got back to Evansville yesterday, and the town had turned out to meet us. We hit Tri State Aero, got on to firetrucks and rode along US 41 and the Lloyd, all lined with well wishers to the armory, where there were more well wishers and family to greet us home. It was amazing, overwhelming and truly humbling. I can complain about a lot of different things, but the manner in which Evansville received us home is definitely not one of them.

You all can imagine what we did once we got back here to the house, so I'll spare the readership all of the details. I will throw this one out there, just for Diba: Kim had an open bottle of wine, from which she had been drinking most of the week. Maybe a glassful was left in it. So she asks me what I want, I respond with a glass of wine and start looking at the rack. She tells me there's an open bottle in the kitchen, which I then grab. On the way up the stairs, she asks me if I need a glass. I looked at Kim, smiled, said, "nope" and promptly drank from the bottle. Arr!

It's good to be home. I have plenty puttering around here to keep me busy, that's for sure. It's all good, and it'll keep me going until December. That's when we've decided to start the adoption process back up and then I "get" to go back to work. Until then, I finally get to really and truly decompress. Oddly enough, "decompression" at Atterbury is an oxymoron. I could go into all sorts of complaints and such, but suffice to say, it simply doesn't work. The whole time we were thinking, "just get us the hell out of here".

On a personal level, I find me reminding myself more and more often to not snap at folks. I vacilate between that and just listening and thinking, "so what?" So, some minor things to work through but nothing that's a showstopper.

End of this week, we'll be at my parents' house for Thanksgiving. Dad and mom both just had surgery, so we need to go up there and see them. Should be a good Thanksgiving. Mom said she'd fix a beef tenderloin.

Enjoy!

Back Home Again

Back Home Again

So, we're back.  The flight, which mercifully had only one layover in Ireland, landed yesterday late morning.  Since then we've been here in Indiana being subjected to an arcane process known only as "demobilization" to the cognoscenti.  We managed to squeeze four hours' worth of briefings into a ten hour day today, which was special.  Tomorrow should be a little easier to manage, given we're doing medical and dental processing.  Then we do administrative stuff, then turn some stuff in and then we get to go home home.  At least it's clean and green and quiet here.  Other than that, I could complain about a whole lot of things, but won't.  Complaining just doesn't change things, and it's easier to get through all this if I'm not whining all the time.  The process is a necessary evil, and so we go through it thinking we'd just rather be home.  Of course, cooperating and getting through all this tends to make the whole thing work more smoothly, so we're willing to deal with it all, provided we keep moving - not necessarily fast, but moving.  Moving is good.

Paul met me off the plane, which was cool.  I hadn't seen him in a long, long time, so it was nice.  Of course, the rest of the folks in my battalion just ignored me after that.  Not sure what's up with that, but there's something there. 

Not including today, which is Wednesday, I see Kim in four days.  We're into single digits and under five.  I can live with that.

Enjoy!

Guten Tag, sehr geehrte Damen und Her...

Guten Tag, sehr geehrte Damen und Herren!

I thought that an appropriate greeting, considering I've been in Germany now for...five days?  Something like that.  I accompanied an officer to the hospital at Landstuhl, from which the Army moved him to Walter Reed.  Nothing serious, but that was their decision.  So that leaves me here in Germany, trying desperately to get back down range.  It's not bad, as there's not mission, no stress and nothing to do.  And it's awful, since there's no mission, no stress and not a whole lot to do.  I have no civvies, so going "out" is not really an option.  I left the borrowed running shoes in Landstuhl (good move Mark) and so here I am.  For all that, it's not bad.  There's a cafe open up next door (they serve Starbucks, and I can live with that), which is open until like, midnight.  I might actually go there and pay the $10 for WiFi access today and do Warcraft for a few hours tonight.  I mean, why not?  Right now, I'm on one of the computers in the PHA ("Personnel Holding Area"), and am posting, so it's not totally uncivilized.  The only problem, the only glaring hole in this entire setup is the arrangements to fly.  See, it's all "Space A" travel, which is "space available".  Nothing is guaranteed.  Essentially the trip that took five hours to get here will take two to three days to get back, and that's just getting to Kuwait.  Yay.

Everything notwithstanding, I have no complaints.  Well, no legitimate complaints.  I'm here, with others in the same situation, and as misery loves company, we're a sort of odd fraternity.  It's all good.  I was able to hit the gym a couple days ago, and am still at body weight on bench press.  I can hit the gym here, providing I don't mind working out in boots.  We'll see.  This is a weekend, so doing next to nothing is acceptable now, whereas yesterday it was not. 

I played the rank card yesterday, which I kind of feel bad about, but it was needed.  See, they put all patients and escorts into the same housing in Landstuhl.  When I went to "check out" yesterday, they said, "oh sir, you'll have to wait for your platoon sergeant."  I snapped.  "Hey sergeant, let's try this," I started, "how about, I'm a Major in the US Army and I'm leaving whether he's here or not?  I have a commander who wants me downrange, I'm not a patient and have no intent upon staying here longer than I must.  I don't wait for E7s."  Strangely enough that worked like magic.  They started hopping.  I'll only play the game for so long, usually until the situation becomes stupid, then I snap.  I didn't get upset, didn't raise my voice, so that was good.

So that's what's new in my world.  Either I'll get back to Mosul, or I'll get to Kuwait and await the main body.  Either way, I'll get back to the unit.

Enjoy!