Germany Update!

Well I have been putting this off for quite a while now. My final post about my experience of deploying to Afghanistan for 6 months and returning safely. Once I finish up about the deployment I will write a little about my current status.

Afghanistan: I remember seeing a national Geographic story about how they tracked down and found the girl from the 1980s cover and how all she wanted was the world to help Afghanistan. While it took 9/11 and all of for that to come true. I had hoped that’s what I would find out and it is true. Many, many nations to include a few troops from now war torn Georgia are there to help the Afghanis.



My 6 months was pretty good. In retrospect I which I would have gone off base more often but its easier said sitting safely in Germany than done in Afghanistan having to attend almost daily fallen comrade ceremonies and hearing jets take off to go fight. Either way it sincerely has changed me. I really do not care about little stuff anymore. While I am still super ambitious its in a different way. I realize how good we as Americas have it. I pray to God that we continue to help them as safe as we can so that one day they may live free and have at least a decent life.

Now that I am back safe I have to ask myself if I am willing to go again. While I have already gone if I wanted to go again I could. As it stands now I highly doubt I will have to go again given my time remaining in the service which I will expand upon below. I knew when I challenged myself by joining the Air Force I would face many tests. For me Afghanistan has been one of the biggest. I feel in my job I was serving more in a humanitarian role than I was a combat role. I see myself as a morale builder for my fellow troops, a video/audio connecter to their friends and family, and a historian in that the good things we have done are being documented in video which is hard to dispute.

All in all I am glad I went and even more glad I got back safe. I ultimately pray that that country gets on its feet so we can stop losing great Americans and those people can live a normal life. I have to admit that I have very little discriminatory feelings for people anymore. People are people and everyone wants to eat, be loved, have kids, make a little money, go to weddings and parties, and ultimately enjoy life peacefully. From Afghanistan, China, Russia, and everywhere in between. Afghanistan made me realize that as a 25 years old American I have achieved and done more than most people will ever do in their lives. While my work ethic affords me these luxuries my nationality almost guarantees them. For this reason alone I will always have a certain patriotism about me. Unless you served there is no way to explain it.

I have enjoyed watching the Olympic and applaud the Chinese for putting on a great show both in hosting and competing. Russia seems to be the old Bear it always has been since tearing Georgia apart. I just hope with a new President and some new leaders the world can work itself out. No matter your socio, political, or religious views, the bottom line is that too many people are suffering in this world right now. I have not become a flaming liberal but ultimately we do need to get along. I do not know what I did to deserve to be born an American but I thank God each day.

I got back on July 25th and enjoyed my 2 weeks off after doing the necessary military paperwork to document my return. Michelle and I visited her friend in Holland, played tennis, golf, bowling, and nice walks with our dog Ali. I have to say coming back was no easy as relationships take work and some routine and being away for 6 months allows neither. I was trying to see if I could leave this March of 2009 as I was originally slated, but they will not let me do it. I suppose if I really wanted to get out I could on October 3 2009 but that would entail more paperwork. My slated day for seperation from the USAF is March 3 2010 for those who are wondering. All of that will be served here in Germany unless something majorly crazy happens.

As it stands now Michelle and I are taking a cruise to the eastern Mediterranean in September, which I will post about when I get back. I am going to try to take more leave and go home for Thanksgiving through December 9th or so. Maybe 2 days in NJ, 2in Vermont, and the rest in the Burgh. I also may be back to Baltimore in March for 3 weeks for upgrade training. Of course next summer is the wedding so…

Michelle has still not found a job but we are working our way through it. I am glad to be back, glad to have a schedule of my life, and just glad to have a wonderful life. I really have nothing more to say. Ask me any questions as usual and I will reply to them in my post cruise entry. As always thanks for reading and take care.

Me in Kabul exploring the Queen's Palace.

Finale (Almost)

I promise to post one last (long) entry about my time in Afghanistan very soon!

Mission Complete!!! (Day WHATEVER)

I am back safe in Germany and doing awesome. I will sit down later and write a final post but need to do yard work and spend more quality time with my love!

Kerr ga stan (Pittsburghese pronunciation) Day 179

Well I have been here over a day and already feel better than while at Bagram.


I have realized that the Army’s influence over Bagram is terrible and to some extent like a prison. Up here ay Manas Air Base the Air Force runs it and you are allowed 2 beers a day, they have Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii on nice TVs for use along with tons of movies and daily activities. There are trees, grass, fresh air, and a nice breeze at night. The Air Force folks doing typically 4 months here are on easy street. I would love to deploy here as a broadcaster.

The people are quite unique. Some look Asian, while other mongolish, and yet others much like you would find in Mother Russia. This is a former USSR state so it is no surprise that they speak Russian. The guys that got me onto their computer sell it for $2.50 an hour and are not very hospitable. Then again the whole Cold War thing, and us being here now may have something to do with it. The women on the other hand are very nice and some are extremely attractive. I still think Russians are hard people, harder than Germans even. Either way its nice to get a little break here as I was only here about 14 hours overnight on my way in in January. It was like 20 degrees below 0 then as this place is the coldest I have ever been.

I had some issues getting out of Bagram on time but finally left a few days ago. The pilot took off in a combat mode as he went straight up and then leveled her off quickly. 4 Air Force on a plane with over 150 Army from the same unit and they all sit there asking me what the hell the pilot is doing. I did not enjoy my stomach feeling like it was in my head but it was a nice way to screw with the Army on their way out. The Army unit I refer to is the one who lost those soldiers 3 weeks ago. They are an infantry unit and a rough bunch. They were loud as hell last night before finally leaving the big tent we sleep in.

Of course I had my 2 allotted beers last night. I tried the Russian number 7 which was similar to a German Pils and then the dark number 8 which was very thick and reminded me of a Belgian brew. I slept for like 4 hours woke up because of the soldiers being loud and then slept for like 12 hours after finally falling asleep around 2:30. We are 1.5 hours ahead of Afghanistan time, 4 hours ahead of German time, and 10 hours ahead of my birth given and natural East coast time.

I was able to hand in all of my Army gear form Ft. Dix so I am traveling lite right now. I will be sure to put a post in once I get back to Germany. It has been fun and I will try to write a final long post about the deployment. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

Almost gone, Obama? (Day 175)

Well after not having internet in my room for the last 4 days and also having to pack and finish odds and ends, I have finally made it down to the USO to use uncensored (although extremely SLOW) internet access.

If you did not see on the news Senator Obama is in country! I thought about trying to see him but it’s too much trouble and at this point I am just ready to roll.

I will try to post more as time allows but look for a little bit of a longer post once I get to Kyrgyzstan. Thanks for reading and all of the messages.

Ramping up (this war) and Drawing down(Me) (Day 171)

I apologize for not posting over the weekend but I am just about out of here and so ready to go.

I think everyone saw on the news that one of our small little posts got attacked this past weekend and 9 American Soldiers were killed in action. The worse attack in 3 years. Back home the economy is on the brink, my sister will not get herself straightened out, my Mom is scheduled for surgery, my grandparents are having challenges that elderly age brings with it, and fittingly enough in Germany Michelle cannot be quite enough at home.

Either way life goes on, and I am almost out of here. For some reason it just dawned on me today that our own cat Hopey died this year. I am not sure why that hit me today but it did. Death seems to a much more real thing after having done a deployment to Afghanistan. Life is so real to me and yet so precious. With that being said it is exactly my life, our life in America, which I yearn for.

I love Germany and Europe and will be glad to God once I get back sometime next week but boy do I miss living in the states. Michelle and I had a chat about that this past weekend and it is my intention to try to move back next year. I was originally slated to get another assignment and move this March of 2009 but got bumped because of Michelle coming over so now I still have until March of 2010 in Germany. I have started one route of paperwork that will curtail this. We shall see what happens.


We got our awards today and I got an Army Commendation Medal among others that automatically come with this deployment. That award is usually given to E 5s and above and worth 2 promotion points so I am pretty happy and proud about that.


Michelle has a high school friend in Germany with her right now and they are visiting another girl who is in Germany right now so I am sure she is really enjoying herself.I went with another guy today and shot the first part of a story on the 101st Airborne Division’s band working with the Afghan National Army’s band. Believe it or not they too have a band. After years of the Taliban outlawing instrumental music they are working to bring just that to ceremonies and military events in Kabul. We could not get any one of them to do an interview though in fear of the Taliban finding out personally who they were. I can understand this but they are in the Afghan National Army and need to make the Taliban fear them not the other way around. But who the hell am I to judge after knowing what they have gone through. I saw in the news the Taliban shot and killed two Afghan women who were accused of running a prostitution ring for American and western contractors at a local base in Southern Afghanistan. Just flat out murdered these women. These people over here are straight up fundamentalists who have little, if any regard for human life. It is truly a shame.

The new crew is still getting settled in and somewhat nervous with all this s**t going on. I totally understand but can only do so much to help as once I leave they lose a body. My replacement is going to be a Public Affairs Airman which means they will stay working on the magazine and not slide over like I did. I sincerely wish them the best.

I am so ready to go it is unreal and to a certain extent seems unreal. I am just as on edge about leaving as I was coming. What bothers me is that I wonder years down the line if this place will truly be any better or our time, sacrifices, work, money, and effort will be for nod. Time will only tell but Afghanistan is somewhere that will always have a unique place in my heart for what it has shown and taught me and for the harsh land and people it continues to be.

My internet connection runs out tomorrow evening so I may squeeze one more post in but look for one maybe this weekend if I have time to walk to the USO and use the free internet. I am basically packed but need to pack just my military clothes, mail a box or two, and do the necessary paperwork in order to get out of here. After that I have about a 3 or 4 day travel back to Germany as I have to stop somewhere to turn in some of my military gear and then wait for the necessary flight back to Germany.

As always thanks for reading and please keep my mother and what I hope is her minor surgery in your prayers. Some days I am more on edge about things back home than I am here. I am not sure but I think I saw a gray hair in the mirror this morning….. One more thing Michelle will have to help me with while settling back in. Good day.

Ruthian (Day 167)

Well first off hello PSU! Mr. Sampsell posted the story and you can read it here.

Next order of business; Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Pirates who took 2 of 3 from the New York Yankees in Pittsburgh this year. Since 1960 they have only played 9 times with the Yankees winning 7 of those 9. All 6 in Yankee Stadium (I was there for 1 of the losses in 2005) and 1 in PNC Park. Three Rivers Stadium was built in 1970 and razed in 2000 and the Yankees near caught even a wift of it. Anyway we won the 1960s World Series in 7 games making up for the loss to the Yankees in the 1927 World Series in which Babe Ruth and murderer’s row swept the Buccos in 4 games. I bring all of this up because last night my mother went and saw the Bronx Bombers lose to the Pirates with me doing the jumbotron intro to the game. I have yet to talk to her but am anxious to find out how it went.

Pics from my 2005 trip with the guys. We followed the Pirates straight to Boston that night for the weekend series at Fenway.











On top of all of this for those who do not know; Yankee stadium is being replaced by another BILLION dollar new Yankee Stadium. AND THEN THEY ARE GOING TO TEAR IT DOWN. The House that Ruth built is going to be torn down for a new one!? George Steinbrenner is an idiot but he does own the team and got some yahoos in NYC to go along with the idea so…. I went twice and got to see the Pirates play there once so I guess I am happy. Never made it Monument Park though… Babe Ruth will live in the hearts and minds of Americans as long as America carries on. The reason for this rant is because the All Star game is there Tuesday and I plan on waking up to watch it as there will be a TON of current and former All Stars and Hall of Famers there to say goodbye. I am not a Yankees fan but Babe Ruth hit the first home run there on April 18, 1923 (the day it opened) and they won theif first World Series that year as well. In my view I will be rooting for Yankee Stadium to go out the way it came in: a winner.

O yeah Afghanistan… I am still here but just like when I first got here my brain and heart have already started making their way back to Germany. I am shooting one more story and then doing paperwork to leave next week. I did my last morning show today and am ready for my day off tomorrow. That’s it work wise. I feel once I get back safe that this deployment will have been a Ruthian accomplishment personally for me. I am still not sure if I would do another one of these but am not even worrying about that now.

I will say I have been very on edge and nervous lately. Not sure why. Although I watched part of a phenomenal documentary on the Bilderberg Group and that got me all worked up. I should not be looking at that kind of stuff while here. It requires in depth analysis and processing for which my brain is not in shape to handle right now. Not sure how much of it I believe but some of it is just interesting history but if you are in the mood to see something VERY EDUCATING: End Game online or for order on DVD.

I am looking forward to getting home but worried we are going to attack Iran. Iran says they do not want war, Israel says they do not want war, and we (ADM Mullen) say a war with them is not good for anybody but all of the chess pieces are being moved into place…

I hope all is well with all of you and as always thanks for reading my blog.

Happy Birthday (DAY 164)

50 years ago today in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Robert Harry Joswiak was born 2 months premature and subsequently baptized Catholic because they did not think he would make it. Well not only did he make it but he has been making his presence, beliefs, and opinions known on this earth ever since!

Happy 50th Birthday Dad!

In 2006 he was 48 and I was 24 and now for about 2 months he is 50 and I am 25. This is the last time I will be half of his age. The funny part is that when my Dad turned 26 (as I will in September) on July 8th 1984 I was almost 2 and now I have no kids yet. O well Robert Charles Joswiak will hopefully be born someday but not a soon day.

Being away for yet another one of my parents’ birthdays made me think back. I can map out where I have been since 2002 on each of their birthdays.

10 JAN 02: Just moved to PSU (Beaver Plaza on Beaver Avenue) I take that back. I believe I was home because just after getting to PSU I had to return for Mr. Gaydosz funeral and my Mom picked me up in Pittsburgh at the Greyhound terminal that night. I will also note that out of last respects to Mr. G, I had just gotten my hair cut a few days prior after going 1.5 years without getting it cut!

8 JUL 02: Cleberated my Dads birthday with he, my Mom, sister, and Russ Shellhammer in Fombell (Boy does that seem like worlds ago)


10 JAN 03: We celebrated my Moms birthday at Atrias in Wexford along with my Dad, Sis, Bob and Gram, and Jimmy (Robin’s bf at the time) I left for PSU on a snowy night in my T Bird so I could make it back to watch the Steelers lose to the Titans on a BS field goal call the next night.


8 JUL 03: I was living in California

10 JAN 04: I was at PSU (Beaver Hill)

8 JUL 04: Living in Pittsburgh

10 JAN 05: I believe I went out with my Mom in Pittsburgh somewhere since I was living in Carrick

8 JUL 05: Living with Michelle and her family in NJ.

10 JAN 06: Was at DINFOS (tech school) in Maryland.

8 JUL 06: Was back in NJ on leave for something very special!

10 JAN 07: Was in Germany.

8 JUL 07: Was in Germany.

10 JAN 08: Was back at Ft. Dix NJ for pre-deployment field training before this deployment

8 JUL 08: Here in Afghanistan typing this blog entry!

The point is while I do travel and see a ton of things, love my job, and have been culturally educated because of being away; it’s starting to wear on me as I miss my family and friends. The same applies to a much lesser extent in Germany.

So as I was typing this up I decided to incorporate a few pictures from yester year. I am reminded that while I do not think I look any older; 1. My hair line is not what it used to be 2. I miss my longer hair and being able to grow facial hair. If I do end up getting out of the military you may see a mountain man version of me as the barber and razor will be the last thing on my mind.

Well today was a run of the mill day. I did the morning show and then took our commander to the other side of the flight line along with our superintendent. I got these photos near the old Russian MIGs which I have referenced in past entries.




I slept like crap last night so I am hitting the hay early tonight. But time cannot go fast enough now. In a weird way I will miss doing my job here. This is truly what I signed up for and get paid to do. This job in Germany is luxury life as far as I am concerned. People keep asking when I am coming home to the east coast and I have no clue. I am toying with the idea of a European vacation or cruise but will not decide until I land in Deutschland.

Good night and as always thanks for reading.

Its getting HOT! (DAY 163)

Well yesterday I went and shot the dedication of a dining facility. It was renamed the SrA Jonathan Yelner DFAC as he died here in Afghanistan on April 29th. I interviewed his commander and a co worker and put together a nice little tribute that I am sure his parents will see. It was not quite what I wanted due to some technical issues, but overall not too bad of a piece. You can see it in our newscast below. Also the radio show I posted from the 4th of July does not work and I do not have the bandwidth to upload it. I guess I will have to try and do that once I get back to Germany.

Today I shot an intro to the Yankees Pirates game for Thursday. We have been doing these introductions for the Pittsburgh Pirates because we have some reservists here on Bagram from the 911th Airlift Wing in Pittsburgh. Well this Yankee one needed to be done today so I just did it since I am from Pittsburgh. It will play on the Jumbotron on Thursday night as the teams take the field. (Mom I have more to tell you about this. Check your email.)

The reason I titled this entry as getting hot is because aside from the fact that it tops out at about 110 degrees each day, things are heating up violence wise. Just today in Kabul there was a suicide car bombing that killed at least 40 people and wounded scores more. Last night was not typical here on base either but I cannot detail that. Basically the Taliban is making a push this summer as the winter extremely inhibits their efforts. Our Marines down south just got extended another month. I am telling you Afghanistan needs to be the focus and the election this fall will dictate where that becomes reality or not.

I am coming down the back stretch now and it feels great. Last night reminded me though that I am not out of the woods yet. My Dad can relate a literal story of when I was a kid and I thought I was out of the woods near hunting camp. While I did make it back, it was not without injury. I actually think we have video of that somewhere. Anyway this is my last main week of work as I am handing things off and then next week must out process in anticipation of my departure date.

I guess that’s it for today. Enjoy the newscast and ask any questions that come to mind.

WE ARE… (DAY 161)

3 July Freedom Watch Afghanistan (Our daily newscast)

Well yesterday was ok but all I did was work. I woke up and did the morning show which you can listen to below.

boomp3.com

For some reason I got a little emotional right before going on air knowing I was doing what I loved on the 4th of July but yet so far away from family and friends on a day that I typically spend with them.

Anyway I got off of the air and worked on a TV story I had to finish. About noon this guy comes in from the Washington Blues Society and wished me a happy 4th of July before giving me his spiel. I literally had to think about it being 4th of July because it did not feel like it. Anyway this guy wants to get more blues on our radio station so I talked with him about that.

I came home at about 2:30 and took a nap as I was no feeling well. I think I got dehydrated, as its been about 110 each day here. I went back and did the sports show last night and as usual had fun with it. I came back and watched Resident Evil 2 and 3 which I had been really wanting to see. They popped up on the community entertainment drive on base so I grabbed them. I am usually not a big fan of scary movies but for me that series is like the Postman plus Zombies. Plus Milla Jovovich is sexy as can be so it makes for great movies.

The new crew is almost all settled in with my old crew almost all back to their homes which is good to know. This new crew could not be any more different that the last but what can you do. I like and dislike things about each. Either way I got like _teen some days left so who cares.

Now for the announcement you have been waiting for. I got an email from Mr. Steve Sampsell who is the Director of College Relations for the College of Communications at PSU. Apparently he wants to link this blog to the College of Comm’s blog and also do something on me being here for PSU live.

So with that if you are reading this via PSU then hello. My name is Rob Joswiak and I am a broadcaster in the United States Air Force currently deployed to Bagram Air Field Afghanistan. I am from western PA and graduated from PSU in May of 2004 with a BA in Telecommunications and a minor in Economics. I attended PS Beaver for 3 semesters and University Park for 5. I am stationed in Kaiserslautern Germany where I work for the American Forces Network there as well.

Feel free to look at the pictures and videos I post and ask any questions you may have. The blog itself will give you a much better feeling for who I am and what I am like. I sincerely thank you for visiting my blog. Since I am leaving soon I have put together a little summary so you can access certain entries with ease. The links to the right are very important or of interest so be sure to check them out as well. Thanks again.


JANUARY

I only posted 6 times this month as I got here late in the month. The posts from January just summarize my settling in here.

FEBRUARY

DAY 9: 4 FEB
I talk about the Super Bowl, my living conditions, and have pictures of where I work and live along with some NFL players and cheerleaders.

Day 14: 9 FEB
I post pictures of my room which has since been rearranged but you get the idea of how small it is. I also show the buildings I live in and the mountains I see each day. There is snow on the ground which is obviously not the case now. I am not a fan of this climate to say the least.

Day 17: 12 FEB
I have pictures of Bo Bice from American Idol being here. If you like him, as many middle aged women do, then this entry is for you. I could not believe the response this blog got when the ‘crazy’ Bo Bice fans linked me to his fan sites. Kind of funny and nice at the same time.

Day 21: 17 FEB
Cool picture of me with an old Russian tank. I think I have written about this but the Russians basically left, and some even got stranded and killed here back in the late 1980s. This base was and is still somewhat a mess from all of the old vehicles, tanks, and planes that they left. That tank is here along with a few jets. We have done a decent job of cleaning up but you ought to see the country side especially down in Kabul. War and its after affects have a very eerie feeling. Maybe it is all the death that goes with it that lingers…… DO NOT MAIL ME ANYTHING AS I LISTED MY ADDRESS BACK THEN BUT AM LEAVING SOON!!!

Day 22 – 29: Late FEB
This was my first trip to Kabul and am awesome one. Tons of pictures and a pretty good entry. CHECK THIS OUT.

MARCH

Day 40: 6 MAR
Pictures of me and Peter king from Sports Illustrated and the old Queens castle that I got to explore. That was one hell of an experience.

Being built in the 1920s


Ravaged by continuous war and dilapidating in 2008


Day 46: 12 MAR
I went on a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) mission where we leave Bagram early in the morning on a convoy and visit a local village. Pictures and story are here and this is another GREAT ONE TO READ. I should note that we lost an Airman in May on one of these as they hit an IED. Makes me thank God it was not my day to leave this world.

Day 56: 22 MAR
I outline this crazy and long convoy I went on down near Pakistan as I was out on a trip to a Forward Operating Base. Pictures can be seen on the next days post.

Day 61: 27 MAR
I call Hillary Clinton a bad word.

Day 64: 30 MAR
I take it back as my staunch democrat and HUGE Hillary Clinton supporting grandmother is in a frenzy about it. (In retrospect I ended up being right because she campaigned too long, did not yield when she should have, and now got herself in to all of this debt… Pride cometh before the fall)

APRIL

Day 66: 1 APR
I talk about a ceremony that I reside over for those Air Force members getting promoted in April.

Day 76: 11 APR
IF YOU READ ONE ENTRY IT MUST BE THIS ONE. THAT DAY MY LIFE CHANGED AND THE PICTURES, VIDEO, AND ENTRY SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. AMERICANS HAVE IT SO GOOD!

Day 84: 19 APR
I talk about show the stories I shot down at ISAF in Kabul where all of the international troops are based out of.

Day 86 : 21 APR
I post pictures of me interviewing (4 stars folks!) GEN McNeill. You can see the edited newscast of that by clicking here.

Day 92: 27 APR
I post about getting pissed off at work along with some other personal stuff. I do however give an address for a place you can send clothes and all. All of the information is there so if you are looking for how you can help this entry is the one with that information.

May

Day 96: 1 May
I talk about the Airman who passes away and the Afghan guy at the chow hall. I need to get my picture with him as he always says hi to me now. I think I will do that today.

Day 99: 4 May
Rainbow day. Where I come from that means God will never flood the earth again but I have personally seen it used other ways like in West LA! Anyway awesome rainbow over the base with pictures to show it.

Day 103: 8 May
My willingness to go off base comes into question as I outline the illogical part of WANTING TO GO off base. That day pissed me off and still bothers me as I rarely question my fellow service members and do not expect it from them. O well those guys are long gone so…

Day 100: 15 May
I post a video form the Ultimate Warrior who is on the comeback trail. Met him when he was at PSU in 2003 and I also note on this day that’s it’s been 4 years since I graduated college. I have been out as long as I was in. Damn does time fly.

Day 115: 20 May
Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders. Good morale builder. LOL

Day 120: 25 May
Me with survivors from the hit TV show and also a preview of my trip to Qatar.

Day 124: 29 May
Trip to Qatar outlined.

JUNE

Day 128: 2 JUN
Pictures of me in Qatar. Hottest Place I have ever been and a reminder that if hell is what popular belief dictates; I will pass.

Day 129: 3 JUN
Talk about the Pens in the Stanley Cup finals and my feelings on alcohol consumption. (I am PSU grad so I think we know where I stand there.)

Day 133: 7 JUN
I meet 7’6’ former NBA star Shawn Bradley.

Day 137: 11 JUN
If you like Howard Stern and/or stories on one’s gastro intestinal issues this is for you. If not keeping on moving.

Day 140: 14 JUN
My day with Brian Williams from NBC nightly news.

Day 145: 19 JUN
Yet another run in with the chain of command issue here in the military!

The rest of June and July are recent enough that you can scan back through.

The 4th of July (DAY 160)

Just another day here and things are really starting to heat up out there. Nothing I can talk about on here but… Unfortunately this morning show routine has got me dead tired by 10PM now. I have off tomorrow and will post a long one then as you will have to wait one more day to find out what I got cooking. I recorded the first hour of my show today and will try to somehow post that as well.

Everyone have a HAPPY 4th of JULY as the only day in the July that matters to me this year is the one which I safely land in Germany. Take care.

THE RETURN (DAY 158)

Well I have not talked to my parents so that portion of my rant is still true and even that will cease for a day when I call my Dad on his 50th birthday next week. I would be a complete _______ not to call on that day.

Anyway much like Michael Jordan, The Ultimate Warrior, Mario Lemieux, and I hope eventually Guns n Roses… All great things must make a comeback. I was actually enjoying not posting anymore but got an email from someone who encouraged me to do so. He was not someone I was expecting to hear from but did anyway. He’s got a ton of people behind him as we are all a part of this crazy group.

I will post more on Friday as I want to write a nice post on the 4th of July. Stop back for all of the great details. Take care.

Mended Wings

I was not going to post anymore but then I read THIS. A Clarion county kid 19 years old got blown up here about a month ago. His Mom keeps her blog here. They are trying to raise money here. I could not help to pass this along as my life here is heaven compared to what she and her son are now going through in TX. While I am still down about the below things I know I have nothing to complain about when young soldiers like this leave Afghanistan the way they do.

BLOG Finale

Well I thought about not posting or saying anything anymore about my Mom and Dad but I am over my limits and am now going to unleash. What I am about to write and post for the world to see is my raw views, and feelings after 25 some odd years of dealing with this crap.

I sit here tonight typing maybe as depressed and down as I have been since being on this deployment. Its not because I miss Michelle, its not because I have had some health issues and stress that challenge me daily, its not because I worry about my sister and her issues, its not because every time I hear 2 or 3 jets take off I know people are going to probably die, its not because I know I will probably have to see more American covered caskets roll by knowing only may be a head or legs are in the caskets, its not because I see little Afghan kids wave at me when I drive on the other side of the base knowing they have little chance for many of the normal things many Americans take for granted, and its not because I am away from my friends and family whom I love very much; it is because I have two parents who, for whatever reason, will not move on in their lives.

I am proud to be a Joswiak and a Davies. Proud to have two parents who are extremely talented and skilled in their own ways. Proud to be from Pittsburgh where they are from and where they had me. Proud to be raised by them learning right from wrong, good from bad, love, compassion, dedication, hard work, humor, spirituality, and so on. Proud to know that the life I lead is one they can be proud of. And proud to say that I always have and will always try to honor them as it is written.

But tonight I am utterly disgusted and will not honor their hostility towards each other. The truth is that when your second marriage to each other started to fail you also lost sight of your role as parents because you were at each other’s throats so much. Fast forward 8 years later and now Robin has her issues and a little baby girl is stuck in the middle of it all. Robin has made her choices but if there are two people in this world she needs now more than ever it is you two. Let me say this one more time YOU WERE AND ARE BOTH WRONG!!!!!!!!

Mom you need to let go of your anger and bitterness. Dad you need to stop cursing people and instead pray for them. Robin needs you two and so does Emma. Your continued strife and possible legal issues solve nothing. Grow up, move on, and leave me out of it. I have exhausted talking, suggesting, caring, and trying to mediate. I am done for the time being.

I am leading my own life and doing ok I suppose. I was hoping that coming to Afghanistan would allow me to escape these issues but obviously that has not occurred. With that being said I am no longer writing in this blog because it has turned into and led to more bickering between my parents. I am also not calling either of them or corresponding electronically until I get back to Germany. Rob is taking himself out of the equation in hopes that the parents he loves will come to their senses, quit saying God this and God that for God is probably not happy with either of you . Its time for the focus to be on Robin and Emma.

I want to thank everyone for reading my posts and encourage you to email me if you need to know anything. psujozz@yahoo.com I want to take this last month to myself. Michelle will be the only one I talk with. I need to just let go of everything so that I can leave this forsaken land the same way I came to it. Thanks again everyone and take care.

Sincerely,

Robert Herbert Joswiak

DAY 154: 28 JUN 08

Well today’s going away was short and sweet for me. The chili made by the reservist I mentioned was good from what I hear. I could not eat it because it had jalapenos in it. None the less I was there maybe 1.5 hours and then came back and slept for 4 hours.

I got up early today to shoot some videos for the Pittsburgh Pirates. We did game intros for the jumbo-tron using Air Force members form the 911th Airlift Reserve Wing there in Pittsburgh. It was awesome to be able to speak some Pittsburghese and hear similar mentalities. Boy are Pittsburghers very much alike. It’s very crazy to think about.

Anyway I am sad to see the first part of my crew go. With the exception of the 2 Marines who overlap the AF crews half way between, I am the only one staying back for the last 3 weeks from the news office. We are getting a bunch of Pizza and snacks tonight, cleaning the station and maybe watching a movie. I look for it to be some real fun and will take pictures of the event.

I am officially in operation Stealth Mode. Monday I start the morning show which means I will be into work around 5:30AM or 9 PM EST. I will probably head to the gym each day around 1 or 2 PM and then call it a day. The least I have to do with the new crew the better. Its nothing against them but the sooner they get use to not having me the easier it will be once I am gone. The girl replacing me is a Public Affairs airman, which means she is a writer and will stay in the print office and work on the magazine.

I have to work on some paperwork tomorrow and hand in on Monday to get my flight arrangements out of here. Even once I know when I am leaving I cannot post it here. I will try to be as general about it, but either way I should be back to Germany the third week of July.

For whatever reason the Pentagon Channel did not post our newscast from yesterday. It has been real windy here so maybe the feed was not good enough. I should know something on that by Monday.

Last but not least I want to publicly say that I will not longer be taking sides between my Mother and Father. While I do lean one way or another in certain areas, it is time for me to rid myself of the situation. Hopefully Robin can get better and take Emma to see my Dad more often. Being in Afghanistan (or Germany for that matter) I can do nothing to help any of the stuff they complain about so I am done with it. The funny part is that both Darryl and Shelly tell them to not say certain things to me, and yet it continues. Never did I think the day would come that those two would really be the ones I side with, but there it is. I love you both but have no need to be in between anymore. Either some type of adult, simplistic relationship will forge itself allowing certain things to be worked out, or your thoughts and feelings about each other will fester and bounce around in your own minds. Either way I am done.

Well I got to head to work so everyone continue to enjoy their weekend. Michelle leaves today for Germany so I will be anxious to call her at our place in Germany once she hopefully arrives safe sometime tomorrow. Good day.

DAY 153: 27 JUN 08

Well another good Air Force day. I am not usually as cheesy and happy about being an Airman but today I walked away proud.

So this morning I went in and got ready to anchor only before having to go to yet another fallen comrade ceremony. 4 American flag covered caskets roll by as I salute and its like a knife into your heart for the first one and a little turn for each subsequent one.

I went back up and anchored and did a terrible job. My mind was just not there, but while I have developed some type of immunity to those ceremonies, at my core they still shake me.

Well then for lunch we got to meet with a 3 Star General who is basically in charge of all of the Airman who are filling ILO (In lieu of) taskings for the Army, like me. It was a small group and boy did some issues come up about various problems we have. I introduced myself and only asked about the crappy combat skills training that I got at Ft. Dix. He was super nice and made me feel proud to be an Airman.

I have promised myself that I will not go off on an Army tangent here but this is exactly why the Air Force is the supreme service in my view. Our leaders make a concerted effort to hear issues from the people doing the work. Not from some report a lieutenant hands over because they are too good to talk to a private (low ranking enlisted person). I came back from the lunch and saw this one guy that has the same exact job as me in the Army and asked him if he would ever be able to meet, greet, and have lunch with an Army 3 Star. He said “O hello no.”

Anyway I had a good lunch and then came back to work and sent the feed up. I am actually writing quite early today because I want to post this, go do the sports show, and then relax.

So we are having this BBQ tomorrow and this one Master sergeant reservist who works with us thinks she is the stuff because she works for AFN. I never have got that because until I am freaking Brian Williams or John Stewart, I am a nobody. Anyway she sends out an email saying to pick stuff up from the dining facility tonight so she can cook and serve 140 people, most of whom she invited.

Now first of all this is a going away for OUR people. Second of all we do not need the Army (101st Airborne Division) barging in on us as they do a good enough job of that without invitation. Instead of having a unit meeting and seeing what everyone thinks, she just went ahead and decided to invite all of her ‘friends’ (AKA smoking buddies).

Well apparently there was some backlash as people were pissed about people from outside of our unit being invited. I could care less because at this juncture I will go, watch, eat, and not say a word. I did however fire a funny comment to our station commander saying that I invited some of my local national Afghan friends who would be hungry for some BBQ after cleaning the toilets. He laughed and walked out of the room knowing that the general consensus was a going away should be some thing intimate for us and genuine to those who are leaving. O well I am sure my after action report of this fiasco will be just as entertaining as the preview.

Now onto the tight rope walking of Dad’s dirty laundry policy. I see that after a little hiatus dad posted only to be followed by Mom’s daily post. Well let’s take care of the White Elephant in the room. It is my view that no matter feelings for the other person, a mother, father, grandmother, grandfather should be able to see their son, daughter, grandson, or granddaughter. (Unless the law has dictated otherwise for good reason) While Robin should be the main point of contact here, since it is her child, I DO think Mom should find some way for Dad to see Emma. Judge Wapner rules in favor of the plaintiff.

If I were home I would try to help the situation, but at this point I can only hope and pray that Robin gets healthy and makes an effort to see Dad and take Emma with her. I will say no more on this matter as I am in Afghanistan and can do absolutely 100% nothing about it.

Well as far as reenlisting if I were offered the Pentagon Channel it would be mighty enticing to say the least. I am not sure about the deploy ability of that slot but reaching, what I feel is the height of military broadcasting, would be awesome! Also only being 4 hours from PGH and 3 from NJ, would make it hard to pass up. O yeah I would then qualify for this new GI Bill they just passed today.

I am trying to track down the details on it but it would REALLY help me in trying to get a PhD or Law degree. Anyway I guess that’s it for today. Word is our replacements may not be here until late, late July but I will remain hopeful until the official word comes down. Everyone have a great weekend and as always thanks for reading.

NO NEWSCAST AVAILABLE TODAY WILL POST TOMORROW

So while I went and did the sports show and waited for the embed code to come up I found out some real gruesome stuff about the 4 that went past me today. This is a sick world. The enemy here is VERY real. Good night

DAY 152: 26 JUN 08

Well today did not start off well as Michelle and I kind of got into it early this morning when I was not sleeping well. It was totally my fault as I miss her so much I jumped about basically nothing. I called her when she was on her way to work and got a little bit of the cold shoulder. Everything will be fine I just need to get through these 20 odd days or so.

On the up note things at work went well today. I went in and anchored the newscast which you can see at the bottom. Then I had my radio show from 10:30 to 2:30 at which point I took the time to clean the studio and put ALL of the CDs away. Aside from music CDs we have production CDs that have music, and other elements that we use to produce commercial/ ad spots. Its more announcements because obviously we do not have product spots which are annoying anyway (satellite radio does not have them and that is it's main angle). Anyway I got all of them away and some even rearranged as well. With the new crew coming in this weekend I figured it would be a nice thing to do. We are having what is called a GI party on Saturday night where we all get together at work and clean. We are going to get some pizza and probably watch a movie as well.

I want to side step here for a moment and mention something that I rarely talk about. For those who do not know after I graduated college I started working for long time running top 40 station B 94 in Pittsburgh. Not as a DJ but as a sales person. It was after some training and guidance from the late Mr. Bob Zimmerman, that I would try to do broadcast sales instead of broadcasting itself. Well I worked there almost 3 months that summer, and never sold one spot (advertisement), but in my defense also saw them switch from top 40 to Rock because they were getting Howard Stern. I remember having a meeting with this executive from WYSP in Philadelphia who was there to pump us up to sell Howard Stern, telling me he is main stream and all of this BS. I disagreed and voiced my opinion as usual. Anyway the situation went flop totally. I think there were at least 4 of us who quit by September, Stern left for satellite radio the following spring, the stations ratings hit an all time low, and management after everyone tried telling them, brought back B 94 a couple of years later. Pittsburghers do not like change and this was the main reason. I also found that my boss, who was a nice guy but full of BS about our product and its rates, is now a general manager for a little group of stations in West Virginia.

Basically broadcasting is not broadcasting any more but narrow casting as Mr. Zimmerman said. With corporate conglomerates ruling most sales industries, no sales person can make a decent wage anymore selling air time. Not to mention the listener/ viewership is so segmented now it is crazy. Think about how many niche channels and stations you have now a days. The days of having 3 channels and everyone watching the same stuff are over. Because of that all advertisings, salaries, and even fame are skewed within this industry of broadcasting which I love. Eventually we will all have TVs with computers in them and the internet and television programming will almost be one. We are half way there.

I mention all of this because as I sat there sorting CDs today in the studio, I had to admit to myself that even though I am in Afghanistan, I am in a much better place in my life than I was in Pittsburgh PA the summer of 2004. I feel like I found a broadcasting cove with what I am doing. I am very thankful for my life right now but just miss Michelle so much right now.

So anyway while I am on air I notice that the same full bag of garbage is sitting in the print office where I was originally assigned at the beginning of this deployment. My direct supervisor was pissed because it was there for 3 days with no signs of anyone taking it out. After I put a song on I went into the news room and started acting like a news reporter live on the scene of this ‘Garbage stand off.’ Basically all of these guys did not want to take it out so it sat there for 3 days. Well after my show my supervisor told me he wanted me to do my live reporting impression so we could produce it as a joke and send it to them in order to motivate them to take out the garbage. Absolutely hilarious in my opinion. Thank God for YouTube…



Well they ended up taking it out!

Promotion rates for E7 and E6 came out today and the few people whose name I was looking for were not on the list. I was very surprised because I thought my supervisor in Germany would have made it after getting a purple heart last year in Iraq. O well what can you do but try next year. They release the names and scores pertinent to me around August 15th. Hopefully once I get back and test for E 5 (Staff Sergeant) I will know sometime by October.

Making Staff for me is not about being a sergeant (the jump from Airman to Sergeant is HUGE) as is it about having more options for assignments once it comes time to reenlist (assuming I decide to do that). Anyway that was the big news today.

I need to go eat and then call Michelle so that’s it for today. I hope you enjoy the prank news reporting and real newscast. Today is our version of dirty jobs so if you like the tv show then you make like our version. Ok take care and thanks for reading.

DAY 151: 25 JUN 08

Felt like crap today after work so I took a 4 hour nap. Woke up feeling even worse but after some soup and a rare aspirin for me, I am feeling ok. Germany is playing Turkey in the Euro Cup 2008 Semi Finals and boy do I wish I were back in Germany for that. I also found out I would be missing my favorite Chicken festival near us in Germany. O well I will be back soon enough.

Michelle flys out this weekend but got some bad news today. Her grandma fell early this morning and broke her hip. She is strong and healthy enough though that she is having a partial hip replacement today. I hope that goes well.

Replacements get here this weekend sometime as my crew leaves early next week. They got here early January so it is time to go for them. Thanks it for tonight. I anchor tomorrow so I will be sure to post that. Take care.

DAY 150: 24 JUN 08

Well nothing major to report. We saw the first guy off today which means the rest of the first crew is soon to leave. We have a farewell this weekend and a little cook out. Work pace is good right now but for some reason I am sleeping 7 to 9 PM and then 1 to 7AM.

Anyway talked to Michelle and my Mom on the webcam tonight which was nice. It seems Robin is a place that is trying to help her. I will have more on that as it materializes. I also talked to an old college buddy. Nice to reminisce but kind of old hat in other ways.

It looks like this new GI Bill is getting passed which will really give me incentive to reenlist once back in Germany. What would be ideal is to get the Pentagon Channel as my next assignment and be in the DC area allowing me to get home MUCH more often.

Well its after 1AM so I need to hit the hay. I am anchoring on Thursday and Friday so we shall see. O last but not least I promise not to mention any more bathroom or bathroom related stories. I will think of those as classified much like some of the war stuff I never talk about. Good night.

DAY 149: 23 JUN 08

I apologize up front for not posting over the weekend. I will say though that going from day 144 to day 149 is very motivating as that means I am at 30 days left! That’s assuming we leave here right on 179 so we shall see.

Well I rested quite a bit on Saturday and also studied for E 5 which I will test for within 60 days of retuning to Germany. Sunday I was up some weird hours shooting these Ultimate Fighters who came to Bagram and then they watched a live fight with service members which was broadcast live from Las Vegas on Spike TV. They cut live to the service members like one time during the broadcast. I ended up making a package out of it because yet again the Army has little expertise in how to run public affairs (or at least the 101st airborne division - In my humble opinion). They truly are soldiers first and everything else second which explains their lack of attention to detail which is pounded into your head as an Airman. It seems in today’s day and age the Army and Air Force are really butting heads even at the highest levels of command. Anyway today was a good day which I will write about at length.

Well for starters I had to finish this UFC package which I was up until midnight working on anyway. I changed the script last minute this morning and added a few more shots to bring the standard up to at least an acceptable level according to my own quality demands. Then at about 11:30 the day picked up as the St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders came into the studio.



Its not so much that I find every cheerleader hot or whatever, its just the fact that I get to interview and meet them before all of the people on base go see them tonight. They are actually performing right now on base for probably a packed house. They asked me if I was going to watch them and I said yes, as I usually do, but after my mid evening nap I was just not in the mood to walk down there plus I was long overdue for this post. They signed autographs, posed for that picture and voiced a few liners which I will get to in a second. In short a guy like me has to realize how lucky he is to be paid to interview people like them when everyone else on base has to take their own time to go see them. Its days like this I thank God that I have it so good.

Well Mondays are usually a good day anyway because the ‘New Hampshire Radio Child’, SGT Mark Decker, comes in as a volunteer to do the afternoon show on Mondays. He follows me at 2:30 which usually means we talk from 1:30 until I am done on air at 2:30. Let’s go over some background of Mr. Decker. He is 32 years old, been in the Army about 8 years, is married to a Mexican-American woman 10 years his senior who has 5 kids (only 2 still left in the nest) , and is trying to adopt their 5 year old bi-racial child (6th kid) but cannot because he is never home due to deployments to get the paperwork squared away. The child was born in an extra martial affair to a fellow Army couple back at his base in the States, so he and his wife decided to take the child but have yet to finalize the paperwork. His wife has extensive health issues, and they both have struggled money wise in their life. The guy has a job in the Army he really does not like and a supervisor who does not like him for his uniqueness and slightly off center intelligence. (Mark and I pictured below)



Well let me tell you this guy LOVES radio. You know life is good when a guy who works 7 days a week and gets only 6 extra hours off a week comes over to your job and volunteers to go on air. He does have radio experience from his home state of New Hampshire which makes for a very funny and unique show. I love talking to him because while you could not pay me enough to be in his shoes, his outlook is unparalleled to the point that he literally inspires me.

So today Chris shows up at the studios with this spray bottle of stuff that is supposedly able to keep you up for a total of 80 hours. It’s a vitamin spray that you spray below your tongue and hold for 30 seconds. His wife sent it to him, as sometimes in order to do the show he has to stay up to lengths of 30 hours because he works a night shift. Anyway he is all happy about this and shows me the daily nutritional value which included 3333% of vitamin B 12 among others. I am a little leery of it but figure why not. While I do antagonize him once in a while I am always sincere and in this case it meant doing some sprays. He said 5 at a time are the suggestion, but again I was leery so I only did 3.

It had one hell of a tart taste for which I could not hold so I swallowed it immediately, and then chased it with some water. Well about 10 minutes later I felt the need to move my bowels which seemed to come out of nowhere. While I had just ate lunch I was surprised at this development. I asked him if he had experienced any gastro intestinal changes since employing this spray to which he replied not really.

‘Mark watch the board (what we use to play music on air) I need to use the restroom’ I quickly said. So I go downstairs and out to the metal container we call a bathroom. Now usually I would not go into great detail about this but after my situation almost 2 weeks ago I have to report the polar opposite.

I do not know what that spray did but I sat down and released an absolute crowd pleaser. (That term comes from the book ‘What’s your Poo Telling You’ which we have in the news room and is a MUST read). I cannot remember the last time I released such a barge of that caliber. Anyway at that point I thought to myself where the hell was this spray a couple weeks back when my system seemed to be on strike? None the less I finished up, washed my hands, and went back to the studio almost stunned from the excursion.

When I got back I of course had to share the experience with Mark because 1. He gave me that damn spray which I theorize helped lead to such an award winning movement and 2. The things he and I talk about run the gambit from God, Politics, the military, and yes even the occasional poo. (Hey you come here for 6 months and subject yourself to strict rules, work all of the time, and the same routine and see what types of things you are talking about or thinking about. This post is very uncouth but my aim here is to give you a real life deployment experience and not sugar coat things which would is worse than being a little disgusting in my view.)

Now I knew the cheerleaders were coming in today so I asked my supervisor if I could go live with Mark for the first hour of his show. It was OKed so I was excited. When these sports related people come in I usually have them voice a liner saying ‘Hey we are _______ and you are listening to Rob and Steve on the Sports Zone here in Afghanistan’. We play them during our show Friday nights which helps make the show a little more reputable. We did the same thing at my student radio station at PSU. Anyway so I have the cheerleaders voice one for Chris. Once he goes live at 2:30 I run into the other studio and produce the 15 second liner with Nelly’s song Pimp Juice as the bed. I tell Chris I am going to surprise him live on air.

When I come back into the studio I notice a real bad smell so I ask him if he has flatulence to which he replies yes and adds that maybe there is something about that spray. I open the window and tell him I cannot deal with that if he does it again. Its almost time for us to go live together so I can debut his liner so we get ready.

So at about 3 PM we go live and just as I am about to talk I smell what I would label as level 9 potency. It hit me like a ton of bricks to the point where I was having trouble breathing and in turn talking while live on air! I have no other option but to laugh and ask him if he broke wind while live! He starts laughing and replies yes at which point I composed myself, thanked him for volunteering his time and then played his liner which he absolutely got a kick out of.

As soon as we play the next song and are off of the air I get some air freshener in the next room and bomb him. I ask him what his deal is and he replies that yes maybe there is something about that spray and that he had been doing more sprays when I was not in the studio. At this point he is really laughing and I just reply that I will not be able to work under these conditions.

I go back into the news room and do some work. I see the one Staff Sergeant (Jason) who is always ticking and tacking me but is my friend and lives next to me here in the B hut. He is leaving soon so I say let’s get a picture. Well as we walk out into the hallway, since he has heard about Mark's raiding of the radio studio he opens the door to say something to Mark at which point I say ‘I would not’. Before I could finish my sentence the gas hit Jason like a wall of stench. Mark had continued dowsing the radio studio in the time that I left. Jason quickly shut the door and then we got the picture seen below.



I had a decent dinner tonight and then caught a nap which made me feel good. Last week was very tiring so I think I am still catching up. We are having a cook out this weekend to say goodbye to the first portion of our crew as they leave next week and their replacements are due in this weekend. I am a little sad to see them go but know my time to leave nears.

I thank God each day as we had another fallen comrade ceremony this past weekend. It was for a Polish troop. This month is the first time since both wars have been going on that Afghanistan’s death toll is higher than Iraq’s.

Anyway that’s about it. I need to head back to work for a bit. I hope this post made you laugh a little and know that I am hanging in there. I will try to post more regularly than a 5 day gap. Take care and as always thanks for reading.

DAY 145: 19 JUN 08

OK where do I begin? Well for starters I am in a much better mood, mindset, and manner. I will back track to Saturday and then hop my way back to today.

Saturday night I went out to a remote part of base that is only allowed to those who work there. Since I was ‘working’ there that night I was allowed. Some could debate that its kind of off base but its still inside the fence so... None the less I went out late to shoot a bomb building piece. A night turn crew builds the bombs that they load on planes. So I go out there and have a ball doing this story as some of the crew were reservists on a 40 day stint so they were elated to have me there. In the mean time I am shooting the story and the one older reservist master sergeant walks over to me and says hey we got some stuff in the area so be aware. I cannot go into full detail as to what he said or what he told me to watch out for but lets just say war stuff. So as I continue to shoot video I have in the back of my mind that I may actually see some crap while ON BASE. Anyway so as I am talking to the one Staff Sergeant he tells me that they are scared out there building at night as there is a real live threat. I on the other hand live and work exactly caddy corner as far away on base as possible. I then proceed to tell him about my trips off base and all of a sudden he is amazed.

At that point it hit me. How much we as service members go off base and risk our asses is all relative. You could do it once or 200 times and you just never know. Each branch of the service and each job within those branches are different so it just all depends. So looking back on the news room discussions about who goes off, and who doesn’t, and who is scared and who isn’t: just rolled right off of my back. I came here, having been doing my job both on base and off when needed and pray that I return safe next month. I may have only been off about 12 times or 13 times but to me the number does not matter. 1 to 200 is the same as it only takes 1 time to hit an IED and meet the Big Man. Now on the other hand you will never ever hear me brag about being mister war because that would be an utter exaggeration and BS and an insult to the guys who have been out 200 times. There must be a balance.

Anyway I must be honest about something here. The night I went out there I was hot and sweating all day so I decided to wear my flight suit. It’s the big brown jump suit you have seen me in pictures wearing. My reasons for doing this included the heat, the possibility of getting dirty, being near the fight line where many workers wear it, and just flat out wanting too. Now technically it is only for use when we go off base in convoys since it is fire retardant but I figured its late at night, no big deal. When I was leaving the office I saw our station commander and out of respect and consideration asked him if I could wear it as I told him where I was going and he said no problem. That ended up kind of saving me.

Before I left that night I did a stand up where I talked about the story and then said goodbye. Well today they aired the story, which you can see in the newscast below, and the one staff sergeant who is on me about all the little things comes in and says “And you were wearing your flight suit because?” I replied that I had permission and that I thought I might get dirty. Now technically I was right but he knew I was walking the tight rope on that one. I went and asked my direct supervisor and he said he did not care but the on camera stand up was what brought it up. None the less this tick for tack game is what later gave way in the week.

Sunday I slept in and then went to work. I stayed up all that night doing my laundry and watching Rocco and Tiger battle it out. Of course at about 5:30AM our time Monday morning Tiger hits the putt on 18 to send it to a 18 hole playoff the next day. I came back got like 2 hours of sleep and got to work at about 9:10AM. I was tired as well all day and conked out at 9PM Monday night before waking up and making it to work at about yet again 9:10AM.

Tuesday brought with it some uproar. My routine is to go in at about 9 AM do some stuff and then go live on air at 10:30 to 2:30. Once I come off air it is my job to send the feed up which entails calling Atlanta and make sure they get us locked in on the satellite to receive our feed. That’s how we get it back to the states. After that I usually produce radio news, check my email, work on spots or other news pieces. Well this week they are training the one marine, who I at first had run ins with, on how to produce/ edit the daily newscast so he can show the next crew. Well it is a hard task and takes time but not almost 6 hours like it took his first day. None the less by 2:30 the feed was not ready and I was getting mad because I got dragged into it when my sole responsibility is to take the tape and get it rolling on the machine that sends it via satellite. Here we are all bickering about it, all stressed out, so finally I ask Atlanta what other time they can take our feed and agree to doing it later. 30 minutes later they finally get the feed onto tape good and one of the other guys sent it up at 5 PM. Once that was done everyone left and I kept working as this has been a long ass week for me.

So there I am all pissed off because the one Staff Sergeant who I get along with 90% of the time, but its always ticking and tacking me, leaves once the newscast is done to go to the gym at about 3 PM. As I am writing a script the E 8, our station commander strolls in and asks how I am and all. Now he is a real nice guy and I am always very upbeat in my conversation with him so he immediately notices my demeanor and asks what’s up. BAD TIMING. Unfortunately for me he did not realize that it was Rob blowing off steam to his first name versus SrA to SMSgt. None the less I make a few brief comments and they end up making my supervisor look bad for not handling it between he and I. My bad. Later that night we get an email from my/ our supervisor about having to be at work daily from 8 to 4:30 daily.

Next day I come in and am working on my story and ask the one SSgt who leaves daily at 3 to send the feed up. He says yeah I might as well since I have to be here until 4:30. And then the major uproar ensued! He and the marine (its funny how they work together on me but then knock heads later in the same day) just start going off on me about how I jumped my chain of command, and need to get out of the Air Force, and all of this. I made a few rebuttals but they were pissed because while yes I did not use my chain of command directly, and am wrong, I made them have to hang around longer than they prefer. I will say they do go to the gym and do come back but not much is done on the back side of that coming back.

What really sucked though was my direct supervisor, who I absolutely love working for, felt betrayed and like he made no progress with me about the whole chain of command thing. Then he made the comment that really took me down. He said I have never had such a problem with someone not getting the two simplest things in the military down: being on time and the chain of command. Now I will plead guilty on my allegiance to the latter but being on time when I am AT WORK ALL OF THE TIME really hurt me. We all work a ton of hours and a flexible schedule so this one made me feel like a piece of _____. By the time this barrage was over it was about time for me to head to the studio for my show.

I literally sat in the studio the whole 4 hours and thought about all of the stuff that was said to me and how I felt about myself. I was defeated in so many ways at that point I cannot relate. I finished the show and went into the news room clearly rejected. As I waited for the one marine to get off of the computer that we share the E 6 came in and said hey what the heck is a matter you look like hell. I replied with something very weak and uncharacteristic at which point he said lets go talk in my office.

We talked for probably a good 30 minutes and man was it good. I got it all off of my chest and was able to refocus. He explained so much to me, gave me so much advice, and really set me straight. Whether I like it or not I must yield to the chain of command and will. I commend him for being a good NCO but more intuitively, being able to understand ROB.

I got a great night’s sleep last night, got up got a shower, shaved, checked my personal email, and then went to work and had a killer day. I am refocused and ready to knock out these last 35 days or so. I cannot predict the future but if I had to say there was a turning point in my AF career that conversation yesterday very well may have been it.

Everyone was in a good mood today and things went real smooth. 3 of us agreed to see how much we could bench press and today was the day. I promised 175 and delivered while the one big SSgt, who can get at least 205 up, was not feeling well so had some troubles today. Finally the guy that gave me the great talk put up about 210. He got 205 with no issues so I will give him 210. The amazing part is that he only weighs about 150 or so. I am about 162 so 175 is good for me but 150ish putting up 205 is impressive.

On a future note I am doing a story at the hospital on base tomorrow along with a profile of a Oakland Raiders Cheerleader who is deployed here as a service member. Don’t worry Michelle I find you more attractive and hers are fake anyway. I should not type that because I have only seen a picture of her and the fake part is news room conjecture which we all know is just a bunch of deployed males shooting their mouths off.

I am not sure if anyone saw it but it looks like that new GI Bill is going to be passed. I have yet to get the final details but depending upon the incentives, the odds of me reenlisting may have just gone up. If I do another enlistment I get the GI Bill and that would allow me enough time to finish my masters on the AF’s dime. Then I am set to get a PhD or God forbid a law degree! WORLD LOOK OUT!

Anyway enjoy the newscast with my bomb building story. Everyone have a great night and thanks for reading.

DAY 144: 18 JUN 08

I am beat again today after not so much of a great day. I will try to post at length this weekend as I should have plenty of time Saturday. Too tired and scatter brained to say any more tonight.

Picture of what they call a little spider here. We trapped it in a ammo box Saturday night while I was on a shoot. I will talk about that more later.

DAY 143: 17 JUN 08

Ehh I guess I am hitting yet again another wall hopefully my last. I just feel like I have a ways to go yet with the first part of our crew leaving July 2. Anyway there are people who are here for 15 months so I need to shut up. Speaking of soldiers…

Mom I am not a Soldier I am an Airman! Your father was a Sailor and the real hard asses are Marines. We all work towards the say goals and fight the same fight but we are VERY different. Anyway glad you enjoyed the last few posts and had a good weekend. I am again tired although I sacked in for 11.5 hours last night. I think I am just becoming tired/ worn down in general. I cannot wait to get back to Michelle. Although I have heard things at my work in Germany stink right now. We shall see how that goes.

That’s all I really have for today. I know I promised more but I want to get a shower and finish the 5 love languages book so I can give it back to a co worker. Good night for tonight.

DAY 142: 16 JUN 08

Well I am toast but pushing through so I can fall asleep around 9PM and get back on track. I stayed up all last night and watched Tiger hit that putt on 18 to send it to a sudden death match today. Now after doing my laundry all night I will not have the energy to watch Rocco try to beat Tiger. O well that’s life.

I am beat so this will be short on words and big on media. I will write a book tomorrow. The newscast has my piece in it about Brian Williams. You can see the pictures below as well. The last picture is of me in the field probably back in early March. I recently found it and thought you might enjoy. OK well I need to post this, go back to work and finish something and then hit the hay. Have a good night.

DAY 141: 15 JUN 08

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

I need to do laundry, make some calls, and watch the US Open so I will be brief tonight and long tomorrow. I talked to my Dad today and it was a nice conversation.

He reported that Zach’s wedding went well, was wonderful, and that Robin made it. While I could not be there this was the next best thing. Dad also reported that Uncle Ricky turned on the after burners which is a good sign as I remember my Dad doing the same thing when I graduated from PSU in 2004. We shall see if PSU strikes senior again next year at my wedding. And I hope next year we can repeat the experience in State College with Uncle Joe and Aunt Rhonda completing the full 6 siblings. Anyway Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. Senft!

My sleep schedule is all off because I shot a bomb building piece last night and had some real fun. I have been going to bed at like 3 AM each day so we shall see what I am worth tomorrow. The Brian Williams piece and pictures will be posted tomorrow. I also found a good one of me in the field which I think you will enjoy. Ok well off to do laundry and enjoy watching local western PA boy Rocco Mediate beat Tiger in the US Open!

Dad I love you and just want to air my clean laundry by saying: Happy Father’s Day!

DAY 140: 14 JUN 08

Well Friday the 13th definitely was a night mare for some. I did not post yesterday because I was up until 4 AM my time or 7:30 PM your time. Death seems to be all around me and I hate it. Fallen comrade ceremonies and then NBC comes to focus on Afghanistan and the war and what happens? Tim Russert dies. I will start from the beginning.

I slept in yesterday until about 11AM my time as I was still recovering from my stomach ailment. I am happy to report that I am back to almost 100% there. I went into work and checked on a few things to get ready for the Brian Williams piece. We had an interesting debate in the news room about some military related stuff which I enjoyed. Sometimes I have to watch myself but none the less I had the guys laughing which ultimately keeps the morale up and my mind working. I set out to the entry control point (ECP) here on Bagram to wait for the arrival of Brian Williams and his team. It’s been hot as hell around here so right off of the bat I was sweating buckets. I met up with one of the Army Public Affairs soldiers and waited patiently. Shortly after 3 O’clock the 4 or 5 vehicle convoy pulled in and we rendezvous up to figure out the plan for the day. At that point it was to go get Brian and company into some form of billeting, do the interview with MG Schloesser and then find out where they would setup their studio live from.

I waited patiently for one of the soldiers to introduce me but it never happened. It’s not like I feel I need to be introduced but being from AFN and low ranking it puts me in a precarious situation. I do not want to over step my bounds but also needed to be frank about wanting to ask him a few questions and letting him know we are doing a piece on his being here. Anyway after I realized the Army was not going to do anything I decide to depend on the person I always depend on: Rob.

Mr. Williams moved closer to me and I stepped in and introduced myself, told him why I was there, thanked him for coming, and asked if he had time if we could do an interview. He was super nice and said absolutely yes. He grew up in NJ and went on about how his Dad was a captain in WWII and how he supports the troops and military. We broke conversation and they left as I took a few audio and video guys with me in the truck.

We drove over to the flight line where the interview with the general was to be. I pulled in got out and started getting ready. In the mean time I started BSing with the cameramen from NBC who had killer equipment. I commented to the guy that I felt like I was playing in the big leagues now. He shot back not to worry, but that his camera was a major league camera. Anyway after about 20 minutes the General and Brian came out and started the interview. They walked and talked and I got many of the shots I needed also making sure that I did not get into the NBC cameraman’s way. At one point one snapped at me ‘You got to get out of the shot’ and I did. After that it was not an issue. Unfortunately I screwed up the white balance on my camera which later ended up being a very miniscule issue. I was pissed at myself though as it’s a rookie mistake. Anyway after they were done I said to Brian 'Sir when can I interview you? He said there is no time better than the present. So as different people, mainly officers, walked up to get their picture with him I got ready for the interview.

I asked 2 questions and at the end if he wanted to add anything. It was awesome. He gave great answers and made it easy for me. I am truly impressed with him not only as a big time news anchor but as a human being. He is smooth, composed, on the ball, funny, and easy to be around. After I got done one of the camera men said wait let’s get you in the shot. They did an over my shoulder and over his shoulder so when you see the piece on Monday it looks like I had a guy running the camera with me. It meant a ton to me because now the interview seems more like you naturally see with the interview subject and the interviewee. Anyway after that I got my picture with him and said thank you. It was funny though because he asked where I was from and I replied Pittsburgh. He immediately went off about the Steelers in the 1970s and Jack Lambert. He asked me if it was true that he is a high school football coach and I quickly replied that no he is a PA game warden and that my dad and I ran into him in the woods once. He laughed and said no way. He also mentioned about Dwight White’s death which is sad in and of itself.

I left happy and very confident as it was a great experience up until that point. I got back to the studio around 5PM and digitized the video so that I could see how bad or good it was. It ended up not being too bad which made me feel a little better about my blunder. I did the sports show from 6:30 to 8:30 and then finished some odds and ends up late before watching some of the US Open.

I came back to my room to talk to Michelle before heading over to the newscast location as I wanted to get some footage of him going live. When I clicked on the internet I had noticed the headline about Tim Russert dyeing! I knew at that point it would be a different night than anticipated. I got over to the set at about 1 AM at which point Brian was preparing for the newscast somewhere else. The mode was somber and I was very quiet. I talked to some of the crew who were very receptive to me, and they told me he was just live talking about Tim about 30 minutes before. I guess he came on with Tom Brokaw and talked about Tim.

So then one of the crew turns to me about 30 minutes before they go live and says ‘Man 2 days of work shot because they changed the whole newscast to be about Mr. Russert’. While I can understand why they are doing this I can also understand the crew members frustration since they worked hard on coming all the way to Afghanistan to cover this stuff and then not even use almost 2 days worth of work and footage for that nights newscast. But hey that’s how the news business goes.

On a side note I could tell these people were dragging and sad about the situation of losing one of their coworkers. The one guy says hey do you know where any coffee is? I said let me find out. Now right off of the bat I know for damn sure if the Air Force were handling them being there, there would have been a table near that TV set with some finger food, pop, water, coffee, tea, and other little stuff. This is NBC and Brian Williams and we do have low ranking people who could knock this out but HELL NO with the Army. All they have is some bottles of water for these poor people. Pitiful display in my humble opinion by the 101st Airborne Division Public Affairs Office. None the less at this point I make my second blunder of the day. As the Lieutenant Colonel walks by me as I ask her if she knows where I can find any coffee. Not the best question to ask a LTC! (I once asked another LTC at Ft. Dix if he knew where we could get a light bulb for our tent when we were at the FOB in the middle of the pine barons in NJ in January) Anyway it was my bad but boy have I never seen officers with such lack of self esteem to need rank so much. I’ll say it once and say it again whether I am an E-1 or O-10 I am Rob Joswiak and my abilities, aspirations, outlook, personality, and character are not, nor will they ever be, dictated by my rank! I cannot say the same for many people in the military. Anyway she fires back NO but these NCO (Non commissioned officers) can help you!

They proceed to lay into me a bit and then go off about some other people at my work! I will not go into details about this as it is a little personal for some but just another example of the 101st’s arrogance and blindness in my view. I later find coffee and give one lady a coke I had. I did the best for them I could under the circumstances.

At about 3:15 he came out and started the newscast. It got super quiet and everyone moved to the sides so his peripheral vision was not distracted. Brian was very quiet and different than earlier in the day as you can imagine. I got a bunch of good shoots as you will see in the piece that I should be able to post on Monday. After the newscast was done I left but I think they went live again for a special NBC Dateline.

By the time I got to bed it was like 4:30 AM here so I did not go into work today until 1 PM. I worked on the piece some and also have another shoot tonight. I just ultimately cannot get over the whole Tim Russert thing being so close to his coworkers when it happened and on Father’s day weekend as well.

I think of my Dad and his health at a time like this and just hope he makes sure his heart is good shape as it can happen to anyone at anytime. I would also like to add that while I am critical of the Army I have great respect for them and their people. I just think many times they do not think enough about a situation where as many times I think too much.

Either way everyone have a great weekend and look for some calls today if not tomorrow. I will post the video and pictures on Monday.