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.