ROLL CALL

I have little left to say and even less time to type it, so this may well be my last blog post of the deployment. So, this is your chance to make yourself heard. I'm curious who actually reads this and welcome any feedback. From Google Analytics, I can tell that there are hits from numerous states and a number of other countries. Who are you and where are you from?

 

Thank you for taking the time to read and especially for those of you who prayed us through this long year. I am working on a side project of short essays which I will send to family, friends, and those who show interest over the next two months.

Below is my company photo as taken last week before we start sending Soldiers home finally. Unfortunately, only half of the unit could make it due to mission requirements but it was good to get everyone together one last time. 

HSC Hot Rod

This last week was tough for me after enjoying my freedom so much over my R&R. But, I take some solace in knowing that we can finally start counting down now instead of up. While I was gone, the guys in the Motor Pool concocted a surprise and worked magic with raw metal. The Allied Trades section has the capability to weld and fabricate almost anything. In their free time, using spare parts, the four Soldiers pictured below built a Hot Rod.

Most of the parts are from used John Deere gators, others were made from scratch or improvised. In the end, everyone was in awe of the pet project (except for one of my superiors who thought it was a waste of their time and resources). But, after 10 months of monotony I applaud any attempts to improve the work environment or unit morale, which is exactly what this did for the motor pool.

The Hot Rod is actually quite slow, considering it has a standard gator drive train and engine. We may take it home to use for community or base parades. Note the 'POW/MIA' theme hand painted on the roof of the car. As always, I am proud of my Soldiers.

R&R!!!

Some of you may have been wondering why it has been a while since the last blog post. Thankfully, there was a VERY good reason...Mark's long awaited R&R finally arrived, after over nine months of waiting. For those of you who know our "story," waiting in that airport a few weeks ago was filled with as much anticipation as our airport meeting in Hawaii over three years ago!! DFW is known for honoring the in-bound soldiers with a "shower of affection," also known as a Water Salute. This consists of two water turrets carrying 3,000 gallons of water with nozzles discharging 1,500 gallons per minute in an arc over the plane as it taxis toward the gate. Once in the airport, the soldiers are greeted by rows of volunteers, many of whom are veterans (primarily WWII and Vietnam), who are eager to welcome them home. Of course, no one could be more eager than the families, and I was given the opportunity to stand right in front while I waited to see Mark walk through the passageway. A photographer was on hand to capture the first moment of our reunion (as well as those of other spouses, one of whom brought their baby girl ... the first time her husband had ever seen his daughter).



After the wonderful reunion, we spent some time in Texas at home with my family and then at a Bed & Breakfast in Granbury where we enjoyed every second of relaxing and FINALLY just being together again. There is certainly nothing like a deployment to teach you to cherish every moment together, no matter what you may be doing.


After this short stay in Texas, we were off to beautiful and COOL Colorado, which was a wonderful switch from the 100+ degree heat we have been used to this summer. We stayed in Crested Butte for the majority of the time, where we filled our days with mountain biking and hiking. Of course, our beloved Bella tagged along and was a trooper. She could hike up virtually anything without much help from us, which I think definitely impressed her dad! ;-)







We were then off to Colorado Springs for a stay at the Air Force Academy and to tour some sites, including Pikes Peak, the Garden of the Gods, and Mannitou Springs. Everywhere we went in Colorado, we were simply in awe at the beauty around us!!



Of course, the two glorious weeks together came to an end far too quickly, but I think it was exactly what we needed to get us through to the end of this deployment. Mark is now safely back to Afghanistan, already hard at work and with a staff who was thrilled to hand the reigns of command back over to him. We can never thank you, our friends and family, enough for praying us through this year and we ask that you continue to lift us up in prayer for these next two to three months as we press towards the finish line....we are so grateful that it is finally in sight!!

Motor Pool

Over the last six months, I have invested hundreds of  hours into planning the construction of a new Motor Pool, which is only now about to break ground. A Motor Pool is where we preform ground maintenance on all types of vehicles and equipment, to include John Deere Gators, forklifts, and the new MRAPs along with generators and smaller items. The current Motor Pool depicted in the picture is entirely too crowded and does not provide much cover from the elements. So, I figured my guys deserved better which was the impetus for designing a bigger and better motor pool. 

 

 

 

 

Here is a brief chain of events regarding the new 'Task Force Falcon Motor Pool':

 

FEB: The Air Force threatens to evict us from 'Camp Albert', so I start planning to move the motor pool to the other side of the Airfield. This involves getting feedback from the users and doing some rudimentary drawings on paper.

MAR: The Air Force powers that be approve the land for the motor pool, but are unwilling to lift a finger to help actually build it. Then I have to go to a second board to get approval from the Army side of the base also.

APR: By the grace of God, I find a civilian engineer (an Aggie!) willing to help me design and draw the whole plan on CAD. All told the technical specifications are over 150 pages.

MAY: It takes contracting almost a whole month to get funding for the project through two separate approval boards, to the tune of $497,000.
JUN: The project is bid on by five contractors, each of which submits a proposal. Myself and two civil engineers evaluate all five and eliminate two. In the end the government goes with the lowest bidder. Figures.
JUL: The contract is awarded to a company in Kabul, about a 90-minute drive away. Unfortunately, most of their 17 workers do not have proper base access badges, so I have to jump through hoops to get them interviews & background checks.
AUG: The project should break ground in the next two weeks, though it is already a week late. Now the real coordination begins. Unfortunately, Ramadan will probably slow down the pace of construction.

SEP: By September, the concrete (50,000 sq. ft.) should start pouring, though it will take 30 days to actually set. During this phase we will be burying communication and power lines.
OCT: Now for the hard part. A fence will be built to encapsulate the whole work space and a huge Aviation hangar will be erected over the course of two weeks.

NOV: Going home soon, so I will gladly pass this project on to the next Commander. The goal is to get it 80% done, but in all likelihood we'll be lucky to have it halfways ready.

 

So, as you can tell this laborious process is finally coming to fruition. I have learned much in the last five months about government bureaucracy, contracting, and concrete construction. This project has also given me the opportunity to interact with a few local national contractors, most of whom are well educated and speak decent English. Almost all of them are named Abdul or Mohammad, but that doesn't mean they all fit the stereotype of a terrorist or radical either. If anything, it has humanized the war for me as I learn about their lives and families. We do not discuss politics or religion, but are able to easily relate to each other as businessmen and associates. One of the workers, Fahim, apparently appreciated me so much he gave me a unique gold ring with some Sapphires for my wife when he learned I would be going home soon. As much as I'd love to see this project complete, I can rest assured knowing I did everything to the best of my ability and will make the transition for our replacements that much easier.

Farewell, Navy

Friday was one of Jocelyn's last official days in the Navy, so I wanted to take this opportunity to thank her for serving our country. Her colleagues and co-workers hosted a farewell lunch at a local restaurant, where she was presented with a wooden oar. 

Earlier in the day at Reveille, she received an award from the command to commemorate her achievements over the last three years. Fortunately, her mother was able to able to be present and even had the privilege of getting her daughter's last Navy eye exam! 

As her award reads: 

 

Lieutenant Herman facilitated the in processing of 20,000 Marine recruits and ensured deployment readiness for 3,000 active duty Marines. Averaging 2,800 Patient encounters and 4,700 RVU's per year, she earned $900,000 prospective payment system dollars for the Naval Hospital. In addition, her scheduling improvements at the Marine Corps Air Station Optometry Clinic reduced patient waiting times by 75 percent and no-show rates by 50 percent. Lieutenant Herman's initiative and dedication reflected credit upon herself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

 

Well, I'm not sure what some of those numbers mean but it definitely sounds impressive! What I most admire was her ability to always put the patient first, despite so many other distractions and pressure from her superiors to play politics. Jocelyn will be the first to tell you that she was not in the 'real Navy', but she still made a sacrifice to serve and even volunteered for overseas service. On top of this she was the FRG leader for my company, a demanding and often thankless position, and was forced to cope with my absence in maintaining the household. Jocelyn somehow managed to fulfill all three responsibilities with diligence and grace, in a way that magnified God's faithfulness. So, this was a sad day for her in a way, leaving the familiar behind and starting a new stage in our lives, but I am thankful for the sacrifice Jocelyn is making for the sake of our family. 

Engaged

Well, I guess it was inevitable. My sister Kristin is officially engaged to Craig! I am extremely excited for them both even though I haven't had the privilege of actually meeting Craig yet thanks to this extended vacation I'm on. But, he has passed my tests with flying colors and further survived an onslaught of questions from my dad so I have no choice but to approve. They recently moved from Maine to Washington state to start new jobs and are now probably in wedding planning mode so I'm sure they could use your prayers. Congratulations lovebirds!  

Answers

As promised I will attempt to answer your insightful questions.

1) Question: in your opinion, Given the ideology of the people in Afghanistan, is it possible for them to have a stable government that will not support terrorism, if the United States leaves the country?

This is light years beyond my level but from what I've read and observed it will be incredibly difficult if not impossible. First, the ideology of the people is often rooted in their tribal identity even more so than their religion or anything else. This more than anything dictates how the government operates due to the remoteness of many of these tribes and the lack of reach of the government. I think this relationship is shaky at best without a US presence. The Afghan National Security Forces and Afghan National Police however are performing better by all accounts, though there are still not nearly enough to enforce national policies or even local disputes. Aviators as a whole have a very limited perspective on this!

 2) We are wondering if you like the change in Generals.  I guess you can't do much about it though, Ha!

You are correct, for me to opine on the General McChrystal situation would be inappropriate and likely get me fired too! What is interesting though is there are some who foretold the firing many months in advance and I think everyone agrees that General Petraeus is absolutely the right man for the job. He is a legend within the military ranks, notably for his penchant for smoking junior officers (often decades younger) on long runs, all the while peppering them with questions and talking normally. One thing not often appreciated is the sacrifice these senior officers make in accepting such challenging positions; Both of them have been deployed, or away from home for at least four of the last seven years, if not more.

3) What team is your current World Cup Champion prediction? Have you been able to watch any of the games?

From the beginning, I predicted Spain would beat the Netherlands in the final. Both teams are still in the tournament, so I'm happy about that, though Germany is playing incredibly well at the moment. Through the Armed Forces Network we are able to see almost all of the games, even if a little fuzzy. We also decided to decorate the Dining Facility for the World Cup since many of our customers are international soldiers and civilians from countries all over Europe and elsewhere.

4) What book(s) are you currently reading?

Just finished Not a Good Day to Die by Sean Naylor. This is the story of one of the first major operations in Afghanistan, involving Army Aviation, Special Forces, the CIA, Navy Seals, and most notably the lack of critical air support by the Air Force. What made it personally interesting for me is the focus on then-Colonel Frank Wiercinski's role and decisions as I was very nearly selected as his General's Aide as a Lieutenant in Iraq.

For pleasure reading I'm starting a Ravi Zacharias book, though most nights I don't have the energy or brainpower left to invest in such a weighty author.

5) What's your favorite "war story" so far in Afghanistan? Iraq?

Most of you are probably bored by my stories (though I am developing one into a short story for publication) so I will share this one from Michael Yon, the only Ernie Pyle of our times and a very prescient observer. He was one of the only media or political figures to predict the turnaround in Iraq in late 2006 and likewise was one of the first to admit we were losing in Afghanistan. If you only read one source for your 'war news', read his dispatches at http://www.michaelyon-online.com/   This story, called Gates of Fire, tells an incredible story of courage and has real-time pictures to bring it to life. The pilot of the Kiowa in the story is actually my old boss and friend Major E., who verified every detail of this story.

6) What's the best and worst part of your current job?

The absolute best part is talking to and learning from my Soldiers. Every single day I learn something through their experiences and knowledge, and almost everyone is willing to share their stories with me. On any given day I get to try my hand at helping weld, cook, or fix something. Even more so I love being able to help Soldiers in some way, carefully providing guidance for their careers, finances, marriages, and lives outside of the Army.

The worst part by far is the punishment and the resultant paperwork. I'm the first level of the law as the Commander and either have to take appropriate action or make a recommendation to my superiors for more serious offenses. Today my big dilemma was how to process a Soldier for going AWOL (Absent Without Leave) which, in a time of war, can constitute desertion which actually carries a maximum punishment of the death penalty. Scary stuff, huh? Since this incident actually occurred in the States while the Soldier was on leave we may be able to process his punishment under much more favorable terms, such as losing rank and some pay.

7) Besides seeing Jocelyn, what are you most looking forward to doing/seeing during your leave in August?

Bella of course, our adorable little sporty Yorkie! That and my mountain bike actually. We're headed to Crested Butte, Colorado to take in the country's best biking. What I miss most is the clean air, open space, and quietness of the countryside. I have lived 99% of the last 8 months within an extremely crowded 5 mile radius and yearn for the freedom I feel on my bike exploring a new trail, not quite knowing where it will end but just enjoying the moment.

  

That's all for now. Thanks again for your questions and of course your prayers.