Another long day

Six hours in the pattern and I am exhausted. I was in the aircraft for a total of about 7.5 Hours counting run up and crew change, and I am exhausted. However this day is over and it went pretty quick actually. I flew two people 3 hours a piece and although it gets a little boring in the traffic pattern I know that its important work and it has to be done to make them better pilots and prepare them for future combat missions. While I was flying my second Pilot we increased our FOB security with a giant voice message. The Giant voice messages are to alert us of all sorts of changes to both FOB security and conditions on the FOB. Not that I could hear the message in the aircraft but they announced it over the control tower frequency too. Don’t get me wrong though when the Giant voice messages are announced you can hear them all over the FOB they are extremely loud I can even hear them inside my room and we have concrete walls 18 inches thick. So back to the message, basically they were looking for an Afghani man in civilian clothing on the FOB so my training flight was diverted for a bit to look for the man wandering around the FOB. He was rounded up pretty quickly but not before everyone on the FOB had to go to a defensive posture and put on their flak jackets and search the FOB with loaded weapons. Great song, once again I sit here listening to my iPod trying to forget where I am if but only for a minute. I would never have thought that I would become so addicted to music and TV, but it is a great release to a stressful day and it helps me find my balance. The other night when I was flying once again we had medevac aircraft inbound with casualties, I feel sickened again just thinking about it. That night there were no US causalities but many ANA “Afghanistan National Army” any loss of life is too great even ANA. I still have a hard time trusting any soldiers other than US troops, the others are just too easily swayed to the dark side. The Taliban and the al-Qaida have ways of turning the best of the best Afghani’s. It’s all about threatening their families and friends and this is something that I can understand I have those same feelings about my family so it’s easy to understand how this can happen even to some of the most hardened Soldiers. So back to my new list of do’s and don’ts trust no one that is not dressed like me and even give them a second look. Always keep your head on a swivel and always know your surroundings at all times.

I will be flying over 18 hours in the next few days continuing the training on the only two RL3 aviators in our Brigade and this I job I will not take lightly. As soon as I get them from Readiness level 3 to RL2 they will start flying missions with one of the other IP’s in our TF “Task Force”. As soon as I get the last one to RL2 I will fly that Pilot on missions to get them ready for RL1 at which time they will be able to fly with any PIC “Pilot in Command”. Time will tell who will be the last Pilot to progress but when they are done I know they will be ready for whatever this country has to throw at them and it’s my job to make sure they can handle it. Not a job I take too lightly considering the circumstances.

Another great song reminds me of Marie and I when we were in our teens hanging out at LaRossa’s. I would say that life was a lot simpler then and I guess for the most part it was but I would not change anything in my life at this point, I am truly blessed. I am blessed with a wife who loves me for who I am and supports me in the things that I do whether they are right or if they’re wrong. And don’t even get me started on my kids, they say that apples don’t fall far from the tree and to be honest with you this one stumps me every time I think about it. I look back at my childhood and think about all the mistakes that I made in my early years, and I mean early years. And then I look at Robby and the girls and I just can’t figure them out sometimes, how can they be so into life and so into everything that is going on around them. I can say without a doubt that my three children are the most well adjusted kids that I have ever known. They are sensitive to other people’s needs and feelings, and genuinely concerned about the well being of family members and their friends. They think about things that I would have never thought about at their ages. And like I said, I am so blessed, and I can only take credit for a little of this. Marie take your right hand and pat yourself on the back for that one, you’re a great Mom and I am lucky to have you as my wife!

So it’s January and I am still just wearing a fleece jacket in the evening I will not complain. I was thinking that when I got to Afghanistan last fall, I would be freezing my but off and I am so glad that is not the case. For the most part it gets up to mid to low 70s every day and I like it. Wow another great song, I miss all of you so much and I do wish that I could be home with my wife and kids or perhaps up in Cincinnati playing cards with my family or spending time with friends. But I truly believe that you all know how I feel about this place, as much as it truly sucks and as much as I am not a fan of being in harm’s way, this is where I need to be and I am proud to be here trying to make a difference in the lives of these people. When I am old and gray sitting on my porch looking out into my yard holding Marie’s hand watching our grand children play in our front yard I will think back to this moment and know that I made a difference, night all