Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Quick post
It's late I am going to bed, I tried to face time with Marie and the kids but I am sure they had something after school I don't even know what day it is. Maybe it's Thursday and they are doing something fun before Elli has gymnastics. At any rate I will catch up with them soon I am not on the schedule tomorrow but I have a ton of work to catch up on and plenty of cats to hurd. I am getting pretty good at keeping everyone on the same sheet of music. We are all getting short tempered with all the proposed changes to what is going on with FOB Wolverine. Only time will tell where we are going and when so I try not to worry about it. I will try to put some more pictures up tomorrow and try to post about what has been going on here, till then, night all
Sunday, January 27, 2013
So proud of him
Who would ever think I would have a son in collage, and that he would be sporting a 4.0 GPA. I did, and I always new he would do great and wonderful things. Rob don't be mad that I put this up, it reads like you knew what you wanted to talk about for a long time. I know it made me pretty emotional and you know that's not easy to do some times. I am proud of you and I know your Mom is too and I just want you to know that we both believe in you and know you are going to do great things some day. I joined the Active Army back in 1998 and I have never looked back, it has been the right choice for me ever since. It's not an easy life, and your not going to get rich off of it either. But when you look in the mirror and that guy is on the other side looking back at you and you think back at the things you have done and lives you have touched, you will know that you made the right decision. Some day you will be at a crossroad and you will think to your self what now? Do I stay in or do I get out use my degree to get some desk job that I swore I would never be happy with? I hope that you make the right decision and I hope you put your family first, the Army will only be a part of your life for a short twenty years or so but hopefully that wife and family will be by your side for the rest of your life. Just like you talked about in your story the friends that you meet along the way will always be there for you and you will always be there for them as well. You will always stay in touch with Scott Andrew and Dexter and the many more military folks you meet. But always remember that over your lifetime a twenty year military Carrer is a snapshot in time. Take time for what is important, your family, your wife and your kids, because they will be with you for ever and some things you just can't get back, I love you Robby
Dad
Robert Senefeld
Dr. ******** *********
English Composition 1101
16 October 2012
Part One: Test of the Best
“They’d done sit-ups and push-ups until their guts and arms burned with lactic acid; finished an eight mile run; parachuted 1,500 feet from a helicopter; borne a stretcher over three hilly miles; paddled themselves and their gear seven miles, then donned their water-soaked rucksacks for an eighteen-mile nocturnal road march” ( Murphy ). These feats of strength only show the physical battles that the, already proven, Army Rangers fought through during the annual, three day, Best Ranger Competition of 2004. Unlike normal athletic competitor’s, these Army Rangers weren’t fighting for more goals, fewer swings on a golf course, or more runs batted in. In the Best Ranger Competition, athletes fought to prove who was the most physically, and mentally durable. The Rangers fought through heat, thirst, hunger, darkness, sleep deprivation and raw pain. It is a grueling course that “separates the men from the supermen” (Murphy).
Austin Murphy’s article on the Best Ranger Competition was centralized around the story of Staff Sergeant Colin Boley. Boley’s brief background started in his younger years of high school, a time of skipping class and stealing garden gnomes off neighboring lawns. After graduation, Boley would hear the knock of an active duty Army recruiter at his front door. Boley learned that he wasn’t just a recruiter, but a motivationally good man. Good enough of a man, for Boley to enlist into the Army, active duty, for that fact alone. Boley’s first assignment was Hawaii. After a year there, Boley went to Ranger school, where he shared blood, sweat, and tears with his soon to be good friend, Adam Nash. Nash, now a 27-year-old Staff Sergeant in the 75th Ranger Regiment was Boley’s partner for the Best Ranger Competition. Being able to partner with Nash was the drive behind Boley’s motivation in the competition.
Surrender is not a Ranger word; that statement, as part of the Ranger creed, has been recited an uncountable amount of times by every Ranger in the Army. One can assume how intense a competition of these Rangers would be. In Austin Murphy’s article, the reader also becomes familiar with the emotional side of these Rangers. One of the events was an eighteen mile foot march, which had its own trophy, named in dedication to Russell B. Rippetoe, a Ranger killed in Iraq by a suicide bomber. The Ranger’s father, Lieutenant Colonel Rippetoe, attended the competition and told his story of coping with his loss, and the emotions behind waking up in the middle of the night to a knock at your front door, seeing three Rangers standing there with mourning faces. “In this way Best Ranger is nothing like any other endurance event. Sure, the athletes suffer similarly. But here at Fort Benning during wartime, reality periodically intruded, in the form of mothers weeping for joy and fathers remember lost sons” (Murphy).
In the end, the outcome of the Best Ranger Competition was to come down to a single event, the two mile rifle run. The two teams competing for first, Boley and Nash, and Wilson and Sheaffer, had a tight run through the whole event, and in the end found themselves all crossing the finish line together, with rifles raised in glory, embracing their families.
“After embracing his parents, Boley found himself face to face with Joe Rippetoe. The two have formed an especially strong bond since Russ was killed. Boley and Russ were good friends. Boley’s wife, Amy, used to try and set Russ up with her girlfriends. The two Rangers were born, eerily, on the same day, and Boley wasn’t that far away when the pregnant woman ran out of a car screaming for help, luring Russ to his death as the woman’s companions blew up the vehicle. Boley held the older man in his arms for a long time. Afterward, Joe Rippetoe steadies himself against the trunk of a tree until his vision cleared. ‘It’s a privilege being around these guys,’ he said. ‘They are the best of the best”(Murphy).
Part Two: Inner Strength
My dad came back from Afghanistan about a year ago, with an attitude like that of what he left with. Through the following months, I painted a detailed picture of the war through his stories, and through his captured videos. I learned about the fragility of the human body as well as how dark and desolate some places of the world can be. However, most of the things he talked and laughed about had nothing to do with the war itself, which at the time; I did not understand how he can have such light thoughts about war. Some people may ask, “How can a soldier want to go to a combat zone?” “How can a kid enlist in the Army because he saw something in his recruiter?” “How can two guys strain themselves to such extent in a competition that ultimately yielded no reward?” I had those same questions when my dad left for Afghanistan. How could I hear such scary stories about Afghanistan, but my dad was showing no emotion towards his deployment.
In the interest of my dad’s contentment and I could almost say pride, I joined my high school’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program, to get a feel for the Army, as I knew there had to be something to it. I then made the cut for the Raider Challenge team, a team that competed in many physical and mental challenges, some of which are even in the best ranger competition. In Raider Challenge, I met a lot of outstanding kids, a lot of which I formed tight bonds with. Each additional day that we fought through practices together, the bonds grew stronger. By the time the competitions rolled around, we were all so excited to compete with each other and put our training to the test; we did not even think about how hard the events were going to be. Some of my friends that were not in the program would ask me, “You’re looking forward to running through mud with 50 pound ruck on your back?” I did not have an answer for them, but it helped me to realize how people like my dad, and Staff Sergeant Boley can do what they do. Some guys just do not think about the what-ifs or the downsides of a situation. They will risk it all for the guys on their left and right. All that matters to some is that sense of brotherhood, and that feeling alone can carry a man through the darkest of places.
I believe what I learned in JROTC, and what I am continuing to learn in ROTC, allows me to appreciate bonds like the one between Nash and Boley. Throughout life, there are good people and bad people where ever you go. There are good and bad people in the military. There are good people and bad people in the Army. But, from what I have seen in my life, good men in the Army are damn good men and I am sure I could say that for all branches. There are countless more stories just like the story of Boley and Nash in the Best Ranger Competition. There are men and women in this world that are willing to put their lives on the line because they want to better the lives of someone else; because they want to make that difference or even they may just want to fight for the people that are willing to fight for them. Their stories are what inspired me to be in the position I am in right now with ROTC, and when I go home on the weekends and talk to my dad, who is getting ready for his next deployment, I can respect him, and understand him. Sure, you can jump out of a plane. You can blow some stuff up. You can shoot guns, but that is not what keeps guys in. That is not why Boley and Nash went into that competition, that’s not why my dad is going back to Afghanistan. That is not why I am in ROTC. People think the adrenaline and action is the epitomic reason guys are in the military, but guys elect to stay in for far deeper reasons.
Dad
Robert Senefeld
Dr. ******** *********
English Composition 1101
16 October 2012
Part One: Test of the Best
“They’d done sit-ups and push-ups until their guts and arms burned with lactic acid; finished an eight mile run; parachuted 1,500 feet from a helicopter; borne a stretcher over three hilly miles; paddled themselves and their gear seven miles, then donned their water-soaked rucksacks for an eighteen-mile nocturnal road march” ( Murphy ). These feats of strength only show the physical battles that the, already proven, Army Rangers fought through during the annual, three day, Best Ranger Competition of 2004. Unlike normal athletic competitor’s, these Army Rangers weren’t fighting for more goals, fewer swings on a golf course, or more runs batted in. In the Best Ranger Competition, athletes fought to prove who was the most physically, and mentally durable. The Rangers fought through heat, thirst, hunger, darkness, sleep deprivation and raw pain. It is a grueling course that “separates the men from the supermen” (Murphy).
Austin Murphy’s article on the Best Ranger Competition was centralized around the story of Staff Sergeant Colin Boley. Boley’s brief background started in his younger years of high school, a time of skipping class and stealing garden gnomes off neighboring lawns. After graduation, Boley would hear the knock of an active duty Army recruiter at his front door. Boley learned that he wasn’t just a recruiter, but a motivationally good man. Good enough of a man, for Boley to enlist into the Army, active duty, for that fact alone. Boley’s first assignment was Hawaii. After a year there, Boley went to Ranger school, where he shared blood, sweat, and tears with his soon to be good friend, Adam Nash. Nash, now a 27-year-old Staff Sergeant in the 75th Ranger Regiment was Boley’s partner for the Best Ranger Competition. Being able to partner with Nash was the drive behind Boley’s motivation in the competition.
Surrender is not a Ranger word; that statement, as part of the Ranger creed, has been recited an uncountable amount of times by every Ranger in the Army. One can assume how intense a competition of these Rangers would be. In Austin Murphy’s article, the reader also becomes familiar with the emotional side of these Rangers. One of the events was an eighteen mile foot march, which had its own trophy, named in dedication to Russell B. Rippetoe, a Ranger killed in Iraq by a suicide bomber. The Ranger’s father, Lieutenant Colonel Rippetoe, attended the competition and told his story of coping with his loss, and the emotions behind waking up in the middle of the night to a knock at your front door, seeing three Rangers standing there with mourning faces. “In this way Best Ranger is nothing like any other endurance event. Sure, the athletes suffer similarly. But here at Fort Benning during wartime, reality periodically intruded, in the form of mothers weeping for joy and fathers remember lost sons” (Murphy).
In the end, the outcome of the Best Ranger Competition was to come down to a single event, the two mile rifle run. The two teams competing for first, Boley and Nash, and Wilson and Sheaffer, had a tight run through the whole event, and in the end found themselves all crossing the finish line together, with rifles raised in glory, embracing their families.
“After embracing his parents, Boley found himself face to face with Joe Rippetoe. The two have formed an especially strong bond since Russ was killed. Boley and Russ were good friends. Boley’s wife, Amy, used to try and set Russ up with her girlfriends. The two Rangers were born, eerily, on the same day, and Boley wasn’t that far away when the pregnant woman ran out of a car screaming for help, luring Russ to his death as the woman’s companions blew up the vehicle. Boley held the older man in his arms for a long time. Afterward, Joe Rippetoe steadies himself against the trunk of a tree until his vision cleared. ‘It’s a privilege being around these guys,’ he said. ‘They are the best of the best”(Murphy).
Part Two: Inner Strength
My dad came back from Afghanistan about a year ago, with an attitude like that of what he left with. Through the following months, I painted a detailed picture of the war through his stories, and through his captured videos. I learned about the fragility of the human body as well as how dark and desolate some places of the world can be. However, most of the things he talked and laughed about had nothing to do with the war itself, which at the time; I did not understand how he can have such light thoughts about war. Some people may ask, “How can a soldier want to go to a combat zone?” “How can a kid enlist in the Army because he saw something in his recruiter?” “How can two guys strain themselves to such extent in a competition that ultimately yielded no reward?” I had those same questions when my dad left for Afghanistan. How could I hear such scary stories about Afghanistan, but my dad was showing no emotion towards his deployment.
In the interest of my dad’s contentment and I could almost say pride, I joined my high school’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program, to get a feel for the Army, as I knew there had to be something to it. I then made the cut for the Raider Challenge team, a team that competed in many physical and mental challenges, some of which are even in the best ranger competition. In Raider Challenge, I met a lot of outstanding kids, a lot of which I formed tight bonds with. Each additional day that we fought through practices together, the bonds grew stronger. By the time the competitions rolled around, we were all so excited to compete with each other and put our training to the test; we did not even think about how hard the events were going to be. Some of my friends that were not in the program would ask me, “You’re looking forward to running through mud with 50 pound ruck on your back?” I did not have an answer for them, but it helped me to realize how people like my dad, and Staff Sergeant Boley can do what they do. Some guys just do not think about the what-ifs or the downsides of a situation. They will risk it all for the guys on their left and right. All that matters to some is that sense of brotherhood, and that feeling alone can carry a man through the darkest of places.
I believe what I learned in JROTC, and what I am continuing to learn in ROTC, allows me to appreciate bonds like the one between Nash and Boley. Throughout life, there are good people and bad people where ever you go. There are good and bad people in the military. There are good people and bad people in the Army. But, from what I have seen in my life, good men in the Army are damn good men and I am sure I could say that for all branches. There are countless more stories just like the story of Boley and Nash in the Best Ranger Competition. There are men and women in this world that are willing to put their lives on the line because they want to better the lives of someone else; because they want to make that difference or even they may just want to fight for the people that are willing to fight for them. Their stories are what inspired me to be in the position I am in right now with ROTC, and when I go home on the weekends and talk to my dad, who is getting ready for his next deployment, I can respect him, and understand him. Sure, you can jump out of a plane. You can blow some stuff up. You can shoot guns, but that is not what keeps guys in. That is not why Boley and Nash went into that competition, that’s not why my dad is going back to Afghanistan. That is not why I am in ROTC. People think the adrenaline and action is the epitomic reason guys are in the military, but guys elect to stay in for far deeper reasons.
Falcon 06 Visit
Well I wish I could say it was for good reasons, but unfortunately it was not. The general told the BDE Commander that he needed to visit all three Task Force locations and have some talks. You see we have been having a string of bad luck with ND's ( negligent discharges ) which means we have some Soldiers doing things that they should not be doing. Like playing with their personal weapons and not treating them like the loaded weapons that they are. One of my CW2's had one as well and I have been doing damage control ever since. He will receive a GOMAR which is a General Officer memorandum for record which will follow him through his now much shorter career. I am trying to get it filled on his local file which means that promotion boards will not be able to see it but ultimately it will be up to General Abrams the 3rd infantry Commander. Only time will tell and and their is much work to be done to defend him. I know in his mind he was trying to do the right thing but general order number one clearly states that we are in amber status with our weapons which means keep the clip in it but do not have a round chambered. And if he was following general order number one how could he have shot his weapon through his wall and through two more portable rooms. We are lucky no one was home next door or next door to his neighbor. Then a few weeks later we had another Soldier shoot his weapon while trying to demonstrate how to properly clear his 9mm and the round hit a Soldier right in the chest fortunately for him he had his M16 slung in front of him and the 9mm round shattered the but stock and buffer spring assembly and did not penetrate his chest. It was determined that the round would have hit him right in the heart and who knows how that would have turned out. It's bad enough that I have unhappy Afghani's wanting to shoot at me but now I have to worry about Soldiers from my own FOB being stupid. That was not the extent of it either we have had a few but over all we have had 9 ND's across our BDE in three locations. I think our young Soldiers have gotten the message and I hope that we will not have to worry about any more of these happening. I am off tomorrow and I plan on getting caught up with all of my paperwork also it's Saturday night and I will try to FaceTime with Marie and the kids a few more times before I go to bed. I hope all of you are doing well and I will write more tomorrow for sure, night all
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Nice night
Well Mike and I went in on what is suppose to be a better Internet connection and the jury is still out on that however I did spend some time looking at pictures thinking that I would put some on my blog. Well in the process I came across Shirley's videos that she made and I watched them all. I especially liked the one with her and katelyn and the one she did for Apache. Shirley you have a gift in how you see things and I hope you pursue your video talent. I wish I had better Internet over here because I would surly post all your videos, even the one with you singing in your room and playing the piano, you are a gifted kid and you should explore that as well. I sure do wish we were almost done over here I am ready to go home, I miss the family more than they will ever know but I am staying focused on what is ahead of me and we will be getting busy here in a few months. We have been trying to keep up on all that is going on in the states but sometimes it's hard with poor Internet and only see TV in the chow hall. But I have picked up on all the gun laws getting ready to be changed, it makes me sad that people are using tragedies to push their own political agenda. I am pretty sure the guns are not killing people by themselves but you all know how I feel. I think everyone should own a gun, and get the training on how to use it. There was a pretty good picture going around Facebook a few days back about the picture that compared gun violence and the democratic voting strong holds across the US it was amazing how similar they were. Well it's now 12:40 AM and I am going to get off here and try to FaceTime with Marie and the kids, till next time, night all
Friday, January 25, 2013
Two pictures
One of the pictures is Me and Mike having Christmas dinner and the other is looking to the south at the snow covered mountains, we have a pretty view from our FOB if it wasn't for all the angry people in this country it might not be a bad place to visit....... Night all
Typical Day
Another day down, not much to talk about. Tomorrow I fly with one of our brand new guys right from flight school, I will be doing his APART. If it oral discussion does not go well there will not be a flight portion, this is his second attempt to get through his APART. I just can't figure some guys out sometimes, we are in combat and knowing your craft is kind of important. It's not like there is anything else to do we sleep we eat and we fly, and for some of us I answer a gazillion emails when I have the time. How nice it would be to be a company pilot with no responsibility and no emails to answer. Spend a little time reading some regulations and studying some -10 ( operator manual ) for the aircraft.
I will be going from five days a week to four days a week flying once I Get all the APART's for January done. I will still have to do all the instrument check rides but as for APARTS my IPs will be able to help with that. I however am the only IE ( instrument examiner ) for Apache's on this FOB so I have to do them all. I hope to get out of here and visit the other FOBs as well and do some PIC ( pilot in command ) evals. We are being over run these days by navy seals, as small outpost retrograde they are consolidating here and they are going to make this place their home. Which is ok by me because we will be the last aviation unit to occupy FOB Wolverine. Once we leave that is it for air support in this area they will have to call folks from FOB Salerno. Speaking of my old stomping grown, last night I was watching a new movie, O dark thirty, and we were referenced in the movie. I was actually flying at the FOB doing a progression flight when the high level meeting between the CIA and one of Osama Bin Laden's messengers were going to meet at Fob Chapman. Which we new was five miles south of Salerno but weren't suppose to talk about because it was a FOB full of CIA operatives. Well they mentioned everything in the movie the bomb blast that killed eight CIA personal and shut down operations for a bit. But knowing now what that meeting was all about makes so much more sense. None of us believed The story about what had happened over there that day. I remember trying to assist but there was nothing to look at over there we just tried to stay out of the way by maintaining a high orbit and staying airborne in case they needed gun support. We did however aid in the medical evacuation of all their wounded because we had trauma at the hospital on our FOB. it was a crazy day, I might have to look at earlier post on my blog and try to find that day. I am so glad that I was able to take this blog secret so that I don't have to watch what I say so closely. Speaking of secret, how many of you have been contacted for interviews? Before I left the states I had to apply for a Top Secret clearance, I know Joe Mains has all ready been interviewed and many of the guys I work with but I had no idea how many of my family members would also be questioned. It should be done soon so hopefully not to many will be inconvenienced. Well once again I got the gift of gab, I hope everyone is doing well and I will try to post soon, night all
I will be going from five days a week to four days a week flying once I Get all the APART's for January done. I will still have to do all the instrument check rides but as for APARTS my IPs will be able to help with that. I however am the only IE ( instrument examiner ) for Apache's on this FOB so I have to do them all. I hope to get out of here and visit the other FOBs as well and do some PIC ( pilot in command ) evals. We are being over run these days by navy seals, as small outpost retrograde they are consolidating here and they are going to make this place their home. Which is ok by me because we will be the last aviation unit to occupy FOB Wolverine. Once we leave that is it for air support in this area they will have to call folks from FOB Salerno. Speaking of my old stomping grown, last night I was watching a new movie, O dark thirty, and we were referenced in the movie. I was actually flying at the FOB doing a progression flight when the high level meeting between the CIA and one of Osama Bin Laden's messengers were going to meet at Fob Chapman. Which we new was five miles south of Salerno but weren't suppose to talk about because it was a FOB full of CIA operatives. Well they mentioned everything in the movie the bomb blast that killed eight CIA personal and shut down operations for a bit. But knowing now what that meeting was all about makes so much more sense. None of us believed The story about what had happened over there that day. I remember trying to assist but there was nothing to look at over there we just tried to stay out of the way by maintaining a high orbit and staying airborne in case they needed gun support. We did however aid in the medical evacuation of all their wounded because we had trauma at the hospital on our FOB. it was a crazy day, I might have to look at earlier post on my blog and try to find that day. I am so glad that I was able to take this blog secret so that I don't have to watch what I say so closely. Speaking of secret, how many of you have been contacted for interviews? Before I left the states I had to apply for a Top Secret clearance, I know Joe Mains has all ready been interviewed and many of the guys I work with but I had no idea how many of my family members would also be questioned. It should be done soon so hopefully not to many will be inconvenienced. Well once again I got the gift of gab, I hope everyone is doing well and I will try to post soon, night all
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Great Day
Wow what can I say, I think things always happen for a reason. My day starts out like any other day here in Afghanistan I am asked to take pictures of the reenlistment ceremony followed by our Path Finders graduation. The first I am all for the second one makes me a little nervous. You see the Path Finders that I talk of are local Afghani nationals that come on our fob and are trained by our Path Finders on how to hook up sling loads and clear landing zones. And I prefer those guys stay off the FOB all together. So anyway back to my story, I am standing out side for over an hour for both of these to take place and I start to feel a little sick. I finish taking pictures and I give my SIM card to our PAO ( public afars officer) who will then try to put them all on their computer make a DVD and bring all the pictures to work and put some of them up on our Facebook page. Anyway I am off to my room to take a couple of Tylenol and try to start feeling better. Wishfully thinking after about another hour I am in the bathroom throwing up, yuck... So I go to the CP ( command post) and let the battle captain know I will not be flying tonight. Off to my room where I turn off all the lights and try to take a quick nap and hope to feel better. Not much luck so I get up go into the office where SFC Bascome tells me I have mail, so off to the orderly room to get my mail then off to my room. I received the most wonderful package from my family that I think I could ever receive. Candy, home made brownies and the best video that a home sick Dad could ever ask for. I also received a birthday card that had personal notes from all the people that I care the most about. I thought about posting what they said to me on my blog but I want to keep those things private. But guys that card made my day, and I miss all of you so much. The video was amazing and I wish I could have been there for some of that cake Shirley it looked great. I am 9000 miles away but I felt like I was there with you guys. I love how you guys talk to the video like I am in the next room and I especially love how you include me in the day to day things. Shirley the reference to me when Elli was recording you in your room and Iggy was chewing on the box and Elli kept looking away with the video camera made me laugh so hard it hurt. I love you guys so much. I hope that things continue to run as smooth as they seem to be running and that you all have a great new year and all do well in school. Robby I loved your note in my card and I want you to know that I am proud of you and I know you will continue to do amazing things at school. I am going to write more tomorrow but for tonight I am going to try to get some sleep and hopefully I will feel better tomorrow. Night all
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Short post
I had a nice day off and I am in bed getting ready to try and FaceTime with the family but I wanted to get on here and talk real quick about a series that I have been trying to watch. It's all about WW2 and what Hitler did with the Jews. That man was pure evil and I just can't figure how it was allowed to happen. But as I watch this series that I have at home as well on the hard drive under documentaries it just makes me sad that this could have happened. But what I can't understand is that sometimes it seems like they just walked to the slaughter and put up no fight. I just can't understand how that part of it could have happened. I am sure in their minds they knew what was about to happen and they had the numbers to make a difference but they continued to go along with it, it is so sad. The people in this country are so different they know they are out gunned and they know they can not win against the US but they will fight with all of their being right wrong or in different to the bitter end. Even if it means that they will sacrifice their life for their cause, I can't figure them out either. I am not saying that I have sympathy for the insurgents over here that is not the case at all. I want for these people the same things that I would want for my own kids and under the rule of the Taliban that will just never be. Because we all know that the value of a woman over here is just a little more than a goat and I don't think that will ever change. We hear stories about local woman who are having acid poured on them because they want to go to school and learn and it breaks my heart. There is a local woman that works on the FOB in the laundry tent that you can tell she had acid thrown on her face I can only wonder why, it's so sad was she trying to learn to read or was it some other crazy reason. What is wrong with this world, why are people so crazy. We will be shutting this FOB down when we leave and we will be pulling out of Afghanistan in 2014 and I can't help to think of what will happen to all the people that work on the FOBs all over this country, what will happen to them? They will not be safe most of them live and work on these FOBs because they are not safe in the local towns all ready, they surly will not be safe once we leave. Many are from other countries but some are local and those are the ones I worry about. Like the brothers that ran BlockBuster back at FOB Salerno from my last tour the stories they use to tell me about the escapades they use to go through just to get on FOB Salerno to sell us DVD movies that they would smuggle in from China to support their families. I worry about all of them, I would love it if I could feel like the two years I spent in this country really made a difference. And no one would be in harms way after we pulled the plug and withdrew all of our troops. Well crap it looks like once again I have gone off the reservation on this post and just started talking about all kinds of stuff. I preach all the time for people not to stress the small stuff and trust me most things are small stuff, but the older I get the more I can't look past what I know is going on around me and not let it get to me. But this place will not be changed one bit for the ten years we have spent here, and that truly makes me feel sad. Sorry to end this post on such a downer but I am going to try to talk with the family before I go to bed, night all
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Game Face
I tell people all the time to get their game face on we have a mission to accomplish over here. Sometimes its easier said than done, we do have an important mission to do but this place can take a lot out of you if you let it. I try not too but it has a way of wearing you down anyway. I am still flying five times in any given week on a rotating schedule that allows me to vary my off days and cover down on all the things that I am responsible for. I try to make my rounds every day to try to keep the peace between all my airframes and to settle things at the lowest level. But sometimes I am just a little too late and things get elevated to an all new level. I feel like I am a cat heard er sometimes and I just need a bigger stick to help me keep people in line. I am a big advocate of people need to work things out at the lowest level, primarily because it helps to build the team. But sometimes it just aggravates the situation when it gets elevated. Well most of you probably think I am talking in riddles right now so I will add some context to this ramble. My day started out when I meet up with the Task Force Commander to do his APART. He asked me if I knew anything about what was going on with the maintenance on the OH-58D's and I told him no. After our flight I went to the 58D guys and addressed the issue and apparently they are having some trouble with our AMO (aviation maintenance officer) who I will admit does have some people skills issues but none the less I thought he was in check. The bottom line is if they would have come to me I could have addressed the situation and resolved the problem so much easier. Hopefully after our conversation this will never happen again and I explained to all parties involved that if kept at the appropriate level people do not come across like they are unwilling to work together by the Boss and that is what I want.
So on a lighter note the Boss and I flew together tonight and we did his APART and for the most part it was an enjoyable flight. I have been so busy lately doing progressions and check rides that I have not had a chance to do many actual mission flights for some time now. Not that I am complaining though most of the mission flights are flying 6 to 8 hours and that sounds like too much work. I am happy logging 2 to 4 hours a night when I fly. The terain around here is pretty like I have said before we are sitting at 6500 feet and the mountains around here are anywhere from 8K to 12K high and we are located in a great big central vally with a mountain ridgeline to our south that stretches for miles. They have been snow capped for most of the time we have been here and they are pretty to look at.
Elli, again I want to thank you for your journal, I have truly enjoyed reading it. I try to only read a page when I know I have time to write back and that is exactly what I have been doing. How you kept that a secret is beyond me. It kind of makes me feel like I don't give you kids enough attention. I know Shirley probable feels that way and she may not be to far off track, but I know from here on out you will have my ear. I love you kids more than you will ever know you are my inspiration and you help me get through the really tough days. Marie I hope all is well it sounds like things are working out pretty good with Sam I never doughted it for a minute and I hope you guys continue to have a great time during her stay, she is a great kid as well. Ok I have rambled on for some time now its time for me to hit it, night all
So on a lighter note the Boss and I flew together tonight and we did his APART and for the most part it was an enjoyable flight. I have been so busy lately doing progressions and check rides that I have not had a chance to do many actual mission flights for some time now. Not that I am complaining though most of the mission flights are flying 6 to 8 hours and that sounds like too much work. I am happy logging 2 to 4 hours a night when I fly. The terain around here is pretty like I have said before we are sitting at 6500 feet and the mountains around here are anywhere from 8K to 12K high and we are located in a great big central vally with a mountain ridgeline to our south that stretches for miles. They have been snow capped for most of the time we have been here and they are pretty to look at.
Elli, again I want to thank you for your journal, I have truly enjoyed reading it. I try to only read a page when I know I have time to write back and that is exactly what I have been doing. How you kept that a secret is beyond me. It kind of makes me feel like I don't give you kids enough attention. I know Shirley probable feels that way and she may not be to far off track, but I know from here on out you will have my ear. I love you kids more than you will ever know you are my inspiration and you help me get through the really tough days. Marie I hope all is well it sounds like things are working out pretty good with Sam I never doughted it for a minute and I hope you guys continue to have a great time during her stay, she is a great kid as well. Ok I have rambled on for some time now its time for me to hit it, night all
My birthday
As you can guess my Birthday went pretty well, just got to talk to three of the best kids in this world and they all wished me a happy Birthday so what more can a dad ask for. I told them to go out and celebrate my Birthday for me by going to my favorite Italian restaurant and I think they are going to see Sam at work which is ok too. It's a close second to the best Italian restaurant in town. I think that I am a lucky man to have three great kids that truly know what is important in life and every day that goes bye they continue to impress me with their actions and their strong convictions on what is right, thanks you three. As for me I had a good flight with Dave and I have but three more minutes of my birthday and then it will be the 20th of January. I received a care package from Skyline chilly today and a Birthday card from my sister Sue thanks for both Sue. I will have to send you a picture of the chilly party that I am going to try to throw. I just need to talk to the cooks at the chow hall and see what I can get them to help me with as far as cheese and pasta and onions and what not. As for FOB Wolverine we are still standing tall doing the best we can trying to make our small part of Afghanistan a little safer for the rest of the Afghani's. I hope to get done flying tomorrow early as I can so I can get some dinner before the chow hall closes. It's getting to be a trick these days doing all of these APARTS doing a day out night return takes me right through the dinner time. Tomorrow it's me and the Boss, I am doing the Colonels APART and we will get together around 1300 and do some table talk and then head out to the Aircraft to fly for about 5 hours or so. I hope the weather holds out so we can get him done. Well I think it's getting late so I am going to cut this post short, I hope you all enjoyed my birthday as much as I did and try to remember that life is short, don't sweat the small things that just don't matter. Enjoy the loved ones around you and try to let them know how you feel as often as you can, night all
Saturday, January 19, 2013
30 minutes till I am 47
Well here I am again having a Birthday in a small room in a country no one would ever want to visit let alone stay for nine months. But it's ok, I got this, I do what I have to do so others can live normal lives. I have less than four years till I can retire, then some other guy or gal can spend their Birthday in some remote location that I am sure I will not want to visit either. As for me I was off today and all I had to do was give three pilots briefs to my entire Task Force to bring them up to speed on some of the changes around FOB Wolverine. Tomorrow I fly with one of my good friends Dave Lewis, he and I will do his instrument check ride for his APART. Dave has been at Savannah for some time he is a close friend and its nice to have him here to talk to sometimes. Prior to going to flight school Dave was with the Rangers he is on his fifth deployment second as an Aviator and I am lucky to have him here with me. I know that he and I will be close friends for many many years. One thing you can always count on in the Army is the quality of the people that you will get to know. The friendships and the bonds that you develop as a Soldier with other Soldiers will last a lifetime. I can't really explain some of it but I think a lot of what keeps us together is the fact that we truly understand what's at steak. I fly with Dave on missions over here as his wingman and he flies as mine as well. And there is something to be said for a person that will watch you fly through gunfire to protect troops on the ground and will fly through that same gunfire to cover your break turn to keep you safe. And the crazy thing is I don't even have to ask him to do it.
I am a so slow at typing on this iPad, I will be 47 in two minutes, I am not sure exactly when I was born but its almost midnight. Well now it's midnight so Happy Birthday to me. I hope this year is a good year and that all the people I love continue to be around to enjoy it with me. I miss Marie and the Girls and Robby I am so proud of you and all you have done at school. I always new you had it in you and I know you will get a 4.0 next semester as well. I look forward to FaceTiming with you guys this weekend and I hope that the four of you celebrate my Birthday at my favorite Italian restaurant, and you all know where that is. You guys will have to send me some pictures from those new high speed phones that you all have. Well Elli and Shirley should be getting off the Buss soon so I think I will cut this one short so I can try to FaceTime with them tonight. All my love to everyone on my Birthday, night all
I am a so slow at typing on this iPad, I will be 47 in two minutes, I am not sure exactly when I was born but its almost midnight. Well now it's midnight so Happy Birthday to me. I hope this year is a good year and that all the people I love continue to be around to enjoy it with me. I miss Marie and the Girls and Robby I am so proud of you and all you have done at school. I always new you had it in you and I know you will get a 4.0 next semester as well. I look forward to FaceTiming with you guys this weekend and I hope that the four of you celebrate my Birthday at my favorite Italian restaurant, and you all know where that is. You guys will have to send me some pictures from those new high speed phones that you all have. Well Elli and Shirley should be getting off the Buss soon so I think I will cut this one short so I can try to FaceTime with them tonight. All my love to everyone on my Birthday, night all
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Pretty tired
Well flew three hours, not a long flight but it made me pretty tired. Tomorrow I will be able to take another ambien before I go to bed I am not on the flight schedule Friday but I have to give three pilots briefs. I am doing three to make sure all my pilots are able to get to one and receive the information that I am trying to put out. We have a lot of policy letters coming down from BDE (brigade) than I need to put out. I forward them to my flight operations officer who scans them and put them in my reading card file that I am responsible for but Alex manages for me. Alex is first generation Romanian who came to the US as a teen and he is one of our PI's ( pilot). So anyway even though I am off Friday I will still spend all day at the office doing classes, one at 1100 another at 1500 and then the last one at 1900. It will be a long day but I have to make sure the information gets out. Most of it deals with ROE( rules of engagement) and some with minimum equipment that the aircraft needs to have to take off.
Well I tried to FaceTime with the girls at 3:15 PM and now it's 3:35 PM so I think I will try one more time before I go to bed hope all are well, will write more soon, night all
Well I tried to FaceTime with the girls at 3:15 PM and now it's 3:35 PM so I think I will try one more time before I go to bed hope all are well, will write more soon, night all
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Finally asked the Doc for help
I finally gave up, I don't sleep we'll as most of you know so I finally went to the Doc and asked for some help. The name of my help is ambien and it helps pretty good. Of course I can only take it on nights when I am not flying the next day but none the less it helps me get a restful night sleep. Last night Mike Carman and I did his APART and after we were done we both went to see the Doc. It was about midnight but that did not stop us and the Doc was glad to help us both out. Mike is going to team one tomorrow and he just needed something to help him adjust to his new shift. He will start briefing at 0500 in the morning, ouch. I am on team two for the most part I brief sometime around 1300 or so and my shift ends anywhere between 2300 and 0200. On this shift I have the potential to fly folks daytime and nighttime so it makes it easy to do APARTS and progressions.
There has been lots of rumors as to when this FOB will close, I am not in the rumor business so I stay clear but if we are not here for nine months it sure would not hurt my feelings. We have a Seal team that wants to come here and set up shop since we are in the middle of their area of operation, can't say I blame them I have grown pretty fond of this place. The food is not to bad and the mountains to the south of the FOB are actually quite beautiful to look at. I am on tomorrow to do Ross Small's APART he has all his day task complete so it should beretta quick. I hope to get as many APARTS done as I can. Dave Lewis is coming to team two between Dave and I, I am sure we will be up to date in no time.
I am going to try to FaceTime with the girls here in a little bit I have struck out the last three night in a row. No one answers and I try to call five or six times a night. I hope the iPad is ok, I know Elli is taking good care of it. I also know the girls are back in school and they are all pretty busy, I miss them and I hope they are doing well. The weather here is cold and nasty just like I figured it would be before I even got here. And to make matters worse the burn pit is about a half mile if that from where I live work and sleep. So it always stinks of burning plastic and God knows what else, I am sure we are all breathing so horrible toxins that we will read ten years from now may cause cancer. In fairness to the ARMY they did put the burn pit down wind but it seems that more times than not the wind blows that crap right over us. I will have to do some homework on that one, ill keep you all posted. Well I think it's time to try to call home so I will sign off for now, night all
There has been lots of rumors as to when this FOB will close, I am not in the rumor business so I stay clear but if we are not here for nine months it sure would not hurt my feelings. We have a Seal team that wants to come here and set up shop since we are in the middle of their area of operation, can't say I blame them I have grown pretty fond of this place. The food is not to bad and the mountains to the south of the FOB are actually quite beautiful to look at. I am on tomorrow to do Ross Small's APART he has all his day task complete so it should beretta quick. I hope to get as many APARTS done as I can. Dave Lewis is coming to team two between Dave and I, I am sure we will be up to date in no time.
I am going to try to FaceTime with the girls here in a little bit I have struck out the last three night in a row. No one answers and I try to call five or six times a night. I hope the iPad is ok, I know Elli is taking good care of it. I also know the girls are back in school and they are all pretty busy, I miss them and I hope they are doing well. The weather here is cold and nasty just like I figured it would be before I even got here. And to make matters worse the burn pit is about a half mile if that from where I live work and sleep. So it always stinks of burning plastic and God knows what else, I am sure we are all breathing so horrible toxins that we will read ten years from now may cause cancer. In fairness to the ARMY they did put the burn pit down wind but it seems that more times than not the wind blows that crap right over us. I will have to do some homework on that one, ill keep you all posted. Well I think it's time to try to call home so I will sign off for now, night all
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Trying to stay motivated
Well so far so good, I am trying to stay motivated however it is really tough sometimes. We are being pulled so many different directions and yet we still need to always do the right thing. What makes it so hard sometimes is the simple fact that this country will never change, once we pack up and move out these people we resort to the same barbaric things they have been doing for over a century. It will never end, and as hard as we try to help them out of the stone ages they will fall back to what they know. And that in itself makes me so sad I relate everything to how I would like for these kids to have a chance and no mater how I keep playing it out in my head it always ends the same way. There is no future in this country for anyone the poor will remain poor and the drug-lords will remain in power like the thugs they have been for decades. And when I say drug lords I am not suggesting that they are rolling in the dough because that is not the case. The average Afghani makes two thousand dollars a year but a drug grower might make five thousand dollars a year. As you can see the real money is made on the blood sweat and tears of these peasant opium growers. And they will never get rich off what they grow its is just a little better than the average wage in this country.
I miss Marie and the kids, I am ready to close this chapter and move on. It's hard to try so hard to make a difference when I know in my heart the fight will never be won. With the draw down being played out in the political arena and the end date written in stone by the commander in chief, this fight is over. All I can do at this point is do my best to make sure all of my guys are doing the right things that will keep them out of harms way and get them home.
Eight months to go, unless we get out of here early for some reason and no one really knows what the time frame is for retrograde operations, time will tell. On a positive note I have the best family a man could ever ask for and for that I am truly blessed and thankful. I will be trying to FaceTime with them tonight as soon as I post this so on that note I am out of here, night all
I miss Marie and the kids, I am ready to close this chapter and move on. It's hard to try so hard to make a difference when I know in my heart the fight will never be won. With the draw down being played out in the political arena and the end date written in stone by the commander in chief, this fight is over. All I can do at this point is do my best to make sure all of my guys are doing the right things that will keep them out of harms way and get them home.
Eight months to go, unless we get out of here early for some reason and no one really knows what the time frame is for retrograde operations, time will tell. On a positive note I have the best family a man could ever ask for and for that I am truly blessed and thankful. I will be trying to FaceTime with them tonight as soon as I post this so on that note I am out of here, night all
Friday, January 11, 2013
Long day
Long day going to bed I am on to fly tomorrow too. I hope all are safe and sound at home I miss you guys and I wish I could be there. I will be off shift day after tomorrow and I hope to face time with Marie and the kids on Saturday, night all
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Keeping Busy
Well I do my best to keep busy around this place most of the time. I fly I work I do paperwork till my eyes bleed I eat and I sleep then I start the process all over again, its a never ending vicious cycle. As most of you know from the last time I was here this is not the fighting season it is to cold for fighting, snow and sandals just do not mix. This gives us a great opportunity to train our guys and get them ready for the fighting season which historical starts about March April time frame. Flying in the mountains can be a wonderful thing the scenery is breath taking and the snow capped mountains really are something to see. We have no idea what this spring will deliver to us rumor has it they know we are leaving and some think they do not want to provoke us into spending any additional time in their country, again time will tell. i try to keep up with the news back in the states as best I can, its hard with the slow Internet we have but I do the best I can.
I got to face time with Marie and the kids the other night, and when I say kids I am including Sam Smith, she came down for a extended visit to spend some time with Marie and the girls. I am sure it will be nice to have her there and I hope they all have a great time. Sam, welcome and stay as long as you like.
I will try to put some pictures up tonight but I will have to shrink them so it doesn't take all night again I hope all is well and I will write more soon, night all
I got to face time with Marie and the kids the other night, and when I say kids I am including Sam Smith, she came down for a extended visit to spend some time with Marie and the girls. I am sure it will be nice to have her there and I hope they all have a great time. Sam, welcome and stay as long as you like.
I will try to put some pictures up tonight but I will have to shrink them so it doesn't take all night again I hope all is well and I will write more soon, night all
Sunday, January 6, 2013
TOA Complete
Well we officially took over all responsibilities of our FOB today. Task Force Viper is in the house. I was off shift today and I spent most of my day doing all the paperwork that is required for us to run operations on our own. I spent most of my time running all around the FOB making sure everything was in order and all the "T" are crossed and the i's are dotted. I did find a little time tonight to sit in my room and watch a movie called Hope~Springs. it was a cute moving except for it Kept restarting like 45 times because it was a poor copy I picked up in our office that one of the Hawaii guys must have bought from the Bazaar. None the less it made me think of home and lots of other things as well. Tomorrow I am on the schedule to fly one of our new Captains and give him a PIC eval, we need more Pilots In Command to help with the work load. I have flown with him a few times and for the most part I think he is more than ready. We are being told that we might me closing FOB Wolverine and going somewhere else at a time to still be determined. Nothing like unpacking all of my stuff trying to make this place more like home just to have to pack everything up in a couple or a few or 5-6 months or who knows when just to move to some other God forsaken place over here. I try to stay positive and I try to set a positive example for all my new guys but it is hard sometimes. But I know that negativity spreads like cancer and it does no one any good so I have to stay positive to help keep people up beat and on track.
I have been reading a page from Elli's journal every night when I know I have time to sit here and think about my day and write her back on the back page of the one I read. She has no idea what that journal has done for my morale she truly is a little saint. And speaking of saints Shirley and her video that I have now watched over 10 times is a blessing as well. Thanks girls I love you so much....
Well like I said we are now in charge of FOB Wolverine all the Hawaii guys are gone and we control everything that goes on on this FOB right wrong or indifferent. We will make a difference however the rules have changed and our mission is so much different than last time. We will do our jobs to the best of our abilities and we will protect the ground units that we support to the full extent of our capabilities.
I have been taking my share of pictures but you all know the deal the pictures are large and the internet is crappy so it will take forever to put pictures up but I will shrink some and try to put some up of this area soon. At least the internet is working with FaceTime and I have been getting the chance to FaceTime with Marie and the kids pretty often I am happy for that. Speaking of FaceTime I think that is what is next on my agenda for tonight. I hope all are doing well and I hope to catch up with all of you soon. Now that I am secure I can write a little more freely and if any of you know anyone that can't log on please tell them to shoot me an e-mail so I can add them to my approved list, night all
I have been reading a page from Elli's journal every night when I know I have time to sit here and think about my day and write her back on the back page of the one I read. She has no idea what that journal has done for my morale she truly is a little saint. And speaking of saints Shirley and her video that I have now watched over 10 times is a blessing as well. Thanks girls I love you so much....
Well like I said we are now in charge of FOB Wolverine all the Hawaii guys are gone and we control everything that goes on on this FOB right wrong or indifferent. We will make a difference however the rules have changed and our mission is so much different than last time. We will do our jobs to the best of our abilities and we will protect the ground units that we support to the full extent of our capabilities.
I have been taking my share of pictures but you all know the deal the pictures are large and the internet is crappy so it will take forever to put pictures up but I will shrink some and try to put some up of this area soon. At least the internet is working with FaceTime and I have been getting the chance to FaceTime with Marie and the kids pretty often I am happy for that. Speaking of FaceTime I think that is what is next on my agenda for tonight. I hope all are doing well and I hope to catch up with all of you soon. Now that I am secure I can write a little more freely and if any of you know anyone that can't log on please tell them to shoot me an e-mail so I can add them to my approved list, night all
Friday, January 4, 2013
The new year
Well it's 2013 and for the most part not much has changed, I still work 7 days a week and fly 5 or 6. This place has changed so much from the last time I was here we are definitely shutting this place down and trying to prepare the Afghanies for what challenges they will face. As for FOB Wolverine we will be moving to a new location is this same province so we can still cover our same mission set just a downsized footprint. We will probably be sending our small gunship the OH-58 home early along with some of our UH-60s our new footprint will be much smaller. As for me and our Apaches we will be here till the end of our tour along with our CH-47s. They will keep the work horse aircraft till the end of the deployment, lucky us... I am not bitter though I am happy for the guys that will be able to go home early I think we are all ready to go home from this place though. I can never in a million years ever see this place as a place that I will ever be able to come to just to visit. We had a long conversation about that in the chow hall tonight, I wonder if anyone ever thought that people would ever go to Germany while the war was going on, or perhaps Japan? And now look at those countries, but I can never see this country being a place safe enough to ever come too.
On a sadder note one of our Soldiers tried to take his own life last night, he received bad news from home and and it was more than I guess he could deal with. I feel sorry for him I know how hard it is sometimes to deal with all that goes on over here and as much as you try to explain it to people you just can't get the point across. The night before last we had another Soldier injured from a rocket in one of our 58s they were doing a firing voltage check and one of the rockets went off with him directly behind it. The thrust from the rocket burned through four layers of his clothing to his chest where he received third degree burns to 40% of his chest and neck. The flew him out of here to a trauma unit near here and he is now in route to Germany. He is still in critical condition with a shattered kidney and some other damaged organs as well. The rocket flew about twenty feet in front of the aircraft impacted a hesco barrier which is nothing more than a five foot by five foot basket that we fill with gravel and sand. The rocket had a ten pound war head that blew up inside the hesco which absorbed all the blast. I pray he recovers and I pray that they are able to save his kidney. In my mind there is nothing over here worth putting any more of these young kids lives in harms way, he was a private trying to do the right thing and he had an accident and now his life will never be the same. He will have to have skin grafts to most of his chest and neck and he will never forget this place and he was only here for three weeks. I am glad that at least he will be able to go home and be near his new wife and child while he recovers.
I am the oldest Soldier in TF Viper, I try to do my part to keep things up beat and to give direction and motivation to all the Soldiers in this Task Force. I try to talk to as many folks as I can every day in my day to day routine. Most of the folks in this Task Force could be my kids more than half are twenty years old or less. Everyone here knows that I have one job and one concern, not how many hours we fly, not how many missions we support and not how many enemy we remove from the battle field. My job and my primary focus is to get all of us home safe, I could give two shits about place, we have been trying for ten years to make a difference over here and these people just can't seem to grasp the basic concept of freedom. All they have ever known is war and fighting, they have been fighting for generations it's all they know. I do truly feel sorry for them as a people I would love for their children to have the opportunities that my children will have but I feel even if we stayed here for another thirty years it would still not be enough time.
Wow I got a little long winded tonight, I got to FaceTime with the kids and my mind has just been racing tonight. But it is now one in the morning and I need to get some sleep. I will write again soon till then, night all
On a sadder note one of our Soldiers tried to take his own life last night, he received bad news from home and and it was more than I guess he could deal with. I feel sorry for him I know how hard it is sometimes to deal with all that goes on over here and as much as you try to explain it to people you just can't get the point across. The night before last we had another Soldier injured from a rocket in one of our 58s they were doing a firing voltage check and one of the rockets went off with him directly behind it. The thrust from the rocket burned through four layers of his clothing to his chest where he received third degree burns to 40% of his chest and neck. The flew him out of here to a trauma unit near here and he is now in route to Germany. He is still in critical condition with a shattered kidney and some other damaged organs as well. The rocket flew about twenty feet in front of the aircraft impacted a hesco barrier which is nothing more than a five foot by five foot basket that we fill with gravel and sand. The rocket had a ten pound war head that blew up inside the hesco which absorbed all the blast. I pray he recovers and I pray that they are able to save his kidney. In my mind there is nothing over here worth putting any more of these young kids lives in harms way, he was a private trying to do the right thing and he had an accident and now his life will never be the same. He will have to have skin grafts to most of his chest and neck and he will never forget this place and he was only here for three weeks. I am glad that at least he will be able to go home and be near his new wife and child while he recovers.
I am the oldest Soldier in TF Viper, I try to do my part to keep things up beat and to give direction and motivation to all the Soldiers in this Task Force. I try to talk to as many folks as I can every day in my day to day routine. Most of the folks in this Task Force could be my kids more than half are twenty years old or less. Everyone here knows that I have one job and one concern, not how many hours we fly, not how many missions we support and not how many enemy we remove from the battle field. My job and my primary focus is to get all of us home safe, I could give two shits about place, we have been trying for ten years to make a difference over here and these people just can't seem to grasp the basic concept of freedom. All they have ever known is war and fighting, they have been fighting for generations it's all they know. I do truly feel sorry for them as a people I would love for their children to have the opportunities that my children will have but I feel even if we stayed here for another thirty years it would still not be enough time.
Wow I got a little long winded tonight, I got to FaceTime with the kids and my mind has just been racing tonight. But it is now one in the morning and I need to get some sleep. I will write again soon till then, night all
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