From Bahrain, that is… Last post I was talking about settling in, and first thing Sunday morning (our Monday) I was shown a list that had me (along with some friends) re-assigned to Afghanistan. Needless to say, that was a bit disconcerting… For the next 36 hours, I planned my move, figured out what I would have to ship home (pretty much everything I have bought in the last three weeks), and did some research on the SIPRnet (classified version of the internet…) and figured out who I would be working for, etc. Biggest downer, MUCH bigger than the loss of creature comforts, would be working on a frigging Army staff for Army weenies. As I have stated before – nothing against the people, I just loathe the way the Army works. Best way to describe it – imagine being a senior in college and suddenly you transfer to a new college and everyone is treated like a second grader. (If you grow up with it, it is normal, I guess…) The teachers are not bad, but there are just stupid rules. One example from Ft Jackson (though I could list MANY) – one morning we were in training (a day of Power Points, indoors) and the usual containers of coffee were not there. I asked where they were, and the Army response: ‘it’s going to be hot today – don’t want you drinking coffee because you might dehydrate’. Seriously… sitting indoors, in an air conditioned classroom. However, since the instructor was about an hour late (more great Army planning) I managed to go to the chow hall to get some. And, later in the day, common sense did prevail and coffee was restored.
OK – to close the story - so I was pretty much resigned to go when I received a call COB on Monday and the orders were cancelled and I am staying here. As it turns out, we were supposed to be grabbed BEFORE we left Ft Jackson, so I should be in Kabul right now. However, the request was lost in the shuffle, and the list I was shown was the re-request. Sometimes red tape is a good thing. Or, as Bill Adama would say, sometimes you gotta roll the hard six…
Will have some more stories in the next few weeks as the job continues… One very minor bit of interest, saw Christian Slater, Kal Penn, and two there dudes at the ‘Freedom Souq’ this week – there on a USO tour, signing autographs. Not Megan Fox, Anne Hathaway, or even Marisa Tomei. War is hell…
Meanwhile, something I have not really talked about – how is the family doing? Generally fine is the answer. I think the kids, like their parents (esp. the father) are genetically introverted, though the boys have been riding their bikes like crazy with their neighborhood friends. The girls are fine as well. I Skype home (video call) a couple times a week, but the only one who really enjoys that is Mackenzie, the soon to be 3 year old. Other than that, I Skype phone home (call the land line or cell phones) – was paying 2 cents a minute, now signed up for $53 for an entire year to call any line in the states, pretty much unlimited. That, plus my local cell phone (6 cents a minute to call home) and I pretty much can call home whenever I want, as much as I want. I called too much at first, to be honest – it was so easy - but we have started to work a routine.
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