"Indecision Makers" and "Karaoke Night"

18 Sep

A visit from Gen Helmick...LTC Pederson got a coin from him in recognition of all of his hard work

I am a very religious person.   I believe in latter-day prophets, I have a strong belief in God and how he has a plan for my family and me, and I believe in modern day revelation; what I don't believe in are the strategic decision makers, or what I would like to call them...the "indecision makers." Our situation can be compared to the following scenario: You are getting ready to move in a couple of weeks, the Household Goods movers are coming in the next couple of days.  Out of nowhere you get a call from your relatives...apparently they want to come and see you. and
they are bringing all of their essentials with them as well.  

So, what do you do?  You move the stuff that you need plus their stuff into the pool house so the movers can come get your stuff.  Ultimately, you are trying to get out of there, but the forces that be keep putting sending in more stuff." just in case."  

I am sure that you guys get my drift, and without getting into the "secret squirrel" stuff, that is basically what is going on.  It is a little frustrating, especially when we are trying to put in motion our most efficient processes...sometimes I think it is all for naught.
    Happy Birthday US Air Force!  Kudos to all of those who ran in the Marathon/Half-Marathon yesterday.  My plan is to try and run 10 miles or so on Mon; I know it is not a half, but hey!  I am in the desert and deployed so there!  Being assigned with the Army makes me really appreciate the Air Force.  Don't get me wrong, the Air Force isn't perfect, but I prefer the AF way of doing business over the Army any day of the week. 

                                             24 Sep

CPT Rodgers doing his Phil Collins thang!!

                So, in honor of the Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal on Thursday, I participated in Karaoke Night at Al Asad.  I figured, "now my co-workers can't beat me up and I can finally come out of the [Karaoke/Musical Theater] closet."  There is actually some background to the reason why I went to Karaoke night.  Our Director likes to task Maj Awtrey with all sorts of absurd tasks: from coming up with ridiculous powerpoint slides to make fun of our previous J4 Deputy, to creating T-shirts that revolve around inside jokes that no one else would get.  This week, he wanted Maj Awtrey to take the song "Imagine" by John Lennon and change the lyrics to make it about Iraq Retrograde (AKA getting out of Iraq).  Maj Awtrey is very creative and he came up with new lyrics in about 30 min.  I looked over it and I jokingly commented, "we should perform this at Karaoke Night and dedicate it to Col Kramer (our Director)."  Well, the seed was planted and I decided to go through with it. I was a little worried though, because I had never done the karaoke version and we were wondering if it would fit.  To my surprise it fit perfectly and the audience loved it!  

          The MWR guys want me to come back next week and do it again at the Al Asad Karaoke Competition.  I will also say that there were about 30 people there and we had a blast!!  That was probably the most fun I have had since I have been here; everyone (of all different ranges of talent) got up there and just had fun.
         One of our IT guys decided to put the video of it on the shared drive, and Maj Awtrey (graciously) sent out the link to everyone in the J4, so everyone was razzing me yesterday about it.  At the same time, they thought it was really cool and brave that I got up there and performed that version.  Col Kramer actually gave me a "kudos" today. 

It's like B"Dubs" (Buffalo Wild Wings) at the Weekly "Ghetto Canal College Football Meatsapalooza"

"AAFES Conspiracy" and "9/11"

5 Sep 11

So, I have a huge conspiracy theory in the works in regards to the Army and Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES) Company.  See, everything from the Burger King to the Chaffa DVD store is a cash cow for AAFES.  In Afghanistan, even the Bazaar was an AAFES money maker.  Today, I purchased meat for our BBQ on Saturday.  On the price tag it had the price of the meat, but then on a separate sticker it had a higher price...guess which amount I paid??  

Something as wrong as pirated DVD movies/TV shows in the States is okay here, because AAFES provides the "top cover."  In the PX/BX.(whatever you want to call it).there are magazines that are borderline "pornographic" material, but it's okay because AAFES sells it.  We have a General Order that prohibits that type of material in the AOR, but if AAFES sells it, well then, it's okay.  I think sometimes they don't allow stuff like that in the AOR, because it then forces out-of-touch, "sexually deprived" soldiers, airmen, marines, etc. to purchase the items at the BX/PX, you should see the crowd that congregates around the magazine racks.

It's Football time!!!

It's September and that means Football is right around the corner.  I am getting ready to be a part of two Fantasy Football leagues, which will be a little difficult, because I can't do any live drafts because of the "awesome" internet that I have.  For our league at work, we have to do a manual draft, so I have to create a list of potential players...we will see how it goes.  Gretchen and I will also play in our league from last year.  I haven't seen anything from the Orions though...I thought Eddie Pineda was going to organize something??  Oh well, having the football season (both college and NFL) really help the weeks go by quick. I continue to see news coverage on the hurricanes and now the fires in Texas.  There is some crazy stuff going on in the world right now.  I pray that everyone is okay and that these events will pass without causing too much damage/injury.

 11 Sep

Today was the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, and thankfully it was uneventful here.  Although it was a Sunday, we were still doing the same old, same old...briefing slides, going to meetings, etc.  With it being Sunday, I did only have to work half the day, which that was nice.  10 years ago I was in the jungles of Guatemala residing in a small town called Tiquisate.  It was mail day and I remember the missionaries that were picking up the mail knocking on our door, saying that the Two Towers had fallen.  At first I thought he was talking about the twin water towers 

"Twin Towers" in Tiquisate, Guat

("Las Torres Gemelas") that were close to our neighborhood, and I thought at the time that surely we would have heard that.  Then it dawned on me...he was talking about the towers in the United States.  Granted, I was not afforded the continuous updates and horrific scenes broadcasted over TV, radio, newspaper, etc, and I felt in the dark as far as knowing the status of family, friends, etc.  It was terrifying in the fact that I did not know what was going on in my country, and I knew in that moment that my service to God would quickly transition to service to my country.

Here we are 10 years later and I am at the heart of one of the largest military operations in history.  I am truly grateful for those that sacrificed their lives 10 years ago, but I don't want to forget those that have taken the fight to the enemy and have made the sacrifices that make our country stronger and more resilient to things like 9/11.  

Part of our 9/11 activities was having our weekly "Ghetto Canal Saturday Night Football Meatapalooza," where we grilled some burgers, steaks, brats, and watched some good 'ol college football.  The main game we were watching was Auburn vs. Mississippi State.  When we started this thing, it was Maj Awtrey and me taking the idea from one that we attended at VBC on Sunday nights.  We had a showing of 20+ people, which is really cool, because we have folks from different shops and it allows us to network and get to know people better.  It makes for a nice milestone amongst all of the Groundhog Days.

The "Finer Things" in the Deployment Life

"Abraham's Oasis" and "Survivors of EDSB"

28 Aug 11

           

We have had a lot of "BAD IDEA" fairies lately...it is nice that a "GOOD IDEA" one comes along every so often...

            As we draw closer to Sept, it seems that I just get busier and busier.  We found out today that starting the beginning of September we would go to nightly briefs again.  So, I need to take advantage of those nights that I don’t have the brief.  In honor of the nightly Equipment Drawdown Synchronization Board (EDSB), I have made a Facebook  fan page called “Survivors of EDSB.”  I truly believe that those who have to endure this daily brief until “who knows when” should be named the Survivors of EDSB.

 

           

Today I had the opportunity of going to see Abraham’s well or oasis, which according to folklore, it was used by Abraham as a rest stop between his journeys from Ur (Basrah) up to Canaan.  It makes sense because it is very close to the Euphrates river, and Abraham most likely would have followed the river to have the resources available in the desert.  It is a small pond that is surrounded by an Iraqi military base, a small village, a soccer field (with real grass) and a gazebo that is off-limits to U.S. personnel.  They consider the ground (grass) around the oasis as sacred ground, so they asked that we not step on it.  It was pretty cool getting outside the base and seeing something that not many folks get to see.

This is where Abraham got his "fut" on while the camels were hydrating

Right before I ran through the electro-shock at the Tough Mudder

            In church this evening, I had the opportunity of giving a talk on “Enduring to the End.”  I mentioned the Tough Mudder experience and how we have to go through some hard times, but at the end of the finish line are blessings that we have waiting.  For me, seeing Gretchen and Elise after that 13 mile course was one of the best feelings in the world.  I understand that tough times are ahead, but having the means to endure through those times makes it all worth it.

1 Sep 11

            I had quite a surprise today.  During our afternoon staff meeting, I was presented a Joint Service Achievement Medal (JSAM), for the work I did throughout the month of June.  My boss LTC Pederson put me up for the award.  This was the same award I got for 6 months of work in Afghanistan.  I told Gretchen that I am very fortunate to have good leadership here.  See, most people expect an award at the end of their tour, and for the most part, if you show up to work during your time deployed, you will automatically get an award based off your rank.  To take the time and recognize performance and give credit where credit is due, now that is true LEADERSHIP.

            Tomorrow is when we start up the nightly briefs again.  This means two things: 1) my life is going to get really busy and somewhat stressful and 2) time is going to go by really fast.  I find it interesting that shortly after I had prepared my talk on Enduring to the End, I got the announcement of the Return of the Nightly EDSB.  I will truly have to take some of the points that I had talked about and apply them to my experience.  I hear from Gretchen that Elise is growing daily and being cute as ever.  I do miss both of them a lot, but I also know that there is a reason why I am here.  With our daily discussions on Skype, Gretchen and I have some big decisions to make in the near future.  I appreciate the prayers and concerns that are offered to my family and me.  I also appreciate the service that has been rendered and offered to help out Gretchen and Elise.