28 Aug 11
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| 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.
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| This is where Abraham got his "fut" on while the camels were hydrating |
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| 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.
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