Off To The Desert: Day Two

13 NOV 2009
DAY TWO: Friday the 13th!!!!! Nice day to fly to Europe, huh? So I got to sleep in a bit this morning. They put us up in these transition rooms/barracks last night here at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Our next hit time isn't for awhile, so we had plenty of time to rest up and sleep in. By the time I hit the sack last night, it was 1 a.m. So I slept hard until about nine. Since then, I've come over to the Dunkin Donuts with another NCO and our commanding officer for some hot coffee, warm donuts and free Wi-Fi.

We’re about to head out of here, so I need to post this soon. I’ve used the time typing out my journal entries from yesterday. More Soldiers from our team have started showing up, but we're about to take off. I promise to write more later. I got a lot of ocean to put pen to paper before we see Germany. I'm hoping we'll find some internet once we're there so I can post what I got.


STILL DAY TWO: So here we sit. It's the famous Army game of "Hurry Up and Wait." And we're all pros. We've been told our flight isn't for a few hours, so we've all kinda camped out here in the air terminal on base. There's free Wi-Fi, thanks to the USO, and just enough outlets for those of us trying to suck up as much internet as we can before we take to the skies.

We did learn, however, that you cannot move the furniture and situate it so you can actually have a comfortable seat while you surf the web. (All the outlets are of course against the wall, where conveniently, there are no seats.) We were swarmed by four senior Airmen with pistol belts, who heatedly suggested we move the chairs and table quickly back to where they came from.

They then so politely pointed out that there were signs telling us that we weren’t allowed to move the furniture. (Too bad the "one" sign that said that was clear across the terminal. It might have saved the armed Airmen from having to come save the day.) Oh well. Chairs back, table back. Everyone's happy. No one got arrested. Too bad my butt's cold and sore from the floor now. But I guess it's just preppin' me for the long flight to Germany.

I'm currently jamming to a great play list on my iTunes that Jenny sent me. While she was in Iraq, she collected a great mix of CD's over the year. Before she came back she sent them home to me, with one stipulation, I had to download them to my computer and give them to her twin sister, Jessy, passing the love of great punk rock and emo to another music lover. Twenty-five albums later, my iTunes has never sounded better. It's amazing how music can help you get through anything. Without it, I would most likely be lost.


So I sit here enjoying Jenny's great taste in music and quietly observe the large array of Soldiers that are filtering through this small terminal. Many are coming home from their different tours throughout the Middle East. Some are here on medical boards, waiting to go here or there for appointments, telling them if they're still fit for duty or not. But then there are those like us; sitting around anticipating their year-long tour coming their way. But the only thing I'm anticipating right now is a warmer ass; this stone floor is nothing but ice to the cheeks. Write more later. Gonna go wake up the buttocks.

Off To The Desert: Day One

12 NOV 2009
DAY ONE: So I’m at the flight line at Fort Hood, TX. They’ve just started loading the trucks on the plane. It’ll be a few hours before we’re set for wheels-up. Just before I got on the van to come out here, I spent a little time with my best friend, Jenny. She just got back to the states last week. With an Iraq deployment under her belt, she found herself attaching a 3-point sling to my M16. Clueless was I. Whether its ten minutes or ten hours, we’ve always made the most of our time together.

I was pretty fortunate to have my deployment delayed a week. If we had left on time, I wouldn’t have got the chance to see her. Crazy how things work out. It was tough saying good bye, but not as tough as I thought it would be. I'm not going to lie. I did have a cry or two earlier in the week, but for some reason, when it was time to actually take my rifle and say good bye, I was ready. And I felt stronger than I had in a long time. Strong enough for a year in the desert. I know Jenny has a lot to do with that. The advice and words of wisdom she’s passed on has been more that a battle could have asked for.

So now I sit here, waiting patiently for the order to load up, and I filter through my thoughts. Part of me can’t believe that this day has come already. I’ve been looking forward to deploying since the 22nd of March, 2005, the day I enlisted. Now four years, seven months and two weeks later, I’m finally off to the desert. Now some might ask, “Why do you want to go so bad?” It’s not that I’m desperate to go. It’s just that I joined to make a difference. And after watching battles sent two, sometimes three, times to the desert, leaving friends and family behind, I can’t help but feel a sense of duty. Most things in this world aren’t fair, I understand that, but it’s just not right that some Soldiers have been sent down range more than once. And then there are others who have yet to go, and most of them have more time and service than the ones with multiple combat patches. So if by sending me, and Uncle Sam can keep a desert weary Soldier home, than I say, send me. Then there’s the teacher in me. One of the main reasons why I joined the Army was to get a good background and knowledge base of this war and bring back what I gain from my worldly travels to the classroom. The best teachers are those with experience. What better way to become a great history/social studies teacher than to go out and experience what’s happening in the world. So I say again, send me.

STILL DAY ONE: Wheels up baby! So I’m about twenty minutes into the flight and I have to say it: I freakin’ love my job! We’re on a C17, an Air Force plane that can hold vehicles and troops. We’re currently sitting in jump seats that attach to the walls. Seven of us Soldiers and some trucks. There’s one little window in the door, but besides that, it’s like sitting in a really loud garage. Thank God for ear plugs. Four hours ‘til New Jersey and then we’ll have an over-night lay-over at Fort Dix. Then it’s off to Germany we go, so we’ve been told. Flying by the seat of our pants, so to say. No pun intended.