Good Day, Bad Day

I don't know exactly where to start with this blog post.  The past two days have been good and bad. 

On the good side, yesterday I got to see Karl Malone, my all-time favorite basketball player.  He, Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) and David Blaine (Magician) came to Bagram with the USO.  They were here for one night to do a meet and greet.  My battle buddy, Dan, and I got to the MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) tent an hour before they were supposed to get there, and already the line was at least a mile long!  I was not to be deterred though, so I persuaded Dan to stand in line with me.  I mean, we are in Afghanistan, what else were we going to do?

Finally, after waiting almost 2 hours, we made it to the front of the line!  By that time they were only allowing group pictures, but Dan told me to give him my camera and we would sneak a personal picture (actually everyone was doing the same thing!) He had so much fun laughing at me.  He said I was just like a little kid waiting for Santa!  When we finished our group picture, before leaving, I turned and said, "Mailman, will you take a picture with me?"  Definately a great evening for me!

Today, was a much different day.  This afternoon, I attended a Ramp Ceremony for two fallen Heros.  A Ramp Ceremony is conducted when fallen Soldiers are loaded onto the airplane for their final trip home.  The ceremony today was for an American Soldier and a Polish Soldier who were killed this week by an IED (improvised explosive device or roadside bomb).  It was a truly a sombering event.  Something I cannot even begin to explain.  Their flag-drapped caskets were carried by their fellow Soldiers to the plane as everyone standing on the flight line saluted.  I kept thinking about their families and what they must be feeling.  I am thankful for their bravery and for their sacrifice.  There will be another one in a few days.  Unfortunately, they happen pretty regularly around here.  I am going to try to attend every one that I can.  It's the least I can do for what those Soldiers have done for me, and not just for my country, but for every country that loves life and freedom.

This is what a ramp ceremony looks like.

My day ended the best way possible.  I was finally able to talk to my babies over Skype video chat.  The video wasn't perfect, but I could see their little faces and hear the little voices.  Luke fussed at me for being on my trip for so long, but Ella just kept giggling.  I sure miss them.  They both kept giving me kisses on the screen.  I am so blessed.

If you see my babies, give them big hugs for me!

Get Pumped!

My goal for this deployment is to return fitter and healthier than when I left.  Many may not think it, but I am actually on the verge of being overweight (by Army standards), and believe me, that is not a place you want to be!  Anyway, I do have a few leftover pounds from Luke and Ella (ok, from college, law school, tailgating, general laziness, and Luke and Ella...) that I would like to get rid of, so I figured this year would be a perfect opportunity to get in shape since downrange people have very little time to do much else other than work, eat, work, sleep, and work, and working out is kind of a requirement (at least enough to stay within weight standards and to pass the PT test).  So far I have been doing very well on my goal of working out every day.  I alternate days between running, lifting weights, and yoga; there are actually several workout classes at various times during the day and night that I can participate in (when you're working 12 hour days, you can pick your time to workout within that time!)  I was even successful in doing 3 miles on the eliptical trainer (which is the bane of my existance, by the way!)  I haven't found a workout partner yet, but I'm still looking.  I am the only female in the office I am working in, so none of the guys have taken me up on Yoga yet, although half the class is guys!

Another goal that I have had for a while is to try to compete in the Army 10-miler in Washington, DC.  The Army 10-miler is held every year in October.  Thousands and thousands of people run every year.  In fact, registration opens in March, and it is usually sold out within the first day or so!  I have never been a good runner.  I have bad running form, high arches, and I get shin splints and stress fractures.  I have, however, always wanted to enjoy running.  I love the feeling that you get after you've finished a good run (once the general pain and misery subside!).  Therefore, this year I am going to run a few shorter road races (5k, 10k) in hopes of eventually working up to running the Army 10-miler in October 2012.  They actually have an Army 10-miler, Afghanistan, the same day as the actual Army 10-miler, but I don't believe I'll be quite ready by this October.  Instead I'll just cheer on my co-workers who are going to run, keep training and be ready to register next spring!

If you see my kiddos, give them big hugs for me!

Pictures!

As promised!  The reason I didn't post them right away was because I forgot to pack my card reader so I could get the pics from my camera to my computer (thanks Momma for sending it to me!)

Here's a picture of the day I left with all of my bags that I had to carry.  I put pink tape around them thinking that they would be easier to identify amongst a sea of green Army duffle bags because no one's gonna have pink, right?  Wrong!  Lucky for me I also put a big pink "A" on the bottom!

That morning as I was getting ready to leave, Ella sat down in my ruck sack and attempted to buckle herself in.  I guess she wanted me to take her with me.  Believe me, if I could have, I definately would!!

We decided to say our goodbyes to the kids at my cousin's house rather than have them come to post with us.  We figured it would be easier on them because they would be more distracted and it wouldn't upset them as much.  This is Luke giving me his "goodbye sugars" so he can get back to watching his cartoons!  I wonder if he knows I'm gone yet?! :)

Here's me an my "Battle Buddy" on the plane from Kuwait to Afghanistan.  It had been a very long couple of days!  We left Georgia on Friday, got to Kuwait at 1155 pm on Saturday and got to Afghanistan at 400 am on Monday!  Thank goodness for Dramamine/Tylenol PM!

Another picture of me and Scott on the C-17 enroute to Afghanistan.  In the very front of the plane there is a section that looks like a regular airplane.  In front of us our the oxygen tank that we would breathe from should the airplane loose pressure (think the little face masks that come from the ceiling!)  The funniest site was the no smoking sign and the fasten seatbelt signs (you can't see them!)

When we got to Afghanistan we had to don our Kevlar helmets and Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV) for the walk across the tarmac.  Scott was mad because mine weighed less than his did (but what would you expect from an XS compared to an XL?! (my helmet IS bigger than is though!)

Home Sweet Home!  I used the cards I found hidden in my backpack to start decorating my room!

My room is #7.  There are 8 rooms in my beehut.  You can see the hall to the outside door.  Cozy!

Outside the base is a beautiful mountain range.  Sometimes you can see it and sometimes you can't.  Right now we are in the period of the year they call the 120 days of wind.  Almost every afternoon the wind begins to blow which causes the dust to fill the air.  Most of these days you can't see the mountains because they are blocked by the cloud of dust that fills the air.  It took me 3 days before the sky was clear enough to even know there were mountains there.  I was amazed the first time I saw them.  Now I look for the mountains every day.  They really are a nice sight.

On the Job

So, yesterday was my first "official" day of work.  I am working in the Counter-Corruption Prosecution Cell.  That's pretty much a fancy way of saying I assist in removing corrupt government actors and, if the government of Afghanistan decides that they need to be prosecuted, we assist with that.  A lot of what we are doing we allow the people of Afghanistan handle.  We are merely advisors.  The idea is that it is their country so we should let them take the lead in building it.  It seems like it's going to be a pretty interesting job.  Yesterday and today, though I spent most of the day reading about the legal system of Afghanistan and trying to learn as much as I can about what is going to be expected of me.  Hopefully I will be able to make a differnce in the lives of the people here.

It seems like my basic day is going to consist of getting up, going to breakfast at the DFAC (dining facility/chow hall), getting to work around 830, lunch around 1230, PT (physical training) around 6 and off work arount 830 again.  We work everyday of the week (including weekends), but get to come in only 1/2 day on Sunday.  The people I work with are great.  There are three other attorneys, a few civilian law enforcement professionals (LEPs) and a few civilian contractors.  I was actually amazed at the number of civilians that are working over here.  I am pretty sure they out number the military personnel!  My office is pretty small.  There are about 8 of us in a conex (think the back of a tractor trailer) which has been made into an office.  It's pretty close quarters, but the group seems fun.

The past few days the wind has been blowing like crazy.  I'm talking hurricane force winds!  It blows the sand all around and make the air very hazy.  We have to wear eye protection at all times.  There is a beautiful mountain range all around our base, but I didn't notice it until about 4 days after I got here because the sand in the air is so thick that you can't see that far in the distance.

I'll post photos soon!

Let the Adventure Begin!

I am going to try to do this blog thing so everyone (who is interested) can see what is going on with me.  I will do my best to update as often as possible, but since I don't really know how exciting my job is going to be and I know that most people don't want to read about going to work, going to PT, going to chow, going to bed, over and over, I will do my best to keep it interesting.

If you're reading this, you are probably well aware that I am deployed to Afghanistan.  I was given orders to deploy in February, so this has been quite a long time coming.  I must say I am glad that it has finally started.  The buildup is quite a bit to deal with.



My "adventure"/"vacation in the mountains" actually started on 2 July 2011 when I arrived at Fort Benning, Georgia to go through predeployment processing at the Conus Replacement Center (CRC).  This week long process was basically to ensure that we were administratively and medically prepared to deploy.  Fortunately for me I received all of my vaccinations while at Fort Hood, well before arriving at CRC.  My small pox injection was still pretty yucky, but much better than it started out.  In addition to processing we also had to make sure that we received necessary training before arriving at our deployment location.  This pretty much meant standing out in the Georgia heat practicing our sweating!  Overall the process went extremely smooth and not too much time was wasted.  Scott went through CRC and deployed the same time I did, so I had an instant "Battle Buddy," which made the trip/experience so much better.  He made a wonderful "tour guide" for my first deployment.



The best part about going to Fort Benning was that I got to stay with my awesome cousin, Drill Sergeant (SSG) Josh Carrigg.  It was wonderful to get to visit with him, and I was am so thankful that he allowed Scott, Mom, Luke and Ella (my babies) and Ethan and Erica (my niece and nephew) and I to stay there with him and his family.  I'm not sure what I would have done had I not had a seasoned 11B (Infantryman) to show me how to properly pack my duffles and ruck for deployment and to set up all of my gear!  Aunt Dawn, Shila, Felicity and Conor even surprised us, which added to the fun!  Of course, I fell in love with Conor all over again.  He is the sweetest, little guy in the world, and has come so far since the last time I saw him, three years ago.  I sure hope he and his mommy consider surprising me again when I get home!! :)



We left Fort Benning, enroute to Afghanistan on Friday, 8 July 2011.  The hardest thing I have ever done is to hug my bitties before leaving.  I kept thinking about how much they are going to grow and change over the next year and how amazing it would be to be able to watch every moment, but I know that they are in good hands and will be well taken care of (and thoroughly spoiled) while I'm gone.  I am truly lucky to have such amazing family to step in and take care of my babies!



On our trip to Afghanistan we stopped off in Germany and Kuwait.  Germany was just like I remembered it and a nice change from the crazy Georgia heat.  Kuwait, on the other hand, was like being at the beach on the surface of the sun.  We arrived in Kuwait at around 1100 pm on Saturday night and it was still over 100 degrees and the wind was blowing the sand around everywhere.  I never thought I was going to get the sand out of my teeth!  In Kuwait we were given tents to sleep in for the night while we waited for our flight out the next day, so after we finally got settled I got to eat my first midnight chow in the mess hall.  The food was actually really good and I got ice cream and pecan pie!  I slept until about 1000 the next morning when the heat in my tent got so intense that I just couldn't stand it any more.  I went to the shower trailer in hopes of getting a nice cool shower to start the day only to discover that there is no cold water in Kuwait (unless it's bottled, and even then it's room temperature!)!  After showering I went to find Scott, who was sleeping in the "Male" tent, and he and I went to the mess hall again.  I could have stayed there forever as there was plenty of air conditioning!  After chow, Scott and I spent the rest of the day hanging out in Kuwait, where by this time it was over 120 degrees in the shade, and the wind was still blowing the sand around.  We found our way to the PX (Post Exchange) and the MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) Internet Cafe where we lingered in the air conditioning until finally we had to return to the terminal to sign in for our flight to Afghanistan.






Enroute to Afghanistan, we flew in a C-17 airplane, sitting in netting chairs on the sides with all of our gear packed in the center.  It was a pretty awesome experience. 



This is what the inside of the the C-17 looked like.  Scott and I sat along the side of the plane.



We arrived in Afghanistan at around 400 am on Sunday, 9 July 2011.  Fortunately we flew into Bagram Airflield, my permanent location, so my trip was pretty much complete.  An NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) from my new office, SGT Beyer, was there to pick up me and the other attorney I met during the CRC and take us to temporary lodging to get some much needed sleep before we started our inprocessing.

My first day here I met some of the people I was going to be working with as well as the SJA (Staff Judge Advocate) and DSJA (Deputy Staff Judge Advocate) who are in charge of the office where I will be working.  After that I was released to get settled and to get more, much-needed sleep!



Since arriving at Bagram I have spent the last few days getting settled into my new living environment and attending additional mandatory training.  I now have permanent housing, which consists of a "bee hut" building divided into eight living spaces.  My room is probably about 10 ft x 8 ft and no windows.  There are plywood walls, which I am quickly attempting to cover with photos, cards or anything of color!  I have a bed, a chair and a wall locker.  It's not a lot, but then there's not a lot of space for a bunch of other things.  I've gotten internet in my room and a cell phone that randomly sends me messages in arabic. :)  There is no indoor plumbing, so we use porta-johns and have shower trailers nearby.  In the future I am sure that I will not take for granted being able to go to the bathroom without taking a flashlight and going to take a shower without carrying all of my things in a bag!

Well, that pretty much wraps up the first week of my adventure.  I'll try to post more soon!!  If you see my kiddos, give them a big hug for me!!