DAY 21 / DAY 19

DAY 21 / DEC 19

            This morning at 0415-ish the remainder of the company except the convoy personnel came into the FOB by Chinook.  They were only eight hours late, which isn�t bad by Army time.  After getting them to their CHUs and finding their bags, it wasn�t long before I crashed on my bed.

            I didn�t plan on getting up early, and I guess I really didn�t � I woke up at 1030, only about four hours after getting to sleep.  Took a quick shower, and used the phone. By then it was time for lunch and then a 1300 link-up meeting with the outgoing CDR and leadership so that our guys could shadow them.

            After that, I actually had a few moments to myself until the 1600 brief by the BN XO where he put out a bunch of info and needed a lot of information back.  So, at 1000 tomorrow, I�m linking up with him to give him an updated CHU roster, a timeline for our RIP, and a breakdown by section of our vehicles and personnel.  I also need to have a Mail Handler roster for the mail personnel for when they go to the class tomorrow.

            The majority of the company spent the day cleaning up their CHUs, arranging their furniture, building their furniture and all that good stuff.

            We had been having an issue with one of the CHUs in that the Georgians (Russia Georgians, not state Georgians), didn�t want to leave.  I guess the Georgians won the battle with the Mayor�s Cell because today I saw that they had their unit guidon posted outside the CHU and had replaced our name cards with a printed out Georgian Flag.  We were compensated by the Mayor�s Cell by getting three additional CHUs.  I need one to replace the one the Georgians are in, and the other two I�m going to hang on to until someone asks for them, or we need them to thin out the troops in the other CHUs a little.

            Everyone here seems to be doing all right.  They are getting settled in, setting up house, playing volleyball, eating, going to the gym, putting money in the local economy and doing all kinds of other good stuff.  Everyone is staying busy and seem to be satisfied with what they have and are in good spirits.

            When I moved into this CHU, I noticed right away that I was going to need something to use as a catch-all for the little crap that always pops up and has nowhere to be.  I finally managed to remember at the DFAC to grab a little plastic bowl to take with me and so now all my little crap will stop falling off my Haji table.  It�s the little things that make all the difference.  Right now, I�m missing (not really MISSING per se, because I never had one), a mousepad, that�s the current little thing making the difference.

            Tonight at 2000, a bunch of people are coming over for a little SOCOM get together, so that should be entertaining.

            When I got the three CHUs, I decided to look around and see what they had and what they might need.  Well, inside one was a small stack of books and after scanning the titles, I found a Koran (the Koran is the Muslim equivalent of the Christian Bible).  I don�t plan on reading it straight through, but at least I have it so I can look up a reference if I see it around.  I almost said I was curious as to how the extreme Muslims could twist the words of the Koran to condone killing women and children just for not believing in their faith, but as I began to type it, I realized that it isn�t only Muslims that have done that, the Christians did it as well.  We�re not so different.

            When I left the DFAC again tonight, the moon was not yet up and it was pitch black again.  I never fail to be amazed at how dark it gets at night, and on the same note, I am always awe-struck by the brightness of the stars and the Milky Way that glows like a figment of my imagination through the night sky.  It�s one of those things that you don�t see unless you know its there and then, you almost have to imagine it before it comes into focus.  It reminds me of a spaceship in Hitchhiker�s Guide to the Galaxy that you couldn�t see looking right at, but only out of the corner of your eye could you see it, because it wasn�t your business.

            There are always so many things I WANT to write about, but don�t have the time or inclination to actually sit down and tap them out.  Some of the upcoming topics might be:

            Memorials

            Family Strength

           

            I thought I had more, but I guess that�s all I can think of for now.   Funny how when you have so much to say, when the opportunity is there, it all leaves your mind.  But when you have no chance of writing anything down, it all comes back to you.  It�s like the little beings that live all around us but we never see, except out of the corner of your eye, running across the doorway, but aren�t really there � and once again I�ve ventured off into the land of crazy.

            As Soldiers deployed away from home, we can send mail (letters only, really) for free to anywhere in the US.  I haven�t tried it yet, but I�m going to soon.  What I really want to be able to do it take a regular piece of paper, write a letter on one side, fold it into thirds and staple it so that the blank side is out.  Then I�d just write the name and address of where I wanted it to go on the outside and drop it in the box, quick and easy and cheap, no mess, no envelopes to screw with, just paper, staples and ink.  I need to go to the Post Office to see if that would be ok.  And now that I�m thinking about it, I just might have to get return address labels from somewhere so that I don�t have to write that damned thing out every time.