Hello Lieutenant Dan, Goodbye Major Dave

I seriously never thought this day would come, but I am about to re-deploy! In honor of that fact the USO brought Gary Sinise out to say goodbye. Well, OK maybe they brought him here to see the troops and my departure is mere coincidence.

Either way I got to meet the famous "LT Dan" of Forest Gump fame. I should note here that Mr. Sinise is a tremendous supporter of the US military. He has worked hard to start a project that would create a memorial to wounded military personnel and he started a fund that helps Iraqi children. He has many other accomplishments to his name, but even he admits he is most recognized as "Lieutenant Dan".

So this is how I spent one of my last few days here. I should be home and drinking beer again by the beginning of August. It has been a tremendously long year. In ways that are difficult to articulate it has been rewarding, but all in all I could have done with out it. Its war and I had it really, really easy. I have such great respect for those folks up "in the shit" at places like Tallil, Camp Delta, FOB War Horse and basically anywhere in Afghanistan.

Kuwait is not war. By definition if you are not getting shot at or at least under threat of being shot at you really can't call it "war". That’s not to say it doesn’t suck or that it isn't hard. It was hard and it did suck, but it wasn't as bad as those up north have it. But the powers that be call it a war zone, so it is. I came here because this is where they told me my fight was, and so here I fought.

Thanks to all of you that supported me with cards, emails, prayers, boxes, cookies, letters and thoughts of good will. Your many kindnesses and generosity will not be forgotten. Thanks also to my brothers and sisters in arms, wherever you are. No matter your station, that you stand your watch is amazing testament to you as a person. These are hard times and they have continued far beyond what most expected, but yet you stand your watch. To our Coalition Partners, especially Australia and Great Brittan thank you for standing shoulder to shoulder with us and bearing much of the weight of this load. Should you need me, your fight is my fight whenever you should call.

I leave you with a video put together by the Public Affairs Office. It is a pretty cool video to watch that paints the contrast between the Army of WWII and today while highlighting some of our capabilities and accomplishments.

buisness trip

A week ago I had another opportunity to go to Iraq. For operational reasons I don't post these things for a few days after I get back.

This trip was to Umm Qasr, near the town of Basra. I wanted to post a few pics of our helicopter ride up and a few other you might find interesting. Can't really talk much about what we did or saw, but it was a good trip. No I did not get shoot at, as that seems to be a popular question every time I go to Iraq.

One of the things we did while up there was check out some equipment that is going to Iraq. This is one of my responsibilities. This pic is of Ford F350 trucks for Iraq government. These trucks are bought by Iraq as opposed to being provided to them. I know there is a lot of talk back home about the cost of this war. These trucks represent Iraqi money being spent on American products. This is not a political pitch, just a picture of some trucks.

Of course not post about adventures in a foreign country is complete without a funny sign. I leave you with this sign I found in the dinning facility. If you have ever traveled to a foreign country you will chuckle at yet another example of things you would just never see in America. Enjoy!

They became citizens today.

I had a rare opportunity today to witness a naturalization ceremony. 62 men and women from 25 different countries all either Soldiers, Airmen, Marines or Sailors earned their citizenship. It was a mandatory function which I initially balked at, but in retrospect am very glad I attended. A little background for those that may not know:

• A person does not have to be a citizen of the United States to serve in the Armed Forces as an enlisted person. I believe you must be a citizen to be a commissioned officer, but there may be waivers for that.
• Since 9/11 40,000 service members have earned their citizenship.
• 109 of those 40,000 were awarded citizenship posthumously for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the face of an armed enemy of the United States.
• .6% that's right barely 1/2 of one percent of the American population has served in uniform. .6%

Fairly astounding statistics I thought. I must tell you that this was in all respects a very moving ceremony. I read through the list of 62 names. They were from places that barely understand the concept of freedom. This was not a group of people that eked past a border and are now claiming that they deserve citizenship because they have been here for so long. These people came to America, some of them from very bad places. They enlisted in the Armed Forces and were now deployed in the great struggle that our nation is now involved in.

Amazing! It truly was. I sat and watched and thought about all the things some of these people weren't born into. They weren't born into the most powerful nation on earth. They weren't born into a place that not only provided, but mandated education through high school. Some of them came from nothing, literally. Yet here they are, able to rise above it and have a career, a life, provide for themselves and their families. They are not even citizens! I was amazed and angered. Its election time, and we hear a lot about all the opportunities some people don't have. Really I thought. Really?

The naturalization officer that administered the oath gave a nice little speech. He too was a naturalized citizen, as was his whole family he explained. It was moving to hear him talk of "our country". There was unmistakable passion in his voice. An almost relentless, fierce force to it. He asked, no he told the 62 new citizens to vote. In effect he told them that if they don't vote there was no reason for them to have become citizens. He then administered the oath. I have reprinted the oath below from the US Citizenship website. I have highlighted the parts that are verbatim the same as either the Oath of Office used to swear in Military Officers or the oath of enlistment. It was chilling to hear, it really was.

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."

Think you got what it take to be a citizen? Go here and take a look at the study guide for the naturalization test. Prepare to be embarrassed.

An important day

Today is one of those good/bad days. It is now public knowledge that we have recovered the remains of Sergeant Matt Maupin. You can read the story here.


SGT Keith Matthew Maupin was captured in 2004. He was then the rank of Private First Class (PFC). He has since been promoted twice in keeping with Army policy of treating MIAs as continuing to serve.


It's a bad day certainly. Whatever hope we had held out that SGT Maupin would be found alive is now gone. I realize that most had succumbed to the facts and realized that Matt was probably not coming home. I am sure though that his parents and family held out at least some hope.


It is a good day in that his family can now put closure to SGT Maupin's death. I certainly don't know how you move on from this. I can only assume that knowing is somehow better than not knowing. It is a good day for soldiers too. As SGT Maupins father said in an interview "I told them when we'd go up to the Pentagon, whether he walks off a plane or is carried off, you're not going to leave him in Iraq like you did those guys in Vietnam," So for us as soldiers we see and are bolstered by the fact that we will not be left behind.

There are two service member still MIA. Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie, a 41-year-old Iraqi-born reserve soldier from Ann Arbor, Mich., who was abducted in Baghdad while visiting his Iraqi wife in 2006 and Navy Capt. Michael Speicher a pilot, has been missing since 1991. I would ask your continued prayers for these men and their families.

An even BIGGER surprise!

Emily did such a great job of describing our trip that I am going to cut and paste this post from her email:

Emily and I got engaged on our trip to Europe earlier this month. :) I proposed at night in front of the lit-up St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican - how much more romantic can you get for a couple of good Catholics, really? We're pretty sure the Pope was probably looking down watching us from his apartment. ;)

We had an amazing time in Europe, traveling around Italy, Germany, and Austria. We spent a few days in Rome eating gelato, checking out the Vatican, going to mass at St. Peter's, listening to the Pope, checking out ancient Rome via Segways (AWESOME!), and of course, getting engaged!

We then headed to Naples for a few days where the Navy has an installation and a campground/rec facility about 45 minutes away that's set in the crater of a volcano. We were the only people staying there since it was so early in the spring, so not only did we get our own cabin, but we got the whole campground to ourselves, too! Naples was a marathon of pizza (every day!), checking out the town where Dave's great-grandparents were from and the church there, visiting the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery where his great-uncle was buried when he was killed in Italy during WWII, and spending a day in Pompeii.

We then hopped the train back to Rome, a plane to Munich, and two more trains to the absolutely beautiful skiing village of Garmish-Partenkirchen, Germany. It's very close to the Austrian border and set in a valley below the most incredible mountains. We stayed at a resort there that is run by the army and absolutely exceeded our expectations in about a million ways. It was such a treat and so relaxing! We did bring ourselves to leave the resort a few times, though, and spent some time walking around Garmish, drinking LOTS of yummy heffeweisen with giant pretzels. We also spent a day in Innsbruck, Austria, where we toured the Hapsburg Palace, sampled schnapps, and shopped for crystals. We spent a day touring an artisinal cheese factory and a monastery and took a trip to Munich and the Hoffbrau Haus on our last day.

We then said goodbye to the Edelweiss Lodge and drove across Germany (checking out countless German deer hunting tree stands along the way, of course) to Frankfurt where we spent our last night and went our separate ways. :(

Surprise!

After a not to eventful, but not to restful flight I made it to Frankfurt. Ahhhhhh the sights, sounds, and smells of civilization. The Middle East may in fact be the cradle of civilization but they certainly have not moved much beyond that. The food smelled sooooo good and there were people everywhere and this was going on and that was going on. It’s not home, but it was a damn far bit closer than where I had just left!

Emily has been under the impression I would meet her in Rome. With some divine intercession and a little logistical planning I was able to get a seat on the same flight out of Frankfurt to Rome as Emily was on. Now all I had to worry about was her landing on time. Getting through security and to the gate on time. There was still so much that could keep us apart!

So I spent the next 5 hours researching what gate Emily was coming into. Could I get down there and meet her there? Unfortunately, no. Security is pretty tight in Germany, which is OK with me. You need to be ticketed to get down the terminal, even if you are already in another terminal. I was in terminal B, Emily landed in Terminal C and we flew out of terminal A. I made my way through security again, and got to our departure gate. I roamed around a while trying to pass the time. Finally it was getting pretty close to when I thought Emily should be getting to the departure gate so I made my way back.

I don’t think I have ever crept through the woods deer hunting with as much care and caution! I was looking at everything. The last thing I wanted was to run into Emily and ruin the surprise. I went past the gate and lurked, looking at every person in the gate area. I had to be careful as I know Emily sometimes goes a gate or two away if it is too crowded at the departure gate so she can sit and read.

I decided to move. I crept up the terminal, scanning every face. Left. Right. Oh shit! She was walking right toward me. Jump behind a column and hold my breath. Move like a cat stalking his prey around the column…ahhhhh. She’s walking along, never saw me.

I follow Emily almost to the gate. I watch her go in and look for a seat. I decide to duck into the latrine. I don’t want to be so excited I pee my pants! I slink out of the latrine. People are looking at me kinda funny as I am sort of crouched, just in case Emily decided to come up to the latrine. I make my way down to the gate. I am moving slow. Looking again at every person. I come around a pillar and see Emily sitting way off in the back and she turns towards me! Whew, never saw me. I am about 50 meters from her, but I have to approach from her right side. There is no way to sneak up behind her.

I watch. She is reading a magazine. I wait until I see her turn a page and then I dash. I get past the counter and am able to slip in behind her. Ok gotta be calm. There are a few tables behind her with a few people. I slip off my ruck. I ease up behind her. She is engrossed in a wedding magazine. Funny I think. So cute, she is so ready to marry me ☺. “Excuse me ma’am, can I help you with your bags?” Emily looks up she looks at me about to say something like “no thanks”. She sees me. She looks, blinks. Looks. Then the expression and the “Oh my gosh, what are you doing here??? Ahhhhhh. Eeeeeee.!”

It was so fun. We of course hugged and kissed, we somehow were able to keep a modicum of decorum about ourselves. She was so surprised. We sat and talked and waited. Then, like everybody else we shuffled onto the plane for Rome. Unlike everybody else though we were already the only place either of us cared about being….with one another.

Nando’s Zucchini Appetizer

I spent a few hours at the café and then made my way to the check-in. Kuwait International Airport is, like the rest of the country, disappointing. For a nation of millionaires that don’t work, they sure have a crappy airport. That is not to say it isn’t nice to look at. They have it all Starbuck’s, KFC, Fuddrucker’s, even a Harley Davidson store! As with the rest of the place, they have really nice stuff set amongst a backdrop of crap and existing in a system of ridiculousness.

So while I am sitting on my luggage after I had been charged $5.00 to have it shrink wrapped (still not sure if that was voluntary or required) and taken by porter to where I am sitting on it to have it checked in I meet Fernando. Nando as he likes to be called, is a technician that has worked in the oil refinery business for almost 30 years. He has spent many years all over the middle east. Anyhow, we strike up a conversation while waiting for the baggage check into open and I discover he is from Italy! So of course we talk of my trip and we wait. We get checked in and then spend the next few hours waiting for our plane together. I find him an engaging very well informed and wonderful travel companion. I also notice the many facial expressions and gestures that I have seen in my Grandfather. I chuckle to myself and think “yeah, so that really is how Italians are!”

I will get to the appetizer in a minute, but I wanted to relate one part of our conversation that I found very moving. Typically speaking, Americans are not viewed all that highly by Europeans. There are lots of reasons for that, no the least of which is the “ugly American” display we see parodied in movies. Apparently we also have very little fashion sense as a culture, which is a very big deal to Italians especially. At the moment I want to relate to you, Nando and I are discussing politics and our respective cultures in general. Nando is very upset with the almost constant corruption that has plagued his government. He tells me a few stories and I try to explain that we have just as many problems as Italy in the very same areas. That is when he says something I will never forget. He looks over to me and says “…yes, but you LOVE America.” I am taken aback. Of course I do, don’t all cultures foster that same “spirit”. Don’t Italians LOVE Italy. Nando sadly tells me he does not believe so. He gives a litany of reasons; love of money or power, lack of national identity, etc. I feel a little sad for him if he is right. I try to say something to disagree with him again, but again he repeats “no no. Americans, you are different. You have invited the world, and you LOVE America!” I cannot argue with him. I simply nod and tell him I do love my country. Well, of course I do. Only a complete moron would serve in the military, risk his or her life, and not exhibit love of country!

So we talk more. Nando lives in Tuscany and I tell him how much Emily and I would like to take a vacation there someday and maybe go to cooking school. He tells me he likes to cook too and starts describing this recipe. It sounded so good I had him write it down and I thought it would be fun to post here:

• Slice a few zucchini length wise about ¼” thick.
• Heat these up on the BBQ or in a dry fry pan. Just a minute or two each side. Just until they are soft.
• In a mixing cup add:
o Olive Oil (very important Nando said, “no vegetable oil!”
o White Vinegar. To taste as you like it.
o Minced garlic, again to taste.
o Fresh coarse ground black pepper
o Finely chopped parsley
• Warm this mix up a bit, just so the flavors begin to meld together.
• Drizzle mixture on bottom of backing dish
• Add layer of zucchini
• Drizzle
• Layer of zucchini and repeat until ingredients are used up
• Leave this to rest in a cool, not cold place for 3 hours
• Enjoy as an appetizer especially before pasta!

As I will not be cooking for some time somebody will have to try this and tell me how it is. Enjoy!