T-36 hours and counting

I have about a day and a half until I leave Pennsylvania and begin the process of deploying. It has been a tremendous couple of weeks. I am just about ready to go, and I have to tell you that I could never have gotten here without the help and support of family and friends. First among those is my girlfriend Emily. She has been a rock to hold on to, and sometimes a a heavy current to push me to accomplish my goals.

The house is ready to sell, bags are packed, homework is almost all done. My parents, stopped by for the weekend to spend a little time. We had a great visit just hanging around. We celebrated my parents 41st anniversary by going to Niko's in Lebanon. Niko's is a fantastic restaurant with outstanding food. The only downfall was the service. Not terrible just very slow. It gave us all a chance to relax and enjoy ourselves, so no big deal.

I have to say that I think the next day or so is going to be the worst. As excited as I am to go on this deployment it is really going to be tuff leaving Emily. We have had such a great summer together and I just want it to keep going. We both agree though that this is as good a time as any to get deployed. Law School keeps Emily pretty busy and this way she will be able to focus all her energy into her studying and work.

The next few days will be pretty busy. I leave for Ft McPherson, GA this week. I'll be there in-processing for a few days and then I will go to Ft Benning, GA for some pre-deployment training. Ft Benning is the home of the Infantry. It is ironic that I got my start in the Army when I reported for Infantry Basic Training in August of 1992. Odd, it will be 15 years, almost to the day when I report there for my pre-deployment training. This is not my first time back to Ft. Benning as it is also home to the United States Army Airborne School. The only place in the world the U.S. Military teaches normally intelligent, rational people to jump out of a perfectly good airplane! I highly recommend it.

I will stay there for about a week and then return to Ft McPherson. Once there I will integrate with my new unit. I will be assigned to the legendary Third United States Army, or 3d Army for short. This organization was once commanded by GEN George S. Patton Jr. during WW II. It is a very large organization and is responsible for a very large portion of the War on Terror. I am proud to have been selected to be a part of such a storied organization.

I can't say for sure what will become of me after that. I have been told that most likely I will deploy to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. I am not going to speculate on when I will be where ever it is I am going. I am pretty sure though I won't be able to attend any Labor Day BBQ's!