Finally Flying

A mere 4 weeks after I reported to Ft McPherson I am now in the last few hours before I fly out. My four duffle bags are checked in, I have my boarding pass. I am hanging around the USO waiting to board my flight. I have to give the USO the recognition they are due. Most of you know the USO as the organization that sends performers to war zones. Most famous of those performers is probably Bob Hope. More recently the WWE wrestlers and musicians like Toby Kieth are on the bill. What many of you probably don't know is that the USO operates "canteens" in several major US Airports. The one here in Atlanta is remarkable. I have been in several, and they are all to be commended for the work they do. The one here is definitely a top 1% kinda place.

Let me first say that the canteen is nothing without it's volunteers. The folks that man these operations are themselves usually veterans, though not always. These folks meet and direct servicemen and women, make the sandwiches, clean up, and basically do everything else necessary to keep up the place. The USO in Atlanta for example serves coffee, tea, sandwiches, cookies, cakes, etc. They have a large sort of "living room" complete with TV's, magazines, books, etc. A small children's area to accommodate families moving from duty station to duty station. They have a quiet room with some recliners and a couch with paperbacks in and other reading material. This USO also supports a free WiFi connection and three PC's. The place is nicely appointed, carpeted throughout and just generally pretty nice. The volunteers do all of it.

I mention all this in an effort to get the USO the help they need to keep doing this work. The organization relies heavily on donations. I don't know the breakdown or if any of the admin staff gets paid. What I do know is for the BILLIONS of Soldier's, Sailor's, Airmen, and Marines and many of their families the USO has been an Oasis, a haven, a much needed distraction. So I would ask you to send them a buck or two. If you were gonna send me some candy or a card, I'd ask you to send the money instead to the USO. They do great work!

ummmmm, eerrr. ahhhhhh. Just a second, my collapsible soap-box is stuck........ there we go packed away. For know.

So anyhow, I am getting ready to go. Emily and I had a great week together here in "the ATL", but it is time to focus. Get my game face on. I'll be honest, I'm nervous. I worry. What I am not is unsure. I have no doubt that I need to go do this. I have no doubt in my ability or the ability of those around me. I believe I am a member of the best trained, best equipped, military in the world. So what the heck will I be doing you ask? Well that will have to wait for the next post, because I am not really sure. I was supposed to be going to do one thing, but apparently either I am to good or to bad for that job. So I might be going to do something related or something way different. No matter. I am an American Soldier. I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight. You'll probably here that a lot from me over the next year.

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!