Slowly But Surely

Well, this blog has gotten off to a very slow start. I realized it would be like this because I am still over a month away from my Mobilization date. No worries though... I still have not gotten my orders, the waiting game continues.

This past week, I spent five fun filled days on the beach at Lido Beach Resort, down in Sarasota, FL on Siesta key. We had our annual end of the year conference, and what fun it was. It's always good to relax and mingle with coworkers that you don't get to see every day. The bond is pretty intense between those of us on the program.

We had a chance to do a tactical room entry scenario, as well as an undercover agent rescue scenario, along with a Simunition "force on force" demonstration. That went over very well.

The R.A.I.D. team had their new UH-72 Lakota for all to see, and even gave those that have never flown before, some nice rides up and down the beach.

It was relaxing to be able to hang out with friends in a casual setting, all the while getting work done. Wish it was like that ALL the time...

More to follow, stay tuned.

Still no word...

Well, the magic day is approaching, but still no orders, or no word yet. The date is supposed to be November 1st... yeah, right.

It's the not knowing that gets you. But still... I remain strong. It's hard to plan your last month in at home without having a concrete "go-by" that you can model from. Once I get my MOB orders in hand, then I can do all sorts of stuff... like take some much deserved LEAVE!!!

However, all I can do now is sit and wait... and prepare for the suck. I know all too well what I am embarking on. They say, that "ignorance is bliss"... well, I am here to tell you... I believe it.

I remember my fist deployment to Afghanistan. It was so early in the GWOT, in fact, the country was still in shock from the events of 9-11 that I know that I was still numb. Now, it's different. We have been at war for oh so long... and I myself have ventured out into the suck more times than I care to recount.

This one will be different though. This time, on my watch... we will swear in a new Commander in Chief... and this time, Iraq is a bit more "stable"... so they say.

So, I sit and wait... and wait some more. Pull from my inner strength and wrap my mind around the mission at hand, and keep my chin up, shoulders back, and prepare to shoulder my share of the load... 100% and then some.

Rangers Lead The Way!!!

Thoughts

Well, here I sit... 60 miles away from home, on yet another TDY trip. It seems that all I do these days is travel. I love to travel, don't get me wrong. I am fortunate that in my life, I have been all over the world, tasted many different cultures, lived among the people, and still get to come home to the greatest nation on the planet.

I love my country, and what it stands for. But, I don't really care for the partisan politics that have run rampant in the past few years. I try to distance myself from it, but it get's put in my face more and more.

I am proud to be a US Soldier... a Professional... and an American.

The other night, we started watching the series "John Adams" and I must say, I am completely taken by it. As a modern day "defender of freedom" I am first on the front to know that freedom is not free.

Liberty means many things to many people, but it is the basis on which this country was formed. This little mini-series gave me some insight into what our forefathers went through to carve out our independence, and to make sure our brand new government would not self destruct.

If you have not seen it, I would highly recommend it.

Now, as for deployment... it's the waiting game that drives me insane.

Once the call comes down, and you are told you are going, many different emotions well up inside of you. Since this is not my first rodeo, I know what to expect. I have seen the things that need to be changed from my last mission, and it frustrates me when the winds of change do not blow.

I don't have any news to tell now, but I will soon. I plan on taking some MUCH needed vacation before I have to start working those 18-20 hour days.

Also, as the OP Tempo climbs, I may have some lags between entries. I plan on continuing a daily diary, but may have to post several day's worth of entries under one posts, due to internet connections, or lack thereof.

So, I ask you to be patient... this is new to me and there are surely growing pains to be felt.

Until then, good night, and God bless!

RLTW!!!

Howdy

This is the first of many entries that I plan on sharing with you all. I am preparing to deploy to Iraq again, this time things are gonna be a bit different. I hope to share my experiences as I go, as sort of a daily or semi-daily diary.

OPSEC is very important, so if some of my entries are a bit vague, then you can surely understand. I will be featured on www.thehousehold6.blogspot.com and will be posting on there as well.

The speed of my posts will increase as I figure this out. I look forward to hearing from friends and family on here, as well as those of you that support our troops. This is going to be a long deployment, so I should be able to add some interesting stories along the way.

Stay tuned!

RLTW!