Sometimes the sacrifices we go through for deployments are subtle. Often they are personal. Normally they are represented by events back home that we have to miss. This has been a particularly rough weekend in that regard. I already mentioned my nephew’s graduation from basic training. It was tough for me to miss that. Today was the “double-whammy.” My family held its annual reunion back in the North Carolina mountains. It’s always an enjoyable event. We begin by gathering at the family cemetery to remember and honor our past generations. Then we all head to the community center for an afternoon of fun, food, fellowship, and more food. Did I mention the food? Were it not for the reunion I wouldn’t see some of the family at all. I always look forward to the reunion. I had to be there in spirit today. Thanks to modern technology I was able to see photos from the events. Fortunately, I was able to get in a phone call and talk with most everyone in the immediate family. I could almost smell the food over the phone. I’ll definitely be there next year (with an appetite).
My day was a day off. It will be the last one for a long time. I performed a little “barracks maintenance” on my hooch. That means I cleaned and swept. The place needed it for certain. Dust accumulates quickly around here and without warning. I popped in the gym for a workout. Later I stopped by Green Beans for one more round of fun before the missions get started. Although several members of my team mentioned going, none of them were present. I visited with some of my friends I’ve met over the months. I wouldn’t call it a spectacular night but it was fun. I cruised back to the hooch around 2330. On the way home I had to wait for quite a while at an intersection along the perimeter road. A very large convoy was staging and moving outside the wire on its way to an undisclosed location. It was another opportunity for me to reflect on how incredibly resilient Joes are. Even at that late hour they were moving with efficiency and purpose – diligently performing their jobs. I had no doubts as to the success of that convoy. It was in the best of hands – Joe’s.
My day was a day off. It will be the last one for a long time. I performed a little “barracks maintenance” on my hooch. That means I cleaned and swept. The place needed it for certain. Dust accumulates quickly around here and without warning. I popped in the gym for a workout. Later I stopped by Green Beans for one more round of fun before the missions get started. Although several members of my team mentioned going, none of them were present. I visited with some of my friends I’ve met over the months. I wouldn’t call it a spectacular night but it was fun. I cruised back to the hooch around 2330. On the way home I had to wait for quite a while at an intersection along the perimeter road. A very large convoy was staging and moving outside the wire on its way to an undisclosed location. It was another opportunity for me to reflect on how incredibly resilient Joes are. Even at that late hour they were moving with efficiency and purpose – diligently performing their jobs. I had no doubts as to the success of that convoy. It was in the best of hands – Joe’s.
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