Friday, June 13, 2008

09 June 2008: REFRAD Day

REFRAD - Release From Active Duty. Whenever a Reserve or National Guard soldier is mobilized they will have an eventual REFRAD day. It's the last day of their mobilization orders. Mine arrived on 9 June 2008. My mobilization began 12 January 2007. Over the next 515 days I trained at Camp Shelby, MS, journeyed to Iraq, spent over a year FOB-hopping all over the country assisting Brigade Combat Teams, returned to the U.S. via Kuwait, and then closed the loop by demobilizing in Camp Shelby. It seems like a lot but it's just one of several mobilizations I've been on over the past few years. Since January 2003 I've spent 44 out of 66 months mobilized. 31 of those months were spent deployed. Yeah, I've been busy. I'm not the only one. There are many more just like me. Never forget them.

Once again I've come to the end of a mobilization. Hopefully, it's the last one.

4 comments:

Jeans to Pearls said...

I just read your complete blog.
I was amused, I laughed, and I
cried with your last refrad day.

Thanks for your service.

Good Luck!!!!

Ani

Anonymous said...

Thanks for serving us.
Glad you're back. Our son, age 23, is flying out of Camp Victory tomorrow morning on a Blackhawk to some new FOB. He's AF and in civil engineering. He's been gone for about 5 weeks. Thanks for the tips. Though he's only there for 6 months, every day is something new.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing and your honored service.My husband left for Iraq 3 wks ago.
An Army Wife..

tadd1 said...

I would like permission to quote your suggestions for supporting a deployed soldier. My son leaves in July for convoy duty with the MN ARNG.
Thanks for what you do !
Kevin
Montevideo MN
ktadd@hotmail.com