23 March 2008: Easter at home

For the first time in a few years my entire family was home for Easter. We went to church together to celebrate the birth of Christ. His love is everywhere apparent. The springtime weather epitomized the rebirth. After Easter service we ate a hearty breakfast in the downstairs fellowship hall. By the time we returned home we were all fit for a nap. That's exactly what I did.

Around 1500 I awoke to the sound of NCAA tournament basketball. My uncle was cooking burgers on the grill. We drank a few beers and swapped stories. I took a short walk across part of our property. Then it was time, yet again, to eat.

Almost as soon as supper ended people began leaving for home. My sister and brother-in-law left for Atlanta. Then my sister-in-law and two nephews headed back to Tennessee. The house became quiet. The cats could stretch their legs again. We watched Davidson defeat Georgetown. Then we sat through UNC's destruction of Arkansas. I showed my parents some pictures and videos from my deployment. There were too many to show them all. By 2300 everyone was heading to bed.

I'm happy for such a wonderful weekend. I'm happy to be home. I'm happy in knowing my team is home too. Well... everyone but SSG Turner. Actually, he's at home too. I don't think I could have ordered him out of Iraq. He's still there, taking care of soldiers as usual.

Happy Easter!

22 March 2008: Nine holes at Grassy Creek

The day dawned bright and warm. There was a moderate breeze that kept the temperature cool enough to have a sweater handy. I was in no hurry to get up. The night before had been an indulgence of food and drink not seen for ages. I had heard a rumor of a possible golf game. Normally we go to Mountain Glen in Newland. MG was closed. Grassy Creek in Spruce Pine was open. I'd never golfed there. Around noon my oldest nephew mentioned a 1430 tee time. I agreed to be the fourth man. I hadn't golfed in almost two years. We loaded up the clubs and beer. Then my two nephews, brother-in-law and I were on our way. Due to the late hour we signed up for only nine holes. That proved to be a wise choice. Then we learned that we couldn't take our glass bottles on the course - so much for the good beer. Fortunately, there was a package store in the same parking lot as the course (the epitome of class). We bought a case of can beer and swapped it out in the coolers. Let the game begin!

We only kept score for the first two holes. A methodical laugh-fest ensued. We had to let four other groups play through. There were some good shots. There were many more bad shots. Occassionally a divot would fly that resembled a hair piece. My net was zero - two balls lost, two balls (not the same ones) found. The breeze from earlier became a stiff wind. As the shadows grew longer, the windchill became more biting. At 1800 we returned the carts. The clubhouse manager looked at us and said, "Ya'll are finally done?" Hey now, fun can't be rushed!

Once we got home my brother-in-law fried a turkey. Damn it was good! There was nothing left but a dry-bone carcass. There's lots of laughter at our table this weekend.

My NCAA tournament predictions are shot to hell. Oh well.... I'm having fun.

21 March 2008: Getting back to my roots

I haven't been to see my family since Christmas 2006. They live in the mountains of North Carolina. It's a safe-haven of peacefulness in Avery County. No matter how far I travel I always look forward to going home. Today I finally made it back. I'm with family again.

The trip started with an early morning flight out of Providence. The plane lifted off at 0630 on its way to Charlotte. One of the flight attendants had a very unusual hairdo. It looked like an old-fashioned "beehive". However, it obviously wasn't her hair. At first I thought it was extensions. The more I looked (it was impossible to not notice) I thought it was something else. I'm convinced she was wearing a beehive hairdo hat. As the flight wore on the hair was unwinding from the nest. The hat was in complete disarray by the time we landed in Charlotte.

There was about a two hour layover in Charlotte. Seeking a sit-down breakfast, I was swayed by the allure of a sign that said "now serving breakfast". It was a Mexican restaurant. Uh... big mistake. Eggs scrambled with peppers, jalepeno bacon, and sticky tortillas were not really what I had in mind. Although it was 0900, the bar was full of people drinking beer and margaritas. The waitress was impatient and very unfriendly. Montel Williams was on the TV. Very sappy love music was blaring on the stereo. I guess Burger King wouldn't have been a bad choice after all.

The connection flight took us to Tri-Cities Airport in Bristol, TN. It was a spectacular day for flying. Our small plane flew directly over Grandfather Mountain, Sugar Mountain, Beech Mountain, and Watauga Lake. It was an air-preview of home. I was very excited to get home. As soon as the plane landed I picked up the rental car and headed off for a scenic drive home. I took a route I hadn't driven in some time. I turned on Hwy 321 south at Hampton, TN and drove the winding road past Watauga Lake. Then I headed down Hwy 194 through Valle Crucis, NC. This meant making an obligatory stop at Mast General Store to have a peach NEHI. Next the drive continued up 194 to Banner Elk, NC. This may be one of the curviest, narrow mountain roads in the area. It is such a beautiful drive. After passing through Banner Elk I made a stop in Invershell for beer and wine. Then I passed through Linville and Newland (highest elevation government seat east of the Mississippi River). I crossed the Eastern Continental Divide a few times. Next came country roads with names like Spanish Oak, Squirrel Creek, and Licklog. Finally I made the turn on the tiny road where my parents reside. Like most roads here, it follows the course of a stream as it winds through a valley. There were "Welcome Home" balloons on the mailbox at the end of the drive. I pulled up the drive and slowly came around the barn. The house came into view. There were my parents, my nephews, and my uncle. They were out on the porch cheering and clapping. A big sign read "Welcome Home Sam". American flags dangled everywhere. My nephews fired off bottle rockets.

Next came the feast - fried chicken, barbecue ribs, cornbread, cabbage, soup beans, and on and on and on..... If there is a place of more concentrated love than this anywhere in the world I'll demand proof. I'm home again. Although exhausted, I stayed up late. We enjoyed NCAA basketball tournament games, beer, and the company of one another. Before the night ended my sister and brother-in-law arrived from Atlanta. It's going to be an awesome Easter weekend.

20 March 2008: Signing my OER

OER stands for Officer Evaluation Report. Mine wasn't ready for me to sign prior to me flying back to the U.S. It was my second, and final, evaluation for the deployment. I wasn't worried about the rating. My concern was that everything the Army does now is digital. In order to sign the document I had to log on a computer with my military ID card (Common Access Card - CAC). The computer needed to have the appropriate DA software so I could place my digital signature on the OER. Once I got back home I was afraid I wouldn't have access to either a DA computer or the software I needed. The OER was finally e-mailed to me this week. It was excellent. My mission became finding somewhere to sign it and e-mail back to my deployment chain-of-command.

Ultimately, my search led me back to the ROTC office. They were about to close down for Easter. I got there right on time. After checking several of the computers, I found one that had everything I needed. I signed the OER and e-mailed it back. My last official requirement from the deployment is now complete. There is nothing else necessary for me to do except reflect.

Some excellent news arrived today. Two of the USCG RAID personnel that served on my team were singled out for a very prestigious recognition. MST1 Anthony "Bull" Clark and PS2 Robert "Taco" Mireles were named USCG Atlantic Area Enlisted Person of the Year for Active (Clark) and Reserve (Taco). They will now be considered for USCG-wide EPOY. I couldn't be more proud of both of them. I'm humbled and honored to have had such fine people working for my team. They are the best of the best.

Now it's time to pack for the Easter trip to the parents'.

19 March 2008: Perfect weather

It was sleeting this morning. Why is this perfect weather? It's very simple. I have no priorities right now. I couldn't ask for better weather to lounge. After being immersed in work 24/7 for over a year I am basking in the enjoyment of being a slacker. If I could give an order to my team it would be "Follow my lead and do likewise!" You all earned it.

I haven't figured out how to wrap up this blog. My FOB-hopping days are finished. However, I do consider the immediate post-deployment recovery to be an important part of my experience. I've still got a trip to NC upcoming. That's when I spend time with my family. It will be the first time I've been home since Christmas 2006. I won't truly feel as though I've come back until I finally go home for a few days. After that I can come to a conclusion on what to do with this blog.

I stopped back by the Ivy to visit with another friend. Tom is on faculty at PC. He became fully tenured while I was away. It was great to see him and catch up.

I think I finally got the last of the sand out of my ears today.

18 March 2008: Exactly two weeks ago

Today was the two-week anniversary of my flight from Iraq back to Kuwait. It's amazing to think that it was such a short time ago. Redeployment came fast and furious. I've no complaints.

I stopped by the ROTC office to visit everyone. It just so happened that one of our alums was visiting as well. Scott is a Brown U. graduate. He was our Cadet Battalion CO during his senior year. Now he's fresh off a combat deployment in Iraq as a platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division. His performance was stellar. Upon his redeployment he was hand selected for service in one of the Ranger Battalions. My team was responsible for redeploying his Brigade from Iraq last fall. The Army can be a small community. Scott wasn't a UMO. I remember asking around about him when we were operating in his AO (MND-N, COB Speicher). Everyone knew of him but we never crossed paths until now. It was great to catch up.

It was also good to see the old gang at the office. I let them know when I'd be coming back to work. Several of the cadets stopped by the office while I was there. They were fresh off a color guard performance in NYC. All seemed normal. After lunch I parted ways and resumed my routine of recovery and relaxation.

Just over two weeks ago my team and I were talking about food we would eat upon returning home. A unanimous choice was sushi. If any of my team is reading right now you'll be happy to know that I "checked the box" on sushi today. I stopped by my favorite sushi bar and ate a vast array. It was awesome.

17 March 2008: Making my rounds - slowly

Getting adjusted to being home again also entails making my rounds. I wish there was a way to see all my friends at once. That's impossible. Besides, I'm at a self-guided pace for the first time in over a year. I'll take my time. It's cold out too. That puts a damper in the outdoor motivation for now. Regardless, I made my way over to East Ave Cafe. I didn't go in though. Due to St. Patrick's Day, there was a cover charge. While trying to decide on the merits of paying, the sounds of a faux-Irish band hit my ears. Uh... No Thanks! I hit the easy fall-back position - Ivy Tavern. I was glad because I saw my friend Kristin, who was in Turkey teaching English over the time I was deployed. It was great to begin catching up with another friend.

My triumph of the day came in the kitchen. I made an excellent slow-cooked barbecue pork roast. The meal was completed with baked sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, and chianti. I really love to cook. Having the freedom to do so again is therapeutic. I hope that my team is adjusting as well as I am. I can honestly say that I am practically tension-free at this point. I look at my calender and see no mission on the horizon, no pax terminals, no dust storms, and no bullshit from ignorant souls seeking to abuse the services of my team. I've left that in the hands of others.

Home is the wonderful, safe-haven I remembered it to be. Eventually I will finish making my rounds. There's no hurry.