Labor Day,
Well, the 400 day countdown has begun. I spent a few days in Texas with my deploying Unit and then we all flew together up to the Pacific Northwest to our Mobilization (MOB) site. It was hard to say goodbye to family, but (ironically) somewhat easier than I was expecting. Maybe you just get used to this sort of thing? I doubt it!
We landed in the rain and proceeded to get settled in to our old, WWII barracks for the next few weeks. For security reasons I cannot tell you how long we'll be here, but we won't be leaving anytime soon. One of the pictures should show you the WWII barracks from a 2nd floor window. It's kind of pretty here, but cold and rainy. In fact, yesterday was a miserable day for me because I was not prepared for the rain or the cold. Yes, I know, I'm an idiot. You see, a few days back I spent time packing a tough box with all sorts of cold and wet weather gear that will be shipped on ahead of us to our final destination. I will not have access to it at all for awhile. And in the Texas heat it never occured to me to pull out some warm weather and rain gear for the time we'd spend in the Pacific NW. So I packed it all up and sent it on ahead. You can either call me a rookie or retarded... maybe both. My wife would call me "High Speed."
The other issue is the airlines broke my personal foot locker even before we left Texas. They kindly taped it up, but it was damaged beyond use. You can see from the picture that one end is completely torn off. They must have dropped it off that conveyor belt that goes up into the belly of the plane and then ran over it with a truck! That's how badly it was damaged (see picture). I empyied the contents and then threw it away. It makes you wonder what really goes on with our luggage behind the scenes at the airport. They must really manhandle our stuff.
Anyway, God heard my prayers and understood my frustrations. After standing in the early morning darkness and wet chill this morning, someone told me that my large back-pack (called a Mollie) arrived late last night and that I could go get it. To my wonderful surprise, I found my helmet, a warm fleece jacket, and some wet weather gear! I was not expecting to be able to get to this clothing, and it sure made my day. I am now warm, dry, and happy! (Thank you, Lord).
They also found me a private room, but there was no bed in here initially. So the guys helped me build a bed frame with old foot-lockers and we found a mattress... and presto! A comfy little room. (It's good to be the Chaplain!) The guys knew I was frustrated and were glad to help me get settled in. Most of the Soldiers are in large open "bays" with bunk beds. There are about 25 men in the room just outside my door, and the same amount down below on the first floor. They say rank has it's privileges, and I'm beginning to understand why. (Trust me, I'm not complaining).
OK, gotta run for now. I'll blog more in a few days. Training started for us up here on Labor Day. Hope you all had a nice Holiday.
We landed in the rain and proceeded to get settled in to our old, WWII barracks for the next few weeks. For security reasons I cannot tell you how long we'll be here, but we won't be leaving anytime soon. One of the pictures should show you the WWII barracks from a 2nd floor window. It's kind of pretty here, but cold and rainy. In fact, yesterday was a miserable day for me because I was not prepared for the rain or the cold. Yes, I know, I'm an idiot. You see, a few days back I spent time packing a tough box with all sorts of cold and wet weather gear that will be shipped on ahead of us to our final destination. I will not have access to it at all for awhile. And in the Texas heat it never occured to me to pull out some warm weather and rain gear for the time we'd spend in the Pacific NW. So I packed it all up and sent it on ahead. You can either call me a rookie or retarded... maybe both. My wife would call me "High Speed."
The other issue is the airlines broke my personal foot locker even before we left Texas. They kindly taped it up, but it was damaged beyond use. You can see from the picture that one end is completely torn off. They must have dropped it off that conveyor belt that goes up into the belly of the plane and then ran over it with a truck! That's how badly it was damaged (see picture). I empyied the contents and then threw it away. It makes you wonder what really goes on with our luggage behind the scenes at the airport. They must really manhandle our stuff.
Anyway, God heard my prayers and understood my frustrations. After standing in the early morning darkness and wet chill this morning, someone told me that my large back-pack (called a Mollie) arrived late last night and that I could go get it. To my wonderful surprise, I found my helmet, a warm fleece jacket, and some wet weather gear! I was not expecting to be able to get to this clothing, and it sure made my day. I am now warm, dry, and happy! (Thank you, Lord).
They also found me a private room, but there was no bed in here initially. So the guys helped me build a bed frame with old foot-lockers and we found a mattress... and presto! A comfy little room. (It's good to be the Chaplain!) The guys knew I was frustrated and were glad to help me get settled in. Most of the Soldiers are in large open "bays" with bunk beds. There are about 25 men in the room just outside my door, and the same amount down below on the first floor. They say rank has it's privileges, and I'm beginning to understand why. (Trust me, I'm not complaining).
OK, gotta run for now. I'll blog more in a few days. Training started for us up here on Labor Day. Hope you all had a nice Holiday.
glad the countdown has begun. my prayers are with ya.
ReplyDeleteHey Darren! Long time no see. I'm glad I checked your blog ... I didn't realize you were buggin' out. I'll be sure to follow your journey and be praying.
ReplyDelete