College, Life after Combat…much more
Summer is under way and finals for college classes are coming to an end. Upon my return from deployment I jumped right back in to the college life, ready to graduate and complete my degree. I cant believe I have been at Eastern Oregon University since 2004. Too long, and too many times of seeing friends come and go while Im away in a foreign land. Now you are trying to conceive how a soldier transitions into the life of college student. Its difficult as a National Guard member to be deployed and develop and family that you live around 24/7 and then to come home to only be plopped back...
Read MoreLong Waited, Homecoming
Homecoming, A word heard all to often. But there can be good and down sides to this word that seems to emit a positive vibe. Right? Not all so true, a tour of duty can seem like a lifelong year, or just a blimp of your personal history, a year in absence in a sense; all relative to the person. My personal thought is, it’s always a way for me to come home and expect someone off that runway ramp into the sea of family and friends holding signs ready to embrace loved ones they have not seen in months. For me its always a return to no one, but friends and even then my supposed friends can’t...
Read MoreSolider’s Life: Headed for Our Homeland
Afghanistan in my rear window the C-17 floats above the Kush Mountains. We land in a barren land and obscure land. As the frigid air of Kyrgyzstan greets us reminding me and others we headed west for stateside. On the second of the four legs of my journey as I travel further west to my vaguely unfamiliar home front from a land and war I once knew. Snow was just beginning its fresh fall of the night as snow plows worked madly to keep the flight line clear and scraping the vacant concrete. As we walk through the crunchy fresh layer of snow, I begin to think of first time in Afghanistan. We...
Read MoreOut in the Wild of Afghanistan
On a small Combat Operation Base at the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains sits a small unit with about three platoons stationed out of Fort Knox, Kentucky the 6/4 Cavalry Bravo Troop operates as field artillery and scout platoon they all live here jointly with only about five females and a chow hall that seats forty nine personnel and food is served out of mermites freshly cooked and served by their own. Although the COB is small it operates in a particularly dangerous area of the Hindu Kush located close to the Pakistan border events are significant and “like clockwork” they say;...
Read MoreSoldier’s Life: Mission Variety
“Tossing and turning in the nights cold desert air in the big up armored truck; vigilance of my surroundings left my sleep a mindless concern.” As I have stated before we occasionally have the opportunity to break the monotony of CMO (Civil Military Operations) based missions in which we destine near to our FOB (Forward Operating Base) and work on projects to better benefit the improvement of the local populous. As part of our job of Platoon Security Detail we conduct a joint job of escorting and providing security for convoy missions of distribution and equipment to other FOBs....
Read MoreSoldier’s Life: New to Zealand, Ease Away from War
A free plane ticket anywhere, why not go somewhere new that you have never seen or been to; I believe I brought this up my last “leave” blog from Iraq. Now, you may be asking yourself why New Zealand out of all the places to travel too. I needed an escape that appeared not so busy, less chaotic, and had an “outdoorsy” , wilderness feel to it. So I thought why not New Zealand, its known for its outdoor activities, extreme sports, and its unique culture. So I hoped on the opportunity to go to such a place where I could bungy jump, hike, not be overwhelmed by crowds and huge cities or...
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