24 Hour Duty and other ramblings

Here it is at 0230 on 31 December, and I am sitting at a desk, fighting off the sleep monster. Christmas was awesome, as I was able to spend it with my beautiful family. I love seeing the faces of my daughters as they saw the tree and opened their presents. The pure joy and delight that they exhibited really made me appreciate the life I have.

This year saw a lot of changes for me professionally, but the steadfast rock in my life is my family, and without them, I would not be a successful man. I truly love them, and sometimes it takes sitting at a desk when everyone else is sleeping to help me put into words what they mean to me. Until next year, when I hope to do better at blogging, rather than take a month between entries.

A Four Day weekend

And of course I get sick.  I love the irony in life.  A time to rest turns into a time to heal.  I have been enjoying the off time with my family, but I really don't like being sick.  It sucks.  Not too much to write today.  Just drinking some tea, trying to watch some football, and hoping that this crap gets out of my system.  BTW, people really suck.  I hope that my wife and I can teach our daughters to be members of a full society rather than be stuck in a short sighted world view that does not challenge them.  From idiots trying to buy more stuff to those who only care for themselves, I hope that my girls are able to rise above that and become the greatest generation of leaders and citizens of the world.  Just my quick rant.

A good Saturday

I took the girls out today, so that my dear wife could have a little quiet time to herself.  So, as the girls and i went to get some odds and ends for Thanksgiving, Cat was able to just relax.  I am amazed by my wife on a daily basis.  She has held the fort down while I was in Korea for 15 months, Iraq for a year, and any number of schools that the Army sends me to.  She is truly my hero, and the reason I have had any success at all on this wild ride in the military.

Anyway, as the girls and I were leaving Wal-Mart, they saw a group of Veterans who were taking donations.  So, they all took money from their own purses, and donated a dollar each.  That was amazing to me.  But when I asked them why, my eyes were opened to them.  They each said that we have to take care of all the Veterans, Daddy.  Because you are one and we have to take care of those who take care of us.  The pride I felt hearing my girls say that is still beaming.  In fact, I think that they have hit the nail on the head.  

Why, in the most prosperous nation in the world, do we allow those who defend freedom to live in the streets?  Is there an easy answer?  Of course not.  However, I believe that we, as a country, owe it to the men and women of the military (my brothers and sisters in arms) to be able to take care of them in some way.  I am not sure what that is, but I think I have found a new cause to get behind 100%.  Please check out the following link to see the group my girls gave to, and lets see what we can do to take care of those who are serving, and have served this great nation of ours.    www.veteranssupportfl.org

OK, so I haven't posted in a while

So, where do I start.  I had this great idea to start blogging about the life of a Soldier, only to have the life of a Soldier kick into full gear.  In the last nine weeks, I have been to two different schools, in two different areas of the country and have been home for only three weeks.  Needless to say, trying to sit down and attempt any kind of coherent thought was not happening.  However, I am home now, and am back into the groove that is being me.  I have to say that the election of Barack Obama has restored my faith in the humanity of the American people.  Only in this country can we overcome social prejudices in such a way as to where a man like Obama can become the first African-American president.  And honestly, does it matter his skin color?  Certainly many social walls crumbled upon his election, but he is the President-elect of the United States.  That, to me, is the awesomeness of this situation.  I am sure that my parents and grandparents did not think they would see this historic day in their lifetimes.  I am just happy that the first memory that my oldest daughter will have of the President will be that he was an American who just happened to be African-American.  For her generation, that will be just the way things are.  And to see the culture of America move forward, and to be a part of it, and to see my children live in it.....well, that is why I serve, and that is truly the point of the life of a Soldier.  To all my Marine brothers, Semper Fi.  Know that this Soldier respects you and your training, and I cannot wait to do it again.

I love my life

There are a few times in life, when out of the blue, you realize how lucky you can be.  For me, that was about twenty minutes ago.  I was in the bedroom, getting all of my stuff together for tomorrow at work, and in the silence, I heard my youngest giggling.  She was watching her favorite show "Yo Gabba Gabba", and was just laughing and singing along.  It was that pure sound of joy that really brought to me what a lucky man I am.  While working, paying bills, and the overall stress of being an adult can bring you down, that pure joy of life reminded me of just how lucky and blessed I am.  I am convinced that most of the time, we cause our own stress.  We don't take the time to enjoy the day as it comes.  I am finding more and more that I need to be more like my children.  My oldest teaches me that day dreaming is a lost art, and something that I should do more often.  My next oldest teaches me that wisdom has nothing to do with age, it has to do with being perspective and seeing the beauty in all things.  My almost youngest teaches me to live life to its fullest.  She puts the same passion into brushing her teeth as she does playing outside.  That is something to emulate.  And finally my youngest just taught me to see the joy in life, and to not be afraid to laugh and enjoy it.  

I am truly a lucky man, and nothing that the Army can do will take away from me the lessons my daughters teach me in the quiet times at home.

A week of change

I finally have done it.  After years of saying I would, I am on my way to finally completing my college degree.  Yep, I am going to get my Bachelor's Degree in American Studies from Columbia College.  I am so glad that I have the time, and that I finally got off my butt to make it happen.  It is nice being back in a learning environment that has an exchange of ideas and allows for discussion.  I will certainly keep this blog up to date as I move forward.

Also, I got some cool stuff from IAVA this week and I am looking forward to getting my fellow Soldiers involved in a group that can help them in the long term.  This will be a quick post, as I need to work on some stuff for next weeks classes.  I will be back, just stay tuned.

Another week down

I thought I would sit down and wrap up this week and start looking forward to the next.  Much like every other job in the world, this past week was just nice and standard.  That is one thing that is funny about the Army.  Predictability is actually involved.  My day starts way too early, and ends way too late.  Not much to say about that one.    Thankfully, this will be a short week so I will be able to spend some time and home and help finish setting up the house.  Moving in the Army is something that, while normal, seriously screws up any and all sense of normalcy.  Seeing your house loaded into a truck, and then unpacking it a few thousand miles away from the last time you saw it is fun.  Insert sarcasm here.  Then, you have to hope beyond hope that the moving company did not destroy your property.  Then, comes the trying to get your house back into order, while at the same time, getting back into the groove of Army life.

On a completely different topic, I know in my las post I said that I would stay away from politics, and I intend to do that.  However, I have to put my two cents in for a great organization that is taking care of, and addressing Veteran issues as they arise for this next generation of heroes.  Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.iava.org) is a great organization, founded by Veterans in 2004.  This group pushed the new GI Bill, and are constantly working on issues, including VA benefits, PTSD treatment, and how we, as a society can better take care of those who protect freedom.  Please, if anyone reads this blog, visit their website and join or donate.  This is work that is honorable, and allows all of us to do what is right for our Veterans.  I am proud to say that I am a member, and am volunteering in Georgia to bring awareness to these issues and to get my peers and younger Soldiers that I work with involved in their futures.   

Random thoughts and what to expect

I figure that I should probably lay down some ground rules as to how I will run this blog.  I will not tip my hand politically.  In other words, it is a secret ballot for a reason when we vote.  Also, I see the Army as the entity that puts into action the foreign policy of the Office of the President.  Therefore, whichever party is in office, it truly doesn't matter to me.  As I, and every other Soldier stated in our initial oath, "...obey the orders of the President of the United States and the officers appointed over me."  So, just as a forward, don't look to me for any type of political insight or analysis as to the "why."  I will leave that to those employed by CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and all other media outlets.  They get paid for analysis, I get paid to protect freedom.  Fair enough, right??  

As for me, I am still moving right along.  Being a Soldier is not always the glamorous life.  It is early formations followed by push-ups, sit-ups, and a nice four mile run.  You have to love Monday morning... I'll talk again soon.

First Shot at this

I guess after years of hearing about blogging, I thought I might actually try it. In this day and age of being a Leader of Soldiers, I am having to learn how to take the knowledge I have and relate it to Soldiers who are younger than I am. Certainly, it can be a challenge, but I think I have cracked that code. I tell them that I grew up on Atari and 8 Tracks, and they grew up on iPods and cell phones. It seems to work, as they understand that my experiences can help them, and I can use a language that they understand.

I really enjoy being in the Army. I know that sounds like the statement of a person who is slightly off kilter, but to be honest, this generation is proving itself to be the next Greatest Generation. I have been able to meet new people, and experience cultures that I would never have imagined. From seeing Korea and meeting some great friends, trying to learn Hangul (which I never really was able to master), to flying over Babylon and seeing the cradle of civilization, I am a very lucky man. I am hopeful that this time of constant deployment will end, and that the life of a Soldier will become more home based. So, I guess the point of this whole rambling on is to say that I will be updating this as time moves forward, and I hope to show people that the life of a Soldier, while tough at times, is perhaps one of the most rewarding endeavors that one can undertake.