Halfway there........

Well, just crossed the halfway point of this deployment and I have to say that the time has flown by…….probably just jinxed myself but such is life.

I have stayed extremely busy here inspecting a lot of ammunition and helping the soldiers out. I work with a great bunch of troops and they have made the tour enjoyable.

Afghanistan is……..interesting. I’m surprised at just how desolate this place is. While I’m not a political expert I just don’t understand why we are here. Because our leaders tell us to be I guess. You know “because I said so” quit working for me when I was about 12 years old or so……is frustrating to not understand the big picture. It is more frustrating to be surrounded by our troops who have no idea why we are here either. Until the local population decides to stand up to the Taliban and fight for the way of life they want I just don’t see how we can expect to win. I’m not sure what “winning” means. I see no prize here. There is my 2 cents………I’m just honored to be assisting and serving alongside the finest troops any country has to offer. They ask so little and far too many have made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.

I simply cannot believe how much Elizabeth has grown in the 3 months I’ve been gone. This will prove to be the hardest part of this deployment and the thing I’ll regret the most. This is simply time that I’ll never get back. She will be 8 months old when I get home and have no idea who I am. Makes me sad……..I love my kids so much and am blessed to have them in my life.

They are so much better than I ever thought about being. The old saying is you pay for your raising but I’m certainly not……..they are far better than the example I have set for them and am grateful for my wife who makes it all happen. I make sure we have a house………..she makes sure we have a home. And I’m forever grateful.

What to report………..actually everyday here is like the movie “Groundhog Day”. Every day is basically the same……….I get up at 0630 and head out to the BLST area to check in. I check my “Theater” email address then head back across post for breakfast. After eating I head out to the office………..which is inside an expando van, which if you don’t know what that is it’s basically a big box truck with slide outs. Throughout the day its inspecting ammunition and explosives and helping the units store their assets safely. This is proving to be more of a challenge than I’d hoped…………they simply don’t like a civilian telling them what to do with their ammo. Takes some time to develop some trust but after that it works pretty smooth. I skip lunch and work straight thru………..usually get off between 6-7 PM and then head down to the chow hall to eat………off to the shower then hit some Facebook or maybe watch a movie on the laptop. Then do it all over again……….and again…………and again, you get the hint. Every once in a while I hop a helicopter or plane and head out to the outlying FOB/COP (Forward Operating Base/Combat Out Post and look at the ammo out there. Nice to break the monotony of the daily routine but don’t really enjoy going out there………this is where the fight is and as a civilian I’m considered a “non-combative”……..(tell that to the Taliban)..…..so no weapons for me………..got access to an Army’s worth of ammunition but no weapons. Would be nice to be able to defend myself should the need arise.

As I get ready to wind down I’m super excited to get home. Tracy has (as always) handled the house and kids with no issues. She is an amazing woman that God has blessed me with………..she has every quality that a Christ-like woman should have. It sounds corny but she NEVER has a bad word to say about anyone……….I just don’t think she has it in her to be hateful. Glad I can help fill that void for her! I can usually find the negative if given 10 seconds or so……….is a skill I’ve developed over the years and helps to add some balance in our lives!

Wow………I just scored………we have a soldier passing thru for a few days crashing in our tent………..he has pictures of a huge ammunition fire we had here in theater a few weeks ago……..I just scored 160 nighttime ammunition fire pictures………these come in super handy when I’m giving classes to the troops. Sorry........random man strikes again........

What do I miss the most? Would have to be Tracy and the kids no question………but on a side note I miss the radio……..for those that don’t know me I love music. Just about anything except heavy metal crap……..I want to have the window down and the tunes jamming. I miss hot water in the shower and cold ice water from the fridge………..sounds juvenile right? Oh well, it’s the little things I guess.

So what to report from the home front……….Kylee and Ryan are both playing baseball…..games 4 nights a week. Jordan and Paris are staying busy with Young Women’s at church and the normal teenage girl stuff (whatever that is) James Dean made the high school golf team and plays all the time. He also has a full time job lined up at scout camp this year working staff. Will be a great experience for him to get out of the house and on his own a little bit. Hopefully this will help prepare him for his mission.

Tracy’s brother Michael and his wife Lisa have come out to North Carolina and moved in to help Tracy while I’m gone………though I’m not really sure she needs help. They have been a blessing to her and have accomplished a lot since they been there. Michael has a sweet computer gig that allows him to work anywhere he can get an Internet connection.

Well, time to go to bed………past time actually.

So ready to get home……..see the family and we even had some great friends from Korea move in across the street………will be great getting to know them better.

Come on July………….

God Bless You All!

James