I knew, way back when this journey started, that there was an opportunity for everyone to get home for two weeks of rest and relaxation (R&R). But it was difficult for me to wrap my mind around. In the Navy, when the ship leaves on deployment, everyone is there throughout the deployment. We don't send people home unless it is for an emergency. It was especially foreign to me to leave the command as the commanding officer. To leave the command in the middle of deployment seemed like a betrayal of the team and was not sure how much "rest and relaxation" would happen knowing the team was continuing to go into harm's way without me.
But deploying to a war zone on the ground is not the same as deploying on a ship. At least on the ship there is the occasional respite from duty each time they pull into some exotic port and enjoy a few days of liberty. In Afghanistan, there is no break, no exotic ports, no liberty. I realized in October that not only did I need to use my R&R, but the team needed me to use it. I needed to decompress and they needed to continue the mission without me for awhile. My Executive Officer needed to have the opportunity to develop by running the show and participating in missions.
So, on the 14th of November I stepped onboard a helo and started the long journey home. The first leg was a thirty minute flight to Jalalabad. It did not start out well, as five minutes into the flight I realized my butt was too comfortable (what)? I was sitting evenly on the canvas seat in the helicopter, which was a bad sign. I reached down with my right hand and confirmed my suspicion...and my heart fell. Moments before leaving I had changed my uniform pants to a clean pair. Their are eight pockets in the pants, so it is always a process to move everything over from the old pair to the new pair. As luck would happen, I checked seven pockets when I switched out. Sitting in the bottom of the cabinet in my room was a dirty pair of camouflage pants with a wallet in the back pocket...idiot. I wasn't going to get anywhere without my ID card which was sitting in that wallet which was in the back pocket of the camouflage pants in the bottom of the cabinet in my room. This was not starting well.
As luck would have it, one of my guys was on another flight later in the morning. There were four of us leaving on R&R but only three of us were manifested on the early flight, so I knew Petty Officer Ruiz was going to be leaving the base within a couple of hours. As soon the the helo landed in Jalalabad, I called back to my Operations Officer. The call went something like this:
Where are you right now?
I am outside behind the headquarters building sir.
Do me a favor and walk over to my room. Tell me when you are there.
Alright sir, I am here.
Enter this code into the cipher lock ****. Let me know when you are in.
I'm in sir.
Walk forward to the cabinet on your right, open up the door on the left.
Okay, got it.
Do you see a pair of pants laying there unfolded?
Yes sir.
Pick them up, and take the wallet out of the back pocket.
(Snickering and laughter)got it sir.
Please take the wallet and give it to Petty Officer Ruiz before he jumps on the helo.
No problem, consider it done.
Once again my guys came through in the clutch. Petty Officer Ruiz delivered the wallet just a couple of hours later and we were all able to fly out of Jalalabad later that day. The next leg took us to Bagram Airfield where we would catch a flight to Kuwait. While two of the guys were able to get out to Kuwait early the next morning, I was stuck in Bagram for about thirty six hours before getting on a C-130 in the middle of the night, packed like sardines in uncomfortable seats (sitting sideways) for about five and a half hours. After arriving in Kuwait, we were told that we would be flying out of Kuwait in a couple of days so to get comfortable and come back for a Friday flight ( I had started traveling on Monday and this was now Wednesday). I had taken a minimalist packing tact and brought only a back pack with a few changes of underwear and my computer. Once I realized I was going to be there for a couple of days, I went to the exchange and bought a pair of running shoes. I figured I might as well work out for a couple of days rather than laying around. But on Thursday morning, before I could even try on the shoes they called our flight number over the loudspeaker. So we all assembled and were told we had 45 minutes to gather our stuff and report with our bags to catch an earlier flight. I wasn't going to complain. That night we were heading on the long, long journey to Atlanta. I was squeezed into a middle seat all the way from Kuwait to Ireland and Ireland to Atlanta...lovely.
Once in Atlanta, since no one knew I was coming home, I decided I better try and connect with someone at home to pick me up. It is great having a brother living in the area, so I pulled out my stateside phone and attempted to call Mike, but quickly found out my phone was no longer activated. Bummer. I went to a pay as you go email station and stuck a five dollar bill in the slot which gave me about five minutes to write an email to Mike and ask him to pick me up in Seattle later that afternoon. Later, I spied a Major who had been on the same journey with me from Kuwait waiting at my gate. He was nice enough to lend me his phone and I was able to connect with Mike. Before the flight left I stopped by the gift store and bought myself some Nyquil since I felt my head and chest filling up with crud and my general health plummeting. The Nyquil knocked me out on the flight to Seattle.
Of course (time to cut this short), it was all worth it when I walked through the door and Midori jumped into my arms. It has been a great trip despite being sick for the first few days (and then giving Midori my cold). A great Thanksgiving at Molly's and a nice visit to Oregon. The time spent with my family and with old friends was a great way to recharge the batteries. Now it is time to get a haircut, pack up and head back for the final three months of a rewarding but very challenging tour...hope I remember my wallet.
No comments:
Post a Comment