January 17, 2010

Vikings vs Cowboys

Can you say, “Kicked some butt!!!!”

What a great evening! We watched the game at Holy Joes and it was definitely crowded with Viking’s fans. We had a few Cowboy fans from 1st Infantry Division but they were pretty quiet and snuck out as the night progressed.

Bri and I have season tickets and it’s been really disappointing not being able to attend the games especially since the Vikings are doing so well. Last year, one of the zealous fans landed seats in front of us. He was yelling to Jerad Allen as if they were the best of friends and he stood most of the game which really tweaked me. The next day his picture made the front page of the Star Tribune. Go figure. However, I would take this guy standing in front of me if only I could just be there for the real deal; even if I had to stand the entire game.



The guy who stood in front of us!






Sergeant Groeneweg, Captain Wry, Chaplain Lotzer and Captain Markgraf


Major Caron


Sergeant G and Specialist Morfitt


Me and Chaplain Lotzer


Major Rosha


Class 42 Rocks!


Master Sergeants Kemp and Wald


I convinced Coach he had to put on the jersey. Once again he was a good sport! I'm sure he won't be too happy when he sees this posted on my blog...a Southerner wearing a Yankee's jersey!


Coach and Sergeant G




Command Sergeant Major Wortham

January 10, 2010

Fallen Heroes 5K

I’ve been so tired lately. In fact the word exhausted just doesn’t seem to describe how I feel so when a number of my friends asked if I was running in the Fallen Heroes 5K, all I could think…Sunday I get to sleep in….all I want to do is sleep in. This working day after day and long hours has taken its toll on me. Thank God, the deployment is almost done.

But when I returned to my CHU that evening, my roommate and I decided we would run. So much for sleeping in but I knew I would get to run with my running partner, Coach, at least one more time before I leave this place.

The Fallen Heroes 5K is in honor of our Soldiers who lost their lives in July from an IDF attack on the COB. The event started rather somber as Taps played in the cool morning air and the Chaplain gave a prayer. Unlike other runs back home, I knew this route better than I care to ever remember. Having ran over 600 miles and this being a small base, there isn’t much to look at other than the gray T-walls and the other signs of being in a foreign country. Coach was great and as always, we chatted on the way.

We were able to watch the first group of runners as they doubled back to the finish line. I looked for Anna, our sergeant working in the orderly room, and as I expected she was the first female coming along. Here’s a nice article about her in the Faribault Daily Newspaper:
http://faribault.com/news.php?viewStory=96054

Next, I watched for my roommate and once again, she didn’t disappoint me. She had already ran 3 ½ miles prior to the race and she was still running strong. What an amazing woman!

My roomie came back after crossing the finish line and crossed the finish line with me. We hung around for the awards presentation and she won her second pair of Oakley Sunglasses. Annie won her second Apple Ipod Touch. They really should have switched places!

Next order of business was making it in time to breakfast before the DFAC closed so between jumping on a bus, running to the next bus stop, jumping on another bus, running to our CHUs for our weapons and lastly running to the DFAC, we made it just in time to get in line for our omelet’s before the cooks closed the line.

After breakfast, I purchased another tote and began packing it with my art supplies. Surprisingly, this was harder to do than I thought it would be since I wanted access to my supplies as this deployment winds down. With our replacements coming in, there won’t be a lot of room in our office for extra Soldiers so maybe I’ll have a little free time. Hence, the reason I didn’t want to pack up my art stuff but, I knew this was one of the final boxes I would be packing before I left. What a great feeling!

YES! I finally got something to bloom in Iraq! This must make me a master gardener! I had planted my Holly Hocks in peat pots and once established, I moved some to the soil. They didn’t fare well at all since the soil has so much salt content…at least that is what they say. However, the Marigolds bloomed and displayed their happy faces. I can’t wait to work in my garden this year.

Since it won’t be gardening weather upon my return, I am really looking forward to downhill skiing. In fact, I’ve been thinking about it, talking about it and dreaming about it. I only hope my body cooperates and doesn’t balk at the cold temperatures that I am about to experience. It’s been a balmy 66 degrees in Basra, Iraq. And you’re wondering why I would want to leave and go back to the cold of Minnesota.

Some other news: I finally found out what my full-time military position will be upon my return: Public Affairs Officer. I’m excited to start this new venture! For the non-military people reading this entry, a description from Wikipedia: Public Affairs is a term for the formal offices of the branches of the United States Department of Defense whose purpose is to deal with the media and community issues.

I will have to go away to school for two months at Fort Meade in Maryland. From what I understand, weekends are free so I can spend them in one of my favorite cities, Washington D.C. Just to have time to wander around for hours and hours in the Smithsonian Museums or run around the national monuments will make being away from home a lot easier to handle.

However, I do regret that I did not continue to pay for my coveted parking spot next to the Joint Forces Headquarters Building in downtown St Paul. Once again, I will have to walk from the X parking lot by Sears until my name reaches the top of the list. Last time it took a good 12 months before I had my choice parking spot. I guess I didn’t work the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP) that well by giving up my spot. Another lesson learned!

Can’t wait to go home!!!!



A shot of one of the few murals on the gray T-walls



Chief Thoma



Major Flikkie and Major Venable


LT Dietrich and me


SGT Groeneweg and the BC


BC, Chief and me


The Jensen Brothers


LT Oman, Anna and SPC Hoisington


The Jacobs


SGT Meghan Crooks


SPC Schaeffer


Coach, Roomie and me


Roomie and Major Venable (she won 3rd place)


The Sabre guards from Uganda. They have some really fast runners!



SFC Pietsch and the MP Soldiers



Our deck. I drew the beach scene with sidewalk chalk. Unfortunately, I can count on one hand the number of times I got to sit here once we moved to our new CHU.


A close-up of my plants.

January 4, 2010

Totes and Trucks

You know you’ve been in the military too long when military life starts to creep into your personal life. This goes beyond giving Brian orders which he doesn’t follow or making my daughter do pushups when she took candy without asking. Brian recently purchased one of the Camp Ripley trucks which were on sale at KIA in Duluth. He claims it’s for using as a plow truck at the cabin and for bird hunting but when he mentioned that maybe I could use it as a runner until we purchased my car; I knew it had gone too far. I don’t think so!

Sunday, my roommate and I packed our totes and headed to the post office. Seems that we weren’t the only ones with this same plan since it took us 1 ½ hours to send off our stuff. So after packing my totes neatly so that everything fit, I placed my tote in front of the KBR contractor. He asked me the standard questions such as; do I have any ammunition or weapons of which I stated, “no.” So he starts pulling everything out of my one tote and comes across a stuffed bear that my Dad and Mary Lou gave me for Christmas. The bear is holding a replica of an M4. The contractor proceeds to tell me I shouldn’t send it home in the tote. He stated when the tote goes through the x-ray, it could mistakenly be taken as a real weapon….you have got to be kidding me.

Along with my warrior bear that had to come out, other items were: nail polish and hair spray. These items had been mailed to me but heavens no, I couldn’t mail them home.

There was a Soldier at the next table over having his tote gone through. This Soldier had a USED priority box inside of his tote. The contractor told him if he used the box, he would be charged for the box inside the tote. Another, you have got to be kidding me.

Even though I couldn’t believe the post office “rules”, it was great to know I’m that much closer to home.


The new truck!


The bear. For size reference, I placed my barrettes next to the bear.

January 1, 2010

2010 New Year's Resolution

Psalm 90:12

"Teach us to number our days [that is, to make every day count] that we may gain a heart of wisdom"

December 31, 2009

Once in a Blue Moon!

Talk about firsts for the year 2009: first deployment, first time riding a camel, first time seeing a lunar halo (last night) and first time seeing a Blue Moon on New Year’s Eve…and it happened in Iraq. Doesn’t get any better than that!

When I was a kid, my dad built a telescope and we would look at the planets and moon. I remember seeing Saturn for the first time and being amazed and how perfectly I could see the rings. Ever since that time I have had a fascination with the night sky and the last couple of nights were ones I will never forget.

On 30 December I was walking back to my CHU when I noticed a Soldier staring up at the sky. Directly overhead was the moon surrounded by a ring of light. At first, I thought there must be some kind of glare coming from one of the generator lights but as I moved locations, it became apparent that this halo was indeed in the night sky. It was spectacular! I had never even heard of this phenomenon but I’m certainly glad I got to see it!

The following day, I was telling people about the halo around the moon when someone mentioned the moon would be a Blue Moon that evening. I’m not sure if this was in the news or not at home but when you are deployed, you are so sheltered from what is going on with the rest of the world. A Blue Moon is the second full moon in a month. This occurs once every 2.7 years and the last time it occurred on New Year’s Eve was in 1990. The next time it lands on New Year’s Eve, it will be in 2028. I can’t say it looked any different than other full moons but it certainly was symbolic of my time here.

Some Soldiers put together a really nice party to ring in the New Year. They used a crane to hoist a lighted Red Bull to use as the “ball” that drops at midnight. In the MWR tent, various tournaments were going on such as; cribbage, black jack and Texas Hold Em. I didn’t stick around…something about getting up at 0530 in the morning didn’t appeal to staying up late. The best part of this day…I’ll be home in 2010!


Lunar Halo. This is a picture from the internet since my camera was at the office but this is exactly the way it appeared!


New Year's Eve 2009 Blue Moon!

































The Red Bull hanging from a crane.