You Go Girl!

The temperature has cooled down quite a bit. It certainly isn’t Minnesota weather but I’m not burning my butt on the Porta John seats anymore. Which reminds me; I received a care package prior to going on leave from my friend, Paul Bakken. His letter included the following paragraph:

The last item is technically from my wife - you'll understand why when you see it. I was talking to her a while back and mentioned the story on your blog about all of you lady-folk scorching yourselves on the porta-potties. She looked at me and said, "She needs a Go-Girl. Send her one". I am not one to disobey my wife, so the items in the padded envelope are the result of her directive. (While placing my order, I mentioned that it was for a friend in Iraq. They doubled the order and threw in some promotional items for free!) May these items aid you in your quest to avoid biffy-burn.

So Paul, I haven’t had the chance to use one and maybe I’m scared of how well it would work. I could just see someone asking, “Why are your boots wet?” However, we had a good laugh when I opened one of the tubes and out popped the “Go-Girl”! It was just like a Jack-in-the-box coming out of that tube! I opened this during our Friday at 5 event and the room was in a roar.

My roommate coordinated a Sunday get-together for today with some of the other women on the COB. We met for coffee at Holy Joes. Every week there are improvements to the COB and one such improvement is the construction of our chaplain’s tent. This tent is used for a multitude of purposes from classes, bible study, watching football games, crafts and meeting with friends for coffee. They finished the tent in August and part of the completion required the tent to be sprayed with foam. This keeps the tent cool; however, it makes for an ugly color.

One of the stories shared by a fellow officer was her response to the IDF alarm going off one morning. She told us about her AC not working in her trailer so she was sleeping with hardly any clothes on when the alarm sounded. She jumped up from the bed and grabbed her body armor to throw on. It was then that she realized the body armor was all she was wearing on top. We laughed at the picture of her lying on her floor with her body armor on and underwear. BTW, it was a false alarm. You just never know what interesting situations you’ll find yourself in Iraq!


The Holy Joes tent or otherwise known as the Twinkie.






Inside the tent. To the right is the plasma TV to watch the football games!



Fellow officers.


GOGIRL Don't Take Life Sitting Down at www.Go-Girl.com

Just Another Day

I had just started my run this morning when I fell…again. What the hell?! This time I tripped over rebar that was stuck in the ground. Luckily, I didn’t hit the ground as hard as last time but I still scraped up my one knee really well. At the rate I’m going, I will end up with some nasty staph infection before this tour is over.

So in all the years I’ve been running, I’ve never fallen until I’ve been in Iraq. Biking, on the other hand, is another story. When I was 11 years old, I was using my dad’s 10-speed which was a little big for me. Our three-legged dog, Nanook, ran in front of me and I hit her square on the butt. Over I went and scraped my knee which still holds the scar except it’s sporting my new wound on top of it. The next biking incident, I was 16 years old taking a month long bicycle tour in France. My friends and I were heading back to the hotel in the pouring rain when I hit a railroad track hidden by a puddle. Over I went and scarred my other knee. It too, holds a new scar from Iraq. I know there are worse injuries I could sustain here and I shouldn’t complain but, I just wish I wasn’t scraping myself up with the nasty dirt of Iraq.

It’s been cooler than when I left, however, the wind shifted last Sunday and it was incredibly humid. It reminded me of spending the summer in San Antonio, Texas, at Fort Sam Houston. Just like Texas, after I showered and the second I stepped outside, I was sticky. Luckily, the wind shifted again and it’s back to that “dry” heat. Really, what is “dry” heat? I’ve never been so hot in my life until I came here. It’s quite the experience and until you are in it, you can’t even imagine it. There are some leaders who insist we wear our long sleeve shirts at all times since it will keep us cooler or so they say. I don’t buy it. On days that I’m wearing my short sleeve physical training shirt, I don’t sweat nearly as bad as when I’m wearing a T-shirt AND my long sleeve shirt. If I ever make general, I’ll change that rule….I certainly can’t do it as a captain. I’m like a private here with all the other officers running around. I guess that is what happens when you deploy with a division headquarters.

I forgot to mention in my post about leave, I learned to play chess while I was traveling home. What a great game. I liked thinking about my own strategy and my opponents. Sergeant Stacey Brown was a great instructor even though she didn’t let me win. I can see I’ll have to find someone who plays worse than me just so I can get a morale boost from winning once and a while.

By the way, I need to clarify; we don’t drink alcoholic beverages here! My pictures of our Friday at Five (Happy Hour) are with non-alcoholic beer. Please don’t think there are a bunch of Soldiers having wild parties here in Iraq. I will say our Friday at Five has gained in popularity and lots of Soldiers stop by for the hour. It really makes for something to look forward to in the week. Every time a new Soldier stops by, they get to wear the First Sergeant’s tiara. At least Fridays aren’t just another day….. it’s fun to see who will be the next princess!

9/11

2 July 2001 was my first day as a full time employee of the Minnesota Army National Guard. I was hired as the training officer for the 134th Signal Battalion located in Inver Grove Heights.

Just as every American remembers where they were when the terrorist attacks began, I was driving to work, listening to the radio when I heard about the North Tower being hit. As the day progressed, we received calls from guard members stating they were ready to report. I was struck by one such call from a veteran. He stated he was no longer in the service yet he had a uniform and was ready to report.

Eight years later, I’m standing on foreign soil, attending a 9/11 remembrance ceremony. One of the Soldiers reads the timeline from that fateful day. It’s truly amazing how one very short day in history drastically changed how we do business as Americans. And you don’t have to be a service member to feel these affects. Every day that my husband travels on a plane, he feels the affects by having to take his shoes on and off or travel with 3 oz liquids in a zip locked baggie just to get through security. Considering he travels upwards of 150 days a year, I’m sure he fondly recalls the pre 9/11 travel days.

Yes, a lot has changed in our lives especially for the service member. Some of my friends are on their 2nd and 3rd deployments and some with even more. At times, this year seems as if it will never end and I can’t imagine having to deploy again….but I would.

Regardless of your opinion of our presence in Iraq or Afghanistan, I ask for your continued support of all service members. Remember 9/11. Remember there are terrorists who will stop at nothing to destroy what we have as Americans; our freedom.

8:45 A.M. - American Airlines Flight 11 crashes into the north World Trade Center tower.

9:03 A.M. - United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into the south World Trade Center tower.

9:31 A.M. - President George W. Bush makes a statement from Emma Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida calling the crashes an "apparent terrorist attack."

9:40 A.M. - American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the west side of the Pentagon.

9:45 A.M. - An operator receives a cell phone call from a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93, who reports that the flight has been hijacked and that the passengers are going to fight back.

9:59 A.M. - The south World Trade Center tower collapses.

10:07 A.M. - United Airlines Flight 93 crashes near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

10:28 A.M. - The north World Trade Center tower collapses.

Lives lost: 2973

Leave Over...Back On My Head

I’m reminded of a joke I heard a number of years ago:

A man goes to hell and is met by the devil. The devil tells him that he has to choose a room in which he will spend the rest of eternity.

The devil opens the first door. Everyone inside is standing on their heads on a hardwood floor. The man decides this is not the room for him. The devil shows him the second room. Everyone inside is standing on their heads on a brick floor. Once again, the man decides this is not the room for him. The devil opens a third door. Everyone inside is wading in crap BUT they are drinking coffee. The man thinks to himself and remembered he enjoyed drinking coffee while he was living. He turns to the devil and tells him that this is the room for him.

The man enters the room and had just gotten his cup of coffee when someone yells, “Coffee break over, back on your heads!”

Similarly, Iraq smells like crap and is hot as hell. Once again I think; why would anyone want to live here?

Surprisingly, leaving home this time wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I’m glad I made the choice AND had the choice to take leave to see my family. Even though I had to say goodbye again, this was better for my mental well being. I truly needed my leave when it finally arrived.

Now that I am here, I am over the half way point. Too easy. I could do this standing on my head.

Home Sweet Home!

17 August 2009

1015 Report to the terminal

1230 Standing on the flight line wearing my body armor with my stuffed duffel bag on my back and my stuffed back pack on my front. Not sure how long I stood in the afternoon sun with all my gear but it was long enough that my uniform was soaked through and my back was aching. Finally, we walk single file to load the C17. This was a packed flight since we were riding with 2/4 Brigade Combat Team (BCT) Soldiers who were leaving the COB for good.

I make my way to the middle of the plane and the crew member indicates to me that I can sit in the middle. Let me add…with my bags. I’m sitting in a seat that my knees touch the seat in front of me, my backpack is at my feet and my duffle bag is on my lap. Honestly, I thought I was sweating before? !!! Now, I’m sweating and I feel closed in so I have to start taking slow breaths as not to get claustrophobic. I keep thinking to myself that this is a short pain for having to go home.

We arrive at Ali Al Salem and start the out-process for R&R. This means a lot of toting bags and body armor around until we get everything settled. Our next show time is 1800 (6pm) for briefings.

18 August 2009

0730 Report for additional briefings.

1230 Report with all of our gear. Now we are on ‘lock down’. More briefings. Start processing through the military customs. I will never complain about going through customs again in a civilian setting. I had to dump ALL of my bags onto a table for the inspector to go through. This is when I realize I’ve made a really serious mistake bringing my duffel bag and back pack.

About 3 hours later, we prepare to move to Kuwait airport. Prior to getting on the bus, the ‘Travel Agent’ states that we shouldn’t put anything in the luggage compartments under the bus and to keep our bags on our laps. What??? We have an hour long bus ride to the airport which turned into a 2 hour ordeal since we waited to load the aircraft.

The Travel Agent boards the bus and states when we load the plane, we must keep our bags on our laps. This has got to be some kind of sick joke. I have sat all cramped up and now I have a long flight ahead of me?!

We load the plane. Once everyone is on, we are given the green light to put our stuff away. Then we sit back and listen to the flight attendants as they give their safety brief. The best part: The Deep Vein Thrombosis warning. “Make sure you move your legs by stretching and walking around the cabin.” I need to speak with my travel agent about the bag on the lap…I’m thinking I’m a prime candidate for this problem since I’ve been squished for almost 3 hours.

2000 (8pm) Plane takes off.

19 August 2009

0230 Arrive in Leipzig, Germany. We’re told we’ll only be there for 1 ½ hours. NOT! The plane has some kind of hydraulic problem and the part has to be flown in.
2100 (9pm) Depart Leipzig

8 hours later….

2300 (11pm) Arrive Atlanta, Georgia. Since our flight was delayed, we have all missed our connecting flights. I was able to secure a flight to Minnesota after much angst.

20 August 2009

0630 Depart Atlanta, Georgia

0800 Arrive Minneapolis/St Paul International Airport…we were applauding!

…..and then, I was crying as I saw my family.

Scott, our neighbor of 7 years when we lived in Apple Valley, was there to take pictures. He’s part of Operation Love Reunited. Fantastic photographer!

More than words can say, I was so happy to be home. Over the course of my 15 days of leave, here are some of the highlights:

Celebrated 17 year anniversary! Thanks Hubby! We celebrated with our friends, Tom and Carla and Chip and Cheryl, at Pazzaluna in St Paul for a wonderful dinner.

Spent time with my parents; Mom and Spud and Dad and Mary Lou.

Dad and Mary Lou held a barbeque with the Lambert family! What a beautiful day, great company, great food and great wine!

Went to Solimar for some much needed beauty treatment: nails, eyebrows and hair. Lynner came along to watch and have her hair done.

SHOUT OUT!!! Visited Dr Kevin Ventrucci’s office in Apple Valley for dental treatment. While I was in Iraq, one of my molars cracked and I required a crown. My insurance had changed so his office was working the preauthorization. Upon arrival, I found out that he is not part of the network and my insurance would pay a big, fat zero! Great. I asked if he would at least look at it and provide advice on the temporary fix. Would this fix last until my return? With no hesitation, Dr Ventrucci took care of my crown with no charge.

Lyndsey had her own dental visit. She got braces! Red, White and Blue rubber bands just for me!

Lyndsey and I got to spend a lot of time alone: School shopping, Renaissance Festival, Bike riding, went to see Julie and Julia at the movie theater.

As a family and with our second daughter, Chelsey, we spent 4 days and 3 nights at the cabin on Lake George. My parents, Mom and Spud, have been remodeling the place since 2008. Prior to my leaving they had told me about their plans to make the tool shed a bunk house. What a ‘bunk house’ it is! It was as if I was staying in a lodge room on Lake Superior! Beautiful, absolutely beautiful!

Visited the General and all my friends at my old work place.

Had two fantastic meals at Donny and Robin’s (Wine included).

Lunch with Tracey on Grand Avenue. We shopped later only to find out that one of my favorite stores, Smith and Hawkins, had closed nationwide.

Spent time with Brian and Lynner just hanging out.

And of course, worked in my garden and stared at my flowers.

There wasn’t time to see everyone that I would have liked. Two weeks goes by too fast. But you can bet, I’ll have time when I get home in 2010!

It was the best seeing my family. They have been the steadfast support during this deployment and I couldn’t be doing this without them.
Love you!




My daughter and her friend, Chelsey, made the homecoming cake.


Dressing up for the Renaissance Festival.



Lyndsey and her good friend Chelsey driving the lawn mower everywhere.



The tool shed.


The remodeled room.




Going out to dinner for my last night home.


Going back and holding my girl's hand for the last time until my return.