Captain Kristen Augé's Sandbox Trip: Gumby and Duck

During the course of this deployment, I have received a lot of care packages; mostly from family and friends but quite a few from people I have never met. One of the more interesting gifts in a care package was a rubber duck from my mother. Everyone liked the duck so much that it even got taken hostage by Second Lieutenant (2LT) Oman. As the story goes, 2LT Oman was waiting for his promotion to 1LT. Shortly after duck went missing, I received a note stating the duck would be returned upon the promotion of 2LT Oman. Pictures were attached to communicate the seriousness of the threat!

Gumby was another interesting gift from my friends, Donny and Robin. Gumby was taken hostage too. As shown in the pictures, he was treated as a terrorist by the platoon.

Once 2LT Oman was promoted to 1LT, Duck and Gumby were returned, only to take a trip to Qatar with Specialist (SPC) Swenson. They hit the beach and from the sounds of it on Swenny’s blog, they had a great time. http://swennyadventures.blogspot.com/

Qatar is a country where some of our Soldiers have had the opportunity to take a 4 day pass. The troops that have had the opportunity have lots of great things to say about this getaway. At Qatar, they can go to the mall, the beach, play golf and a variety of other activities. They even can drink 3 alcoholic beverages per day that they are there.

When I went to Arifjan, Duck and Gumby joined me and hit the pool with 1LT Meeusen. Who would have thought…toys in Iraq would carry such a story.

In November, I received 200 lbs of candy from an orthodontist in Eagan, Minnesota. I don’t know this orthodontist, but my neighbor and friend, Sheila, certainly must have had a hand in this large shipment. Sergeant First Class (SFC) Pietsch received over 13 boxes of candy from a dentist in Eagan. Certainly interesting care packages coming from people in these professions! I only hope my teeth don’t fall out by the time I get back!