Baghdad Bulletin
Collection of Thoughts
February 14, 2010
Issue 20
Happy Valentine's Day ♥ ♥ ♥
I'd planned this issue to be mostly writing. There is still so much to say. Some I want to think more about, and some I certainly cannot post on the website.
I had three things in mind – two of which I'd promised you before I went on R&R:
1) a comparison of this deployment with my last, and
2) Vienna 30 years ago
The third item has to do with the future.
First, though, I must address two tragedies in my current home town of Huntsville, Alabama. This special place was rated the Number 1 City in the Nation by the Kiplinger Report back in May of 2009.
One of my church family members witnessed the killing of three faculty members at the University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH). Also, a 9th grader shot and killed another 9th grader in a nearby Middle school and that was also horrible. Huntsville has seen more gunfire in a week than I have in a combat zone in 10 months. Our prayers are extended to all involved. John is going to be at church this morning and I asked him to give our friend a hug from me. We are all thankful she was spared. I know that she will be able to help the others on her faculty team, students, and family heal because her faith is so strong and God has a plan for her.
Many of you have sent me amazing photos of the snowstorms on the East Coast. Sure puts things in perspective – it's been cold here – we actually had 34 degrees recently!!! Enjoy it if you can and be safe.
Freedom and liberty – These words have been on my mind the last 24 hours. I was listening to some patriotic music on the treadmill yesterday. So much of what we are about revolve around both of these. With President's Day tomorrow, well, I'm so grateful for their foresight. How right they were.
Deployment comparison – Some of you followed my 2004 Deployment when I was called up on Thanksgiving weekend of 2003 to serve in Kuwait. However, it turned out that my assignment was Djibouti! I served in Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa at Camp Lemonier, a former French Foreign Legion outpost.
I have no regrets going there. It was a life-changing experience and there are many good memories from that tour. I turned 50 and I was promoted to LTC there – within 2 weeks time. I was there for Lent and Easter. I'm still in touch with some of the military members I met. While I was only in DJ for 6 months, it started out to be for a year. By Divine Providence, I was offered a seat at the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. I left Africa in June and moved to PA in July 2004. Then I met a Djiboutian officer in my class and we are still friends today. I've met other American military members who were referred to me because they were deploying to Djibouti. It was great to help them.
Some of the differences Djibouti (2004):
There were iced bottles of water in big wooden chests everywhere outside.
Temperatures reached 130 degrees in May (as opposed to 120 in Iraq in May that year). The heat was humid. My eyeglasses fogged up when I left the air-conditioned office to go to the Dining facility.
The bathroom stalls had curtains instead of doors.
The Dental clinic was in a tent.
There was a constant noticeable stench from the Djiboutians burning trash.
I lived in a tent with 6 other women. My "space" consisted of a bed, footlocker, and wooden bookcase.
I did not have a digital camera. I took photos on disposable cameras and mailed them home to John. He got them developed and saw them before I did.
I usually put out a short weekly Djibouti Djournal with limited emailing capability.
We had a choir in the chapel and they sang for Sunday services, Easter, Mother's Day, & Memorial Day.
There were jets flying overhead from the nearby French airbase. They always enjoyed turning on their afterburners when they got over our camp! Trucks drove past our tents at night. Sleeping was tough.
The Dining Facility served fried oysters (!)
The sun was up early and hot. It was 82 degrees at 5:30 in the morning. Running on the trail had to be completed before sunup.
Second Deployment – Iraq (2009):
Fitted sheet are issued!
No need for malaria pills
Don't need smallpox shot this time – still good from last deployment
DFAC has doors instead of curtains – no flies in DFAC- hand washing area has real sinks.
Some places have potable water for brushing teeth – still need bottled water most places
More private rest rooms – full doors with locks!
Live in own place – don't have to dress / undress in the dark because someone else is sleeping
Internet in chu, have personal computer this time. Chu is containerized Housing unit (section of trailer).
More responsibility, more challenges, larger territory, must drive, fly, convoy everywhere.
Have met many Iraqi civilians and military.
Must carry weapon everywhere unless doing PT.
Must wear Kevlar helmet and body armor when flying or traveling.
Spent Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, & Christmas in Iraq.
Both tours will be memorable for the rest of my life and for different reasons. By the way, Djibouti now has chus, and there are now recreational opportunities such as scuba diving there!
One similarity – in Djibouti I played for a memorial service for an overweight, older male contractor who had a heart attack. Tomorrow, I will play for a memorial service for a young female soldier who died this week. I don't know the circumstances of her death, but when I heard we lost one, I wanted to serve.
Trip to Vienna 2009 – I'll have to work on this another time. I'd like to pull out the photos from my 1979 trip and remember what was going on in my life at that time. I traveled alone, luggage was lost, I met the musicians who were also attending the seminar a few days later and it was another life-changing experience. I'm so glad I was able to return there and experience it with John. _____________________________________________________
Now for the future:
In less than 3 weeks, I will celebrate a birthday (5 March for those who don't know!) and it's not just another b-day. It coincides with my 30th anniversary of enlisting in the Maryland Army National Guard in March 1980. I went to Basic Training at Ft. McClellan, Alabama as a 26-year-old. (Little did I know then that Alabama would become my home one day!)
I still plan to have an Iraqi b-day cake. I also still plan to share the remaining chocolates (I confess I had a couple of pieces while typing this – it's Valentine's Day after all!) It's the first I've had since Christmas!
My mother is flying to Huntsville to spend Easter with us and that will be great. Then that week we'll travel back to Ft. Benning by way of visiting my "bionic" mother-in-law in Montgomery. (She's doing great by the way!) I volunteered to visit the newest group of ACORs (Assistant Contracting Officer Representative) who are about to deploy to do this job. The idea was well-received and hopefully I can help answer a few of their questions before they come to Iraq or go to Afghanistan. I'll just be there a couple of hours and then we'll proceed to Atlanta to visit the newest additions to the McAuley family - 2 baby girls. We'll work our way up the East coast and return my wonderful mother to her routine in Maryland. I will want to see EVERYONE along the way but it will be impossible on this trip. We will have to get me back to work at Redstone Arsenal. Our neighbors, church family, and other friends in Huntsville have been terrific and I'm looking forward to catching up with them too. And don't forget to plan to visit us in Huntsville!!!!!! The good news is that we'll be making more trips and we plan to see many of you again in 2010! It will be so good to be home. And home is wherever John is.
Recent quotes: I was leaving breakfast, turning in my tray and noticed that the big fellow in front me left most of his oatmeal in his bowl. (I've become fond of the oatmeal when they have canned peaches I can put on top….) I mentioned he didn't eat his "gruel." He laughed and said it's not like oatmeal he's used to. He said, "It's not like the oatmeal I have with my girls. The packets of different flavors." I said "Quaker's?" He said, "Yes, it's not like that." Picture this big guy having breakfast with his daughters…
When dropping off my laundry this morning, the manager said "good morning" and when I asked how she is, she said she's planning to have a good day. I said, "Me too." Then she said, "This is the Day the Lord has made."
Well, that about says it all, doesn't it?
Be glad. For Lent, I'm going to try to give up WORRY!!!
Issue 21 should have a photo of the 56th b-day cake and who knows what else???
Thinking of all of you with warm regards,
Cheryl
P.S. The last date to mail anything to my Iraq address is 25 February. After that, please send it to:
Wish You Were Here, Inc.
P.O. Box 441
New Market, AL 35761-7673
