Company Command

For many officers in the Army, the apex of their career is when they assume command of a company. As a Platoon Leader, we get our first taste of being in charge of Soldiers; however, as a company commander, we are in charge of a lot more Soldiers and responsible for thousands (sometimes millions) of dollars worth of equipment.
Today, I was informed that I have been selected to take command of the original company I was in when this deployment first started. The current company commander has reached the end of his career and is essentially being told by the Army that it's time to retire. So, I've been chosen to take his place. As a result, I have about 48-72 hours to packet all of my belongings and fly to another Province in another Regional Command, where I will spend the next two weeks inventorying every piece of equipment that belongs to the company and take ownership of it. I will also charge of all the personnel and be responsible for ensuring they make it back home to their friends and family.
The good news is that I'm going to link back up with all the people I was originally supposed to deploy with. The bad news is that I'm now having to take on way more responsibility than I want at this point. If you're not familiar with the term "Shamming", look it up. That was supposed to be my MO for the next year, but now I have to actually do some work and finish out this deployment as best I can.
Please pray for safe travels over the next few days and a smooth transition into my new position. I'd like to think I might do something productive while down there, but we'll have to wait and see! All you C Co guys reading this, looking forward to the reunion!!!
Take care,
JC

The Final Stretch

Well, I finally made it back to Orgun-E last Thursday and am getting settled back into my normal routine. It took 10 days to make it from Knoxville to my "home away from home", which is about 6 days longer than it should have been. Although I enjoyed more time away from work, not having much cold weather gear during a snowstorm made things a little uncomfortable.
Several of you have asked when I'll be back home for good. I wish I had a confirmed answer, but the movement back to the States is still up in the air at this point. I'm hoping to be back in the States in about 3 months and then back in Knoxville no later than mid-May. As soon as I get more information, I'll definitely pass it along. For now, just pray I make it through this final stretch in the deployment. Can't wait to begin the next chapter of my life!

R&R

Having missed Halloween (which isn't that big a deal for me), Veteran's Day (again, not that big a deal), Thanksgiving and Ellie's second birthday (yep, these are some biggies), it's no surprise that I won't be home for Christmas (pretty HUGE holiday for my family). However, I'm happy to announce that I will be leaving tomorrow to begin making my way home for R&R.
Although it's going to take roughly a week for me to touch down in K-town, I'm pretty excited about the prospect of going home and seeing family and friends. Although I have a tendency to become impatient with the "hurry up and wait" mentality of the Army, it's going to be nice to not have to work this next week and then have 15 days to just focus on being a husband, father, son, brother and friend. It stinks that I won't be home to enjoy this time of year with many of you; however, I take comfort in knowing that it won't be much longer until I'm holding my baby girl and beautiful wife!

My Baby Girl Turns 2

The song "I'd Do Anything (A Soldier's Lament)" by the John Butler Trio speaks EXACTLY to what I'm going through right now. Butler is singing from the point of view of a Soldier who's serving in Afghanistan, trying to keep himself together despite being in the throws of war and away from his most important possession, his family. There's even a verse where he says:

It's a little girl's birthday, and yes we are apart -
Ain't gonna make a big deal out of it, but it breaks my heart.

I bring this up because today is Ellie's second birthday. Right now, this day doesn't quite resonate with her the way it will when she's older. Nonetheless, it's a special day for her and I'm not there to help celebrate. I am very grateful for all the family and friends who are helping Leslie celebrate our baby girl's birthday; however, I still cannot shake the fact that I won't be not there. These are the times when it's difficult to accept the fact that I made the decision to go on this deployment. There is nothing in the world (aside from my relationship with Christ) more important than my family. I just hope and pray that this is the last time I miss any more of her special days.

I love you, EB!

JC

In The Bonds

In the Spring of my Junior Year at Maryville College, I pledged the Mu Chi chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon. Despite being in a national service Fraternity while at CNC (Alpha Phi Omega), I was in search of an organization at my new school that promoted both public service and brotherhood. I definitely got that when I pledged and became a Deke.
It's been almost 10 years since I graduated from college, and I am sorry to say that I've lost touch with many of my "brothers". However, shortly after arriving in East Paktika I found out that LT Patrick King, of the United States Navy, was more than just a co-worker and office mate. In 2005, Pat graduated from Virginia Tech, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha chapter of DKE!
These past few months have been somewhat tumultuous, but it's been much easier to bear with a fellow brother. Although we're from two different branches of military service, and frequently bash each other's chosen path, our relationship is eerily similar to those guys who I considered my family back in college. It's good to know that brotherhood can transcend stages of life.

Love Is The Road

As a kid, I probably had 10 different career ambitions. My mom likes to tell the story of when I told her I wanted to be a Cowboy when I grew up. Not a Dallas Cowboy, but an actual Cowboy. Not sure that's really an option any more; but, it didn't take long before I was on to something else, like baseball, football or (I'm embarrassed to say this now) politics.
While many of us might have a hidden ambition to do something on a grand scale, we easily get overwhelmed by the many obstacles that stand in our way. For some, it's the fear of failure, while for others it might be a lack of personal confidence. Either way, it's easy to dream about what could happen, but taking the initiative to make it happen is another matter.
Two of my very dear friends have just taken a very bold step and I'd like to tell you about it. Jason and Lena (Hood) Cox met in college at Belmont University. Both had a deep passion for music and both had dreams of launching a career in the music industry. Jason had been writing and performing songs on the Christian music scene for a number of years, and Lena released a solo EP a couple of years ago; however, they didn't feel like they were reaching their full potential.
Shortly after I returned from my tour in Iraq, Leslie and I started doing monthly double dates with the Cox's. Over many dinners and too many cups of coffee, Jason and Lena expressed a desire to start a country music duet called Ragdoll. Anyone in the industry will tell you that breaking onto the country music scene is a huge risk because it takes a lot of money, time, energy, networking, money, meetings, begging, borrowing, (did I mention money?) to record and promote an album.
After countless hours of writing and recording, Jason and Lena are proud to announce the release of their first album "Love Is The Road" on Tuesday, December 6th.
I don't want you to think that I'm writing this to help promote their work and encourage you to buy their album, which is being sold on iTunes, Amazon and other digital outlets. (Okay, that's part of the reason I'm writing this!) Rather, my main intent is to highlight their willingness to take some serious risks to pursue a lifelong passion. I admire their courage, ambition and desire to share their songs with the world. Moreover, despite going into the secular music industry, you will undoubtedly notice their undying devotion to their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
If you are in to music from the heart and soul, you won't be disappointed with their album. It's got some great upbeat songs about being a Southerner (which many of your reading this are Hillbillies!), as well as some sweet love songs that will make you long for the warm embrace of your significant other.
I hope everyone will at least take the time to visit their website www.ragdollcountry.com, or watch their first video "Rainshine" (a personal favorite of mine) on YouTube, and give them some positive words of encouragement as they begin this awesome journey. Jason and Lena, I love you guys and am so proud of this step you have taken. I look forward to many more two-steps and trifectas when I get home!

Thanksgiving...on Friday???

When you're on a deployment during the holiday season (or any holiday, for that matter) the days seem to run together, making it easy to forget that a holiday is approaching. However, when it comes to a moment of celebration, especially when a meal is part of the tradition, there are times that missions can take a backseat. However, there are also times when combat operations must take precedence. Case in point: Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated on the last Thursday of November; however, due to an important series of operations in my AO, the Command Group has decided to delay the Thanksgiving meal until Friday. This is primarily because so many people will be spread throughout the battlefield that they would miss out on the meal if it were to take place on Thursday.
So, while many of you reading this will be standing in line, waiting for your favorite store to open on Black Friday, I'll be in the DFAC, eating some turkey and dressing. The only thing missing will some football games playing in the background and some quality time with the family. Of course, if the Armed Forces Network (AFN) chooses to replay the Turkey Day games, I won't be missing any football!
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!