Saturday, February 28, 2009

On My Own

With the hectic-ness of work increasing, it's becoming more and more difficult for me to enjoy my weekdays, even my nights at home. To make matters worse, "Chief" the most knowledgeable person in the Motor Pool left at the end of the week to attend his Advanced Warrant Officer Course in Aberdeen, MD. This means, like it or not, I'm in control of EVERYTHING now!
This wouldn't be so bad if my only responsibility was managing the maintenance aspects of the Squadron, but last week I was assigned some additional duties that are taking up a bulk of my time each day. Officially, I'm the Squadron's RESET and Environmental Quality Officer, as well as my company's Hazardous Material and Safety Officer. RESET focuses on making sure that all the equipment we took to Iraq is cleaning, repaired or exchanged; however, I can't really list all the responsibilities of the EQO because I haven't even taken the certification course yet. I'll do that for a few days next week. The last two aren't too difficult, but also entail certification courses.
What makes all of these duties so tedious, and at times stressful, is that each Battalion/Squadron in the Brigade has to pass the Command Inspection Program, of which all of these duties are a part. This inspection takes place in April, so that means I have about 6 weeks to ensure that everyone in the Squadron (or my company) is a) aware of the standard we have to meet and b) has the time to do their part.
The most annoying part of this whole thing: it's just busy work! Are there any serious, tangible affects of my work that will lead to the success of the unit in future operations? Kind of, but now I am nothing more than a PowerPoint Ranger! That's one of the downsides of being an officer.
Take care!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Thank You For YOUR Service

As a member of the military, I've gotten my fair share of "Thank you for your service" comments. It comes from close friends and family members, and even from random strangers who notice the uniform. While I don't mind getting these words of encouragement and appreciation, there are many times when I feel like it's undeserved, especially when there are thousands of other people who are doing just as much (if not more) than me; yet, going virtually unrecognized.
Such is the case for our friends the Osbornes. Rusty and Sara Osborne are a couple that Leslie and I have known for a number of years. Sara was Leslie's college roommate and closest friend during their time at CNC, while Rusty and I first met on the baseball field our freshman year. At present, Rusty and Sara, along with their two daughters, are living in Cameroon, Africa. Rusty is on a one-year teaching Fellowship at Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary that began in August of last year. However, this is not their first time serving as missionaries, as both have expressed a strong desire in mission work for several years now. Rusty even proposed to Sara on a mission trip! Although they deeply miss their friends and family back here in the States, they have answered the greatest calling, and one that supercedes anything I might do in the Army.
Frankly, it's easy to answer the calling to serve in the U.S. military. For many, this career field is their best chance for stability; yet, serving for the sake of Christ is arguably the greatest challenge for any individual to endure. Because of their commitment and devotion to witnessing to unbelievers as well as growing and strengthening new believers, I would like to publicly thank them for THEIR service. God's love is great and so are those who answer the call to serve the Lord, wherever that might be.
If you would like to learn more about the Osbornes, visit their website at www.sendtheosbornes.com.
Take care and please pray for the safety and influence of the Osborne family in Cameroon.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Swamped!!!

Quick post (because I don't have much time):

One of the extra duties of a Lieutenant is Staff Duty. This consists of being the officer in charge of the Squadron at night and on the weekends. It usually runs about 24 hours, but you still have to work the next duty day (as well as DURING your shift). My first time on Staff Duty was last Friday - Saturday. I started at 0900 on Friday and worked until 0900 Saturday. Although you're allowed to sleep, some unexpected circumstances prevented me from doing so. In short, a soldier in the Squadron died in a car accident and I was responsible for waking everyone up and letting them know what happened. From the soldier's first line supervisor all the way up to the Brigade Commander, everyone has a role to play and there is a ton of paperwork that has to be filed, most of which I had to initiate.
On top of this incident, I've been tasked to take on about 3 different responsibilities, as well as cover down for my CW3, who is leaving the Squadron to attend an Army course in Aberdeen, MD. So, I now have about 6 different tasks I have to finish in a matter of about 2 days...and none of them are easy!!!
Take care and pray for me!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

My New Eyes Don't Feel So New

One of the first things candidates of PRK are told is that the process of acquiring 20/20 vision takes time. Unlike Lasik, which gives you much better, if not perfect vision, immediately after the surgery, PRK can take several months to settle in. This past Monday was my one week check-up and although they documented that I have 20/25 in one eye and 20/30 in the other, I wouldn 't go that far. It's actually worse than that depending on the time of day.
You're probably wondering why chose PRK over Lasik, but as I stated in an earlier post, the long term effects are better. However, having to wait weeks, possibly even months, before getting the vision I've been dreaming about for years is a little depressing. Even writing typing this post, it's somewhat difficult to clearly see the screen. Luckily, I have steroid eye drops that I have to apply 4 times a day, which seem to help. Right now, I can see much better now that I could without my glasses, but not as good as I could with my glasses. Progress still needs to be made, but I don't think it'll be a problem for me much longer. Of course, I'm not enjoying being back at work!
Take care and happy President's Day!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Hell Week

Well, I made it through the first week with me "new eyes." The surgery as a whole took no more than about 10 minutes. They instructed me to take a Valium about 20 minutes before going into the operating room, which was the pretty much the only medication I was given for the "operation." After laying down on the table, they clamped my eyelids back, squirted numbing drops in my eyes, as well as some cold water, before brushing my eyeball with some "gloop" (one of my favorite Bear Grylls words). Don't really know what it was for, but then they put the laser on my eye and the only thing I noticed was the smell of something burning...my eye!
In sum, the operation was the only painless part of the whole process. Most of this past week was spent in a sedated stooper, in which I slept, ate, took an array of eye drops and pills, and slept some more. Frankly, I don't remember much of the week, except for some intense pain in my eyes when the medication wore off. At present, my eyesight is about 20/50-60ish. It takes anywhere from a week to 3 months to fully develop my permanent vision, so I'm not expecting 20/20 for a while. However, I can definitely notice a clear difference from my previous vision. I go back to work on Monday, but has hardly been a "vacation."
BTW, I CAN SEE THE ALARM CLOCK CLEARLY NOW!!!
Take care.