Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Beginning Of The End

Well, it's been two months and I'm now back at Fort Dix, NJ, sitting in roughly the same spot I was in when they told me to go home and tend to my "medical issue." Having done so, I have returned to resume my mobilization training for the deployment to Afghanistan. Although my unit has already been in Kandahar for over a month, just recently they joined up with the unit we will be supporting, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. So, I'm not going to be too far behind them.
At present, I'm still not sure how much training I have left to complete before I can leave, and I won't get scheduled for a flight until I'm done with training. As a result, I'm probably going to be here for a couple of weeks. If any of you think this is a very short time period, you've obviously never been to Ft. Dix. It's a pretty miserable place to be and zombies have more of a bubbly personality than some of the people that work here!
Although I enjoyed practically every moment that I was away from here, it's kind of good to be back. Certainly not because I'm away from my family; rather, it represents a milestone in my Army career. As many of you already know, my 8-year military service obligation expires this October, and I've vowed to get out of the Army upon returning from this deployment. So, I guess you could say this is the beginning of the end for me. While I am one step closer to going to Afghanistan, I'm also one step closer to getting out of the Army, and right now that's the only good thing about being back at Ft. Dix!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Got My Orders

After a few weeks of medical tests and evaluations, and several more weeks of waiting for the Army bureaucracy to cut my orders, I'm now back on the deployment roster and scheduled to return to Fort Dix, NJ on 9 Aug. Although I'm not sure how much training I have left, I don't expect to be there more than a few weeks before heading over to Afghanistan. The last word I received from my unit was that each team is supposed to push out to their supporting units this week, so hopefully I won't be too far behind them.
Although I have been blessed with a unique and unexpected opportunity to spend a couple of months with friends and family, I haven't been able to shake the fact that my unit is over there and I'm not. Since I've been home, each morning I have thanked God for being with my family; however, I have prayed for the day I rejoin my military family down range. Not knowing when it will come, and getting ever so frustrated with the process of getting medically cleared to rejoin them, I truly feel a peace about my situation. Les and I have continuously prepared for this moment and, despite the fact that we are going to be apart for such a long time, we are comforted in knowing that God will reunite us again in the near future.
To all of you that have prayed for and supported us during this time of uncertainty, we are truly grateful. Now, we ask for your continued prayers for us during this time of separation. My return to active duty has been long overdue, but hopefully it will be my last!
JC