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.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
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!
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!
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.
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.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Seeing The Alarm Clock Clearly
Aside from my family and Freight train, there's not a single person reading this that has known me without glasses (or contacts). I got my first pair of glasses in the 4th grade, at about 9 years old. Since then, I have been dependent on them to see clearly. One of the greatest moments of my life was when I got contacts for the first time in the 6th grade. Growing up as an athlete, glasses were more of a hindrance than a help, so not having to worry about them anymore was a blessing. I'll never forget having to wear my recreation spectacles (RecSpecs) as a catcher in Little League. Every time the ball got past me (which was a lot) and I pulled my face mask off, so too went the RecSpecs. I had to squint just to find the ball up against the backstop!
Despite the plethora of inconveniences that come with having to wear glasses or contacts, just about everyone with terrible vision will tell you that not being able to see the alarm clock in the middle of the night is one of the worst. Everytime I wake up, I have to squint just to make out the numbers...and I'm not even 3 feet away!!!
I'm bringing all this up because on Monday (thanks be to God) I am getting corrective eye surgery! It's something I've deeply desired for a number of years, but haven't been able to afford. Thanks to the Army (something you won't hear come out of my mouth very often), I am getting it done for free! Of the two types of surgery (PRK and Lasik), I have chosen PRK, primarily because of it's long-term effects on the eye; however, the recovery process is longer, and much more painful. In short, they burn the top layer of the eye off before correcting the lens, and your body has to naturally recreate that top layer by growing it again. The pain has been compared to having sand in your eye or thousands of needles poking them every second for as long as four straight days! Not looking forward to that, but as long as I can endure the pain, the benefits will be well worth it.
I ask for your prayers next week as I undergo this surgery. There's a very small chance things could go wrong, but you never know that the Lord has in store for you. So, just pray for a smooth recovery.
Lord willing, the next time I see each of you, it'll be with my brand new eyes!
Take care.
Despite the plethora of inconveniences that come with having to wear glasses or contacts, just about everyone with terrible vision will tell you that not being able to see the alarm clock in the middle of the night is one of the worst. Everytime I wake up, I have to squint just to make out the numbers...and I'm not even 3 feet away!!!
I'm bringing all this up because on Monday (thanks be to God) I am getting corrective eye surgery! It's something I've deeply desired for a number of years, but haven't been able to afford. Thanks to the Army (something you won't hear come out of my mouth very often), I am getting it done for free! Of the two types of surgery (PRK and Lasik), I have chosen PRK, primarily because of it's long-term effects on the eye; however, the recovery process is longer, and much more painful. In short, they burn the top layer of the eye off before correcting the lens, and your body has to naturally recreate that top layer by growing it again. The pain has been compared to having sand in your eye or thousands of needles poking them every second for as long as four straight days! Not looking forward to that, but as long as I can endure the pain, the benefits will be well worth it.
I ask for your prayers next week as I undergo this surgery. There's a very small chance things could go wrong, but you never know that the Lord has in store for you. So, just pray for a smooth recovery.
Lord willing, the next time I see each of you, it'll be with my brand new eyes!
Take care.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Snowed In
For those of you who haven't been keeping up with the weather in much of Middle TN, a nice wintery storm that has moved through, leaving just enough ice and snow to close down the post of practically all work.
It started Monday night, with ice storm warnings for roughly 12-14 hours. The rain began in the middle of the night, just as the temperature began to drop just above freezing. The rain didn't let up at all yesterday (freezing everything but the road), as we went about our daily routine on Tuesday. However, just before leaving for the day, we got an update that the our day would not begin on Wednesday until 0930 (a roughly 3 hour delay) due to snow in the forecast.
Sure enough, the snow fell and our day was pushed back to 1200 for only a brief period of time. It wasn't 20 minutes later that I received a phone call from my company commander that the post would be closed for the day!
It was a nice treat for me since Leslie also got today off from work, despite having to do some damage control this morning. She had scheduled former Navy pilot and astronaut Capt. John McBride to speak at APSU this evening, but had to quickly reschedule him for tomorrow evening instead. Now, the only thing we've got scheduled for today is absolutely nothing! I know that's hard for many of you to believe, but hopefully it'll stay that way all day!
Take care.
It started Monday night, with ice storm warnings for roughly 12-14 hours. The rain began in the middle of the night, just as the temperature began to drop just above freezing. The rain didn't let up at all yesterday (freezing everything but the road), as we went about our daily routine on Tuesday. However, just before leaving for the day, we got an update that the our day would not begin on Wednesday until 0930 (a roughly 3 hour delay) due to snow in the forecast.
Sure enough, the snow fell and our day was pushed back to 1200 for only a brief period of time. It wasn't 20 minutes later that I received a phone call from my company commander that the post would be closed for the day!
It was a nice treat for me since Leslie also got today off from work, despite having to do some damage control this morning. She had scheduled former Navy pilot and astronaut Capt. John McBride to speak at APSU this evening, but had to quickly reschedule him for tomorrow evening instead. Now, the only thing we've got scheduled for today is absolutely nothing! I know that's hard for many of you to believe, but hopefully it'll stay that way all day!
Take care.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Got My Spurs!
Well, I made it through the Dining-In ceremony with a) my dignity in tact and b) less money than I went there with! Unforunately, I cannot say the same for a handful of my peers.
Just as I expected, there was excessive drinking and "friendly" banter between the Armor and Infantry officers, as well as a plethora of "fines" for not saying and or having the required materials for the events. I guess one of the advantages of being a Loggie in that environment is you don't really have a dog in the fight and most people ignore you because you're not a "combat" officer. Frankly, I would much rather be invisible to everyone in the room if it means I don't get hazed for simply being a Lieutenant.
The only hazing I received was during the filling of the "Grog". As I stated in the previous post, the Grog is a concoction of about 10 different liquors and I was tasked with adding the Jagermeister. Each liquor symbolizes a period in our unit's military history and I was responsible for commemorating our unit's push into Germany during WWII (hence, the Jagermeister). Well, traditionally each individual is supposed to chug some of his respective beverage before pouring it into the bowl. I, however, do not partake in such an activity and was subsequently booed by the crowd for not indulging. I took it in stride and made my way back to the little corner where I attempted to hide for the rest of the evening.
The other major event was receiving our combat Spurs. This ritual consists of soldiers getting in the front leaning rest position (layman's terms, the push-up position) while our company commander slid on the spurs to our heels. Aside from being in our dress uniforms and the floor being covered in spilled Grog, it wasn't too disconcerting.
All in all, it wasn't the most miserable night of my life, or even my time in the Army; yet, it was nowhere near as exciting as a nice, romantic evening with the Mrs.
Take care.
Just as I expected, there was excessive drinking and "friendly" banter between the Armor and Infantry officers, as well as a plethora of "fines" for not saying and or having the required materials for the events. I guess one of the advantages of being a Loggie in that environment is you don't really have a dog in the fight and most people ignore you because you're not a "combat" officer. Frankly, I would much rather be invisible to everyone in the room if it means I don't get hazed for simply being a Lieutenant.
The only hazing I received was during the filling of the "Grog". As I stated in the previous post, the Grog is a concoction of about 10 different liquors and I was tasked with adding the Jagermeister. Each liquor symbolizes a period in our unit's military history and I was responsible for commemorating our unit's push into Germany during WWII (hence, the Jagermeister). Well, traditionally each individual is supposed to chug some of his respective beverage before pouring it into the bowl. I, however, do not partake in such an activity and was subsequently booed by the crowd for not indulging. I took it in stride and made my way back to the little corner where I attempted to hide for the rest of the evening.
The other major event was receiving our combat Spurs. This ritual consists of soldiers getting in the front leaning rest position (layman's terms, the push-up position) while our company commander slid on the spurs to our heels. Aside from being in our dress uniforms and the floor being covered in spilled Grog, it wasn't too disconcerting.
All in all, it wasn't the most miserable night of my life, or even my time in the Army; yet, it was nowhere near as exciting as a nice, romantic evening with the Mrs.
Take care.
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