Here I Go Again...Round 2.....And A Lot Has Changed

As promised, and after incessant pestering from several (mainly 1 and you know who you are TDP) individual(s)….very much akin to the mosquito stuck in your tent that buzzes your head at night while camping….here is the inaugural entry into this deployment’s blog.

As you read through my entries you might notice the slightest use of facetious language and satire….I speak them fluently.  Some may call it sarcasm, but only do so because they don’t understand the difference.  Sarcasm is used with intent to harm.  I have no such intent.  If you are easily offended, I suggest you read somebody else’s blog (not facetious).  If you appreciate the ability to deflect situations through deliberate use of humor (many times inappropriate), then by all means read on.  I will point out several instances of its use in this entry (see above) to help first time readers better understand my application and use of this tactic.  For those who don’t speak it, it can be difficult to understand.  You might find yourself thinking, "is this dude for real?".  Coupling that with my RBF keeps people on their toes.

Most people who read this are fully aware that I am a man of few words, and one who really dislikes sharing feelings and exposing his vulnerabilities.  NEWS FLASH: I'm a bit of an isolationist.  Being around people really isn't my thing.

I find it much easier to participate in such nonsensical activities, like "feeling time", via written mediums.  Funny story and interesting side note on this topic….I went to breakfast with a lady and her 20 yr old daughter a few weeks before I deployed.  After the breakfast, daughter asked mother if English was my second language, basing her inquiry on my curt/short responses during our breakfast conversations.  Nope, I just see conversation much like escalation of force….minimum necessary to accomplish the objective.

Then and Now…..On 12 May 2013 I deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan, just 2 days shy of 3 years ago.  Over the past few days, I’ve been re-reading my entries from that blog (www.bucytobagram.blogspot.com).  It’s interesting to go back and relive various emotions from that deployment.  Today, many run parallel.  Many are non-existent….I’m a seasoned veteran now, right?  A few things have changed since then as you can see in the pictures below.  When I left on my last deployment, I had a wife.  When I returned, I had a dad to hug.  I guess the good news is, I can’t get divorced this time (not facetious…I really can’t get divorced again). 

Last night as I laid in my luxurious single bed nestled inside my 5-Star accommodations (facetious) and thinking about what to write, I flipped through all the pictures I took at Bagram, but mostly spent time reminiscing on the moments I walked through customs to the outstretched arms of my children, siblings, and parents.  Without fluency in the Adamic language, it is impossible to appropriately express those feelings.  As I hugged my children for the last time prior to this departure, the antithesis of what I felt upon my previous return was ever-present.  Until you have hugged your loved ones for what could be the last time ever, it is impossible to understand what that is like.  The reality is, that IS reality….fast forward 10 days to when we were narrowly missed by 4 incoming rockets intended to kill anyone within range.

Preparing for deployment this time was just as stressful as the last.  Not because of fear or anxiety of where I was heading, not because of the imminent threat of death, but because there is always so much to do.  But then again, when your job requires dog tags around your neck and fastened to your boot laces, can you really ever be prepared?  Work, house, lawn, legal, vehicles, bills, family…..trying to prepare everything to stand at parade rest for 5 months.  And even when you think everything is in order, it’s not.  Nothing makes projects a priority like the 11^th hour.  Luckily, my brother is taking care of my property while I’m away.  It’s a rough gig living in somebody’s house for free, with all the amenities you need, at the end of a 3 mile dirt road, on 4.5 acres of freedom, surrounded by wilderness and peace…..much like here at Union III (facetious).  I’ll post pictures in a later blog of this cement wall heavenly estate centrally located Satan’s playground (also facetious).  But other than that, it’s a great place.