Hello All,
It has been a hectic couple of weeks and I am back in Bahrain.
Even though my emergency leave was not approved, I paid for my own ticket to fly half way around the world to be with my wife during a very difficult time.
Jodi had her surgery on Tues, 25 Sept. Out of all the things that could have went wrong, none of them did. I was home for the week until last Sat, when her sister-in-law, Sarah, took over as household assistant.
We were happy to hear that the lab results of the tumor were benign. Another blessing.
However, there were a couple of disappointments. The radiologist reading the CAT scan missed a couple of tumors and the surgeon said that some of the cells from the tumor spilled onto the healthy surrounding tissue.
What this all means is that Jodi is not out of the woods yet. It is probable that she will need to have this procedure done again.
We have both learned a lot over the last few months, most of all to cherish life and each other.
Thanks Sarah for coming down and thanks to her husband who rearranged his work schedule (a few times) to make it happen.
Yesterday is gone, let it go. Plan for tomorrow but there are no guarantees. You have today...don't waste it.
Kids, thank your parents for the sacrifices they made and tell them you love them. Parents, tell your kids you are proud of them and tell them you love them. Husbands/Wives, tell you partner you love them and mean it from the bottom of your heart. If someone you love has been called home, tell them too...they can still hear you.
See you next week (I hope!)
Michael
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
3 Continents in 3 Weeks...NOT!
Hello All,
3 continents in 3 weeks was the plan, last week. As most of you know, I had travel planned to Germany (Europe), Jordan (Asia), and the US (North America).
We have a saying in the military...no plan survives first contact. That certainly was the case here.
The first leg of my trip went ok as I was off to Garmish, Germany, which is in southern Germany on the Austrian boarder just north of Innsbruck. As always, traveling sucks. I hate dealing with customs agents, airport personnel, and long flights. Thankfully, I had a couple of good books and the in flight entertainment system is free so I watched a few new releases. Also (thankfully), airlines anywhere outside the US treat you like a human being and not like cattle being loading onto a transport.
Leg two of my trip was to Amman, Jordan. I was looking forward to spending a day of down time in Munich awaiting my flight to Jordan but was contacted mid-week telling me that all non-essential travel to Jordan was to be cancelled by direction of the Ambassador.
Makes sense I guess...people climbing over the walls of an American embassy and burning the American flag does not instill a lot of confidence (embassies are sovereign US territory by the way so this was an act of war). I would hate to end up like US Marine LtCol William Higgins who was video taped swinging from the end of a rope in Lebanon, Aug of '89. History repeats itself with the death of Ambassador Stevens and his security team which included at least 2 former Navy SEALs in Libya.
Marine Fleet Anti-terroism Support Teams (FAST) are being rapidly deployed through out the region and I am keeping a low profile here at my current location.
A storm is coming...you will need more than an umbrella.
The third leg of my trip was to hometown USA so I could be by my wife's side as she undergoes a high risk surgical procedure. My "family" didn't see this as much of an emergency, so I will be riding it out here. Trip cancelled.
I love you, Wife!
Hope all is well in your part of the world,
Michael
3 continents in 3 weeks was the plan, last week. As most of you know, I had travel planned to Germany (Europe), Jordan (Asia), and the US (North America).
We have a saying in the military...no plan survives first contact. That certainly was the case here.
The first leg of my trip went ok as I was off to Garmish, Germany, which is in southern Germany on the Austrian boarder just north of Innsbruck. As always, traveling sucks. I hate dealing with customs agents, airport personnel, and long flights. Thankfully, I had a couple of good books and the in flight entertainment system is free so I watched a few new releases. Also (thankfully), airlines anywhere outside the US treat you like a human being and not like cattle being loading onto a transport.
Leg two of my trip was to Amman, Jordan. I was looking forward to spending a day of down time in Munich awaiting my flight to Jordan but was contacted mid-week telling me that all non-essential travel to Jordan was to be cancelled by direction of the Ambassador.
Makes sense I guess...people climbing over the walls of an American embassy and burning the American flag does not instill a lot of confidence (embassies are sovereign US territory by the way so this was an act of war). I would hate to end up like US Marine LtCol William Higgins who was video taped swinging from the end of a rope in Lebanon, Aug of '89. History repeats itself with the death of Ambassador Stevens and his security team which included at least 2 former Navy SEALs in Libya.
Marine Fleet Anti-terroism Support Teams (FAST) are being rapidly deployed through out the region and I am keeping a low profile here at my current location.
A storm is coming...you will need more than an umbrella.
The third leg of my trip was to hometown USA so I could be by my wife's side as she undergoes a high risk surgical procedure. My "family" didn't see this as much of an emergency, so I will be riding it out here. Trip cancelled.
I love you, Wife!
Hope all is well in your part of the world,
Michael
Saturday, September 8, 2012
BETRAYED!
Hello everyone,
I just found out the the top level decision maker here did not accept the recommendation of our Personnel Officer (who studied the Marine Corps Order on emergency leave) or my boss , as well as the attending surgeon, and decided to not approve my emergency leave.
I can't even begin to tell you how angry I am. My wife is having surgery to remove a tumor from her neck which may or may not be cancerous and this does not constitute an emergency? I'll bet things would be different if it were his wife.
Did he speak with me personally? No. Did he speak with the command's surgeon? I don't know but I am confident that he did not.
This is now a family problem and there will be a family solution. This family does not include the Marine Corps. We don't need their help nor do we want it.
Turns out that "leave no man behind" and "we take care of our own" are nothing more than catchy phrases that we put on posters.
Additionally, all this talk about "how important" families are and "we couldn't do what we do if it were not the family members back home" are nothing more then talking points for Generals briefing congress.
If anyone at work has the gall to ask me how my wife is doing I think I will probably explode. They have not earned the right to know anything about my wife and they are asking because they think that have to...not because they really care.
I have spent a fair amount of time around men and women from other branches of the service and I think the Army and Air Force do a better job of taking care of their people.
I am very lucky that we have family and friends who are willing to support us during this difficult time. Thank you to you all.
Michael
I just found out the the top level decision maker here did not accept the recommendation of our Personnel Officer (who studied the Marine Corps Order on emergency leave) or my boss , as well as the attending surgeon, and decided to not approve my emergency leave.
I can't even begin to tell you how angry I am. My wife is having surgery to remove a tumor from her neck which may or may not be cancerous and this does not constitute an emergency? I'll bet things would be different if it were his wife.
Did he speak with me personally? No. Did he speak with the command's surgeon? I don't know but I am confident that he did not.
This is now a family problem and there will be a family solution. This family does not include the Marine Corps. We don't need their help nor do we want it.
Turns out that "leave no man behind" and "we take care of our own" are nothing more than catchy phrases that we put on posters.
Additionally, all this talk about "how important" families are and "we couldn't do what we do if it were not the family members back home" are nothing more then talking points for Generals briefing congress.
If anyone at work has the gall to ask me how my wife is doing I think I will probably explode. They have not earned the right to know anything about my wife and they are asking because they think that have to...not because they really care.
I have spent a fair amount of time around men and women from other branches of the service and I think the Army and Air Force do a better job of taking care of their people.
I am very lucky that we have family and friends who are willing to support us during this difficult time. Thank you to you all.
Michael
Saturday, September 1, 2012
For a second week in a row...
I'm drawing a blank.
Hello Everyone,
You know, I sat down last week to blog and after about 5-8 minutes, I determined that I just didn't have anything to say.
And...for a second week in a row, still don't.
I actually had more materiel to work with in Djibouti and lots more in Germany.
Life is very predictable and boring here. Every day is pretty much like the last.
We did get some Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) sustainment training last week which was the only thing even remotely noteworthy. Training was pretty basic stuff but not a bad idea to get a refresher every now and again.
The continued civil way in Syria along with the vast stockpiles of chemical weapons there has the entire region on edge. Refugees are spilling over the boarder into Jordan and Israelites are being issued chemical protective masks (gas masks). This is all unclassified, open source information in case you think I am divulging some secret information, by the way.
I have decided to carry my mask with me to and from work so I always have it available. I will also keep protective outer garments here and at the office. If I see any explosions and then some odd colored smoke, I don't want to have to drive to work to get my gear. I don't think I could hold my breath that long anyways, lol. I think we are suppose to be doing some drills are work. Should be interesting trying to use a computer key board wearing gloves designed to clean up chemical spills.
After the first week of September, I will be on the road the entire month. The change of scenery will be welcome. I think I will even have an extra day in Germany and plan on spending it in Munich.
That's about it from this tiny island off the coast of the Saudi Arabian peninsula.
Cheers,
Michael
Hello Everyone,
You know, I sat down last week to blog and after about 5-8 minutes, I determined that I just didn't have anything to say.
And...for a second week in a row, still don't.
I actually had more materiel to work with in Djibouti and lots more in Germany.
Life is very predictable and boring here. Every day is pretty much like the last.
We did get some Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) sustainment training last week which was the only thing even remotely noteworthy. Training was pretty basic stuff but not a bad idea to get a refresher every now and again.
The continued civil way in Syria along with the vast stockpiles of chemical weapons there has the entire region on edge. Refugees are spilling over the boarder into Jordan and Israelites are being issued chemical protective masks (gas masks). This is all unclassified, open source information in case you think I am divulging some secret information, by the way.
I have decided to carry my mask with me to and from work so I always have it available. I will also keep protective outer garments here and at the office. If I see any explosions and then some odd colored smoke, I don't want to have to drive to work to get my gear. I don't think I could hold my breath that long anyways, lol. I think we are suppose to be doing some drills are work. Should be interesting trying to use a computer key board wearing gloves designed to clean up chemical spills.
After the first week of September, I will be on the road the entire month. The change of scenery will be welcome. I think I will even have an extra day in Germany and plan on spending it in Munich.
That's about it from this tiny island off the coast of the Saudi Arabian peninsula.
Cheers,
Michael
Saturday, August 18, 2012
33%...
Hello All,
33% represents my completion rate of my current tour. That's right...been here almost exactly 4 months. The precise date of my 4 month mark coincidently coincides with the 10 year anniversary of my father's death.
Hard to believe it has been ten years. My dad was a great man. Few people can say that they made a difference in the world...he did. Dad ran his own successful business (yes, he did build that), employed people, raised a family along with my mother, mentored 1000s of young people through the church, served the community, served his country, and made his own plum wine (ok, that didn't change the world but I always thought is was pretty cool). Turns out, he was a good friend too and I miss him.
So, let's celebrate his life and not his death.
So, 4 months gone, 8 months to go. August is almost over and September seems like it is over but hasn't even started yet. I will be off the island almost continuously after the first week of September. I leave on the 9th for a week long conference in Garmish, Germany, which is about an hour and a half outside of Munich (love that city!). Straight from Germany, I will travel to the capital of Jordan, Amman, for another week long conference. After that, back to Bahrain for a couple of days before I fly back to Hometown, USA, to be by my wife's side for her procedure. I will not be back in Bahrain until the 2nd of Oct, at which point I will be 30 days from the half way mark.
Oh, I thought of a couple of more things I like about Bahrain...playing Texas Holdem' every Friday night and smoking a cigar every morning. I smoke with the guy I sit next to at work who also enjoys cigars. It is funny that the 3 months between Djibouti and Bahrain, I didn't smoke any. Once back in the states, I'm sure I will revert back to one a month. I just don't have anyone to smoke cigars with back home and it is not something I really do by myself.
Well, not much else going on. Guess that is a good time to close for the week.
School has started or will start soon (depending on where you live). Watch out for the kids.
Michael
33% represents my completion rate of my current tour. That's right...been here almost exactly 4 months. The precise date of my 4 month mark coincidently coincides with the 10 year anniversary of my father's death.
Hard to believe it has been ten years. My dad was a great man. Few people can say that they made a difference in the world...he did. Dad ran his own successful business (yes, he did build that), employed people, raised a family along with my mother, mentored 1000s of young people through the church, served the community, served his country, and made his own plum wine (ok, that didn't change the world but I always thought is was pretty cool). Turns out, he was a good friend too and I miss him.
So, let's celebrate his life and not his death.
So, 4 months gone, 8 months to go. August is almost over and September seems like it is over but hasn't even started yet. I will be off the island almost continuously after the first week of September. I leave on the 9th for a week long conference in Garmish, Germany, which is about an hour and a half outside of Munich (love that city!). Straight from Germany, I will travel to the capital of Jordan, Amman, for another week long conference. After that, back to Bahrain for a couple of days before I fly back to Hometown, USA, to be by my wife's side for her procedure. I will not be back in Bahrain until the 2nd of Oct, at which point I will be 30 days from the half way mark.
Oh, I thought of a couple of more things I like about Bahrain...playing Texas Holdem' every Friday night and smoking a cigar every morning. I smoke with the guy I sit next to at work who also enjoys cigars. It is funny that the 3 months between Djibouti and Bahrain, I didn't smoke any. Once back in the states, I'm sure I will revert back to one a month. I just don't have anyone to smoke cigars with back home and it is not something I really do by myself.
Well, not much else going on. Guess that is a good time to close for the week.
School has started or will start soon (depending on where you live). Watch out for the kids.
Michael
Saturday, August 11, 2012
You seem to complain a lot about Bahrain....
What is there to like?
Hello all,
Yes I do complain about Bahrain a lot. I looked deep within and came up with a few positive things to say.
1. Most everyone you encounter out in town speaks English unlike Djibouti and Germany.
2. The base is very secure and has a modern infrastructure with plenty of services.
3. Manama (capital of Bahrain where I am) is a modern city with many restaurants and malls. If you want to spend $5000 on a Kate Spade handbag, you can do that here. Take that Djibouti.
4. Gas is cheap at $.25 a gallon.
5. That is really all I could think of.
Many of you probably still can't get your head around a 1 year assignment and being away from family that long. Many people I work with are regular active duty Marines and for them, this is a "permanent change of station" or PCS for them. The active duty types get ship somewhere about every three years. You may find yourself at Camp Lejeune for 3 years and then moved to the deserts of California. They don't really have much of a choice where they go....needs of the Marine Corps are the first priority.
Why am I telling you this. Well, active duty Marines can choose to come here for 2 years and bring their family or they can choose 1 year orders and come here by myself. Most choose the latter so my situation is no different then many of my peers.
Honestly, if I were active duty and had to make the choice, I would not want my family out here. Germany...absolutely. Here...absolutely not. There is just nothing here. Its hot, there is no history like in Europe, no cultural things like art museums, no sports like soccer or F1 (they do host an F1 race here but nobody goes to it) and the landscape is pretty barren. There I go complaining again...
The kids would be miserable here as would Jodi. Jodi would be much happier tooling around Stuttgart on her Vespa.
The first time I was in Djibouti, I said I never ever wanted to go back. Well, I did and the second time was a pretty darn good tour. Bahrain is my new favorite place to never ever want to come back to.
Thankfully, I have a routine throughout the week that keeps me focused and busy. The time is going fast and the environment that surrounds me is of little consequence.
Until next week...
Michael
Hello all,
Yes I do complain about Bahrain a lot. I looked deep within and came up with a few positive things to say.
1. Most everyone you encounter out in town speaks English unlike Djibouti and Germany.
2. The base is very secure and has a modern infrastructure with plenty of services.
3. Manama (capital of Bahrain where I am) is a modern city with many restaurants and malls. If you want to spend $5000 on a Kate Spade handbag, you can do that here. Take that Djibouti.
4. Gas is cheap at $.25 a gallon.
5. That is really all I could think of.
Many of you probably still can't get your head around a 1 year assignment and being away from family that long. Many people I work with are regular active duty Marines and for them, this is a "permanent change of station" or PCS for them. The active duty types get ship somewhere about every three years. You may find yourself at Camp Lejeune for 3 years and then moved to the deserts of California. They don't really have much of a choice where they go....needs of the Marine Corps are the first priority.
Why am I telling you this. Well, active duty Marines can choose to come here for 2 years and bring their family or they can choose 1 year orders and come here by myself. Most choose the latter so my situation is no different then many of my peers.
Honestly, if I were active duty and had to make the choice, I would not want my family out here. Germany...absolutely. Here...absolutely not. There is just nothing here. Its hot, there is no history like in Europe, no cultural things like art museums, no sports like soccer or F1 (they do host an F1 race here but nobody goes to it) and the landscape is pretty barren. There I go complaining again...
The kids would be miserable here as would Jodi. Jodi would be much happier tooling around Stuttgart on her Vespa.
The first time I was in Djibouti, I said I never ever wanted to go back. Well, I did and the second time was a pretty darn good tour. Bahrain is my new favorite place to never ever want to come back to.
Thankfully, I have a routine throughout the week that keeps me focused and busy. The time is going fast and the environment that surrounds me is of little consequence.
Until next week...
Michael
Monday, August 6, 2012
What the hell??
Hello All,
So, I was at the small base grocery store this weekend and I needed some fish. I grabbed a bag of frozen salmon and checked that package to see if it was farm raised or wild caught. On the back of the package it read: "Alaskan Salmon, wild caught, processed in China." I thought to myself, "what the hell, we catch salmon in Alaska and send it to China to be cleaned and packaged?" That just doesn't seem right. Guess it must be cheaper for the company that processes the fish. Probably one of those deals that it is work that "Americans don't want to do".
At any rate, I have decided to take a hard look at where the things I buy are made. I am happy to say that the guns and bourbon I buy are all made in America. Moving forward, I am going to try to buy American made products. So, do the economy a favor and buy a gun made by Colt, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, or Winchester. I will probably stick with the Germans for my autos, though.
We have also received a very, very large shipment of Girl Scout cookies on base. There are cases of them everywhere for the taking. If you ever ask the Girl Scout selling cookies if you can just donate money to have cookies sent to US service people, I can tell you that yes you can and they do get shipped out to us.
I also believe that I am cursed. I cannot sleep past 5:30 AM. I don't even have to get up until at least 6 AM. I wish I could sleep in on the weekends but it is just not happening for me. Probably a combination of the construction of starting around that time and the fact I usually go to bed by 9 PM. By 5:30, I have already gotten 8 1/2 hours of sleep.
Work is going well and my new job keeps me busy the whole day. I was a little under tasked with my last billet which made for some long, so what empty days. I am also taking Arabic language classes on Tues and Thurs during lunch. Will probably lean enough to say a few friendly phrases. I have never been good at learning new languages and this is one of the hardest ones out there.
Lots of talk about Syria and Iran in these parts. This region of the world has long been a powder keg looking for a match.
Until next time,
Michael
So, I was at the small base grocery store this weekend and I needed some fish. I grabbed a bag of frozen salmon and checked that package to see if it was farm raised or wild caught. On the back of the package it read: "Alaskan Salmon, wild caught, processed in China." I thought to myself, "what the hell, we catch salmon in Alaska and send it to China to be cleaned and packaged?" That just doesn't seem right. Guess it must be cheaper for the company that processes the fish. Probably one of those deals that it is work that "Americans don't want to do".
At any rate, I have decided to take a hard look at where the things I buy are made. I am happy to say that the guns and bourbon I buy are all made in America. Moving forward, I am going to try to buy American made products. So, do the economy a favor and buy a gun made by Colt, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, or Winchester. I will probably stick with the Germans for my autos, though.
We have also received a very, very large shipment of Girl Scout cookies on base. There are cases of them everywhere for the taking. If you ever ask the Girl Scout selling cookies if you can just donate money to have cookies sent to US service people, I can tell you that yes you can and they do get shipped out to us.
I also believe that I am cursed. I cannot sleep past 5:30 AM. I don't even have to get up until at least 6 AM. I wish I could sleep in on the weekends but it is just not happening for me. Probably a combination of the construction of starting around that time and the fact I usually go to bed by 9 PM. By 5:30, I have already gotten 8 1/2 hours of sleep.
Work is going well and my new job keeps me busy the whole day. I was a little under tasked with my last billet which made for some long, so what empty days. I am also taking Arabic language classes on Tues and Thurs during lunch. Will probably lean enough to say a few friendly phrases. I have never been good at learning new languages and this is one of the hardest ones out there.
Lots of talk about Syria and Iran in these parts. This region of the world has long been a powder keg looking for a match.
Until next time,
Michael
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