Back on active duty?

[aadler]

 
I just volunteered for a six-month tour out of the country; whether or not I’ll be approved for that has yet to be decided, but — because of my language background — I probably have an advantage insofar as selection goes. I’m not sure what exactly are the security considerations on this one, but just to be safe I won’t go into public detail regarding where I’ll be stationed or what I’ll be doing.

The good news: a six-month tour. Less of a commitment than a full year, but still serious duty, and I’m not just trying to make myself look good when I say I love this stuff; if I didn’t really mean it, why would I keep volunteering? And it’ll be a place I’ve never been before, or expected to go, with duties specific to my area of training. A fantastic learning opportunity, if nothing else.

The bad news: This will start just before the one-month assignment in Germany would begin, so I’ll have to give up the one to get the other. I’ll be away when my son and ex-wife are received into the Catholic Church on Easter Sunday. And my daughter (currently in South Korea), whom I haven’t seen in seven months, will be back for a two-week visit during the time that I’m out of the country.

That’s just life. Sometimes, one thing you want gets in the way of something else you want. So, you make the best choice you can, and be prepared to follow it out. My daughter is away because she, too, loves what she’s doing; we’ll see each other again, eventually, and in the meanwhile we’ll both be where we want to be.

This newest opportunity reminded me, though, of just how much my world has expanded in the past five years. Even apart from international travel, I’ve made considerable progress toward my goal of visiting all 50 U.S. states. In the cut below, a quick summary of where I’ve been:

States and Countries – (listings are alphabetical rather than chronological)

States:

1. Alabama
2. Alaska
3. Arizona
4. Arkansas
5. California
6. Colorado
7. Florida
8. Georgia
9. Illinois
10. Kansas
11. Kentucky*
12. Louisiana
13. Maryland*
14. Mississippi
15. Missouri
16. Nebraska
17. Nevada
18. New Mexico
19. New York*
20. North Carolina
21. Oklahoma
22. South Carolina
23. South Dakota
24. Tennessee
25. Texas
26. Utah
27. Virginia
28. Washington
29. Wisconsin
30. Wyoming

Countries:

• Afghanistan
• Austria
• Germany
• Iraq
• Italy*
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Qatar
• Netherlands*

*Airport stops only

Any other projects I’m on, I’d better finish quickly or organize them so I can finish while I’m away … because the new assignment, if it comes through, will begin in just over a month.

Loving my life.

Comments

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

You're much better traveled than I am. :)

I'm so sorry you'll be missing out, but I'm glad you're going someplace interesting, wherever it is. :) Do you use Skype? A friend who is moving out of state is telling me it's a wonderful, cheap way to stay in touch. Since you're doing so much international communication I thought it might be worth looking into.

[http://users.livejournal.com/opalescence_/]

Thank you for your service. And I wish some people would realize/accept that many, many, many service men and women love what they do, want to do it, and believe in it, and are DEEPLY hurt by the bad press they and the war are getting!

But don't get me started. God bless you.

[aadler]

I had to do a Google search to find out what Skype is, so obviously, no. It definitely looks interesting, and I’ll try to check into it further, but I’d need to get a wireless modem card for my laptop, and where I’m going I don’t know if the available networks (military) will allow something like Skype.

As far as the travel, it’s a lot cheaper — and more fun — if somebody else not only pays the transport costs (and food, and lodging), but also pays you to be there.

[aadler]

To their credit, most of the people opposing the war are going out of their way to avoid repeating the loathsome behavior of the Sixties, wherein soldiers were blamed and vilified with as much passion as was the war itself.

On the other hand, we do get tired of listening to all these people who have no idea what they’re talking about, saying things that directly contradict what we ourselves have seen, and loudly urging actions that our experience tells us would be disastrous in both the near-term and the long run.

We’re at war. With people who hate us. They’ll continue to hate us for as long as we continue to be better than them; retreating will only confirm their belief in our fundamental weakness. And they’ll just attack somewhere else.

Don’t get YOU started? I’m always ready to jump up onto a soapbox.

Thanks for your response.

[sroni.livejournal.com]

I've used skype the times that I've called home from a computer. It's a good deal, and only about two cents a minute, which is stinking awesome. And I've used it on a base here in South Korea, so it should work on bases. I highly recomend Skype if it's available.

Traveling is fun, isn't it?