I am not making this up. Seriously.

[aadler]

 
Yesterday we went through 95% of the checkout procedures. Got plane reservations, an itinerary. Deactivated our e-mail passwords. Sat through out-briefings. Did the stuff you have to do. We were scheduled to leave day after tomorrow. This morning I got my quarters pre-inspected, to be sure there was nothing extra I needed to clean or fix up before vacating. We returned to our duties to do one last thing for the people we’ve been supporting.

An hour before noon, we got word that we can stay.

We originally arrived at Guantanamo over a month later than planned, and so at that time we signed volunteer statements allowing them to add sixty days to our orders, to allow for a full tour and an overlap period for a replacement team. Those orders were approved and filed … but the person who filed them is in Afghanistan now, and he didn’t file them in ALL the places they needed to be, and it took a Master Sergeant back in the States until now to locate them.

Because those orders were already approved, no further authorization is needed. We’ll still have to leave in six weeks, but that gives us time to get through activities already planned, and provides the joint task force with that much more opportunity to strongly request selection and delivery of a replacement team.

It’s a bit dizzying. And it’s not the six-month extension I had wanted. But I’ll definitely count it as a good thing.

Comments

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

Now, this arrangement makes a lot more sense. I'm glad you get to stay and finish up. Take care.

[aadler]

As I said, it’s a relief. And, with some of the things that have been happening back at home, it’s probably good that I’ll only be staying an extra six weeks instead of an extra six months.

[tessarin.livejournal.com]

At least they didn't wait until you were on the plane. Will you get to do any of those projects you submitted ?

[aadler]

We’ve already started planning some new ones. The idea is to have three or four already approved when the new team arrives, so they can implement something already in place while they learn the basics of how to begin initiating things of their own.

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

That is pretty unbelievable. Gotta love bureacracy. It's a shame that you have to have it took get certain kinds of things done.

Still, very good that your tour got extended!

[aadler]

Gives me a year — after I get back — to explore various avenues, before it’s time to hit theater again with my unit. I’d prefer a shorter interim, but I’ll just have to see how things work out.