Countdown to Demob.....Sunrise, May 7th

Mission Control announces that all preparations are proceeding nominally.....

Sunrise - May 7th in #Kandahar, #Afghanistan - And the demob countdown stands at T-Minus 14 Days & counting - RTG !

EASTER SUNRISE 2013 - Kandahar, Afghanistan

Happy Easter from Kandahar !

 

 

A beautiful sunrise this morning ( see enclosed picture) - Easter Morning and "He has risen"

It was 12 years ago on Easter 2001 that I sent the enclosed message to my son James who was out to sea on the carrier USS John C. Stennis, CVN-74. After all these years it reminds me of what is important on Easter Day.

Easter was my Mother's favorite holiday and to her it was the message of hope, rebirth & faith that made it special.

I send you best wishes from Kandahar.

Kandahar has been quiet as of late and that is a good thing for all here. I will be home at the end of May and I am looking forward to it.

COPY of E-mail sent Easter 2001 -

Happy Easter!

My son - It was too much for the Easter Bunny to swim out to meet your ship, but I want to wish you a Happy Easter - Like other holidays, I think Easter has gotten too far from what the true meaning of what it is really about - We are truly blessed with God's love - We are not together on this day, but we know you are safe - We are together in spirit, and united in our faith - The Lord has watched over us, and has guarded us through the past years - and He will be there as our Shepard as we go forward into an uncertain future -

We are very proud of the sacrifice you make to protect us each day - It is a honorable and noble cause to fight for our country & our way of life - In a world where our way of life and faith is under siege, we must continue to hold on to our faith, courage and honor - It is what separates us from the cowardly and despicable bastards that murder innocents in God's name - We will fight these villains, and Justice will prevail -

Enclosed is a passage from John 20:1-18 - it tells the story of the discovery of the Resurrection - Know that we await your safe return, and hope that your time will pass quickly -

We love & miss you - We are truly blessed by Jesus' & God's love.

Love -

Dad & Karen

John 20:1-18

20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.

20:2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."

20:3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.

20:4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

20:5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.

20:6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there,

20:7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.

20:8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;

20:9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

20:10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.

20:11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb;

20:12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.

20:13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him."

20:14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

20:15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."

20:16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher).

20:17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

20:18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her

When I get home......

Where I would like to be/In my @vw Bus heading to the beach- I'll do it this summer when I get home from #Afghanistan twitter.com/Leadership_One…

— Middleboro Jones (@Leadership_One) March 22, 2013

The Journey of a Thousand Miles....or much, much longer...

Time for vacation from the sandbox.......A journey of more than a thousand miles.....more like 7500 miles....It was more difficult than normal due to the Blizzard of 2013.

The best move to make was getting on Amtrak once I got stateside as the airlines cancelled 2700 flights and getting stranded in Washington, DC was not part of the plan.

The 7500 miles wound up taking 40 hrs....And I got home just before the real trouble began.

Time out has been called for me and I plan on enjoying the maximum use of  Liberty. And then some.

Christmas Eve in Kandahar / HOW THE GRINCH STOLE THE SEABEES GRAVEL

Christmas Eve in Kandahar, Afghanistan - When I took on this gig, I had planned that I would be here for the holidays.

It may still be December 23rd back home, but here, it is already December 24th.

I posted this a while back and it bears posting again. It was the first time I was away from home on Christmas.  Enjoy and Merry Christmas Eve !!

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE THE SEABEES GRAVEL...A Seabee Christmas story from Iraq in 2004

 8 years ago, I was in Iraq with the Seabees - It was Christmas and we were doing the job we were assigned -
Helping rebuild Iraq.

One of the things we needed more than anything else was GRAVEL - It was needed to firm up the muddy areas and allow construction to occur -

No Gravel - No ability to build - A big problem -

On Christmas Eve, I sent this to all my fellow Seabees -

It was my way of getting them to see that Christmas was a time for us to be thankful for all we have and to allow the season to make our hearts light...Being away from home and staioned in Iraq was a tough assignment, but we could make sure that Christmas was still the day that we celebrate the birth of our Savior...

I share this with you in that same spirit - I have much to be thankful for -

I have my wife, who is the best part of my life. I have good family, good friends and a faith that we have been blessed by the LORD.

I hope that all of you enjoy Christmas, Hanukkah and the Holidays and take stock of what we have been given.....We have all been blessed.

Middleboro Jones

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE THE SEABEES GRAVEL
by Dr Seuss (with help from Middleboro Jones)
Every Seabee
Down in Seabee-ville
Liked Gravel a lot...

But the Grinch,
Who lived just North of Seabee-ville,
Did NOT!

The Grinch hated Gravel!
Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be that his head wasn't screwed on quite right.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.

But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.

But,
Whatever the reason,
His heart or his shoes,
He stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Seabees,

Staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown
At the warm lighted windows below in their town.
For he knew every Seabee down in Seabee-ville beneath
Was busy now, working on their CESE.

"And they're waiting on a convoy!" he snarled with a sneer.
"Tomorrow they’ll expect more gravel ! It's practically here!"

Then he growled, with his grinch fingers nervously drumming,
"I MUST find a way to keep Gravel from coming!"

For, tomorrow, he knew...

...All the Seabees
Would wake up bright and early.
And then! Oh, the noise! Oh, the noise! Noise! Noise! Noise!
That's one thing he hated! The NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!

Then the Seabeess, young and old, would sit down to a feast.
And they'd feast! And they'd feast!
And they'd FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! FEAST!
They would start on Seabee-pudding, and rare Seabee-roast-beast
Which was something the Grinch couldn't stand in the least!

And the more the Grinch thought of the Seabee gravel coming
The more the Grinch thought, "I must stop this whole thing!
"Why for many years I've put up with it now!
I MUST stop Gravel from coming!
...But HOW?"

Then he got an idea!
An awful idea!
THE GRINCH
GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA!

"I know just what to do!" The Grinch Laughed in his throat.
And he made a quick Santy Claus hat and a coat.
And he chuckled, and clucked, "What a great Grinchy trick!
"With this coat and this hat, I'll look just like Saint Nick!"

"All I need is a reindeer..."
The Grinch looked around.
But since reindeer are scarce, there was none to be found.
Did that stop the old Grinch...?
No! The Grinch simply said,
"If I can't find a reindeer, I'll make one instead!"

So he called his dog Max. Then he took some red thread
And he tied a big horn on top of his head.

THEN
He loaded some bags
And some old empty sacks
On a ramshakle sleigh
And he hitched up old Max.

Then the Grinch said, "Giddyap!"

And the sleigh started down
Toward the hooches where the Seabees
Lay a-snooze in their hooches.

All their windows were dark. Quiet snow filled the air.
All the Seabees were all dreaming sweet gravel dreams without care

When he came to the first house in the square.
"This is stop number one," The old Grinchy Claus hissed

Then he slunk to the icebox. He took the Seabeess' feast!
He took the Seabee-pudding! He took the roast beast!
He cleaned out that icebox as quick as a flash.
Why, that Grinch even took their last can of Seabee-hash!

Then he stuffed all the food up the chimney with glee.
"And NOW!" grinned the Grinch, "I will make sure no gravel arrives…

And the Grinch grabbed the DSN line, and started to call

When he heard a small sound like the coo of a dove.
He turned around fast, and he saw a small Seabee!
Little Seabee Burke, who was not more than 22.

The Grinch had been caught by this little Seabee daughter
Who'd got out of bed for a cup of cold water.
She stared at the Grinch and said, "Santy Claus, why,
"Why are you taking our Gravel? WHY?"

But, you know, that old Grinch was so smart and so slick
He thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick!

"Why, my sweet little Seabee," the fake Santy Claus lied,
"There's a stone in this gravel, that’s sharp on one side.
"So I'm taking it home to my workshop, my dear.
"I'll fix it up there. Then I'll bring gravel back here."

And his fib fooled the Seabee. Then he patted her head
And he got her a drink and he sent her to bed.
And when Seabee Burke went to bed with her cup,
He went to DSN line and called the gravel convoy off!

Then the last thing he took
Was the log for their fire.
Then he went up the chimney himself, the old liar.
On their walls he left nothing but hooks, and some wire.

And the one speck of food
That he left in the house
Was a crumb that was even too small for a mouse.

Then
He did the same thing
To the other Seabees

Leaving crumbs
Much too small
For the other Seabees' mouses!

It was quarter past dawn...
All the Seabees, still a-bed
All the Seabees, still a-snooze
When he packed up his sled,
Packed it up with their gravel!

"Pooh-pooh to the Seabees!" he was grinch-ish-ly humming.
"They're finding out now that no gravel coming!
"They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!
"Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
"The all the Seabeess down in Seabee-ville will all cry BOO-HOO!"

"That's a noise," grinned the Grinch,
"That I simply must hear!"
So he paused. And the Grinch put a hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow...

But the sound wasn't sad!
Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn't be so!
But it WAS merry! VERY!

He stared down at Seabee-ville!
The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook!
What he saw was a shocking surprise!

Every Seabee down in Seabee-ville, the tall and the small,
Was working! Without any gravel at all!
He HADN'T stopped gravel from coming!
IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?
It came from the country of Jordan, not local at all,

Those damn Seabees didn’t have to go that far after all!

And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe gravel," he thought, "doesn't come from a Marshalling area.
"Maybe gravel...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

And what happened then...?
Well...in Seabee-ville they say
That the Grinch's small heart
Grew three sizes that day!

And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light
And he brought back the gravel! And the food for the feast!
And he...

...HE HIMSELF...!
The Grinch carved the roast beast!

Worlds away and miles apart....Some still go to fight the Dragons

The holiday weekend is over and all will be back to the normal routine.  Kids grumpily head back to school, parents go back to the workplace or the daily routine of dealing with lack of work, child issues, paying the bills, housework, etc.

For me, that included getting off the bench ( unemployment ) and back to earning a paycheck.  The one hitch is that it again involves a extended trip to the dusty side of the world.  In this instance, it is a little different as I am working a non-DOD contract but working for another large government department in a program to hire local staff for a program providing jobs in their impoverished areas.

This presents certain challenges as we are not located in the large well guarded FOBs but in a smaller secure compound in a city.  There is security and the local army units protecting us and we are safe. Even being on a large FOB is not 100% safe so there is risk no matter where you are over here.  In life, there are no guarantees.  I see everyday where people are there one minute and by accident, incident or unseen circumstances, they lose their lives. It can be as simple as heading home from the store in your car or stepping off the curb at the wrong moment.

While many would feel that being here increases the likelihood of something dangerous occurring, I have made the decision to accept this work as it is important that I assist in the effort to provide others freedom, especially economic freedom.  Back home, many are still struggling to find stable work and I was one of those people.  Jobs at senior levels back home are not as plentiful and the employers are very particular about experience as they have their choice of candidates.  Too many good people are being passed over and that is not how good hiring practices should be done. Wages are lower and earning what you are worth is not easy.  The work here is meaningful and ensures I am paid a good wage for my efforts.

At the same time as I travel to the other side of the world, things back home continue at their normal pace.  The homefront goes on even while I am not there to participate in daily events.  I am blessed with a strong lady who shoulders the duty of keeping all at home normal while I have to be away.  It is a tough trade off for both as I miss out on being there, and she finds herself having to handle the watch on her own.  We both know it won't always be this way, and in the end, this work will supply the extra income that many others would envy.

At the same time, life goes on at a slower pace for the parents who gave us life and life's lessons.  My wife's Mom working to recover from her health issues (long term recovery) and my Dad who wound up in the hospital for some health issues that have become more serious.  He will recover and that recovery will be likely slower than hoped for but he is a strong man even at his age in the mid 80s.  Being unable to visit him at the hospital is another tough part of this gig.   I have to rely on the word I get over the Skype chat. 

I am miles away and world's apart from home, and not being able to be there for my family and my Dad is the toughest part of taking on this type of assignment.  If I didn't, there would be larger issues of an economic nature that would be as perilous to our safety as being over here.  Too many others have hit of tough times through no real fault of their own, and many have lost their homes and more.

Being here ensures the continued economic safety of my family but at a price.  That price is "time" and it is a steep price to pay.  I have made a Faustian bargain with the economic devil that pursues all these days.  Those I know at home are facing severe challenges of stagnant wages, fear of job loss and an unsure future.  I will gain the extra income I need to fix issues like an old house that needs some serious upgrading. In the end, the extra will not provide affluence but an ability to make repairs/improvements that have been long overdue.

Each of us finds ourselves challenged in life today and how we respond to those challenges is the real test of our metal.  A while ago, I posted a write up about " Some must go and fight the Dragons"....This time I am still fighting the Dragons but with a sword of economic sharpness for myself and those here who we will help. 

The fight is dangerous but so would not engaging in the fight. 

I recall the words of Isiah 6:8 - “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'”

We'll carry on the fight and seek God's graces as each of us travels along our life's dangerous and perilous path.

Where Are You Christmas

This is a great cover of Faith Hill's " Where Are You Christmas ?". I tried to find the original version to imbed but was unsuccessful. This song is one of the newer Christmas songs that I enjoy as it speaks to those who may having difficulty at this time of year. I was overseas for Christmas in 2004 & 2009 and this song makes me think about those years where I was away and having trouble getting into the Spirit of the Season.

Merry Christmas to all who are away from home and especially to those who are serving in our military as we appreciate all you do all year long.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY to all the DADS out there....especially those who are away from home & family serving our Country

All -

I am overseas and this is not the first Father's Day I have had to spend away from home. I send along best wishes to all other Dads from my station here at Bagram Airfield...It is a wistful place to be on Father's day but the reasons to be here are all easily apparent.

As Men and Fathers, we do what we must to ensure that our families receive the things they need spiritually, mentally, morally and monetarily. It is our task in life and we take it on eagerly as we made the decision to be the " Dad ".

A few words from the past that ring true today :

"None of you can ever be proud enough of being the child of such a Father who has not his equal in this world - so great, so good, so faultless. Try, all of you, to follow in his footsteps and don't be discouraged, for to be really in everything like him none of you, I am sure, will ever be. Try, therefore, to be like him in some points, and you will have acquired a great deal."

- Queen Victoria of England

Enclosed is a copy of an article by a 13 year old girl who tells about her military Dad and her wishes of a Happy Father's day to him...very well done by the young lady.

HAPPY DAD's DAY to all DADS out there....especially those who are away from home & family serving our great Country.

A teen's thank-you to her military father
By Sophie Roth-Douquet - USA Today

This Father's Day, I imagine I'll pile store-bought food on paper plates and serve it to my Dad on a big cardboard moving box. That's because we've just arrived in Germany, in the latest of seven moves we've had since I was born.

This makeshift Father's Day is still better than last year, when my Dad and I celebrated via Skype. He was on the other side of the globe, deployed to Afghanistan. That was the fourth Father's Day I've celebrated without him.

So I have to ask: What kind of a father is a man who chooses to be in the military?

I'm a 13-year-old girl. My father is in the Marine Corps, and so I've gone to eight schools since kindergarten. This past move has been especially hard because I had to leave behind such good friends in South Carolina.

My Dad chose to live this life — moving every other year and getting deployed every three years. This is a great choice for him — he's an amazing Marine — but what about his family? Is it a good choice for us?

I've had to make new friends every one to three years. Sometimes I don't even make friends for the first six months, and then much of my time in the new location is already gone by then. I have to adjust to new school systems, sometimes even having to learn a new language.

I have to live without my father for months, or even a year at a time. I worry whether he's safe.

There are easier lives. Ours is challenging. Is it right to choose to raise your child this way?

Another question: Is it a parent's job to make their child's life as easy as possible, or do other lessons matter, too?

As I sit here typing, the idea of an easy life sounds good. On the other hand, as science fiction writer Robert Heinlein advised, "Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy."

I can see Heinlein's point. Have I been handicapped by ease? No. But I haven't been handicapped by military life either, if I reflect on the entire experience.

I've gotten to live all over the world. I've lived on three different continents —North America, Europe and Asia. I've learned new languages, which I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. I have friends around the world. I've gone to a bunch of schools and learned that there are different ways to teach, and to learn. All in all, I've been opened up to the world.

My Dad's work and encouragement has made it impossible for me to be close-minded. I've lived in places with people of every color under the sun and millions of different ideas in their heads. I've also lived in places with single-minded people and little ethnic diversity.

I've had richer experiences than most adults, and I still have my whole life ahead of me. But most importantly, I feel that I help people through my Dad's service. Sure I sacrifice, but I get the sense that Americans appreciate the sacrifices of military families like mine. I like that feeling.

I understand that when things are tough, my family is struggling for something greater than ourselves.

Finally, my Dad has helped me grow and given me plenty of reasons to be proud.

And with that, Happy Father's Day, Dad!


Sophie's family is still getting settled in Germany. Her mother, Kathy Roth-Douquet, is the co-founder of Blue Star Families.