For Such a Time as This, February 24, 2010

I’ve been preparing for such a time as this for the last 24 years, since the day I first raised my right hand. What an honor to be called to duty at a time like this!

When people first meet me, I am usually under estimated. I’ve known this, and have learned to use it to the advantage of whatever organization I’m in. This time I can’t help but think that maybe they are over estimating my capabilities…the proverbial “oh, shit”. I often talk about how the Guard and Reserve have a management and leadership issue that they need to be aware of and take steps to mitigate. I call it my theorem of the “paper-trained” airman. A paper trained airman is where your training record (or your resume, in the case of officers) says you can perform a certain task, but you haven’t had a chance to actually perform that task in years (or even only performed it once, as can be the case in the military). We are deploying folks all over the world, into jobs that their training record or resume says you can do. The question should be: are we proficient in those tasks? The reality of it is that there is no way to know, except by doing. This is why deployments need to be an integral part of Guard and Reserve Airman’s career, along with in-residence PME (Professional Military Education). Absences away from home are hard…no doubt about that. It takes a lot of advance planning, and it takes the support of families and employers everywhere for this to work.

In only three weeks I have decided that another theorem that I have always subscribed to…that you hire based upon attitude, not on skill set…trumps the theorem of the paper trained airman. The right attitude is what it takes to survive and thrive. In short, I have already made up my mind that I will succeed, and I’ll do whatever it takes to do the job, and do it right. I have already decided that I’ll take whatever they throw at me and go at it with gusto. It is still quite possible that I came here as a “paper-trained” airman, but the good news is that I am very much less concerned about this issue than before I deployed.

Getting into this situation (having a seemingly impossible task, and having your bosses just know you can do it), and working through it, is key to growth. This pays off everywhere else in your life, not just the military. This is the thing that I like about the military-- it keeps you sharp. You do your best every single day, and that is all they ask. But our basic core value is that your best yesterday isn’t good enough for today. You must do it better today than you did it yesterday, and you must continue to contribute more today than you did yesterday.

I am lucky to have the chance to explore the things that I often espouse.

I had a few nice surprises this week. First, I had to run on a treadmill (egad). For the first time since I became a marathon runner, I got to see my legs in action, in a mirror in front of me. My running buddies have been telling me that my legs look nice and are “cut”. The first time I heard that…I started looking for bandages. My friend Becky explained it to me, but I didn’t really get it (or maybe just didn’t believe it). Holy crap, I get it now…I did a double take…I couldn’t believe that was my legs. Wished my belly looked like that!

My second surprise was that I had to do some traveling…the Air Force expert on a certain program I am using was at a nearby base, and I went to see him for some hands on training. So, I got to spend the last five days at Al Udeid Airbase, Qatar. It is a very nice base and they have lots of MWR activities there (Morale, Welfare and Recreation), and you can have three alcoholic beverages a day. My traveling companions were happy to be traveling with me since I don’t drink.

More surprises: I got to see a concert while I was there…Saving Able…a new southern/classic rock band. I got to ride to Al Udeid in a C-21… a sweet 6 seat AF jet. I got to see two folks from home that are deployed there. I got to ride home in the cockpit of a C-17…I thought I had died and gone to heaven…and I swear I could a reached out and touched the big dipper, it was right on top of the clouds and so were we. I’m attaching a couple of pics of my travels.  Going forward tomorrow and will have more tales to tell soon. 

My Number Came Up, February 14, 2010

My boss, Major General McMahon, comes to see us a couple times a day, with a few words about what is going on in the war, and why what we are doing is making a difference for the Marines out there on the front lines. He says that the bad guys have two choices: they can change sides, or they can die. I love that line.

I got to sit in on the Land Component Commander’s BUB (Battle Update Brief) the first morning after a major battle was launched in Afghanistan. It was amazing…there were three screens on one wall; each one was probably 30 ft by 30 ft. There was a moderator who called on people to speak, according to an agenda set by the Commander. There were a hundred people in the room, and many, many more on secure video and phone, including the big cats in Washington. It was awe inspiring to hear it first hand, and know that my unit, (Central Command’s Deployment and Distribution Operations Center, or CDDOC), is in direct support of those marines that are pulling the trigger.

The job of the Air Force is to get the war fighter, their equipment, and the rest of the infrastructure to sustain them, to the right place, at the right time. I tell you what…when the president says 30,000 troops, it isn’t 30,000 troops. It is quadruple that because you have to build bases and keep them running, and you need to fly or sail/truck all that stuff in. The main issue that the CDDOC deals with is what has priority for airlift. Commanders all over the theater are fighting over airlift. The priorities are set each week by the Generals and the CDDOC facilitates the lifts and makes sure they happen. We are also involved in priorities for sea/land transportation and facilitate same…not as sexy as airlift, though. The priorities do change instantly, depending upon what is happening on the battle field. Believe it or not, we have metrics that we MUST meet. For example, the Marines have set a requirement for X number of gizmos by 1 March…our General gets his ass kicked if we don’t do it…and well, you know what rolls down hill (yes, it still all boils down to shit jokes for me…that will never change).

So, here is the scoop with me…I came to Arifjan thinking I was assigned to Operation Iraqi Freedom and assisting with the drawdown there. The CDDOC is just as intimately involved with that, but I won’t be. They’ve reassigned me to work Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and assisting with the plus up that is going on there. It came down needing a certain skill set at a certain rank, and once again, my number came up...I’m on my way to Afghanistan. I will be one of two CDDOC Liaison Officers assigned to US Forces-Afghanistan (the US command and control HQ, whose job it is to ensure effective integration and coordination with coalition partners and NATO/ISAF forces). The job will essentially be the same—synchronize and optimize airlift, sealift and ground transportation, to get the war fighter what they need, when they need it. And, right now, we need to increase the velocity of the movements…the war fighter is counting on us. (How did you like all those buzz words?) I’ll let you know more when I get there.

It was a great day today…we got a half day off! I got a long run around the base…it was just over 6 miles. I’ve been able to get a run in about every other day but I fell short of my goal of 20 miles a week (18.5 mi). I get to scype with my husband at least once a day...what a miracle! 

I hope you’ve had a happy Valentine’s day, and Happy Birthday, Mom! 

First Day of Work, February 8, 2010

Had my first work day yesterday, and boy, is it going to be a wild ride…more on that later. I also got to take my first run on base yesterday. Yes, sea level made a difference--I ran 4 miles at just over a 10 minute pace (fast for me, especially considering the fact that my hips are killing me because of all the sitting the last week). And lastly…some of you might find this entertaining…I did my own laundry today. The lessons my husband gave me right before I left were perfect. It has probably been 15 years since I’ve had to do that!

I had to reconstruct parts of my email address book, and I may have missed some folks. Please feel free to forward. Thanks for all of your support. I don’t need anything—I can get everything I need at the Base Exchange. Also, they may be moving me to another base in a couple of weeks so there is no sense in sending a package. I’ll keep you posted. I’ve attached a picture of the base from my room.

Finally, A Bed!, February 6, 2010

It is 6pm local time, Arifjan, and I am in a single person room (for the first time in my career, rank does have its privileges), in my bed about to get a looooong nights sleep. I don't have to report to work until 1:00 tomorrow. I've got good timing because the super bowl is tomorrow night at 2:30 am, so the workday on Monday will start late as well...

So, adding in the time at Ali Al Salem and the drive to Arifjan, the total time in travel was a whopping 70 hours...

About that drive...as I looked out over the vast, barren landscape, visions of burning man came into my head. The Kuwaitis actually move to tents out in the desert during certain times of the year...they do it to "get away from it all"...it sounds like it is a sort of pilgrimage. Burning man has nothing on these people.

I walked around camp a bit and actually was dismayed at all the sand, looking very much like a Playa, and wondered why in the hell I would want to go to Burning Man after I get home???  Then it came to me...naked people. Here are some pics of my room.

 "Pods"

My Pod

Ali Al Salem and Al Udeid, February 6, 2010

0600L, Ali Al Salem.  Got to Al Udeid and waited 6 hours in the passenger terminal for a ride to Ali Al Salem. For the first time in my career, I got Distinguished Visitor (DV) treatment. This is usually reserved for 0-6s and above, but they must be a little slow in the DV area, because they let me in, a lowly 0-5. I had a little lounge with internet access, a TV, a Fridge, snacks and a couch all to myself. The passenger terminal was too small for the amount of people they were putting though there, so I was grateful. I felt guilty, too. Some of those guys out there looked pretty rough—they are doing our nations dirty work—maybe they should get the DV treatment?

Another ride on a C-17, and I’m at Ali Al Salem, waiting for my ride to my base. As a recap, I’ve been on the road since noon, 3 February. Not counting the jump ahead of 8 hours (from Eastern Time), that is 58 hours and counting…

Ramstein Air Base, Germany, February 5, 2010

5 Feb 10, 0800L Ramstein Air Base, Germany: I got stuck at Ramstein, which is a good place to get stuck, if you’re going to get stuck. The Base Exchange (BX) here is the largest BX in the world—it is actually a mall, rather than a store. Billeting was a 5 star event as well. I got to spend about 12 hours in a room and got 7 hours of solid sleep. That’s good; considering I only had 5 hours of fitful sleep on a KC-10 ride (over the pond) since the morning of 3 Feb. The ride over the pond was pretty good. There were Inspectors on board so the load masters were really attentive to their passengersJ.

It was looking like I would have to spend 3 days at Ramstein, and then fate intervened. The Air Force sent a C-17 up to Ramstein from the sandbox for an emergency medical evacuation and I was able to get on for a ride down range. I am extremely grateful for this ride, because I want to be where I am supposed to be—in Kuwait, doing the job they sent me for—not luxuriating and a 5 star room and eating bon-bons.

I’ve got to admit—when my Chief first told me about this flight I was bummed. I had just checked into my room and I was looking forward to a long sleep. Instead I had to set my alarm for 0-dark-30. As I set my alarm, I was wishing that I hadn’t given him my room number! That thought didn’t last long however.

As I boarded the C-17, I contemplated what the Air Force is doing sending a whole C-17 for one person? This person must have been important, or they wouldn’t have done that. The load master told me that they were sitting on the ground in Al Udeid with a full load of cargo and just a few minutes from take off to Lord only knows where when they got the call. They had to download the cargo and dump the passengers so they could go get this one guy and bring him to the hospital in Germany. So, who was he? No one knows. No one cares. All that matters is that we will not leave our soldiers on the battlefield. He could be the lowest ranking guy in the military, and will drop everything and go get him. That is the difference between us and our enemy. That is the value that we, the American Military, adhere too without question, and it makes all the difference in the world for those passengers that got dropped like a hot potato off this mission.

This was a good reminder for me…as I got dropped like a hot potato off of at least three different flights yesterday. Yesterday, I couldn’t help but think…why can’t you just “book” me--like the commercial airliners do--so I can get a room and luxuriate? We are the Air Force; can’t we do better than this? Instead, I had to hang out in the passenger terminal and haunt the passenger service representatives, looking for a flight—any flight—just as long as it is south. After 12 hours of hanging out, mostly in the USO lounge, I ran out of options for the day and went and got a room and reveled in my luck to get “stuck” here. Then my Chief called…like I said, I shouldn’t have given him my number…

Any way, it is too bad some guy had to get hurt for me to get on with the next leg of my journey. I will have a couple more legs after that, so this tale isn’t over yet. 

Running with Reno Running and Fitness, February 2, 2010

First day on the east coast, one day away from my departure to the Middle East, I decided to take a run on the treadmill in my hotel. I haven’t run on a treadmill for a long time and it was a little rough. I did hit my stride when I decided to imagine that I was running at the Marina, on our usual Tuesday night run. It was 5:30 pacific time and knowing that Ivy and Becky (and the rest our ultra runners) were probably already running, I imagined that I was trying to catch them. I could see myself going around the Marina, with my dog, Molly.

I also began to reflect on my last deployment the Middle East, to Karshi Khanabad (K2) in Uzbekistan, 5 years ago. That was when I began running (because they made me!), and I began on the treadmill. There are a few differences between then and now:

Then: tough out one mile and be miserable the whole time because I am out of breath.
Now: tough out six miles and be miserable because I’m indoors. 


Then: watch the clock like a hawk, praying for it to end.
Now: watch the miles like a hawk, going for 6, praying that my imaginary dog would stop to pee, cause I’d be a wimp if stopped because I had to.

Then: start fast and poop out in the first 10 minutes.
Now: start at 11 minute pace and speed up gradually; hit 9:30 pace for the last mile.

Then: listen to music on my Compact Disc Walkman.
Now: listen to music on my cell phone walkman, with wireless headset.

Then: every minute spent running is a major, lifetime achievement.
Now: every mile spent running goes down in my log book, towards my goal of 1000 miles in 2010.

Then: Stop short by .1 miles because it is close enough.
Now: Go an extra .1 miles so I can try to beat my best 10K time (I did, at 1:02). I decided to do this with ½ a mile left because I imagined I was catching up to Jen at the Turkey Trot!

Then: Piss and moan about how hot it is in here, hate every mile.
Now: Piss and moan about how hot it is in here, but still enjoy the miles. 


So, some things never change! I can’t wait to get running in the desert. It will get extremely hot where I am going, so it occurred to me that I best get used to it.

A couple of other things have also changed, that are worth mention: I have run with Reno Running and Fitness for a year and I've got a couple of Pendola conditioning classes under my belt. Those lessons in running psychology--don't think, don't think!, and running economy have really paid off.

Enjoy the miles…