June, a busy month.

Quite busy indeed!

Near the beginning of the month I got off of BDAF (Base Defense Augment Force) after spending the previous month stationed out at the Main Entry Point. There I was able to search vehicles for contraband, weapons, and explosives, I directed the daily traffic into the base, I was able to work with the Brits and they let me revamp their personnel search and authentication areas. I also worked in a tower overseeing a new gravel transfer area. While in the tower I was visited by multiple people including the MHG CO Col. Reynolds. She was there a few times along with other 0-5 and 0-6 officers from the USMC, USAF, USN, RAF, Royal Navy, Tonga Navy, and the US Army. It was a ridiculous amount of brass and each time they would come up and ask how the system worked, what I thought of it, and how it could work better. It was all a lot of fun though quite warm and constantly wearing my flak and kevlar kept the heat up. I was also able to go out to bombstop (our first line of defense) and deal with foot and vehicular traffic outside the wire. In addition to all this I was able to help train the Afghan National Police how to patrol. We went out on 4 foot patrols outside the wire although we saw no action. :-/ Altogether it was quite a good experience.

In early June I learned that my cousin Jake had succumbed to his cancer and is now with the Lord. I (obviously) was unable to attend the funeral but I heard that it was very well done, and I heard what Pastor Tim Bertsche said as he presided over the funeral. He did a fantastic job! Very well done. He was quite honest and came from a Godly point of view. Jake led a difficult life and could be a difficult person, this leads to either a difficult and honest eulogy, or one glossed over and typical of eulogies done of people that nobody knows anything about. Tim was able to perform the former with grace, honesty, and a call to the cross of Christ.

So now I am attempting to get back into the system's mindset, relearning sharepoint, and helping get the new work facility ready to move into. I am also almost done with my first two classes that I am taking and willing be starting two new ones in a couple of weeks: Intro to Psych and Mircroeconomics. I am also back in MCMAP training and should be testing out for my green belt at the end of this week. The Sgt that is taking me through the course said that we could then move on to brown belt. If I can get a waiver from my command there is also the possibility of attaining my black belt and becoming an instructor, but time (and my command) will tell.

My main focuses now are spiritual growth, financial stability (and paying off all credit card debt), physical fitness, job proficiency, academic progression, and how to handle the near future. I am already 1/3 of the way done with this deployment and 1/2 way to my R&R! The middle of August should be my 1/2 point of the deployment, and I will be heading to central IL near the end of October. So far it is looking like the middle of February I will be returning to California, and the good thing is that Scribbles and I will have time to figure out where to live and how to live. The level of stress out here is quite high, but it helps the time to go by. Days are slow, weeks are fast. I really miss my family back home. It is strange to think about the fact that I've been gone for 18 and a half weeks already! That's like a semester! :-)

So I am off to chow.