Sitting, waiting, anticipating

Hey All,

  We're in Kuwait still.  The return and reunion classes are done; the Health Assessments are done; Our classes on PTSD are done.  Our bags are packed; Our tents are swept;  the hajjis are hanging around outside our tents waiting to get anything we decide to throw away (can't blame them, I just gave away my running shoes).

 

  Our customs ordeal isn't going to be as bad as we thought: they'll go through our checked bags, let us go to chow, go through our carry-on and our pockets, then put us in lockdown.  A few hours later we'll go to the airport, stay in lockdown until the flight is loaded.  I'm still not going to say exactly when the flight is -- OPSEC -- but the hajjis sure seem to know.

 

  I've bought a lift ticket and an intermediate lesson at Big Bear, as well as a room at Motel 6 for 24-25 JAN.  I'm going to get my noggin together before heading to Birmingham to see KL and the boys.  The chaplain really stressed getting some time by yourself.  He pointed out that on deployment you can't even go to the bathroom without 2 or 3 other people being there.  After two deployments on NIMITZ followed almost immediately by this IA, I kinda forgot to notice, but he's right.

 

  We got the big caution about driving.  I AM worried about that.  Past deployments were about re-learning how to drive after not being in a car.  This time, I've been driving constantly, I've just been driving aggressively.  I swear to god if I see a Jangle Truck in San Diego I'm going to run him off the road :) (just kidding).

 

  I'd love to say I have to be somewhere soon, but I don't, but this email has been entirely too long.  Thanks for sticking with me over this whole deployment.  This should be the last one I send before stepping foot in CONUS -- okay, maybe ONE from Germany.

 

Cheers,

Jody

--
"...wrap your arms around your body armor, give it a big embrace, and LEARN TO LOVE THE SUCK!"
  -- Sergeant First Class Jenkins, 13 JUL 08