packing mule

packing my stuff up once again makes me realize two things:
1. I have WAY to much stuff and need to stage an intervention on myself for my serious hoarding of silly crap

2. this is really happening and the humor of it is fading as the seriousness of where i am going is starting to sink in.

by the way, i really am sorting through a lot of my crap and Alysha and her grandmother are going to have a garage sale so by all means come by our crap!!!

Round Two

Next week is coming fast and thus starts the second deployment for me... well the annual training prior to the deployment. I have sort of mixed feelings about it but regardless of my feelings the deployment is going to happen weather i like it or not so i may as well make the best of it i suppose :) I try to think of it as a paid vacation with sight seeing, hiking, camping, and nature walks. Its easier to think about when you look at it like that.

this is the end...

A long road traveled with many goals accomplished. I had all of you with me the entire time. Today i spend my 4th of july finishing packing and cleaning our room for the KFOR10 guys that will take over.
Yesterday i spend the majority of the afternoon sitting in quiet reflection, looking out at all the villages that are scattered throughout the countryside. I will have so many great memories from here. I guess you could even sad i am a bit sad that i am leaving. Having to return home now to so much change and having everything so unsure.
I cant wait to see my friends and family when i get home. Thank you all for all that you have done for me this past year. I love you all

awards :O

today i was presented with a few awards, and i have one more coming.

i recieved the following awards:

Good Conduct

Global War on Terrorism

Kosovo Campaign

Non-Article 5 Balkans

I will also be recieving the Army Achievement Medal.

just means i have to redo my class A's. BAH!!!!!

one day closer

the new guys for KFOR10 all arrived today!!! we start training them tomorrow for their area of responsibilities. Its really exciting to see them here, as it is really the beginning of the end of this deployment. Soon enough i will be home yay!!!!!!!

captain caveman

i got to go on a day trip (after a back to back mission so i am running on fumes for energy) to a very unique cave in kosovo. The cave was found in the early 70s by a farmer looking for rock for the house he was building. the cave itself is pure marble. There are underground pools, which you have to dive to get to, and are described by the divers as nothing they have ever seen before. There are a type of crytal that forms in this cave that is said to be found in only two other caves in the world. They do not grow straight down but rather curve like snakes. They believe they have a draw to the change in magnetic fields that make them form the way they do.

In the photo i am standing in front of the prized formation in the cave. They call it the Romeo and Juliet formation. They are the longest stalagtite and stalagmite (i know i spelled it wrong but am to tired to care) formations in the cave. they are lucky to have survived the renovation for the tourism. It is estimated that if untouched or any disruption, they will finally kiss in 1.2 million years. The cave itself is 80 million years old and is one of the youngest caves in the region.

dont try this at home

So it is said that idle hands are the devil's work. I say, let the devil take a back seat and watch what can be created by being idle with life.

FIRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

yep... i set my hands on fire for a picture.... was it worth it??

totally.

old but not forgotten

so i know i am horrible at keeping my posts new. oops.A week ago to two we had to fly by black hawk to our towns to patrol. being dropped off by a helicopter, for some reason, seems to draw attention. we dropped into this one town that was spooky with it seeming to be run over by children. we patroled the town and ended up near the school. we decided to take some extra time here to goof off with the kids. they were great.

Coined

I was told to design a coin for our Battery for what we did in kosovo. I submitted my design to them and they really liked it. Apparently they are a hot item to buy now, alot of the guys want them.

I got a few myself.... jerks made me pay for them too. bah.

I love it when they call me Big Papa

Today we went into Gnjilane for patrol and how convenient that we needed to pick up our suits from the tailor shop. So we get back from our patrol and i sit down and think to myself.... i now own a freakin Armani suit... its dress up time!!!!!

Why hold weapons.... because No one touches me in my suit! you have been warned!!!!!! :O

When May baskets

Thanks again for the may basket Mom!!!!!!

promoted...again

Not rank this time. I was recently promoted to Bravo team leader. Not much really changes for me. I do my usual duties but i also now have two guys under me that now take orders from me. I was already sort of doing the job as the guys that now are under me are also my roommates. They are both about 8 years younger than me and often seek my advise.
not much else happening.

update. i just got to be apart of my duties as a TL by aiding in giving a soldier a counseling statement (its bad for the soldier)

busy week

jeesh, so much has happened in this last week, where do i start.
They changed our schedule AGIAN. so now i am on the graveyard shift. I really dont mind it but days get so confusing. Also all the weirdos come out at night so we have to deal with all the off the wall stories and problems.
I went to the doctor to get my meds refilled but they ended up changing them :( so i guess we'll see how it goes. i liked my old ones though.
oh oh, the LT General (3 star) of the Iowa national guard, the MAJ General (2 star) of the JAG, and the Governer of Iowa came to camp bondsteel to give a talk to us. They gave alot of good information and then opened the floor for suggestions and ideas. The Governer really liked what he heard and has some good plans set up for the future. It was pretty cool to see those people all in the same room at once, apparently it was the first time it has happened.
After work yesterday our squad stopped in Gjilane to get measured for our suits. Some of the guys ended up getting two, but i wanted to wait to see how i liked the first one. Did i mention that the suit shop is freakin Armani!!!!! Hugo Boss suit shop was next door but actually more expensive.
My roommate downloaded all 4 seasons of House so i have been REALLY busy watching that lol.
take care all, i know i am. getting close to me coming home
oxoxoxoxo

breaking the rules

This is my new haircut which will surely get chopped off once i get in trouble. I just had to rock the hawk at some point. I missed it to much. So far i have avoided all the higher ups hehehehe.

Also, my new perscription sunglasses came in. I really like them alot. Mind you this picture was taken after i got off work which is now 4 am. Im going to bed after i post this.

my bestest buddy

this dog reminds me of a dog i used ot have. We all named him Milo. He is one of the funner dogs that seem to show up when we are in the area. i wish i could bring this one home with me.

cruel weather

so yesterday it was t shirt and shorts weather sunny and wonderful. i woke up this morning to a foot of snow..... not funny! So what would well trained military personal due in such a situation? make a SNOWMAN!!!!

Isnt he cuuuuuuuuute

this is our little playmate that keeps us occupied while at "work". He doesnt dislike people but he isnt very interested in them either. He does, however, enjoy being a little ham in front of the camera.

whaaatttt

so yeah... we were bored as hell the other day. Why this seemed like a awesome idea is beyond me..... nevermind

where were you when...

Kosovo has declared independence and is now its own country. As we drove through towns we could smell the sulfur from the gunfire and fireworks that filled the night sky in celebration of the infant country. We have heard reports of troubles in northern kosovo where the serbs and albanians are already fighting over the whole ordeal.... glad we got out of nothing hill when we did. Apparently the border gate we would check on in our missions up there has now been burned down from a riot. Things in southern kosovo are still boring though. We got called to a "shots fired" situation last night, but of course when we got there the locals played stupid and no one knew a thing. Oh oh.. to top it off... i love this. One of our interpretuers is playing both sides. There is a militia force that acts like the mob down here. They protect your home if you pay them, if you dont they break bones. His cousin leads one of those forces, and covers for him all the time..... they are so short on terps though that they cant afford to fire him. We take him with us but we refuse to use him, we make him sit in the humvee all night. Freakin jacoupe scum.

crap......

after speaking with Bondsteel's DeNiro. He perked my interests in his timeline of Kosovo's independence movement.... he was right....
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-31862120080210?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0