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Published: August 14th 2007
Server Crash Sorry republishing this old blog, and bothering you all with another email. Travelblog's server crashed and the lost many blog entries. I had to recover the blog and republish it for it to get back on the server.
BIAP and the Parable of the Vineyard Workers June opened up in tent city at BIAP (Baghdad International AirPort). Our unit had been having trouble getting guys out for leave on time. Some of the guys missed out on seeing relatives because of the delays, so our unit took the first possible chance to get us out of there. That put us at BIAP five days early, so we just hung out in the transient tents on that FOB until our turn to fly out. I almost got caught up on my "Bible in One Year" reading plan. I read for hours at a time. It was great. When I wasn't reading, I was watching movies. Lots of them.
FOB Iskan (my FOB) is a really small FOB (as I have often said). BIAP is a collection of mega-FOBs. There are, I guess, some infantry and other combat troops stationed there; but for the most part, BIAP is primarily
Welcome Back To AK
This guy was behind my house to welcome home. Only in Alaska can you get this kind of hospitality. support troops. My reaction to the FOB and all the support troops there was, unfortunately, negative. It tough to see soldiers that rarely have to expose themselves to danger and who have far more luxuries and amenities and free time than we do. Honestly, it was pride and jealousy rearing their ugly heads. These "FOBBITS" (as they are derogatorily called) get easy jobs that are safe and receive the same hostile fire pay that I do even though they never see hostile fire. Even the support troops in Kuwait get paid the same! In addition, when they go home they receive the same recognition that we combat troops do. It is definitely a sore point with combat troops.
Seeing all those support troops living it up actually made me want to beat them up - you know like back in elementary school. It was so childish; and upon thinking of it now, I am reminded of a story Jesus once told.
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them
The Love of My Life
And the Most Beautiful Woman in the World into his vineyard.
"About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went.
"He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'
" 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered.
"He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'
"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'
"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you
Selah and I
"Highway to the Danger Zone" was playing in the background. have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'
"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'
"So the last will be first, and the first will be last." - Matthew 20:1-16
The moral of the story, of which I need to be frequently reminded, is "Do your best work for Christ, and don't compare yourself with others." Furthermore, childish thoughts like the ones I was having, reveal a selfish attitude. To summarize with a cliché, "Ask not what your country (or God or Family or Church, etc.) can do for you. Ask what you can do for you country (et al)."
Or in my own words, "Stop being such a darn cry baby. You wouldn't want their boring job anyway."
More Airports - DFW After seven days in
transit, I found myself touching down at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. There is a special place in my heart for DFW (not just the airport, the whole metro area). It's the home of God's favorite football team. It's in God's favorite state. Not only that, but as the chartered airliners overflowing with soldiers taxi toward the gate. The are literally showered with appreciation. The airport's fire department set up a water arch under which our plane taxied that salutes the arrival of important politicians, the Dallas cowboys, and, yes, returning troops. I was the second soldier off the plane; and as I exited the jetway, I entered an elevated glassed in hallway. On the floor below me was a host of grateful citizens standing in applause. Being the second guy off the plane I saw there first reactions as we entered the airport. I later found out that the standing ovation can last up to fifteen minutes as the entire plane disembarks. Upon finally clearing customs, there was a receiving line of hoary headed veterans, rosy cheeked grandmas, middle-aged men and their children, college students, and soccer moms. I was comforted to look into the stony eyes of a
vet and see that he knew - really knew. The truly humbling part is that our plane was nothing special. DFW and Atlanta are the two port of entry from Iraq. Plane loads of troops arrive at that airport everyday, and I'm sure that no soldier is left wondering what is meant by Texan hospitality.
My dream layover at DFW only gets better. I had tickets with American Airlines, and I beat feet to the ticket counter to get a flight to Anchorage. Once she squared my ticket away, the ticket clerk told me that I could head up to the Admiral's Club to get cleaned up. I was whisked through security and found the club. I just figured they would have a nice, clean restroom where I could was my face. Imagine my surprise when the attendant handed me a key and pointed me to my own private shower room complete with soft, warm towels. That was indubitably the best shower I have had in 8 months.
God Bless Dallas-Fort Worth, for they blessed your weary child that day.
Bitter Sweet I marveled at the Texas hospitality as I sat down at the complementary computer to
check my email. My first email was news that a good friend that I met at chapel named Bruce had gotten killed by a sniper right after I left Iskan. I cursed under my breath and got a little teary. The people right next to me barley noticed. Then I looked around at the people in the lounge. Here they were climate controlled and insulated even from the dirty bathrooms and uncomfortable seats in the regular terminal. They had no appreciation of the storm half a world away whose dirty, gritty sand at that moment stung my eyes and pierced my soul. At that moment, I hated all those kind Texans because they didn't hurt too. It wasn't their fault, and my feelings weren't remotely fair. But oh, they were real. The feelings soon faded, I remembered why I love Texans so much, and I boarded my plane to Anchorage.
Surprise in the Terminal I miss the good old days of air travel when you could meet people at the gate as they exited the airplane. There's just something magical about that moment when a weary passenger exits the jetway at locks eyes with someone that is truly
Jaeden and I at the Swings
She can swing for hours. She just loves it. When I left, she couldn't even swing at all on the "big" swings. happy to see him. Well, there's no point in living in the past - right? Or is there? Much to my surprise, standing there at them gate when I finally landed in Anchorage. Laura's account of the story is much more interest; but alas, she's a shy writer. She said that, before I arrived, Jaeden (now 3) was jumping up and down at the gate saying, "I'm so excited." When I got there, all I saw was a beautiful little girl that was shy about seeing her father for the first time in eight months. It was a beautiful moment. Selah didn't know what to make of me at first, but she warmed up after a few days. Laura exuded a youthful radiance in a long summer dress. I fell in love with her (again) at first sight.
The Knee As directed by my doctor back in Iraq, I went to see the orthopedic clinic here in Alaska. They fast track me a cut through all the red tape. I got an appointment in two days, an MRI in four, and got the results back in a week. It turns out that I had been running around Iraq, kicking
in doors, and conducting missions with a torn ACL (ligament) and meniscus (cartilage) for two months. Eight days after my first appointment, I had surgery, which went well. I was put on convalescent leave for 30 days, and my return to Iraq was delayed until I get cleared by the surgeon.
Every Silver Lining Has It's Cloud Recovery has gone well; and I am thrilled that I have this extra time with my family, even though I spent the rest of June on crutches. Well, I didn't actually use the crutches as much as I was supposed to, much to Laura's chagrin. Emotionally it is tough, though. It's a roller coaster. Elation at being reunited with Laura, Jaeden, and Selah. Sadness and detachment at my upcoming return before I found out about the surgery. Then happiness when I learned my time at home was being extended. Satisfaction that the Army was fixing my knee. Guilt that I wasn't going back to my guys when I was supposed to. Frustration when I the doc said I was definitely going to have early arthritis. Confusion about how involved I should get into disciplining my children since I'll only be here temporarily.
Jaeden's Third Birthday
Special thanks to our neighbor, "Box Cake" Frank, for making the birthday cakes. If you think that's bad, double it; and you'll have an idea of what's going on in Laura's head.
Rear Detachment (Rear D) Rear D is the portion of a deployed unit that is not deployed, and it fulfills a crucial role for the deployed unit, but everything they do sucks! They deal with dirt bag soldiers that go AWOL, desert their unit, or beat their wives. They take care of soldiers broken in combat. They notify wives that their husbands aren't coming home. They even have to respectfully, solemnly present a folded flag to a "widow" that had the audacity to move her lover into her dead husband's house before his funeral. War is a hateful, ugly animal; and living on it sweaty under belly is a cursed breed of parasites that betray the love and hope of lonely soldiers who are fighting for them. Unfortunately, there are far to many of these selfish parasites. Two of my own soldiers have been abandoned by the ones they loved. I just glad that I will never have to worry about that personally.
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Chris
non-member comment
Congrats
On making it home safe and sound - I am sure your family is thrilled to have you! Lets catch up soon!