Missed

It has been a little over two months since I left home for mobilization and pre-deployment training. The training is a seven day a week operation. In addition, we also do 24 hour operations as necessary, including 24 hour OPS for the duration of our January field exercise, and again over the next ten days for our mission rehearsal exercise.

Anyway, over the last two months I have been surprised by some seemingly small things I miss, and equally surprised at by some things I haven’t. I suspect this list will change over the next few months as our operation tempo increases, and then further as I establish an operation routine overseas. In any event, I stress that these are things that I hadn’t anticipated; i.e., it’s given that I miss being with Kathy and Simba every day.

Ready to Bring Back:

1) Weekends/ Holidays: It’s hard to maintain perspective on the days of the week, instead it’s just priorities of work, missions, and due-outs that role from one day to the next. For example, I didn’t realize today was Saturday until just now, and I didn’t realize it was St. Patrick’s day earlier this week until I saw everyone’s drunken. I miss the weekends days were the only priority was to get up, read the paper, hit the gym, maybe walk to the coffee shop down the street for a sandwich, and even going into the office for a few hours of quiet work time.

2) Driving: I rarely, if ever drive anywhere. Even when driving is required, its “NCO business” so officer’s generally don’t drive. I am hoping to get my own Chevy trailblazer to cruise around the US base complex, which would be nice.

3) Good food: Don’t get me wrong, the food is fine and I’m no food snob, but I do miss getting a nice meal at Piatini’s in Chicago, or one of the many fine restaurants we frequented while working in California.

Discovered I Can Live Without (For Now):

1) Television: I catch CNN or Fox news briefly at morning and evening chow, and usually I get an ESPN update at mid-day, that’s about it.

2) Alcohol: General Order #1 prohibits the consumption of alcohol, period. I have had a few, passing cravings for a cold beer on a hot day, but everyone’s in the same boat so it’s really out of sight out of mind.

- KYLE