It has been a long time since I was on a traditional annual training with my Army guard unit. I believe the last one was 2002. Oh I went on several A.T.'s between 2002 and 2005 before my deployment to Iraq, but they were with a unit that did a specific type of A.T. that could hardly be called traditional. Then when i got back from my deployment in 2006, I spent 3 months with belly in California, moved back to Nebraska, I don't remember if we did one more of those "non traditional" A.T.'s (as I say "non-trad" I think of a bunch of older Soldiers asking a bunch of questions that piss the rest of the platoon off haha).
Then I took a full time military gig with the regional training institute here, teaching truck driving, and 4 years later (wow that went fast!) I had a job as the training NCO for a transportation company. So here we are, 2 weeks in beautiful South Dakota. The trip up, as expected, was scenic:
Then we got to drive pretty close to Chimney Rock, I can't remember if I've ever been out here before, a photo, as I have always said about so many things, does not do this justice:
A trip that takes about 9 hours in a typical car (let's call it 12 hours with kids haha) takes 2 days when you are going up with like 100 vehicles in 6 separate convoys for two units.
I was in Rapid City last month for a VERY boring fiscal law 3 days class, but this time around we are participating in Golden Coyote, and we are camping out in the woods, it is absolutely beautiful. I am doing my best to enjoy everything, but it is not easy. Faced with the inevitable situations going on at "home" (not really knowing what home IS, that's one of those situations) tends to weigh heavy on my heart.
My first night here I laid on my bunk outside the tent for awhile, just enjoying the light breeze and the smell of the forest (oddly it had a strange italian seasoning smell along with pine, not sure what that was all about). I noticed how wonderful the stars looked, and it took me back to two places.... 1) Iraq on Route Tampa one night, when the stars in the sky were so incredibly bright and clear, which reminded me in turn of 2) my first night with belly, camping out under the stars in the back of the pickup, a night where stars never looked so bright, so impressive.
Oh, I'm enjoying the trip, even though I smashed my fingers pretty good loading up wood yesterday. Apparently announcing "Okay, drop on the count of three" means "Ready, set, One.. *drop*" and let's mash fraNk's hand all up heh heh. Of course I walked around the front of the truck and pretended it did not hurt, one guy followed me around and "Are you okay? Hey, that looked like it caught your hand... Are you alright? Everything okay?" finally I raised one finger and gave him a look, the "please stfu and give me a minute" look haha.
So each day we fill up 12 loads of lumber and away we go, to drop them off so the other platoon can deliver them to a drop off site that is apparently like 6 hours away. Then we come back at night, eat, wind down, go to sleep, repeat.
Today, I did not go on the mission because my hand is a little iffy, plus I have paperwork I have to get done for the unit, oh joy, how fun that will be!!!
We have another 8 days and we'll be done with A.T. 2013 then back home.
Hmm, home, again, a novel concept for me I guess. What is home? It certainly isn't where the wife and kids are at right now. It isn't the dream house we purchased together, which sits empty now waiting on (hopefully) a loving family to purchase. It isn't the storage unit where all of my stuff sits. It isn't my parent's house, although as always they have been excessively accommodating in wanting to take care of me and the children. About the closest thing I have to a home right now is the armory I work in, I imagine. I hate staying there but until that house sells I'm really screwed. I really do love the house, it is very hard to sell it.
I really miss my best friend.
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