11 a.m. update TS Fay

We are starting to prepare....checking batteries, flashlights, battery operated TVs, propane etc.
Looks it will be a weak tropical storm or tropical depression when it gets here, but we've been through them before. Even a week storm can cause extended power outages and flooding. I've canceled all of my Central Florida meetings this week, as well.

Tropical Storm Fay

5 a.m. update.
Looks like it is slowing down.

5 p.m. update

Various computer models tracking TS Fay.
Click on the map for a better view.

Hello Alpha, good bye Bravo

In recognition of his promotion, Mark moved to Alpha Company Monday as a team leader in third platoon. It was an unexpected turn of events but apparently the battalion is moving around many if not all of their rising E-5's to new companies.

Of course, when he was transferred, so were we. Bravo Company, where he has been since he joined the 82nd Airborne, had a terrific Family Readiness Group (FRG). When you mention the FRG, many folks roll their eyes and on the first deployment Mark, who had heard horror stories about FRGs, didn''t want to sign us up. Eventually, he registered us to receive e-mails and other updates.

The FRG really helped us particularly during the second deployment when a "Swamp the First Sergeant" campaign was organized. A lot of soldiers have extensive family support networks but some don't. So the FRG encouraged us to send packages directly to the First Sergeant who would hand them out to soldiers who weren't receiving any care packages. A friend of mine whose son attends Atlantic Beach Elementary two towns up got involved. We ended up with an SUV full of goodies.

We wish Mark well on his new assignment and if the Alpha Company FRG needs us for any future - God forbid - deployments, we will be there.

Storm update 8 a.m.

Off topic: Wild weather 2

Click on the image for a better view.

Guess we will be watching the Weather Channel this weekend.

Off topic: Wild weather

Yesterday, we celebrated Gayle's 15th anniversary of her 39th birthday. It was quite the day.

Mother Nature joined the party with a 3:30 p.m. storm that spawned dozens of micro-bursts around town. Two 125 ft. tall cranes were toppled at the Port of Jacksonville, 41,000 homes lost power and limbs were down all over the city including our little neighborhood. The good news is that no one was reported injured. We do have a 20 ft. pine tree branch hanging precariously over our roof that will necessitate a visit from a tree surgeon today.

Another outrage

Soldiers pay bag fee on travel to war.

Several airlines have been charging soldiers $100 to $300 in excess baggage fees for their duffel bags as they head off to the war zones. The complete story can be found in yesterday's Washington Times.

Excerpts:

"American [Airlines], which recently charged two soldiers from Texas $100 and $300 for their extra duffel bags, said it gives the military a break on the cost for excess luggage and that the soldiers who incur the fees are reimbursed.

"Because the soldiers don't pay a dime, our waiver of the fees amounts to a discount to the military, not a discount to soldiers," said Tim Wagner, spokesman for American Airlines. "Soldiers should not have to pay a penny of it."

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) spokesman Joseph Davis said service members destined for Iraq should not have to spend the money out of pocket and should not have to worry about filing expense forms in a war zone.

"That's a lot to ask when the service member has much more important things on their minds, such as staying alive and keeping those around them alive," he said."

Coping strategies

Early on during the second Iraq deployment, Gayle and I splurged and bought a DVD camera. DVD cameras record directly to a mini-DVD so they are very easy to use even for a certified technophobe like myself. Mini-DVDs record about 30 minutes. You push a button when you are done and it's ready to be used in a DVD player.

Mark had purchased a hand-held player when he got to Iraq. So Gayle and I would send him weekly video newsletters. It was mostly mindless stuff - usually of the dogs running around. No editing or sound tracks. Just point and shoot and send. It kept me busy and it was a little slice of home for him every week.

Haven't used it much since he came back. But it was great therapy for me . . . and for him.

Monday morning's garden

Starting the week off on a bright note:
Swamp hibiscus, raised from seed
8/11/08

Army Wives

Jan Wesner, a writer for the St. Petersburg Times and author of the blog Standing By, has written a very powerful story about Rita Odom, on whom the character Roxy LeBlanc is based in the television show "Army Wives." You can find it here.

The story carefully portrays what some families go through when their soldiers come home from war and they have changed.

Barracks life

A little over a week ago, there was an "incident at the barracks," at which the NCOs were called in to settle things down. Since Mark is now a sergeant, he had to go in.

He wouldn't say what happened other than it was disgusting.

His Mom and I had to laugh though.

It wasn't that long ago that he was the one running around the barracks with the fire extinguishers or duct taping 40 oz. beers to his hands in the Airborne version of Edward Fortyhands.

There is a saying that "God invented beer to keep the 82nd Airborne from taking over the world." On the weekends, it's probably true.

But in Mark's case, the Army and two combat tours have grown him up quickly.

It's really the first time in his life he has had to be responsible for someone else.

Leave it to the Army

I had planned to do a post today regarding the summer doldrums. It's been very quiet here (knock on laminated wood) and the temperatures have been over or near 100 every day. And with the delightful Florida humidity, well . . . enough said.

I was home yesterday evening, in between meetings, when the phone rang. (cue music)

It was 5:42 p.m.

The caller ID came up "U.S. Government."

Gayle grabbed the phone and I did a mental check. Where was Mark? He should be in or just out of class for another school he has been attending at Ft. Bragg. I hadn't seen any U.S. Government sedans in the neighborhood. Isn't that the way they do it? They don't call.

"Hello?"

"Is Jon [my youngest] there?"

"Jon? Jon? Who is this?"

"I'm Cpl. [she didn't get the name]. May I speak to Jon?"

"What? What? Who are you?"

"I am the Army recruiter for Nease High School."

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't be calling here. He's just 17. The Army already has one of my sons and you are not getting another. We've done enough!"

Click.

Expletive. Expletive.

So much for the summer doldrums.

Advice to the Army. Use cell phones. Don't call Mom.

Freedom's field - 223 years ago

The path to the North Bridge
Please click on the image for better viewing.

Concord River
7/28/08

After my niece's wedding, Gayle and I had an opportunity to visit Minuteman National Historic Park in Concord, Mass. where the shots fired here between the British and Americans were heard around the world. We lived near Williamsburg, Va. before moving to Florida, so we were used to Colonial era historic sites. But this place is a national treasure and we were overwhelmed with how the National Park Service has maintained the site. We hope to visit again when we have a little more time.

Off topic

A sign we noticed while on our trip to Waltham, Mass.:

The thin will have to live elsewhere . . .

Please click on the photo for better viewing.

Congratulations to:

My son Mike, who graduated Friday from the
University of North Florida with a degree
in biology.

My niece Jessie and her husband Dave who
were married July 26 in Peabody, Mass.

Click on images for better viewing.

Deployment information

From MNF-I, the Associated Press and DoD. It's a little long but it may add some clarity to the Joe rumors out there:

Upcoming U.S. Iraq, Afghanistan Rotations Announced

Tuesday, 20 May 2008

By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON — The Defense Department today announced force rotations for Iraq and Afghanistan, including upcoming active-duty deployments later this year and alerts to Army National Guard units to deploy in spring 2009 and 2010. About 25,000 active-duty troops assigned to a division headquarters and seven brigade combat teams will begin to deploy to Iraq this fall, and continue through the year’s end, Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, announced today. In addition, four Army National Guard brigades have been alerted of an upcoming deployment to Iraq, he said. About 14,000 affected soldiers are slated to begin deploying in spring 2009 to provide base defense and route security in Iraq and Kuwait. In other news, the Vermont Army National Guard’s 86th Brigade Combat Team received an alert that it will deploy to Afghanistan in the spring of 2010 to support Afghan national security forces training. All identified units will replace redeploying units, with no change in force strength, Whitman said. He emphasized, however, that longer-range deployment forecasts could change, based on conditions on the ground and commanders’ recommendations. The 86th BCT’s alert, issued two years before its anticipated deployment date, represents the model the Defense Department would like to reach to give National Guard units maximum notice of upcoming deployments, Whitman said. “This is where the department is trying to get to with respect to predictability and early alert,” he said. “This unit will be replacing a unit … that has not yet deployed,” he said. The 86th BCT will replace the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th BCT, scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan in summer 2009. The longer lead time will give National Guard soldiers more time to prepare for their deployment. “They can start their training now, knowing that they are going to be training the Afghan national security forces, knowing that they will be doing it in Afghanistan and not Iraq or somewhere else,” Whitman said. “And being able to plan for a 12-month mobilization two years out from now is something pretty significant about where the department is now,” compared to five or even two years ago, he added. More notice also gives families more planning time and employers more flexibility in preparing for their employee’s absence, Whitman said. Active-duty units receiving deployment orders to Iraq based on today’s announcement include: - 25th Infantry Division: Headquarters and 3rd Brigade, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; and 1st Brigade, Fort Wainwright, Alaska; - 4th Infantry Division: 2nd Brigade, Fort Carson, Colo.; - 1st Infantry Division: 2nd Brigade, Fort Riley, Kan.; - 82nd Airborne Division: 3rd Brigade, Fort Bragg, N.C.; - 1st Cavalry Division: 3rd Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas; and - 172nd Infantry Brigade, Schweinfurt, Germany. National Guard units are receiving alert orders now to allow maximum time to prepare for next year’s deployments and to give greater predictability to families and employers, officials said. Units alerted of upcoming deployments to Iraq and Kuwait are: - Texas National Guard: 72nd Brigade Combat Team; - Pennsylvania National Guard: 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division; - Louisiana National Guard: 256th Brigade Combat Team; and - Tennessee National Guard: 278th Brigade Combat Team.

From the Associated Press:

7/24/08

WASHINGTON - Top Pentagon leaders are expected to recommend soon that Defense Secretary Robert Gates order hundreds of additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan over the next month or so, according to a senior military official.

The units are likely to be small and could include engineers, ordnance disposal troops and other support forces needed to shore up fighting needs and the training of Afghan forces. Officials have not ruled out identifying a larger, brigade-sized unit before the end of the year that could either be shifted to Afghanistan from a planned deployment to Iraq or moved from some other location. U.S. commanders in Afghanistan have been asking for three combat brigades, or roughly 10,000 more troops, to help quash rising violence there.

The senior official said the recommendations have not yet been approved by Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or delivered to Gates. The Joint Chiefs and military commanders are reviewing a number of options.

Officials have said that if improved security conditions in Iraq hold, they hope to be able to devote more troops to Afghanistan, where the Taliban is resurgent.

On Wednesday, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said that any sizable increase in troop levels in Afghanistan may not come until the new administration takes over next year.

Any decision to shift large units such as combat brigades into Afghanistan after they've been preparing to go to Iraq later this year would take additional training and time, Morrell said.

"You can't snap your fingers and make this happen, unfortunately," he said. He added later that the Pentagon is not kicking any decisions down the road to the next White House. Rather, he said, decisions made now may require months to execute.

From DoD 7/1/08

The units - which include about 33,000 troops - would replace forces already in Iraq, and allow the U.S. to maintain 15 combat brigades in the country through 2009 if needed.

The units are:

- 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas

- 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas

- 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

- 56th Stryker Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard

- 6th Regimental Combat Team, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

- 8th Regimental Combat Team, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The deployment decisions could change depending on whether Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, decides in the fall to further reduce troop levels in Iraq.

If he decides that fewer brigades will be needed in Iraq during the next year, there is the chance that units could simply be directed to the war in Afghanistan instead. Military leaders have said they want to send more troops to Afghanistan because of the increase in violence there.