Dayton Pub Crawl

Saturday night Baeu, Sarah, Chris, Todd, Casie and I, along with a few others, went crawling (sort of) from bar to bar through Dayton. It sounded like a great idea considering Dayton is a college town.

The first place we stopped only sold 40 oz. bottles. What a way to start the night, eh? We hit about eight places altogether (one place twice), stopping at each for a pint or bottle. We needed it too. It was about a half mile to the first place and a mile to the second place. I was the designated driver, so I drank at about every other one.

Based on my college experience, the bars weren’t too far apart, but then again I went to Michigan Tech. One end of campus to the other took you 15 minutes max to walk.

So you could say the pub crawl was more of a pub walkathon, but it was still fun.

Party Like It’s 1776!

Well not literally, Casie and I celebrated our independence from Great Britain with food, friends, lawn games, and of course Starbucks. Katie has already beaten me to the punch with a blog summary of our afternoon, here. Casie’s Apple Crisp was delicious!

Yesterday felt like a Saturday and Sunday wrapped into one. It was nice to spend the day at home. Casie and I have been out of town the last three weekends and will be out again this upcoming weekend. Tuesday night we went to the movies and helped Transformers earn $27.5 million dollars at the box office! It was a great action flick (even Casie thought so). I wanted to go out to the toy store afterwards, but it was too late. [somewhere Casie's breathes a sigh of relief]

All Accounted For

Sorry I've been bad about this blog thing since I've returned to the states. I've been enjoying the good life; eating Moe's burritos, pizza, and drinking beer!

After completing inventory of all my Superman statues, I deemed something was different. All of them were accounted for, but they weren't in the same condition I left them. Casie and her friends decided to get silly. I didn't notice until the next morning, but in my defense I did get in late and was tired. This is what I'm talking about:

They got every statue and framed picture, but they missed the cookie jar. Some welcome home, eh? Thanks Casie, Chris, Jacob, and Todd! I will never look at them again in the same light as I once did.

I am sure this wasn't what Todd wanted to portray. It looks just wrong.

I am still evaluating the "scotch tape damage"...just kidding! :-)

The Bens

Well, another troop of mine is safely on his way home. I always seem to wait until they are gone before you know who they are. I've slipped in his name a few times, but you may have thought it was a typo. His name is Ben Wagenhals. Great first name, right? At first it was strange saying your name all day long, but you surprisingly get use to is quickly.

Ben is actually his middle name, but he has used it most of his life. It was great working with Air Force again (sorry Tom -- USN). Ben isn't 100% Air Force though, his heart is with the Army. He hopes to become an Army officer in the near future.

I've always been lucky having troops who like guns. I can shoot, but I don't especially like to. It is reassuring that I have troops who like to "play war".

Two Bens! What are the odds?

Best of luck Ben. Tomorrow it will be weird not saying my name all day.

Tommy Boy

This morning Tom left for Baghdad. It is the first of many stops on his way back to the states. Tom was more than a co-worker, he became a close friend. I am terrible at describing my friends, but this will give you an idea of who Tom is. Tom is 6' 7", likes women, fried chicken, women, pralines 'n cream ice cream, guns (specifically ones he doesn't have), photography, women, television, movies, and did I mention women? ;-)

It is only fitting to post a few photos from today since Tom was quite the photo aficionado. Below is the last group photo with Tom, taken today.

UPDATE: In case you were wondering, in the front row is: Harold (new), Fred, Stephanie (new), Bill, Rodney, Roland. In the back row is: Me, Tom, Nasrat, Pen, Mr. Norm, and Julie.

As we said our goodbyes I remember being an insecure lieutenant back in October. Tom reminded me at times I'm an officer and people will listen to what I have to say. Like the best NCOs do, he made me a confident officer. This is me presenting Tom a little token of my appreciation for all his hard work these past four months.

When I arrived I never imagined working with a US Navy sailor, but now it will seems strange working with anybody else. Safe travels and the best of luck Tom!

Navy + Air Force = Army

I've been meaning to write this entry for a while. As many of you know, I am deployed supporting an Army Intelligence mission. With that in mind, I thought I would be working with soldiers. To my surprise, I discover my co-worker, IS2 Tom Pilson, is a navy petty officer (enlisted sailor). There is not one Army intelligence soldier supporting this Army mission. The US Army must be hard up for people in the Intelligence career field.

Here is an older picture of Tom and I, Army Tactical DOCEX. In case your wondering, Tom is 6' 7" and I'm 6' 0". :-)

I never would have thought I would be working with an Army soldier or a Navy sailor, but here I am. Navy + Air Force = Army Intel, makes sense (being sarcastic) ;-)

A Tripod No More

The tripod I refer to is Steve Morris, IS2 Tom Pilson, and myself, the three legs. Steve, the strongest leg of the tripod, has left to return his family in the states after a six month tour of duty. We were each other's battle buddies. We would eat, go to the PX, pick up and drop off laundry, tell stories, and miss home together.

Steve was a great mentor and friend. He was the first person to greet me in Mosul. He helped my linguist and I with our bags and get settled into our rooms. He provided me with a better mattress when he found out what I was originally sleeping on a mattress 2 feet wide and 4 inches thick. Steve also taught me how to drive a manual transmission, so I could utilize the vehicles available to me.

To others, Steve was always lending his camera because it had the most mega pixels. In most group photos he is missing because he was the man behind the camera. When Tom envied his M4 rifle, he let Tom borrow it for a month. He didn't have to do most of the things he did, but he always went above and beyond to make you feel comfortable. That is hard to do in a war zone.

One of the hardest parts of being in the military is saying goodbye to the friends you make along the way. His work and dedication will be missed, but his company is what will be missed the most. Mosul just won't be the same. Below is a picture of us returning from the PX awhile ago (notice the LT rank). Steve is in the red hat.

We look pretty "bad ass", don't we?

Good Times & Goodbyes

A third into my deployment and I am already saying goodbye to the many good Army friends that I have made. Whereas in the states, friendships are forged by similar hobbies or interests between you. This is an environment where your friends are determined by the work we do together and their proximity.

Our schedules don't allow us to play ball, workout together, or go out to the bar to shoot the shit. We do everyday things together, like catch breakfast after a shift change or, by chance, run into each other for lunch. But something happens when you do these minuscule everyday tasks, you begin to learn about them. You begin to learn about their interests, views, experiences and the families that are missing them. At some point they go from being a co-worker to a friend. My friends (from left to right): Me, SSG Z, Chris Ostrowski, Nick Knoebel, Zack Curry [not pictured is Tom Pilson taking the picture] Behind us is an old bunker the Iraqi Army used.

While parting ways with friends is never a fun experience, the events leading up their departure usually are. This week, we have had a bonfire each night of the week with steaks, dogs, near-beer, and a soundtrack provided by Johnny Cash. This was how we deployed military men say goodbye, with fire and near-beer!

I would never had guessed a few months ago I would have Army friends and now it will be strange not having them.