Busy last week or so "People Helping People thats a good thing, right?"

It has been a busy couple of weeks, right now I am the Army equivalent of a bazzillionaire, which only means that I am signed for far more equipment than I would like to loose. Our three Majors have gone various directions of late. One off to take a promotion that requires he return home on time, instead of extending the way he was thinking about. One off to run part of the training center in Kabul, and one on leave home, to return to a different position when he returns. Our new fearless leader hasn't arrived yet, and I haven't met him, but I hear good things about him. So for a while anyway, I am stepping up my coordination game, and trying to juggle more things.

We went on a mission last week with ISAF, (We have various things that the acronym stands for) but in reality it stands for International Security Armed Forces. Wow. We took a lot of people and put them in some trucks and moved down under the cover of darkness to some towns that we know are bad. By the time we arrived, most of what we had hoped to find I believe was moved, It really is impossible to neak up (that is like sneaking only different) on anyone here, too many cell phones. Anyway we had two days of relatively uneventful searching, and a return home.

While I was on mission I ran into a Sergeant who normally would be finishing up his school right now, who is located a few miles south of my location. He knows my daughter from school and rugby, which they both played last year. Very small world, of course Oregon is small anyway, in terms of population, and it is almost impossible to meet someone you don't have something in common with.

Upon arriving at home I found out that my last Major here had to return home on emergency leave. That leaves me to do the reports that are required each day, and mission planning. Quite a bit different than what I was doing previously. I also found that the mail system has gotten healthy since the holidays have finished, I received three packages from the USA that took less than 12 days to arrive. Strange.

Thank you Pat , Uncle Dick, Aunt Mary, and Mom and Dad, I received your packages, I appreciate them.....

I watched the Superbowl this year with out professional commercials, it seemed that it was a contest to see who could lose the most, which I guess turned around in the second half. Next year I am going to have some Deschutes Brewery Quail Ale, chili and cream cheese dip, and Costco hot dogs, it just doesn't seem like the Superbowl with out all that. About 10 of us out of our small number got up to watch at 3:30 in the morning. It is of course a national holiday, isn't it? By the way, the Boise State game against the Oklahoma Sooners was still better, but that was the best game of the year, they will make a movie about it in 20 years I am sure.

Things promise to be in a bit of flux for the next couple of weeks, but time is going by faster and faster, and I am getting closer to being home. That is indeed a good thing.

Okay, that is all,

Keith