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| Hi everybody! It's November 20th and I've made it through my first Sunday back at TQ. I'm already feeling better than my last post of just a few days ago, thanks to getting both a little sleep and a chance to get back to work and put the "miss my family" part of my brain in a box toward the back. It's just like any other grief process; as you work through it, you learn to manage it. I've also reaffirmed that grief shared is grief divided, because as I talk with my soldiers, I find that everybody understands how it feels to say goodbye yet again to the ones you love.
I'm writing to answer a question that I was asked very often while I was at home, namely, how long does is take to get from Iraq to Minnesota and back? Well, I actually wrote down my itinerary for the trip back, so here's what the trip looks like. All times are local, so remember there's a 9 hour difference between here and MN. 0600, Friday, 27 Oct -- Report to air terminal in Camp TQ to receive flight time to Kuwait. Flight is scheduled to leave at 2100 hrs. 1900, Friday, 27 Oct -- Showtime at Camp TQ air terminal with bags and gear. 2330, Friday, 27 Oct -- Board C-130 airplane for Kuwait, with a stop in Baghdad. Midnight, Friday, 27 Oct -- Land in Baghdad. Stand around on runway while other passengers board. 0045, Saturday, 28 Oct -- Depart Baghdad 0230, Saturday, 28 Oct -- Arrive in Kuwait at Ali Al Salem airbase. Immediately receive 2 hours of briefings. Released to "sleep" at 0430. Look at the next line at what time we had to be up... 0700, Saturday, 28 Oct -- Report for formation to receive flight info. 1200, Saturday, 28 Oct -- Enter Lockdown, where we are held in a room until we can go through customs. 1800, Saturday, 28 Oct -- Board bus for Kuwait Int'l Airport. 2230, Saturday, 28 Oct -- Board DC-10 for Germany. 0200, Sunday, 29 Oct -- Arrive in Koln Germany. Wait in holding area for plane to refuel, change crews. 0400, Sunday, 29 Oct -- Depart Germany 0830, Sunday, 29 Oct -- Arrive in Atlanta. Process again through customs. I manage to get the last ticket on a 1010 flight to Mpls., which means I have to RACE through security to get to the gate. 1050, Sunday, 29 Oct -- Depart Atlanta. 1200, Sunday, 29 Oct -- Arrive Mpls. Airport. Michelle and my daughters are able to greet me at the gate, and people applaud for us when I arrive. 1330, Sunday, 29 Oct -- Arrive in Red Wing. Total time from beginning to arrival is about 63 hours. Quite an Odyssey, but worth every minute to be home! Until next time. God be good to you! |