I'M HOME!!

Friends,

Well, I finally got home late Tuesday night (Jan 26). Karen and Craig were there to greet me, along with quite a crowd from Operation Welcome Home. It was a very nice reception. We spent the night in Baltimore because I had to in-process at my base on Wednesday. By Wednesday night, we were back at the house, which I had left last June 14. Not much has changed, except that Karen completely remodeled our bedroom. She did a great job. After six months sleeping on a twin bed or cot, our king sized bed is like laying on a continent. Of course, Karen is used to having the bed to herself, so now it's crowded. All a matter of perspective I guess. Craig has grown so much, I swear he's six inches taller.

According to my calculations, I was away from home around 220 days. From where I sit now, the time did go by rather quickly, but that is still a long time away from loved ones. I'm not sure exactly how I will look back on my experience these past seven months, but I'm proud of what my team accomplished in our relatively short time in theater and glad I had a chance to do my part for the Air Force. I met a lot of good servicemen and made some new friends while developing deeper friendships with others.

The support from friends and family at home was incredible. The care packages, e-mails and cards/letters played a large part in keeping my spirits up. I cannot thank you enough for your kind thoughts and encouragement. I know there are differing views regarding the conduct and validity of our involvement in Afghanistan, but the support of our troops has never waivered nor been in question. While my time in theater has come to an end, there are thousands of servicemen in harms way every day. Please remember to keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

With that, I will close this blog. It's been a hell of a ride. I hope to print out all the e-mails and posts and create some sort of keepsake. Since I have given it out to so many people, I will maintain the e-mail address dave.pollock@us.army.mil. Please keep in touch.

Best wishes and take care,

- Dave

Almost home!

Hey Followers!

Well, after many aborted attempts, me and my team finally made it to Manas Air Base in Kyrgystan. It is cold here with snow on the ground; good way to get acclimatized(?) to the weather back home.

Sorry for not writing for so long. It was a busy time doing "turn-over" with our replacements. Also, we had to move out of our rooms so they could move in, resulting in a loss of internet access. Air flow in theater has been affected by snow here in Manas and the earthquake in Haiti, believe it or not. Air assets have been redirected to assist in the relief effort. I know it is a nobel cause and the right thing to do, I just hate the fact that it is delaying my return trip. (Cold hearted, I know, but I gotta be honest.)

If all goes as planned, I should be getting into Baltimore sometime Tuesday morning, East Coast time. I need to out-process at the base, so I'll likely not get back to the house until sometime Wednesday. Haven't been there since June 14th - seems like eons ago.

Sorry for not having any pictures to share. I'll try to put up a few on my next - and probably last - post. Until then...

Take care!

-Dave

Home Stretch / Lousy Eagles

Hello followers,

We’re in the home stretch now. Down to the last full week and a few days; 25 weeks completed. The feeling is that this week will last FOREVER, but I’m sure it will pass as fast as the rest. I started packing today because we will have to vacate the room for the new folks to move in. It’s easier for us to move into a tent for a short time preparing to leave for home than for those just getting here to move twice.
So, I got my butt out of bed at 0500 this morning just to watch an uninspired Eagles team get waxed by those hated Cowboys. If you know me well, you know that is a huge deal. Almost cataclysmic. But while it ruined my morning (and the opportunity to sleep in on a Sunday), I didn’t let it ruin the whole day. Strange how I view things in a different way since I’ve been away. (Don’t get me wrong. I will still root against the Cowboys the rest of the way. I’m just sayin…)
In other news, we moved our office from the “cans” into tents within our new compound. The pictures below are of me behind my old desk on the new space and of the outside of the tents. They are called Alaskans because they are made by the Alaskan Manufacturing Co. Quick funny story. At one time these were referred to as Alaskan Small Shelters. Knowing the military’s propensity to use acronyms, you can see why the name didn’t stick. I mean, who’d want to sleep in an ASS. Or worse, go to work in one.

Until next time, take care.

-Dave

Happy New Year!

Hey followers!

Happy New Year! I beat you to it by over nine hours, but I was dead asleep. No parties, no celebrations (at least that I was aware of), no fireworks. Today was business as usual, which actually suited most people just fine. One more day closer to going home. Celebrating the New Year just reminds you that of what you’re missing.

But, that is no reason to skip making resolutions. I have come up with a few that I hope will be easy to keep:
1. Spend more time with my family. (I should beat 2009 right around July 1)
2. Spend less time on military duty. (Due to existing circumstances, this ties in directly with number 1.)
3. Watch more football!
4. Spend more money!
(See how easy this is!)
5. Try not to gain back any weight. (This could be a tough one.)
6. Listen to the radio and catch up on the latest music.
7. Go out to dinner. (Pizza first; Five Guys next.)
8. Drink a beer. (Or two)
9. Don’t work too hard. (Sorry Rob and Ahmad.)
And my favorite:
10. WATCH MORE TELEVISION!!!
(There are other things of a more personal nature that I also resolve to do, but that is not for this particular forum.)

So, my friends, please enjoy the New Year and time with family and friends. I’m down to a few weeks now and I’m looking forward to seeing you all when I get back.

Take care,

-Dave

(P.S. – picture below is of my friend Maj Pete Keegan. We did have a small party, but the food never showed up. Don't ask.)

Merry Christmas

Hello friends,
A quick post this week. The attached video was shot by a military public affairs team way back in October. Supposedly it was to be distributed to television stations in my hometown local viewing area. Since I haven't heard from anybody that they saw it, I'm assuming that it either wasn't shown or was shown at some unGodly hour. Either way, here it is for your viewing pleasure. Please don't laugh too much; I only had one chance.
I want to wish each of you a joyous holiday season, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hopefully we'll all be catching up very soon.
Take care,
-Dave

It Rained! ; Holidays

Hey followers,

IT FINALLY RAINED HERE!! A lot, too. Well, for Afghanistan that is. Back on December 9th it rained about a total of one inch. It was a good soaking rain that started in the early hours of the morning (thus, I could not go to the gym, which did not hurt my feelings). The wildest thing is that the rain cleaned off all the dust. It was like the Wizard of Oz - we walked outside and the colors were vibrant. Cars are blue and green and red, not just shades of gray. It was kind of cool for a short while. Then it was just another rainy day. Of course, drainage over here is a problem. Puddles get big and deep very quickly. And some puddles lasted right up until it rained yesterday. I took a few pictures; see below.

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, it appears I’m famous...at least in Boyertown. I did an e-mail interview for the Boyertown Times. Check it out at http://www.berksmontnews.com/articles/2009/12/09/boyertown_area_times/news/doc4b1fc1b1ab5cb090634002.txt

Well, Christmas is upon us. Quick story for you. I was walking back to my room the other night, which takes me across the boardwalk. There are several buildings under construction that have been in various states of completion for months. There is a building at one of the corners of the boardwalk that is made of cinder block with just openings where the doors and windows will go. As I'm walking past, I here "O Holy Night" being played on a saxophone. The acoustics of the empty building gave the sound a lot of volume. I slowed down to hear it better. I didn't want to loiter and make the player self conscious, but I just had to listen. I can't say it was beautiful, because there were a few pops and flat notes, but it still drew me in. The best way to describe it was moving. It made me smile and think of home and Christmas Eve. I hummed the song all the way back to my room.

I am so going to miss Christmas at home with friends and family. But we’re keeping it in perspective here; it is one more milestone in our time here and one more day closer to going home.

I wish you all a safe, healthy holiday season and a very Merry Christmas!

-Dave

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Hey followers,

I hope the Holiday spirit has caught hold of each of you. I can’t tell you how bad I wish I was home. I heard it snowed, too. As of today, I have been here 20 weeks. About six more to go, more or less. The timing depends on when our replacements get here. However, as the title says, there is now a light at the end of the tunnel.
There were more than a few reporters here this past week getting reactions to President Obama's troop surge. A Fox News reporter actually approached me in the lunch line on Wednesday, but I declined to speak, instead pointing him to my fellow airman, LtCol Todd Hirneisen. I hadn't seen or read the content of the President's address, so I wasn't really prepared to comment. (Plus, I'm just a shy person.) Anyway, doesn't Todd go and get on TV! A friend of his saw it in the Glenn Beck show. To think that might have been me. Oh well, opportunity missed.
MSNBC was also here (as was CNN). Follow this link (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/34289318#34289318) to a piece a about Kandahar Airfield (KAF). The reporter talks to Colonel Paul Oettinger, who is the USFOR-A(S) expansion chief. I work rather closely with Col O and see him several times a week in sync meetings. Practically all of the projects you see in construction were programmed and designed by the fine gentlemen on my team, so it’s good to see their hard work is recognized.
I added a recent picture to prove all is well. Also, take note to the very rare overcast skies behind me. It actually rained that day for a few minutes. Rumor is that a real soaking is coming our way this week. Stay tuned.
That about wraps it up for this week. Take care, enjoy the season and stay safe!
Later,
-Dave