Last week at Fort Jackson:
Fort Jackson turned out to be a pretty good experience. I became a better shooter, learned alot about how the Army works (and gained a greater respect), and got to drive a humvee. However, by the end of my three weeks I was ready to get out of there. The final day, they hauled our entire group (around 200 of us) to the Columbia, SC airport to board a charter flight to Kuwait. At the airport, I made a few final calls to my parents and some good friends. That is where it finally hit me. If you would have asked me 8 years ago if I would ever end up in the Horn of Africa as part of a military deployment, I might have laughed at you.
PICTURE OF THE WEEK 1: Myself and my fellow Djibouti bound Supply Officers at the airport in South Carolina prior to departing.
PICTURE OF THE WEEK 2: Boarding the plane. This is where it really hits you.
The longest ride (Journey to Djibouti):The military sure knows how to drag these trips out. My journey to Djibouti included four stops, including a day layover in Kuwait and a day layover in Qatar. Over a four day period, I probabaly got less than 15 hours of sleep. The final leg of the trip included a six hour ride on a C-130 from Qatar to Djibouti.
PICTURE OF THE WEEK 3: On board the C-130 from Qatar to Djibouti.
Arrival in Djibouti (First Week):
The first week pretty much sucked. I could not sleep, my malaria medication was making me sick, and the heat was pretty hard to handle. By day two I was homesick, and I was beginning to wonder how I could make it a year. I kept telling myself to quit the whining and think of my fellow sailors who had been sent to Iraq and Afghanistan.
PICTURE OF THE WEEK 4: Containerized Living Unit (CLU) - Better known as my residence for the next year.
Second week in Djibouti:
Yes, it did get better. While, I was still trying to get my hands around the contracting processes and procedures, I found that my office mates were pretty cool. We have a pretty close knit group. My second week, we went out in town for a nice seafood dinner and went to the beach. Office tradition: Every Thursday we take a trip to the Cantina on Camp to enjoy a beer.
Trip to Ethiopia:
From May 15 to May 25, I took a trip to Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, Ethiopia with the LCDR I am replacing. I had an opportunity to see some of the good work we are doing, and the trip helped me better understand my job. I definitely see some challenges ahead, but I loved Ethiopia and cannot wait to go back. The country is beautiful, and the people are fantastic. They have so little, yet they are so resilient. There is so much potential here, and I hope that we can help them reach it.
BTW - Ethiopians are the most pro-American people I have encountered overseas. Yes, they know we are rich and that we normally tip them more than what they make in a day. But their interest in us is more than just monetary. They are truly greatful for the work that we do, and I saw a lot of Ameircan flags flying while I was there. It was refreshing to see that our efforts to win hearts and minds might actually be succeeding parts of the Horn.
PICTURE OF THE WEEK 5: Outside Dire Dawa, Ethiopia on the way to the final inspection of the Kelami School Construction Project.
