More Party Pics

Here are some more pictures from the party.


Thomas is really enjoying his cake...


What does Thomas look like? A Smurf? Braveheart? A happy one-year old?


A very happy and proud Mommy.

Party! Party!

Happy Birthday, Thomas!

I am so proud of him. He's 1! My boy is 1...and I am beside myself. I can't hold and squeeze him enough. I have been delighting in watching him learn and develop his skills. It doesn't hurt that he absolutely seems to love his Daddy. (Ellicia isn't so wild about how he teases her -- she'll say, "Say Mommy," and he'll look right at her and say, "Da dada da da". Then he'll have a huge grin. He's got quite the sense of humor already.)

Part of it is also as I think back to a year ago. I've had a lot of that lately... thinking about the past year - how much has happened. But a year ago...

Anyway, I am a happy papa. So, enjoy some pictures from Thomas' first birthday party. He certainly had a good time making them possible.

Birthday boy!



His cake ($60! from AAFES, gasp!). Very blue icing. And, we're definitely a Bugs Bunny family.



Getting ready for the party. The gifts...



The table...



Thomas, enjoying HIS cake!

Status Update

Ok, we're wrapping up Ellicia's chemotherapy... and we've moved into the testing phase. This is where Leesh is poked, prodded, scanned, and zapped to try to figure out just what is left of the cancer and where it is.

We still have lots of testing to go but so far, the doctors are having a lot of difficulty.

They can't seem to

find

the tumor cells.

Dang.

Phooey.

Dag-nabbit.

The surgery will still occur (no matter what), but this seems like some good first news.

Thin Wall Syndrome

Quiet on the blog.

Well, it's quiet somewhere.

Ellicia and I call it "Thin Wall Syndrome". We (particularly me) have been reaching new levels of stress and sleep deprivation lately.

Why? Well, combination of things, we guess. There's the three kids. We don't know how they do it, but they always manage to tag each other to hand-off... one will be screaming, and when that one's tired, there's a hand-off... and one other will pick up on it.

As I chatted with a friend... it seems like there's always somebody screaming. Two others will be happy and one will have a screaming fit.

It starts between 0600 - 0630. And it goes around the clock.

Then there's the "Thin Walls". Housing units here have extremely thin walls. At night, we can be down the hall, all doors closed, and still hear the children breathing. So, um... noise travels.

Sure, there are breaks. Doctor visits, for example. Sure, it's rat-race timetable, but... it's quiet and peaceful. Thomas sleeps for 1 1/2 - 2 hours at a time at night.

It's not all peaches and cream, though.

We have a bit of cabin fever going. We don't get out much. Either Leesh doesn't feel up to it (often), the weather is lousy (not uncommon), or... well, we just can't be spotted out having a good time. People will talk and others will get the wrong idea. A good day in public can have disastrous results. Just the way life in the fishbowl goes.

So, for awhile, it's been hard to write to the blog. There's been plenty that's happened. Tuna casserole minus tuna, for example (oops!). Various minor achievements here and there...

Thomas has a birthday coming up. One we never would have expected a year ago (see the archives for March 2005).

So, life is happening... and we are here... just grabbing sleep whenever we can.

First Steps

No debate. Thomas walked today. Ok, it was 3 steps, but it was 3 steps that he didn't hold on to anything.

He's been standing and getting up and down on his own for awhile now. And walking as long as he's had at least a sliver of his pinky fingertip touching something...

But, this was a nice achievement!

Soon, he'll be asking for the car keys.

Where Public Service Ads Go To Die

Ah... AFN. Armed Forces Network (also known as Armed Forces Radio Television Service, Armed Forces Television, etc. depends on which part of the bureaucracy is referred to) does not run stateside commercials. So, anyone outside the US (whether those deployed to OIF/OEF, or stationed in Europe, Pacific, wherever) don't see the latest ads for the newest car, game, toy, restaurant, and have no idea if you can hear me now.

The reason for that is simple, and elegant. In order for television show producers to be willing to give the latest programming ("American Idol", "Survivor", etc.) to AFN for low or no price is that there is no advertising. Also keeps the host nations happy.

But what to do with all the time gaps where the commercials go?

Well, there are many, many Public Service Ads out there. And we are experts on them! We've become experts on adopting children overseas, marrying a foreign national, breast cancer awareness (don't get us started), how to change your oil, what dogs are banned in Europe, etc. And these ads are run in rotations of usually only 4-5 at a time. So, luckily, if you miss one... don't worry. You'll catch it all next month.

There's the Secretary of the Air Force telling us about the joint effort ("There are the Navy planes... there are the Air Force planes)... at holidays, we get each leader of the service with their family telling us how proud they are and how great our sacrifice is.

And a common favorite... some poor guy gets picked and all his family and friends record spots saying how proud they are. Then these are run ad nauseum. I can only imagine the guy being given a really hard time by the folks at his unit by the time it's done.

Anyway... the TV is always running, even if only in the background. And lately those wonderful PSA's have become more and more... noticeable, so to speak.

AFN - Where Public Service Ads Go to Die (if only!)

(Got a favorite AFN spot? Share it here)

Student of the Month

Kira is Student of the Month this month!

She was awarded a certificate, stickers, and her picture goes on the wall with other Students of the Month.

We all had a special lunch with the principal. And, of course, we parents will receive the requisite bumper sticker.

Kira did very well. We're quite proud.

Go Kira!

(Editorial Note)

I've changed the template a little bit. I've removed the Kandahar time and weather links. Since both myself and the unit aren't there now... it's time to take it off.

In the unlikely event someone out there was using this blog for their Kandahar weather planning or time checks, let me know, and I'll point you in the right direction to get what you need. Hahahaha.

Offspring

We love our children.
We love our children.
We love our children.
Our lovely, sweet angels from heaven.

We love our children.
We love our children.
We love our children.
Amazing demonspawns from the depths.

We love our children.
We love our children.
We love our children.
Thank goodness they're finally in bed!
:)

Lost Opportunities

Found out today that my promotion got held up last month. I'd been set for it downrange, but then I came back. No problem, I was told... So, I put all the paperwork together, submitted it... and heard nothing.

Heard today that it was because "I have so much on my plate." Same reason that my eye surgery was held up (ok, I can meet half-way on understanding that one).

So, promotion is gone... I figure if patterns hold, I should get my next shot sometime in the Fall.

Sigh.

Oh well, adapt and move on...

Euphoria!

They're home! (Ok, there's 2-3 more stringing along, but...) They're Home!

Wow... the place is crawling with desert uniforms and everywhere I turn, I see faces I haven't seen for four months.

And, for anyone who thinks guys are emotionally inhibited (or some other choice pop psychology term), there's one that as soon as we saw each other we ran (no, there was no wheat field or such) and hugged.

It is SO good to see them here. We missed their return ceremony, but... they're home.

Stray thoughts - wonder what Kandahar is like without the unit there? Seems like it'd be empty, but I know that it's actually just been replaced with the unit taking over.

I feel like a weight is lifted... no longer feel guilty for being here.

So happy they're home...

Notification

What do you get when you take a Colonel, Major, and Chaplain together?

The beginning of a bad joke?

Or the end of someone's world?


My Dad just called. He started the call by telling me that he needed to "clean out his drawers."

He's home recovering from some eye surgery (he's fine), when the doorbell rings. He opens the door, and standing there, in full dress uniforms, are an USAF Colonel, USAF Major, and USAF Chaplain. As anyone connected to the military will recognize, they are a Casualty Notification Team.

[What's a Casualty Notification Team? These are the individuals, always two officers and a chaplain, who have been specially trained to deliver death notifications to a servicemember's next of kin.]

As he said (and he's not prone to saying often), his first thought was, "Oh, shit." Dad used to be a Sergeant Major... he knows. And here it is that I've recently been in the hospital, plus just being a Soldier in general.

It wasn't a mistake. Sadly, his next door neighbor is about to receive some very sad news that her only daughter is gone. She wasn't home, but Dad has called her home on the pretext that he needs help recovering from the surgery.

I imagine that Dad has just gone through the experience of being notified as closely as possible without it actually being me.

Even Ellicia is familiar with the idea that if you see officers and a chaplain in dress uniform...


And our condolences to the neighbor.

You Have to Learn to Stand On Your Own Two Feet

Thomas has definitely reached a new landmark. He's standing. Sure, sure, he's been doing that for awhile. But he's always held on, even if it was just with a stray fingernail from his pinky, he was touching something.

And now, he's letting go. And standing. Even better, he can wobble and keep himself righted.

He's quite proud of himself.

And well he should be. He's only 11 months old and has learned to stand upright. There are plenty of animals that have been around much longer that can't quite master it (really, would it be sooooo impressive when the circus elephants stand up on hindlegs if every tiger, goat, or ferret were doing it?)

So, to Thomas... standing on his own two feet. Mommy and Daddy are quite proud!

He's A Little Fruity

Scanner is our male cat. He is a beautiful housecat. In his walk, stance, and every mannerism, though, you can see that he is secretly channelling the spirits of mighty snow leopards. He's fierce, with his snarl of sharp teeth, and mighty haunches, just waiting to pounce on helpless prey.

Helpless prey such as his sister.

Or a length of string that had lost its way and intruded into his territory.

And there's nothing that he wouldn't want to sink his teeth into more than the succulent juice...

Fruit juice that is. It seems that Scanner gets truly excited when fruit juice is about. He craves it, and will do anything for it. It's quite amusing to see him go from "Mighty Hunter" to... well, let's just say that he should have a tiny umbrella with him.

I wonder what the snow leopards would think?

End of an Era

I love airplanes. There's no denying it. And I think it a true tragedy when aircraft are put to pasture. The rows upon rows of aircraft waiting to die in graveyards, as in this picture from Airliners.net, is heart-wrenching.

Aircraft lovingly tended to and nursed by their crews waiting to be butchered into razor blades.

And often, it seems, it's before the aircraft's time.

We've reached that point for another aircraft. She's a famous bird, known and loved by millions. It's the end of her time, and with it, a long line of history.

The F-14 Tomcat is leaving the service of the Navy. Made famous to the public starring in the movie Top Gun, she thrilled many at airshows around the country. And she admirably served her country. Beginning her life defending the carriers, she grew and adapted into a role as a precision bomber.

With one of the most intimidating profiles, she breathed the raw power that seethed throughout her.

Sadly, after twenty years, she's getting a little old. She needs much more loving care and maintenance, and in a time where every cent counts, the Navy has decided that its best if she just goes away.

She has finished her final tour, with the USS Theodore Roosevelt supporting the war in the Middle East.

And with her, there are no more cats. Her manufacturer, Grumman Aircraft, no longer makes aircraft. She has a long, proud lineage from Grumman... the Wildcat, Hellcat, Tigercat, Bearcat... all proud warriors.

She's being replaced by the Hornet. The Navy is using it as it's do-all, be-all bird, having replaced so many aircraft. Jack of all trades...

She's going to be missed. Missed on the carriers, missed by her crews, and missed in the skies. I'm sad to know that my children will never get to see her fly by and light off her afterburners and thunder straight up into the sky.

I guess I can always show them Top Gun.

So... THAT'S What the Inside of a Krankenhaus Is Like.

"Kranken... what?"

Krankenhaus (pronounced crank-in-house all run together) is the local German hospital.

I had planned on posting how Cindy Sheehan wasn't going to protest after all (thanks, Tom for noting that in the comments). In fact, I had a busy couple of days planned.

So much for plans.

Thursday came and I felt fine. Couple of sniffles, but... it's winter! No biggie.

By lunchtime, however, I'd vomited four times in two hours. Things weren't looking good.

After twice not being able to keep down a simple 4 oz. glass of water, I knew it'd be best if I hauled myself over to the clinic... before things got really bad. I could see dehydration coming (hey, I paid attention in all my Army training classes.)

I remember checking into the clinic. I remember not even being made to wait. Soon after, I was placed in one of their rooms, and was injected with something. An IV came soon after. Most surprising is I remember being seen by every doctor, and quite possibly every medic in the clinic (it's a small clinic, so not a huge number, but 4 doctors, 2 nurses, and several medics I recall). Then things get fuzzy.

Apparently, I was sent off to the local hospital. Not even sent to the ARMY hospital! Wow. I don't remember the ER much, except for a fuzzy picture of an MP who'd escorted us there.

I remember waking up in the Intensiv Care ward (not misspelled, is how they spell it). I was shocked. Didn't think I'd warranted an ICU visit. Shucks, I thought I'd go to the clinic and go home...

Nope.

Spent two days at the lovely hospital. They wanted me to stay more, but... I really felt that I needed to get back to my family. There was no one else to take care of them, after all.

The docs would like me to go back for a test where they send the tube down the throat. Sounds like fun.

All this for what seems like a bad stomach flu?

Anyway, the time in the krankenhaus was... dreadfully boring. I had all the CNN I could stand (only English channel)... and CNN only had four stories to report. It didn't matter what they called the show for the hour ("World Business Report", "Your World Today", "World News Now", whatever), it was still the same four stories. Ugh.

No roommate, which was a good thing. And... well, nothing to do.

I did catch up on some sleep, which was a nice thing.

Oh, and the food... for all who complain about American hospital food. Don't. It doesn't compare. I was given plenty of bland soup, some unsweetened peach pudding, and bread. Yummy. One meal, I did get fish and mashed potatoes. It was nice.

One other note... Germans do IV's much better than Americans. American IV's are right at the joint, thus immobilizing your arm. Germans can't stand an American IV, so as soon as they see it, they do their own. They will NOT use it. For good reason, a German IV is places off of the joint of the elbow, thus enabling functional use of the arm. What a difference! The downside is that the Germans will leave the American IV needle in place... until it practically falls out.

Overall, an interesting experience... and a boring one. Felt terribly cut off and isolated from the world. I did receive a couple of phone calls from my unit, but that was mostly to chastize me for the way in which the unit was notified of my hospitalization (though I had no control and little recollection of it).

I do not envy Ellicia her upcoming ten days in the hospital. My two was more than enough.

Pavlov's Eagle

Honestly, I thought I was better than this. Whether I was thinking I was smarter than the other people or what not, I'm not sure, but I am sure I thought I was better than this.

I remember coming home on R&R... and feeling naked without my rifle. I even recall looking for it before leaving the house. Easily explained, though... I was home for only 15 days. I can understand that.

I've been home from Afghanistan for nearly four months (wow!). Certainly, by now, I'm better than this.

Last night, I heard (and felt) a large explosion. I'm comfortably in my living room, surfing, answering e-mails, watching TV, and feeling exhausted. And then... an explosion.

Instantly, I found myself... transformed(?)

My pulse jumped, my mind started racing:

• What was that? (Explosion!)
• Was it close? (Sounded like it.)
• Where's the closest bunker? (There's NOT one!!! Yikes...)
• Ok, protective gear? (Afghanistan... no good.)
• Is there another explosion? Secondary explosion? Shrapnel? (Nothing yet)
• Are the sirens going to sound? Where do I go? What about the family? (Does this base even have sirens?)

It was at this point that another part of the mind caught up and reminded myself that I'm in Illesheim... I have a visual image of one guy running through the hallways of my mind, catching up to guy #1, and shaking him around a bit.

I think I sat still, alert, for a good five minutes... waiting. Not sure what I was waiting for.

And it's been running through my head since then.

I thought I was better than this.

Welcome Cindy Sheehan!

There is a counter protest set up to welcome Ms. Sheehan to Ramstein. Please take a look at this, and if you can attend, please do.

And here's an interesting link on Ms. Sheehan.

Good Quote

"Nobody believes the official spokesman, but everybody trusts an unidentified source." - Ron Nesen

Protests at Burials

We've all heard about it. There's a "church" out there that's protesting Soldiers' funerals with signs such as "Thank God for IEDs" and "Thank God for dead Soldiers."

Yeah, I want to vomit, too.

Anyway, I read a nice column in the 7 March Stars and Stripes by Gordon Dillow, from the Orange County Register. I encourage you to take a look at it here. (Note: Registration may be required, but can be done without getting annoying e-mail solicitations. For example, it does ask for an e-mail address, but it does not require e-mail confirmation nor validation.)

Take a look, and maybe give your friendly bikers a pat on the back, too.

Constant Coughing

Poor Ellicia. I hate seeing her like this. She has a chronic cough, and no, it's not something that's easily treated.

It's a result of the cancer and the treatment for it. It's eaten away part of the lung tissue (according to the doc) and thus, the cough. It is literally a constant cough most of the time.

Feel so bad for her.

Know she hurts. And it tears up her throat. But, nothing much we can do.

Doc finally gave us a narcotic... Can only be used at night. Not sure if it's so she can sleep... or so I can sleep (didn't sleep for two nights straight).

Will be glad when this is all over.

Timeless Messages, More

Why We Fight?

Sure, we can discuss this one ad nauseum... WMD, Democracy, and here's a freebie for the next "Anonymous" comment, maybe "oil".

But, at the core of all reasons... there is the ultimate truth. That we fight for freedom.

Timeless Messages

I remember discussions with other servicemembers, and we shared a concern about how EVERYTHING our armed forces do seem to be put out in the press for everyone (including those who don't like us) can see it.

Our press prints information that helps the enemy adjust and adapt tactics (remember the bit about how we could pick up on their telephone conversations? They changed phones and now we have a harder time.) We print stories about the weaknesses of various weapons systems. Morale problems. And information on "How to Beat Us".

And then, I came across these. And they're timeless. And as needed now as they were then.

Want to Support Your Troops?

There's a Congressman out there that has proposed a bill that will affect many, many of the troops out there. I URGE each of you to contact your Representative and encourage them to vote for this bill.

Why?

As is true with many government aspects, the military is quick to collect owed money from troops.

Troops are faced with pay being deducted, usually all-at-once, for errors in pay. This can't happen often, right?

Wrong. The military uses a pay system with 1970's technology, including many incompatible systems. It's also a bureaucracy, if there ever was one. Pay problems are incurred REGULARLY whenever there is a change in a Soldier's status. This can include things like change of assignments, school, marriage (or divorce), and deployments (and the hopeful return from deployment). Soldiers are overpaid through error and delays in one part of the military talking with the pay part of the military.

For example, I was hit by well over $1500 in debt to the Army recently. Why? Because I came back from Afghanistan. And when I did, there was a delay in telling the Finance folks to stop all my "special pays" and "tax-free status". Well, this built into quite a backlog of overpay, and when the Army caught up, they came and got their money back. All at once. Paychecks have been extremely skimpy for the past two months.

And this is normal.

Sadly, it's even expected as the rule.

Rep. Ron Lewis (R-KY, 2nd) is wanting to fix this. He's sponsoring a bill that says the military can deduct no more than 20% of a Soldier's paycheck to collect a debt. This ensures that Soldiers will always have something leftover to put food on their family's table, or whatever needs are important. Bills will still be able to be paid.

Please, write your Congressman (or -woman, as the case may be), and encourage them to Support The Troops with the passage of this bill.

For Immediate Release

Contact: Michael Dodge
March 1, 2006
(202) 225-3501

Lewis Introduces 'No Pay Due' Relief Bill
Legislation will amend conditions for phased recovery of overpayment


WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis (KY-02) recently introduced HR 4730, legislation to provide relief for soldiers who find themselves in a ‘no pay due’ situation as a result of overpayment. Current law requires the phased recovery of overpayments of pay and allowances made to members of the U.S. military, causing some soldiers to receive zero-sum paychecks, with little or no notice, as a result of inadvertent pay system errors.

“I understand that larger, systemic problems exist within the military’s personnel and payment systems and that these problems are the root of many such situations,” said Lewis. “But we cannot stand by while soldiers endure this hardship, bearing the consequences of errors resulting from circumstances beyond their control. This is unacceptable considering their courageous service, especially in a time of war.”

H.R. 4730 would amend current law to allow that no more than 20% of a service member’s paycheck can be taken at one time to recover overpayment, and would add an additional 90 day grace period before paychecks for wounded soldiers would be affected.

Lewis first became aware of the ‘no pay due’ problem as a result of several cases in his district which includes Fort Knox. USA Cares, a non-profit organization that offers support to soldiers and their families, was providing assistance to several families who had experienced ‘no pay due,’ and brought their situations to the Congressman’s attention. “The burden being placed on these families was in many cases overwhelming,” said Lewis.

Lewis has engaged numerous government agencies, non profit organizations, military officials and soldiers themselves in an effort to understand the military debt problem. He discovered that zero-sum paychecks caused by no pay due are happening on a widespread scale, particularly where travel, assignment change, or geographical movement is involved. There is also a troubling prevalence of pay problems for wounded soldiers.

U.S. Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), Chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, which has jurisdiction over certain areas of military processing, has taken a particular interest in the ‘no pay due’ issue and is the first co-sponsor of Lewis’ bill.

“My bill does not propose absolving debt,” said Lewis. “A permanent solution is necessary, and I will continue to be involved in the broad efforts on these issues. In the meantime we can no longer ignore the damage this unfair practice is causing. This legislation will provide immediate relief for soldiers who do find themselves in a ‘no pay due’ and draw critical attention to this issue.”