Pre-Deployment

I have come to the realization that pre-deployment is not about the train up or the prep for deployment. It is about making you so desperate to deploy you don't care where you go as long as you get.

The last time I felt this way was when I was with 2-2 INF, 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. We were sitting in Kuwait at a place known as Camp New York. Spent three weeks there standing in longer lines then anyone should have. When you are at the end of the chow line and you can just make out the mess hall you know it is a long line. Okay maybe a bit of exaggeration but not by much. Within a week or so of being there I was so ready to get up north into Iraq and combat. I did not think that there was anything that could get me to desire combat but Camp New York did that for me and so many more of us.

Don't get me wrong it I don't want to be away from my bride for a year but this pre-deployment, good idea fairies is going to drive me nuts.

The sad part of all this is I simply am trading one garrison enviroment for another. Which brings me to another thing about deploying. If I have to be away from my bride for a year give me a reason for her not to be there. Don't send me to a garrison in Kuwait.

Where Has Honor and Customer Service Gone.

Many of you may have seen the Best Buy sale online of a 52" Samsung flat screen TV for $9.99. As soon as I heard about it I must admit I immediately got online and attempted to purchase the TV. Some of you may have done the same thing.

I was not completely surprised when I was not able to purchase the TV. They had soon realized their mistake and found ways to block the purchase until they were able to get the item off the Internet. I later learned in the news that the TV was back on at $1800.00, about half the price it would normally have sold for. I assume that was their way of making up for the mistake.

Ironically it would seem that people lost trust in the company because that afternoon their stocks fell by 24 cents. Not much but when you add it up across the board it was a hit in their pocket.

Maybe it was a disgruntled employee who said I will show them. Maybe it was just a simple technology mistake. The bottom line is that though they want to blame technology it comes down to human error.

Now had we found the same error in the story they would have quickly changed the mistake but would have been forced to honor the price.

This is my issue, where has customer service gone? Where is has the customer is right? We have lost somethings when it comes to customer service I believe. We hide behind technology and blame it when things go wrong. Yes there would have been a cost to the company but they would have kept more customers. I have considered that I may only go to them if they are the last place to shop.

Stand behind the mistake not behind a disclaimer. Your more likely to make more money because of the costumers you won and kept then would have cost you in the loss because of the price of the TVs.

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With much prayer and seeking we have purchased a home in Junction City, KS. This is in the Fort Riley area. Don't let the size on the outside fool you it is a large beautiful home.

Escaping Korea

(Forgot to post this one a year ago when we left Korea.)

We did it! We escaped from Korea, not without some challenges though. On 24 February we began the planned escape. A friend waited until the appointed time and then pulled up outside where we quickly loaded De'Dee's luggage and Beaux, her escape partner, and made a run for the Daegu airport. We had rehersed the plan over and over for months. Confirmed all equipment was secured and in place.

When De'Dee went to check in on the first leg of a three leg escape route we learned that there was a snag in the escape plan that would prevent her from escaping from Korea to the states. The second leg, though flight and ticket were confirmed there was a challenge. We depended on someone outside our network to make sure that the second leg of her escape plan was complete and secure. There was a flaw in the escape plan. De'Dee went a head and climbed on the flight from Daegu to Incheon as I went to secure the next leg of her escape plan.

After almost two hours of talking back and forth between airlines and agents at ticket counters in Incheon I was able to finally work out the issue with the second leg of her escape from Korea. Just shortly after De'Dee's plane landed from Daegu I had fixed the issue and left a message for her to call. De'Dee was going to be able to escape Korea and get to the safe house of our daughter and son-in-love, Cherish and Kevin, in Fort Belvoir.

To reduce suspension of the escape plan (actually because the airlines messed with De'Dee's ticket) I planned to escape two days later. In order to throw those who had designs for us to remain captive in Korea instead of flying out of Daegu I took a less conspicuious route and road by bus up to Incheon (Actually my flight was not until 1800 and there is one flight at 0700 from Daegu to Incheon and 12 hours in a airport with a dog is not a good thing).

Things were going well until my bus driver suddenly pulls over to the side of the road says something in Hungal (Korean) and runs off the bus. Everyone remains on the bus so I just observe as my driver runs down the hill to a culvert and drops trousers and spends the next 15 to 20 minutes in what we have come to call the Kimchi squat. I am watching the time tick by and getting close to being past the time I should be at the airport. A glitch in my escape plan. One should always interview the driver of their get away vehicle to ensure they a quality professional get away driver.

The driver finally gets back on the bus and we zoom down the highway to the Airport. I exit the bus gather my things and rush into the airport. Get through the checkin and head down to my gate. I arrive with a few minutes to spare. While waiting I am waiting for the boarding call I am in formed that the U.S. Embassy wants to talk to me. The funny thing my battalion commander did not want me to leave and he spent time in Special Ops. I was sure he found away to keep me. The boarding call comes and I am waiting. Finally the embassy people show up and ask me a few questions, it seems that my name matches a person of intrest.

So after taking my ID making some phone calls it is determined that I was not a terror threat. Me, a chaplain in the U.S. Army, the worse I would do is cause an international incident while deployed to Iraq with Soldiers from the Repubic of Georgia (if you want more on that story read House to House by David Bellavia.). They finally release me and I barely make it on the plane to my freedom of the U.S.

PCS 2009 "Let The Games Begin"

As we prepare for this transition from Korea to the states I have to look back on this year with some awe.

We came to Korea kicking and screaming. We had no desire or plans to come to Korea. In fact I had worked my career to avoid it. In someways I would have rather been down range in Iraq or Afghanistian than to be in Korea.

As we prepare to leave we leave kicking and screaming a bit. The kicking and screaming is not because we have necessarily enjoyed the country of Korea thought it does have some fine things. The kicking and screaming is because we have met some fine people here.

We have created friends that I think will last a life time. It is a small community here that you get to know everyone well.

None the less the move moves forward. We have begun the process of collecting what little we have to prepare it for the movers to come. Always a fun and challenging. You never know the quality of indivdiuals you get to pack your things up. We have had some that treated the items as if they were their own and than we had some that did not care if they put a heavy item on top of some fragile things.

You know God has a great sense of humor. You may not always be placed where you want to be but if you are looking you will find that it is where He needs you to be. We did not want to come to Korea but God placed us here and the ministry has been great. We had not intentions of ever being stationed at Fort Riley, KS but we find ourselves heading there. We look forward to what God has for us in Riley. We have always found ourselves blessed by the area and or by the people.

When God places you in a place you have a choice, whine or discover what God has for you.

Boys Romp In The Park In Korea

We will daily take the boys out to the play ground behind our house so that they can enjoy the out doors. Their love for the slides began a few years ago when De'Dee found a very small Little Tyke slide on the street in good condition. Beaux loved the slide. 18 months later when we brought Nevada home he too loved playing on the slide.
By the time we came to Korea that little slide was too little and they slowly graduated to bigger slides. A couple of weeks ago they began sliding down the twisty slide out back and now that is even seeming to small for them as they quickly go up and down it.
The video above is of them playing on the slide. Many have found they like it. We get a joy out of watching it over and over again.

Former President George W. Bush

I had the great honor last year to be a part of the audience when President George W. Bush came to Korea and stopped at Yongsan Garrison to visit with Soldiers.

This is my favorite picture of President Bush. Not because it is silly but because you can just see the joy that he has. You can tell he made things fun.

I have been listening to reports on the news and from individuals who have this strong hatred for this president. I am not sure I quite understand their anger. For 7 plus years this president ensured the safety of our country. It seems that individuals forget so quickly what happened on 11 September 2001. Maybe it is because it did not effect them personally.

I just don't understand the anger. We had a pretty good life over the last 8 years. We have lived in safety since 9/11.

I find it intersting that the challenges that the country faced began when there was new leadership in Congress. It was certain individuals in Congress that allowed the situation to go down hill as far as the economy is concerned. It was lenders giving money to people who had no business borrowing money.

One of the greatest issues in this economy is people buying homes at a price that they may qualify for but could not afford. It is people not taking responsibility for their actions and paying their bills. People looking for excuses for their failures and want to blame the governement.

We have become so lazy as a society that we feel that we are owed something instead of working for what we get.

I guess some people needs to have someone to focus their anger and blame on. For me I was honored to call him my Commander and Cheif. Because of President Bush my family and friends continue to live free. Yes, I was deployed and was part of one of the biggest battles in Iraq. I have not stayed safely in the states but have stood up and did what was requested of me.

Thank you President George W. Bush for being a man of God and holding to your values and standards. May God bless you and your family.