First post from the 'Stan

I have officially arrived in the ‘Stan and things have been very busy for last three weeks. A quick rehash of my travels since leaving the states; Colorado Springs to Banger, Maine; to Leipzig, Germany; to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan; to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan and finally to Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Ahhh Jalalabad, home sweet home for the next year. It took a total of 20 hours flying and 4 days of traveling to get here, but we are ready to get working.

Today marked the completion of our transfer of authority with the unit we are replacing. Over the last three weeks we have completed the process of learning what the outgoing unit has been doing, what has worked for them, and areas that need more of our attention. Now the mission is officially ours and we are calling the shots.

The Forward Operating Base (FOB) that I’m living on is better than I thought it would be. The facilities are adequate, living quarters are decent, and the food is not too bad. One of the saving graces is a nice gym and a 3.5 mile loop to run around the runway / flight strip. Running will surely save my sanity while I’m here. Despite the temperatures ranging between 115-120 and increasing daily; running early in the morning (around 4:30 – 5:00am) is a must.

The next posting will include pictures, until then I’ll continue to keep my head low to the ground… just in case.

Bitter Sweet Day

Today is a bitter sweet day. It’s Jack’s 8th birthday and the day I leave for Afghanistan. I’m extremely grateful that I’ve been able to hang around for a few extra weeks to enjoy both of the kids birthdays. This morning we celebrated Jack’s birthday with homemade waffles, bacon, and opening presents. Jack was excited to open all of the “Spy Gear” presents he received. He is currently “in training” to become a secret agent so the spy gear will come in handy.


Today I will begin the process of deploying. I will leave the house around lunch time, say goodbye to Britin and the Kids, and “go to work.” Going to work is our way of saying goodbye without the difficulty of really saying goodbye. We just assume I’m going to work like any other day and a few days later Britin will pick-up my truck in the parking lot where I left it. This is a great way to trick ourselves.

I will update the blog as soon as I can so tune into the next installment of “Where in the world is Mikey.”

Thank you for your continued support, prayers, and love.