September 11

Eight years ago on this day, while living in Hawaii, I remember waking up to the phone ringing at 3:45 in morning. As I wiped my sleepy eyes and looked at the caller ID, I recognized the number as my parents home phone. Quickly thinking something bad must have happened to a family member or there was a medical emergency, I braced myself for some bad news. My Mother was on the other end telling me to turn on the television two planes had crashed in New York City. As I watched, I heard her talking but nothing was registering, as I couldn’t believe my eyes.
As I sit in Afghanistan and reflect back over the last 8 years I’m still convinced we are on the right course for defeating the Global War on Terrorism. Even though the days are long, I miss my family, and some of the comforts of home there is nowhere else I’d rather be. Continuing to keep friends, family, and the country I love safe and free from attack is something I feel honored to be a part of.

During your day today please take a moment to remember the 2,993 people who died and their families. Don’t forget that their memory lives on with people like myself in far off corners of the world preventing another disaster from happening. Also remember the ensuing pride that was felt across the country as we banned together and proclaimed that we were “PROUD TO BE AMERICANS, WHERE AT LEAST WE KNOW WE ARE FREE.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRITIN

Since I haven’t posted anything to my blog in a long time, what a better time to post than on Britin’s birthday.

Once again, due to another deployment, I will miss another year of Birthdays, Holidays, and Anniversaries. You would think that since I’ve missed so many significant events in my family’s life this would get easier. However, it seems to only get harder as more and more pass by.

Today, my beautiful bride reaches her mid 30’s (It’s never wise to reveal a woman’s true age). Although neither one of us feels as if we are in our mid-30’s we have the scorecard that proves we are:

Married: check – 14 years
Kids: check – 2, one a teenager
Saving for the kids college fund – check (they may be going to community college)
Lived in 9 different houses in 14 years – check – Thank you Uncle Sam

Britin you may be getting biologically older, but you are still young at heart and your boundless energy is contagious. I look forward to being home next year and spending it with you.

Even though I can’t be there with Britin, I was still able to have a birthday party for here at FOB Fenty. I know it’s not the same but at least it’s a celebration. At the dining facility ice cream is available at lunch and dinner (thank you American tax payers), and since I know how much Britin enjoys ice cream, I figured in her honor I would force myself to have some.

Happy Birthday Britin, I hope you enjoy your special day.

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.

Hello Friends and Family

Hello all …

Welcome to MACKYSTAN. This is my attempt at being technically savvy and staying in touch while I take a little trip to the other side of the world. I’m excited to be leaving in the next few weeks and begin the next chapter of my life. For those that don’t know where I’m headed off to… I’ll be going to the area of Eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border.

Some of the things I do and places I’ll go I can’t give specifics about due to operational security (OPSEC) but I will do my best to keep all of you informed. Depending on the availability of internet connection I’m going to attempt to update this blog about once a week. Please let me know if there are any questions you would like answered or things you would like me to blog about. Thank You in advance for your support to me and my family, may God Bless you, keep you healthy and safe.

Memorial Day

According to http://www.usmemorialday.org/ :

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays). Traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day.

At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.
There are a few notable exceptions. Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing.

In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye's Heights, and in 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps."

The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country. But what may be needed to return the solemn, and even sacred, spirit back to Memorial Day is for a return to its traditional day of observance. Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day weekend in with the National Holiday Act of 1971, it made it all the easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."

On January 19, 1999 Senator Inouye introduced bill S 189 to the Senate which proposes to restore the traditional day of observance of Memorial Day back to May 30th instead of "the last Monday in May". On April 19, 1999 Representative Gibbons introduced the bill to the House (H.R. 1474). The bills were referred the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Government Reform.

To date, there has been no further developments on the bill. Please write your Representative and your Senators, urging them to support these bills. You can also contact Mr. Inouye to let him know of your support.