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CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan -- This is a first person guide to the tips and tricks for other Marines from Fightertown with a deep interest to deploy. If the experience and information shared is helpful feel free to utilize it.
Many speak of deployment but really have no idea what to expect or what will happen when they get in country. What I noticed is the work place becomes more like home, and the people around you become
like family.
The average day of the different work sections goes from about 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., but many sections work in shifts to offer 24-hour support to the operations and missions taking place in Afghanistan. So you spend a lot of time with the same Marines and sailors every day.
My day starts by waking up to a sometimes chilly morning, with the sun already shining brightly. It seems that the sun springs up in seconds, instead of what I consider a normal gradual rise. Every night when I go to sleep it is pitch black and when I wake up it is bright, like I slept in until noon.
Many sections physically train as a group or meet up to go to breakfast. I feel like this form of camaraderie makes the day go by faster and helps me to not miss my wife and dogs as much.
Everyone you work with made similar sacrifices to be in Afghanistan. We all left our families and friends to do our small part in helping coalition forces stop insurgents.
I like looking at the purpose in the eyes of every service member I meet. It makes me walk a little taller and take even more pride in the title I wear and the exceptional group of men and women I have the privilege to serve alongside.
There are service members from around the world with their own exchanges, compounds and vehicles. Forces from the United Kingdom, Georgia, and Denmark are just a few of the different uniformed troops who I have come into contact with since setting my boots firmly in the sand.
What made the mission of giving a stable country to the Afghan people crystal clear to this writer was taking part in a ceremony honoring a fallen Georgian soldier.
I remember standing in the heat among the collage of different uniforms from the different branches of the United States armed forces and the brave fighting men and women from the countries throughout the coalition. We all live, work, play and fight side-by-side out of Camp Leatherneck and Camp Bastion.
I remember the somber look in the eyes of the British soldier standing across from me. The sweat ran down my brow, mimicking the perspiration of those around me, all the while the Afghan sun beat down on our souls as slow deliberate salutes were executed, honoring the warrior.
It made me think about so much. It made me think about my family and loved ones. The possibility of not coming home. I thought about my wife, mother and sister, and it seemed I was not afraid of my own death, but instead the pain and anguish it would cause them.
When the photo frames finished rushing through my mind, only one thought remained. Regardless of what happens while I am here, I know that I am a part of a group of people who sacrifice a lot, and sometimes everything, to make a better place for the people of Afghanistan to call home.
| Date Taken: | 09.03.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2011 14:21 |
| Story ID: | 77459 |
| Location: | CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Finally, Boots in the sand: journal entry 2: Sept. 3, 2011: Long days, short weeks with war fighters, by MSgt Justin Boling, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
