One Journey Ends, A Future Begins

I can’t believe that it has already been a year.

My little sister finally came home from her exchange in Germany.  She left to go overseas without having ever been away from home before, and without knowing much of the language.  She came back more independent and very knowledgeable on German culture and dialect.

I’m very proud of how she decided to face the world on her own.  That she decided that there was more than just the ordinary.  I’m thankful for all the friends she met and the places she got to see.  It really changes a person.  It adds a certain knowledge that can only be acquired through choosing the unknown.  I can tell how much more grown up she has become…how much more prepared for whatever will come next.

I look forward to seeing what future adventures are in store for my sister.  I’m glad to have my best friend back.

Flashback: Lebanon vs Israel

View of Beirut, Lebanon from the ship.

The 2006 Lebanon War, known as the July War, was my first exposure physical warfare.  Hizballah paramilitary and Israeli military had engaged over their border and the bombing in the area had become a great threat to Americans living/traveling in the region.  The USS Iwo Jima was pulled away from training with the Jordanians to be the American presence off of the coast of Beirut, Lebanon as the U.S. citizens were evacuated to safety.

What surprised me was that you could tell what a beautiful, Mediterranean city Beirut was.  Thousands of beautiful little houses covered the nearby mountain and continued off into the distance.  The classic look became a memory, however, as building after building was bombed.  Soon a cloud of dust had engulfed the city, leaving it with a bleak look.

Although I was unable to capture the bombing on film, watching the conflict from the hanger bay of the ship just boggled my mind.  In the past, I had only seen this kind of situation on the news.  I could not believe that I was again able to be a part of something historical and meaningful.  We were assigned to the area for a little over a month before departing and heading back through the Suez Canal toward Kuwait.

Check out my Deployment 2006 gallery!

Stay Classy, San Diego!

The time has come for me to bid farewell to the Land of Fake Boobs and move on to cleaner skies.

A lot has happened during the two years that I’ve been living in Los Angeles.  I’ve developed to many wonderful friendships and have had unforgettable experiences.  This is the busy city that had always made me feel like I was “at home.” A place where I’d go on leave and feel like  I never wanted to go back.  I think that actually being there made “the dream” of living in L.A. a little bit hazy.  After a while the traffic and smog seemed to make me feel very enclosed.  But that’s also my nature…I start to feel trapped after living almost anywhere for very long.  However, Los Angeles will always hold a place in my heart.  I mean, this is where the Dodgers play!

I’m VERY excited to move to San Diego.  I look forward to the fresh air and open skies. People always seem to be outside running and taking advantage of the beautiful weather. You can smell the ocean from anywhere in the city.  I love the ocean so much.  I can’t wait to see it everyday. 

I found a decently priced condo space for rent in Point Loma.  It’s a pretty centralized location to wherever I may end up working, and just a couple minutes from the beach.

The time has come to start anew, and I’m happy that this is the place for me to do it.

Destination Tokyo!

Ready to take Tokyo by storm!

For the sake of spontaneity, I decided to head to Japan in a couple days to visit a great friend that I haven’t seen in over four years.

This will be my first experience traveling to this region and I’m not exactly sure what to expect.  For the last few weeks I have been researching the country’s culture and heritage…trying to figure out where to start once I get there.  I think that not knowing all the details is the greatest part of the adventure.

Be sure to look for my Tokyo trip follow-up post and gallery.

Wish me luck!  Hopefully I make it back in one piece.

Flashback: Deployment Aboard USS Iwo Jima

USS Iwo Jima LHD-7 in the Fog.

My deployment in 2006 was a very difficult time for me.  A lot of emotions flying in every direction.  I’d like to think that it was so hard because it was my first time.  I’d like to think that I would be able to handle it now with an optimistic attitude and with more focus on the bigger picture.

We departed in June 2006 (on 6/6/06 actually…foreshadow much?), with the mission of taking the 24 MEU to Jordan to conduct training and then to fight pirates off the coast of Somalia.  On the way to Jordan, we had port visits in Marseilles, France and Rome, Italy.  We did the most we could to enjoy the stops since we didn’t know when we’d have another opportunity to get off the ship.

We never made it to Somalia.  Soon after we dropped off our marines in Jordan, Hizballah paramilitary forces engaged the Israeli military.  The President assigned the USS Iwo Jima to be the military presence off the coast of Beirut, Lebanon as the Americans were evacuated from the area.  We did make a couple trips to the island of Cyprus where the American evacuees had been taken.  After a little more than a month, our mission in the region ended and we headed back through the Suez Canal toward Kuwait.

We spent most of the remainder of deployment in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Kuwait.  We made a couple trips to Dubai, which is one of the most incredible and interesting cities.  Aside from the obvious stress from being in enemy waters, this period of time wasn’t too bad because we were given a break from the marines.  There was more space aboard the ship, and less territorial issues.

After completing our mission, we started to head back home.  We stopped again in Rome, and then in Toulon, France…but those port calls were basically lost because we all just wanted to get back to Norfolk so badly.

Looking back, I can’t really say that deploying on a ship is my favorite activity…but it’s really not that bad.  You just have to make the most of your situation and look for any way to keep yourself sane.

Check out my Deployment 2006 gallery!

My Life in Ink

Flag Flying on the Pearl Harbor Memorial

There’s nothing like your name scrawled in ink to make a defining moment in your life.

So, the contract is signed.  My life takes on a new chapter.

Everyone has been asking what this means, and what is going to happen next.  I am officially a part of the U.S. Navy Reserves.  I will be going in as an IT3, meaning I will be working with intel communications as I did during my prior enlistment.  There are other cryptologist jobs that I’m interested in, but due to the large amount of individuals going back into the military right now, these positions won’t be open for a few months.

I was formerly a Petty Officer Second Class, however, I was never paid for that rank before I was discharged.  This basically means that I’m now being demoted.  Luckily, I can retest for advancement in August.  I’m already studying and am confident that I can reacquire my rank and get back in the game.

I will be requesting Full-Time Support (FTS) status to work within the Navy as if I was a regular active duty sailor.  As such, I will receive the same benefits and active duty time applied toward retirement.  Once I’m processed in as full-time, I will likely be assigned to a ship out of San Diego.  However, I am seriously considering volunteering to deploy to the Horn of Africa (HOA) or Afghanistan for a year.

So I’m just taking this one step at a time.  I’m going to let everything fall where it may.  I just have to keep an open mind.

Holding on for Dear Life

Sometimes we need to do things in life without a harness.  Ropes that tie us down and keep us safe, can also keep us from experiencing the feelings that make life memorable. 

Today I spent a couple hours with my cousin hiking and bouldering up this massive rock formation in the desert.  It was an intense undertaking on its own, but what made it really stand out as a challenge to me, was that it was the first time that I had climbed boulders without any protection.

I was put in a position where I couldn’t give up…because my life was at stake.  I found strength where I thought there was none.  This isn’t necessarily strength drawn from the fear of pain, but more from the determination that I knew I could do it.  The fact that it was my only option was just additional motivation.

This experience meant a lot to me, in that it was another example of how I can’t live in fear.  The bruises, tears and cuts are proof that I overcame a challenge that couldn’t keep me down.

It’s the same with life, I suppose.

Flashback: Hurricane Katrina Relief

Flooding Three Weeks after Hurricane Katrina

One of the greatest experiences of my life was the opportunity to be a part of the Hurricane Katrina relief effort in 2005.

The Category 5 storm struck the coast in late August and it was quickly decided that the USS Iwo Jima would be heading up the military efforts.  We all went home, packed our gear and reported in first thing in the morning.  We had no idea what was in store…and no idea when we were coming back.

We headed to pick up 2,000 marines from the 24th MEU and thousands of pounds of food and supplies.  The Iwo was originally assigned to go to the Biloxi, Mississippi and start up the efforts down there.  Biloxi was devastated.  Although not affected by the floods, the entire city was in shambles.  I volunteered to be in the first unit to deploy ashore.  For the first time in my life, I was a part of something that was really making a difference.  Something that was actually changing lives.  But our presence in Mississippi didn’t last long, they needed us to redirect to New Orleans immediately.

The scene in New Orleans was critical.  Our ship served as the only working airport, hotel and hospital for the area.  Injured civilians were continuously being brought onboard…one man with a knife sticking out of his chest.  Flight Ops were being conducted 24 hours a day.  We were housing DoD staff, aid organizations and basically anyone else you could think of.  I was given the opportunity to meet Vice President Dick Cheney and his family.  President Bush came a few times and stayed aboard.  I did have the option of meeting him or taking a helicopter ride of the city…so I took the helo ride .

In the time we were stationed in Louisiana, I helped restore a church and promenade area and was able to provide meals and relief to workers who had come from all around the world to do their part.  It was the longest month of my life, but the most rewarding.  I would do it again in a second.

Check out my Hurricane Katrina Relief gallery!

Beginning of a New Era…Again

To the surprise of many, and dismay of a few, I decided to go back into the U.S. Navy.  It is not a decision that I came to lightly, or without many hours of thought and consideration.  And the desire started slowly…just a small fire lit after I had been out for about a year.  That fire grew so rapidly, that I have dedicated the last nine months of my life to getting back in.  Now I’ve finally done it.

A lot of people didn’t understand at first.  Perhaps they still don’t.  It took some time as a civilian to realize what a part of me the military had really become.  Although I was happy to be out at the time,  I was constantly thinking about the Navy and talking about it.  I would dream about it even.  I also began to notice that I couldn’t connect to people like I used to.  Don’t get me wrong, I have met and am friends with many wonderful people…but something is missing.  That bond that I used to have with other military members.  That we were experiencing and fighting for the same things.  I missed being myself and knowing that they would never judge me and would keep me safe.  They would hug me and hold me without knowing why, but in complete comfort.

And then the stir-craziness began.  Sitting in my cubicle knowing that I would be there the day after, and the day after that, and the day after that would kill me.  My job has been great and I have worked with wonderful people, yet I felt I was dying on the inside.  This is not the kind of life that I needed.  Where is the “X” factor?  The crisis that might happen where I might be called to leave at any second.  Maybe I’m the kind of person who needs a cause.  One thing I do know is that I need to help people.  I help people, but I don’t feel like I’ve had that opportunity in a long time.  That’s going to change shortly.

There are a couple people who understand where I’m coming from though.  My Navy friends who got out around the same time I did, and several who have gotten out since.  Because they are going through the same thing and I hope that they follow the paths that will make them happy with their lives.

Being a civilian just isn’t enough.  I am military and want to feel my purpose again.

My Hiatus is Finally Over

Over the last month and a half many things have changed in my life.  I needed some time to adjust and get on track for the upcoming months.

Unfortunately, due to the financial status of the country, I will be unable to make my Tanzania trip in January.  It’s just too hard for people to help at this point, and the cancellation has also relieved a huge financial burden from me.  This in no way means that it will not happen in the future. In the meantime, I will definitely continue my service work here.

I really appreciate all the love and support that you have given me and look forward to sharing my future adventures with you.  And trust me, I have some great ones in the works!