One Week In

Friends,

Well...we're here. I cannot say where "Here" is, because since we got "here" the ramifications for saying where "here" is have become more....aggressive. I can say that I successfully arrived in "Southwest Asia" in support of operations in the area. This secrecy is not really derived from US authorities, but rather the host nation. Because if certain other nations found out that the host nation had us, that certain other nation would be upset. There.

We are knee-deep in the "RIP-TOA" process. Where we sign for the outgoing unit's stuff, adopt or change their procedures to fit our SOPs, and generally try to coexist while sharing living facilities, dining halls, and gyms. So far so good, but we are getting more adamant about wanting to take the mission over. We did a good job preparing our guys for the intricacies of this theater and that knowledge, combined with the ground truth given to us by the tacticians from the outgoing unit, has made us more than ready. We are nearly complete in our validations for all crews and look to take the helm soon. In fact, due to geography, I will be the certifying authority for crews here at my location. This means numerous times a month, in the midst of pulling my shifts in the ICC, I get to go to the line units and validate their readiness with and Operational Readiness Exercise.

Alot of my gripes from the Korea blogs were centered around how PATRIOT does certifications and treats the engagement control crews. It is now time for me to take the seat of the guy doing the certifications and execute with some common sense. I will train and grade to standard, but I will absolutely not lock crews down because they forgot to initial some piece of paperwork. Because locked down crews mean crews who can't communicate back to the rear to their families, and especially at this point in time, that is extremely important to me. We are trained at this point, we simply need to keep the edge sharp.

With spotty internet, I don't get to web-cam back home as often as I would like, but I have been able to talk to the girls both on web-cam and on the phone. Words cannot begin to describe how much I miss them, but this is the job for now. God bless them for understanding.

I have been getting alot of care package questions, so here's the scoop: I am cutting weight, so please no candy. It is sweet to send, and I can always share the wealth, but the following list is stuff I specifically would really like to get re-supplied:

Derek F. Walsh

HHB 3-2 ADA BN

APO AE 09853

Clearly, no booze or even remotely suggestive magazines or I might get in a spot of trouble.

Natural peanut butter

Beef Jerky

GNC "Sport" Men's multivitamin

Mouthwash

Kashi TLC bars

Thank you all for your love and support. The packages are lovely and are super appreciated, but the bottom line is that we are well taken care of where I am located. For the price of buying all of that stuff, boxing it up, and sending it, you could meet up with my precious girls and buy them some ice cream or lunch. My job is tough, but Michelle is doing the unbelievable. If you want to make sure I am in good spirits, then send some love their way, because knowing they are taken care of allows me to do my job here.

Thanks everyone!

Warmest Regards,

Derek