We’ve been in Afghanistan for over a month now, and I’ve found that at times, I’m usually reflecting: life back home, who I want to be, where I am right now, where I’ve been, etc. Therefore, it seems all too fitting that the next step in this big “how to survive a deployment” blog is to reflect. So here are a few of my recent (somewhat random) reflections. On Slovenia: Slovenia is a beautiful country. I would love to go back...read more

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As we prepare to head into Afghanistan soon, I am forced to realize how much I’m grateful for in my life. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about the next six months. But I still feel that this mission is worthwhile, and my dad instilled a strong “do not quit what you’ve started” mentality in my siblings and me, so it’s about time to dig the boot heels and drive on with full force. In doing so, I’ve created a list of things...read more

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We’ve been in Slovenia for about two weeks now, and it’s been an interesting ride so far. Slovenia, nestled to the north-east of Italy, is a small beautiful country that sits in the southern Alps. Ever since the bus ride here, the main lesson I’ve learned is forcing myself to look around. On the bus ride across Austria, I looked to see mountains comparable to the Rocky Mountains, but these seemed to reflect the sun differently. Everything looked...read more

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We have one week left here at Ft. Polk. And I, for one, couldn’t be happier. I have decided the following about Louisiana: I will never choose to live down here. Don’t get me wrong – there are good people, fun fried food, and nice scenery. But the way that water interacts with the land here is just atrocious at times. And I’m here in the winter; I hear that the summers are unbearably painful. The last OMLT ahead of us was here...read more

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I realize that it’s been a while since I last posted anything, but we’ve been busy with training in both the days and the evenings, and the internet at the MWR was down for about four days, so this is the first time I’ve been able to take the time to write anything. My apologies. We’ve been doing a lot of training lately that requires visual focus and mental understanding. Before Thanksgiving, we went through driver’s training on the MATV, which...read more

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Salam alaykum! Man Zabett Griebel astom. Culture is an interesting thing. And it's cool to be able to observe other cultures in order to learn more about your own. Recently, we've begun working on our Dari language training. Written above, it basically says, "May God's peace be with you. I am sergeant Griebel." Learning the language hasn't been too bad. Having a masters degree in English definitely helps me understand...read more

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To the left is a picture of my immediate family and me from our Departure Ceremony, which was held at Joint Force Headquarters shortly before we left Colorado for Ft. Polk. Even though we are a rather crazy bunch at times, I do love my family and am greatly appreciate of their support and encouragement. And, as I write this, I am praying for my brother and his wife – that they may get pregnant soon because I am wholeheartedly convinced that they will be outstanding, loving...read more

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Déjà vu is funny. Some smart brainy people claim that it doesn’t exist. They say that it’s actually just the brain observing, thinking, and processing things faster than reality allows. They say that it seems you’ve already experienced it because your brain knows what is and will happen before it happens milliseconds later. I disagree. I’ve been through enough experiences that I’ve either 1) dreamed about, or 2) already...read more

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(I just spent the last half hour working on this blog post when FireFox decided to crash on me while I was in the "final editing" phase of writing. So, with frustration and disdain for technology, I'll try again.) Remember when you were finishing your senior year of high school, and you had that moment of realization that it was all about to end. You'd soon have to say goodbye to your friends, family, and the life you once knew to move on to something new,...read more

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Over the past week, we've been continuing our pre-deployment training in Aurora, CO. It's been going well --- busy, but smooth. Because I'm a list person, I feel a list would be the best way to summarize some of the recent events: *Our two medics have been training us in some Combat Life Saver (CLS) skills. It's been quite a while since I last had any CLS training (I'm thinking Basic Training was the last time), and this training here has been...read more

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