(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, uncertain, and exciting.  I think that's about where I am right now with this upcoming deployment.  It kind of hit most of us this week when we realized that in fewer than two weeks, we'll be at Ft. Polk, doing what we gotta do in order to be cleared for deployment out of the country.

But in doing so, I think this team is really starting to work together, or "gel" as the commander puts it.  We spent the last two days at Ft. Carson, going through training. And in doing so, I think we've begun to learn what works/doesn't work well, how to communicate with each other, and what our personal interactions are like.  And I really enjoy/appreciate this.  I've been in a number of situations (for example, Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship, Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity, and Continental Singers) where one must learn to work together as a team in order to succeed.  (Sorry if that sounds like a hippie, but I was that geek in college who actually enjoyed Sociology 101.)  And I always appreciate how important and effective this team cohesion is.  However, only in the Army have I experienced comaraderie so quickly.  Whether it was in AIT, at my regular unit in Colorado, or with this OMLT, it seems that military personnel (from very diverse situations and places in life) come together and learn to work hard and have a good time.  Additionally, I am glad for these situations because they better my ability to communicate and serve others.

Last week, we teamed up with the aviation unit at Buckley Air Base to allow us to go up on a Black Hawk for an hour and a half training flight over the front range and Denver.  The best part was flying around over Denver, because downtown looks amazing from the air.  Check out this photo of Mile High Stadium that one of the other guys took.  One interesting aspect of the flight was that if you're unengaged, it can be easy to fall asleep.  You have to wear earplugs because it's incredibly loud.  And the muffled sound is similar to hearing a vacuum cleaner.  That sound, mixed with the vibration feel of the aircraft, can easily push you into slumber land.  Weird.

Last weekend, we went through our Colorado periodic health assessment (PHA).  We were at the armory with a few other units, but because we're deploying, the colonel front-loaded us to get through the PHA as quickly as possible.  It was great to get in and out of there in just a few hours.  And afterwards, a few of us had lunch at Lulu's in Watkins, where SPC Bloms and I enjoyed a basket of Rocky Mountain oysters --- always a good meal.

Well, this weekend is my official "move all my junk out of the apartment" day.  My family is driving up to help out, and I am grateful because I hate moving.  It's a lot of work, can be emotional, and is rather similar to that graduation practice leading up to the big day.  And it's with ardent enthusiasm and apprehension that I take on that big day.

Auf wiedersehen,
- Jerrod