Leadership Funk

For those of you that where wondering, I've been in a little bit of a funk the past year. Last June I deployed for 4 months; during that deployment I had to deal with the death of a co-worker which made for some of the worst times in my professional career. While I realize now that the deployment was going poorly from the start, at the time I felt that his death was the catalyst for all the bad karma we experienced. What I've come to realize is that it was poor leadership at all levels, including mine, that let the deployment go sour. While I do put the majority of the blame for all the problems we endured on our commanders shoulders all of us in leadership positions had a hand in the declining moral. Even though we had a bad apple, it took a team to make us all feel like failures. Where I failed was not recognizing where the problem was and therefor was not able to help in fixing the problem. I'm not sure what the solution to that problem was other than time but now if I ever see it happen again I'm going to do my damnedest to stop it. This spring I was able to experience a deployment with a different leadership package. Initially I wasn't supposed to go but at the last minute I had to go to replace someone with personal issues the prevented him from going. I was very concerned about having to go and re-experience all those problems again but I really didn't have a way to "not go". This time however the experience was totally different. First; we didn't have a traumatic loss to deal with so that was one huge issue we didn't have to deal with. Secondly; we had a much more charismatic commander who had the best interest of each of us and the mission in mind. His leadership abilities and skills trickled do to all of us an the lower levels empowering all of us to do our job better. The entire experience for me was a 180 degree difference for me with respect to the previous deployment. I actually came home feeling better than I left and the experience changed my attitude about whether I can continue doing this job. It pulled me out of the funk I was in and has motivated me to stay around a little longer. The moral to all of this is simple; if you are in a leadership position you must be a leader. Don't let your team fail because of outside influences, and no mater what, maintain your strength. I know that we had some huge influences that created our problems but had we all handled them better we could have turned them into positive influences instead of allowing them to be negative results.

The American Flag

I'm not sure where this came from or who wrote it but I thought it was nice.

I am the American Flag.  I have flown over every conflict since my inception into this world. I have seen the grassy fields of Gettysburg, the waters in the Pacific, the sands of Iraq, the skies over Yugoslavia, and the mountains of Afghanistan.  The mere sight of me invokes tears of joy, pride, and dedication to those who believe in what I stand for.  I also provoke fear into the heart of nations of those who oppose me.  I know no gender or race, and accept all who will accept me.  I am no God, but hold a bond over men and women who serve under me that is equal.  I have no voice, but people listen.  I cover a nation with hope and vision, and sadly blanket those who have given us the same.  Of all the nations and all the flags, none makes it’s presence known as I.  I am a leader among leaders.  I encompass the lives of friends and family, brothers and sisters, the living and the dead.  I will continue to give hope to those who do not understand, and meaning to those who do.  In return for all I can give, I ask for but one thing.  This I cannot tell you, it is something that only you will come to know.  I do ask that you be patient for I am young…and yet stern for I am old.  Proudly display me for all  the world to see, and look to me, and I will show you the past, the present, and the future.  I am committed to you, the children of my country.  I am the American Flag.

Starting College

Well I've finally and officially started college. I'm registered with the American Military University pursuing a BA in Human Relations. The university is all on-line and geared towards the military. I chose this degree because one thing I think I'll enjoy this type of work once I'm a civilian. I feel that it's close enough to the First Sergeant and Flight Chief work I've been doing that I should enjoy it very much. I've done my first essay, here's what I wrote: ___________________________________________________________________ Why did I decide to attend college now? I’ve done a lot of thinking about this question and have come up with several answers; broadening myself as a senior NCO leading to a possible promotion, preparing myself for my upcoming return to the civilian job market, being a positive role model for my college age children, and lastly, to rid myself of this feeling of incompleteness since I haven’t gotten my degree. There are a myriad of other reasons but these are the ones I feel are most important to me. Let me take a closer look into each of these reasons to better explain my motivation. There are many responsibilities associated with being a senior NCO but none are more important than being a positive role model and mentor. We are expected to give career planning guidance to the young the NCOs to include education expectations regarding promotions. The Air Force has recently changed their promotion criteria for the top two enlisted ranks to include a CCAF degree requirement. Without this degree Master Sergeants (like me) will receive such a low promotion score that it takes them out of the running. Some folks don’t care about getting promoted but the point is to be able to show the folks that are working for you how they can be successful in the Air Force. The “do as I say and not as I do” mentality doesn’t work very well and doesn’t make successful Airmen. Another door a degree will open for me is that certain jobs within my career path are offered only to the most promotion eligible NCOs. Jobs such as Chief Instructor, Chief Evaluator, and Flight Chief don’t open up too often and when they do you need to look good on paper in order to be considered. So as you can see not only will the degree make me more competitive for promotion, but it also bolsters my credibility when I’m counseling one of my young Airmen about their education goals. There are several other advantages to having a degree while in the military but the military is only a short phase of my life. Let’s take a look at what college will do for me after my military career is over. The civilian job market isn’t anything new to me; I didn’t join the Air Force until I was 25 years old so I had a lot of experience prior to my military enlistment; but that was several years ago and I’m a much older man now. Knowing that I’m soon going to have to complete a resume to search for a job, I need to make myself look better on paper in order for me to get an edge for a job that pays well enough to support my current lifestyle. If I hadn’t joined the service, more than likely, I would have worked my way up through a company towards a middle management position similar to job I have in the military now. Unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of working my way up the corporate ladder; I need to start in the middle. With a degree and my military experience, I should be able to start at a job as a manager or some type of supervisor at a higher than normal pay grade. Without it, I’d be lucky to start at an entry level position at the lowest pay bracket; a position that would put a lot of pressure on me and my family. This would also put me closer in line with my civilian peers in my age group and life experience level rather than having to start at the bottom. For me though, the most important thing having a degree will give me is allowing me to actually do something that I enjoy rather than just getting whatever job I can get. I’ve gone 22 years now doing something I really enjoy and I don’t want to have to go back to doing something just because it’s the only thing I could find. Work and career is only one aspect of why a degree is important to me. As you can probably figure out I’m not a very young person, In fact I’m 47 years old and have three children. Andrew, my oldest, is a senior at Denver University studying Computer Science, Isabella is 19 years old and pursuing a Political Science degree at West Texas A&M, and Krystina is graduating high school this year and will be attending Angelo State University this fall in pursuit of a teaching degree. I mentioned earlier how important it is for me to be a positive role model to those that work for me and I also feel this is important when it comes to parenthood. I don’t think I’m going to beat Andrew to a degree but he doesn’t need any motivation, my daughters on the other hand look to me leadership in all aspect of their life so I want to show them that attaining a degree is important and achievable. They’ve heard me talk about going to college and how important I feel it is, but I’ve not demonstrated this to them with my actions. This is a problem I need to fix. I mentioned several reasons why I’ve decided to start college mostly pertaining to my career or my family, but what about my internal reasons? What inside me finally motivated me enough to take this step? The answer is simple; I’m tired of procrastinating. I need to get this monkey off my back and get it done. It sounds so simple but I know how difficult it’s going to be, which is why I procrastinated so long; I was dreading the work. I have successfully put up a roadblock to my advancement; I’m not talking about promotion in the military but advancing me as a person. For a long time I was comfortable with who I was but I’ve reevaluated my purpose in life and found that this roadblock has to go. No longer am I going to sit around and blame other people for my inadequacies. This is just the first of many steps I’m taking to make myself an even more successful person. Why did I decide to attend college now? Very simple; I’ve reached a point in my life both professionally and privately that the reasons to start, outweigh the reasons to wait. Having a degree will help me professionally, help my family, and help me during my transition to civilian life. The most important reason however is because it’s something I’ve been putting off for a long time and I want to finish it so I can work on the next challenge life throws at me. We all have to find our own motivation to overcome the roadblocks in our lives, hopefully now you better understand mine.

Manna from Heaven??

So how many of you out there actually think this rebate scheme the government is planning will do any good? My wife and I haven't really discussed what we're going to do with the money but with all our recurring bills I doubt if we're going to be buying anything with it. No, with tuition for two daughters, home upkeep expenses, and property taxes, we really can't afford to go out and spend extra money on anything. For most of the population we live on a payday to payday basis so when extra money comes along we use it to reduce our existing debt, not for to expand our wealth. So if my hypothesis is correct will this scheme really do what it's intended and promote growth in our economy? Makes one wonder... The last time I checked the government is supposed to act as a non-profit agency. If they have money to send out all these checks why do we still have a national debt? Have we been able to create this much extra money to be able to fund this boondoggle? I think not. I've heard the figures surrounding the cost of this plan and I know they're not enough to really make a difference but we're still incurring more debt every day due to Washington's spending habits. Instead of sending out all these checks and increasing our debt even more, why don't they actually try to pay off some of our debt? Wouldn't that help our economy? Our country is slowly eroding it's social benefits because of it's increasing inability to live with it's means. Increasing our debt won't help in that situation. I'm not a big fan of social programs due to their abuse but some really do make a difference in people lives. Increasing our debt will eventually require those programs to be cut even farther. So with all these issues why is the government doing this? The answer is that it's an election year. In reality this plan is no more than voter pandering; and it is some of the most despicable I've ever seen. And it's not just one side that's doing it. Both the Democrats and Republicans have their hands in this one so they can both take credit for it. They've advertised this as a plan to boost our economy but I suspect it will eventually have the opposite effect. What are they going to do next year when we're still in the same boat? How deep in debt will our government go to hide the truth about the economy from it's people. No this plan isn't the answer and has the potential of having some serious long term affect for all of us. I'm not an economist so I won't pretend to have all the answers but it seems to me that if we pay down this huge debt the country, as a whole, would be better off. A few years ago my wife and I where is a similar position; we owed a large amount of money to several agency's. This was mostly because our income level was fairly low and we needed some things just to get by. Due to some changes in my job we found ourselves with the ability to pay off most of our debt and have been able to keep it at bay since then. We still take out an occasional loan for big ticket items but for the most part we're living within our means. What a liberating feeling we've enjoyed since we've become financially free; I can only imagine what it would be like if our country was in this position. Incurring more debt isn't the answer, removing our debt is.

Herk Video

Here's a cool video I hope ya'll enjoy.

Want to make a change?

As I watch the market upheaval today I wonder why all this is happening. Lately there's been a lot of discussion in the world about increasing prices and the devaluing of money. What there isn't one simple solution to any of the worlds woes, one huge contributor is our own inability to accept change. Here's an example of what I'm talking about: How many of you remember your first car? I remember mine, it was a 1977 Chevrolet Chevette. The Chevette was one of Detroit's answers to our desires for cheaper transportation. It was overpriced, underpowered, and unrealistically small. In the 70s Detroit was still the king at making large comfortable cars so when they tried to downsize their efforts were lacking. The Chevette, Vega, Pinto, and Omni all pretty much sucked. You'd be hard pressed to find any of them on the road today but if you look around you'll still see LTDs, Caddies, muscle cars, and pick-ups built in that era still being driven. Why is that? Could it be that people actually like the look, the comfort, or the power these vehicles offered? I think so. Yes these are gas guzzlers but in reality their mileage isn't that much worse than a lot of the new cars coming out now. At it's prime my Chevette would get almost 20 mile per gallon, with a 12 gallon tank I could fill it up on about $10 bucks. Now I have a Honda Civic that gets about 20-25 MPG around the city and it costs me $25 to fill it up. But neither of these cars are comfortable doing a 3-4 hour drive. So what have I gained? Not much. Now my Honda isn't the only car I have in fact it's actually my daughters car now. I have a very nice pick-up, it's very comfortable, but it cost's me a lot to operate it. My wife have been looking at buying a replacement for her mini-van, we really don't need a car that big now but we do enjoy it's creature comforts. When I go out to buy this new vehicle will gas mileage be my #1 concern? No not really, I'll be looking for a comfortable car that I can drive around the country safely and comfortably. Good gas mileage will be a bonus but won't play much into my decision making. I thin that for the majority of the population that will probably ring true. So how does all this play into the markets? Well my theory is this; people don't purchase based on global concerns, people buy things based on their own needs. When I buy my next car I'm not going to fall prey to this malarkey about how I can save the planet if I buy a piece of crap car. I know that in the cooperate world it's all about how to make a profit. Right now corporations aren't seeing the benefit to their profits to create things that will help the global economy or environment. Detroit is still creating gas guzzlers because gas is the easiest way for them to make a profit. It's easy because it's a proven technology. They don't really have to do anything to convince me that there's a better option. If all the auto makers in the world suddenly said they would no longer build gas powered engines what do you think the out come would be? Well other than a collapse of the oil business that I think would be short-lived, they would have to sell something else right? Gee I wonder what that would be, we have car makers that have a demand but they don't make cars? Come on folks, we have existing technology they could use to make large comfortable cars we would be willing to buy. I saw a show the other day called "Future Cars". A manufacturer in Japan had created a car that looked like a mini RV. It had six wheels, all independently driven, and a huge interior that could seat 6. they said it would easily do 200 mph, but who want to go that fast. If this car was built in the 70s it would have had to have a huge engine in it but this car was electric. Now I'm not sure of the range but I do like the way this was going. A large powerful comfortable vehicle that all I have to do is plug it in to recharge it. Wow what a concept. And on top of it all, a 4 (ok 6) wheel drive. Put a bed and a lift kit on it and you've got a monster truck! Ok, probably not but it's got potential. So why isn't this car being driven? Oil, that's why. As I mentioned earlier, if we quit making gas driven vehicles the oil market would initially be hurt. I said I felt this would be short lived because the initial shock would cause a lot of gasoline centered oil companies would be hurt and even fail but there are a lot of other products that can be created with oil. At our current consumption our oil reserves aren't going to last much longer, maybe 100 years (I'm speculating of course). If the demand for oil was reduced by a drastic change in the gasoline market many of the small companies would fail but auto's aren't the only consumer of oil so a market would still be there. Also, it would take time for all of us to get these new cars so it would be a tapering effect at the worst. In the long run we would in reality be extending our reserves enough that technologies that couldn't be converted could be extended even farther into our future. Since less oil would need to be converted to gasoline, more would be available for conversion into jet fuel, diesel, and other fuels thus resulting into eventual lower costs for these products. If the cost of commercial transportation is decreased a ripple effect of lower prices for everything would result. So next time you decide to "go-green" and "reduce your carbon footprint" (whatever the hell that crap means). Think about if your actually making a real affect. One vehicle isn't going to make change, but a massive change to the vehicle market will. And I'm not talking about environmental change, that's a liberal sympathy ploy, no I'm talking about real change, more money in your pocketbook. And strengthening our pocketbooks strengthens our global economy.

Latest Knee Surgery

Well yesterdays knee surgery went well. Dr DePrange found a tear in the meniscus that was easy to repair. I'm not sure how it happened since I'm not that athletic but I'm pretty sure it happened while I was deployed. One thing I know contributed to the problem was getting knocked around during an approach into Baghdad. We were trying to land and I was standing behind the pilot scanning for threats when we flew through the wake turbulence of a departing IL-76. I got slammed into the circuit breaker panel and ended up on the floor. My knee was the first thing I noticed but that's also when the back problems started. I think I posted a few things earlier about this incident so I'm not going to repeat myself. I'm glad though that we found something and it's now fixed. Next week I see a new doctor about the back, hopefully we get that fixed as well. I'm going to be on leave for a few weeks to help with the recovery of the knee. My plan is to start walking as much as the back can endure. Since I've been back I haven't exercised much and it's showing. I've got to loose this excess weight so I'm going to take advantage of this time off to work on it. Athena is going to be my walking partner; I'm sure she'll love it. I know this isn't my normal type of post but I've found that by writing things out helps me focus and prioritize my thoughts. It's kind of funny how that works; I've never been the type of person to keep a journal or diary but I'm really enjoying this. What's really interesting is that I'll have an idea in my head but when I try to write it out it changes and evolves into something better. It's like I take a bunch of random thoughts and writing it out channels them into a workable plan. If you you find your that type of person you might want to give this "blog" thing a try, it may help. (If you do let me know, I'll enjoy the read).

Another Surgery

Well the Doc's going to hack me open again. He needs to go into my left knee to fix a problem that's developed form last years surgery. Nothing major, just a quick "scope job". Oh well, I could use the time off from work. Now if we could just figure out what's going on with the back...

New Years

Tonight 2007 ends and '08 begins. While I don't have any specific plans for this year I will say I'm looking forward to it. 2007 has had it's share of ups and downs for me; my family, my job and my health have all been areas that have seen the most extreme fluctuations in the past year. Other than my Dad's health which has been in decline for a while now, the biggest upheaval in my family has been the reemergence of my son back into it. I've been estranged from my son for many years now due a decision I'd made a long time ago. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do but as the years passed, deciding to limit contact with my son was something I'd increasingly regretted. Earlier this year I had finally been able to locate him on the internet (a high point) but when I attempted to reestablish a relationship with him he rejected me (a low point). While I understand his animosity towards me and see that it's a huge uphill battle, I'm hoping that in the upcoming year I can make progress in creating some type of relationship with him. As for my job, well here it was more about image that anything else. Earlier in the year I was filling in as the Squadron 1st Sergeant. As the top enlisted member of the squadron I was able to positively affect the career of many of our folks. This is something that I take personal pride in because I feel that unless you recognize the successes of your folks your not really leading them into success. During the year I deployed for four months and experienced some of the most challenging experiences I could ever imagine, some I did well, and some... not so much. The death of Joey during the deployment was tough but we banded together and pushed through it to get the mission done. While this time was a personal low point for me I think professionally it was more a high point. Although I could have handled things better, I kept focus on my guys making sure they dealt with the loss but also understood the importance of completing their mission. I remember taking pride in the fact that we didn't loose any missions due to this event, I think more than anything it was strong leadership from the entire squadron staff that kept that from happening. The low point of the deployment was the second half. It all started with me getting a little too big for my britches and made a few decisions that upset some of the leadership. When they put me in the "penalty box" it didn't set well with me and I started pushing back; its never a good thing when you try to push around your boss. This was some very poor judgment on my part and the repercussions reinforced my dependency into depression. All of it came to a head when the commander said I was a failure as a SrNCO, citing the fact that since I'd been unsuccessful in getting any of my guys recognized with awards I had failed them. While now I totally disagree with him, his comments hurt and made me re-access my entire career. I've since discovered that while my guys didn't get recognized I did gain their respect and admiration and that my ex-commander was totally oblivious to how his people felt towards me. The year ended on a high point though when I was successful in getting some well deserving individuals recognized and promoted. I also was able to secure some highly sought after assignments for a few of my guys so I may have slipped a little I've proven to myself that I am the SrNCO I should be. Some of the problems I had in the desert stemmed from my increasing health problems. Between my knees surgeries and my back problems I'm now always in a constant level pain. The pain varies greatly in intensity but it's always there. I never really understood how pain could be such a debilitating issue for people but now I have a totally different insight on it. I'm trying very hard not to use pain medication at all since I feel this will only cause other dependency issues I think would be worse so we're trying to use physical therapy to help reduce the pain. It seems to be working but the road is tough and frustrating. Pain can cause depression, moodiness, and laziness; all of these areas I noticed an increase in during the past year so hopefully in the upcoming one I can reverse this trend. As soon as I can get the pain under control things will get a lot easier for me. So as you can see I'm looking forward to the upcoming year but I'm sure t will have it's own challenges.

STEP Promotion

Yesterday I got a chance to see the results of some very hard work, one of my NCOs was promoted to the SrNCO ranks via the STEP program. Last year we submitted him, and even though we thought he had a very strong package, he had a huge hole in his career that we couldn't cover up. This year however we was able to complete those items and in fact did a lot more. We in the Air Force use the STEP (Stripes for Exceptional Performers) to recognize those that stand above and beyond and work at levels way above their pay grade. Some time this is used to promote some long in the tooth guy that's had difficulty testing, other times it's used for folks that truly stand-out above the rest. When the program is used for the former, the promotion may be well deserved but it lacks the ability to motivate others. However, when it is used for the later, it not only highlights a star performer but it also highlight all the core values we in the military hold dear; Integrity first, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do. Twice in my career I have seen people STEP promoted that truly epitomized these values and their promotion fit exactly in-line with the reasons the program was developed. This time with my troop, and when my brother in-law was promoted. In both incidences the individuals stood above the rest doing jobs their peers shy'd away from. Both times theses individuals sought out the hard things not to highlight themselves but because "that's why we wear these stripes". Both times these folks had displays what true and natural leaders they are and in both cases the Air Force responded. Yesterday was Kelly's day but in reality we're all going to benefit.

DNIF update and other stuff

OK, so the physical therapy isn't going so well. They have me in traction 20 minutes a day 3 days a week and each day I feel worse than when I walked in. One of my favorite movies is 12 O'clock High and one of the story lines in the movie is of Gately being a slug but having back problems. As I'm laying there in the machine I'm thinking of General Savage (Gregory Peck) sitting at Gately's bedside trying to comfort him but realizing that maybe he was a little premature on his assessment of him. Well I'm no slug but when I'm laying there I sure feel like one, especially since I feel worse afterwards than when I started. My next appointment is Tuesday so hopefully the weekend off will help the back feel better. I'm not feeling like a slug because of the back pain but I am feeling bad for not being able to fly. Since I've returned from Qatar I've been DNIF and have not flown at all. Granted I have been very busy getting the office in order but I get paid to go out and fly airplanes, and I haven't been able to do that. So no matter how many times I restructure the office, write evaluations, or create a new medal package, I still feel I'm not doing my part since I'm not flying. That's the drawback to being a career aviator! Speaking of recognition, my boss wants to put an awards package in for me. After all the bad stuff that happened while I was in the desert I am very hesitant to put anything in for myself. After all I am the first SrNCO that deployed with a group of guys and didn't bring all of them back. In my mind I know that I couldn't have done anything about Joey's death but in my heart it really hurts that I couldn't do anything to stop it. All of the 15 engineers deployed relied on me to make sure they returned safely and I failed in this one. I thought I was past all these feelings but when he asked me about the submittal this week it brought back all those feelings of failure that I've been trying to suppress. I'm going to give my boss what he's asking for, even though I don't think it'll go anywhere, but if it does I hope that Windy and Joey understand. I will tell you this that whatever package is submitted for me, there will be no references to Joey or any of the memorial stuff that's happened since. If I do receive an award I sure don't want that tragedy to contribute at all. Hopefully everyone understands.

Wanna be Doctors! Yuch

I've been having some back pain recently so my doc recommended for me to see a physical therapist. After doing an MRI he found that I had a couple of bulging disks, remedy... traction. Today was day one of the traction; instead of relief, my pain was so bad I couldn't hardly get up off the table. We'll see how day two goes tomorrow but if it's the same I think I'd prefer a surgeon to fix the problem. Between chiropractors and physical therapists it's a wonder I can still sit up straight.

Anti-War Attitude Explained

I heard a theory the other day that's made me do a lot of thinking about "anti-war". Did you know there's a huge anti-war movement in the United States? Or so the liberal media wants you to think. Yes there are a lot of people and groups out there wanting the war to stop but their on the fringe of society and can be easily rebuked. No, according to the media the majority of Americans are anti-war. What a load of hooey! Yes there's a large displeasure in the current state of the war (or at least the pre-surge era) but most people aren't anti war. Saying that you're anti-war means that you are a pacifist, someone how abhors conflict and feels that peace is the only just course. Do you really think that the majority of Americans are pacifists? I don't think so. America was founded by war, sustained by war, and will continue to proper because of war. To make a general statement that the majority of Americans are anti-war (pacifists) is an insult to me, you, and every person that has fought and died to get us where we are today. I really feel that most Americans feel frustrated with the way the war is going, that's okay. The average Joe has a hard time understanding why we've been at war for over 7 years and have no clear end in sight. We are the most powerful nation in the world but a ragtag bunch of criminals seems to be getting the upper hand. It's a slap in our face and doesn't reflect the strength of the America people want to be a part of. Mr. John Q. Public sees everyday the frustration of the U.S. Military as it's being portrayed by the news and has no other choice but to feel beaten and weak. Nobody likes that so they become, not anti-war, but anti-"getting our butts kicked". News organizations and people with an agenda feed on this attitude by asking vague or leading questions in public opinion poles then twisting the results to fit their point of view. It's a self perpetuating cycle, the more people say they're frustrated the more they hear how frustrated they are but they're words are being twisted so support real anti-war organizations. A perfect example of this is the Code Pink crowd. Expressing dissent based on frustrations does not mean you're anti-war, it just means you don't like how things are going. So stop supporting those that are twisting your words to make this nation seem divided. We must stand together to defeat this enemy, but it's okay to voice your opinion on how we do it. Be careful though, the enemy could be that pollster calling.

Haven't Commented in a While!

This wasn't a line I wanted to use but it's appropriate since I haven't written here in a while. I've been very preoccupied with a lot things happening at the home front. Right now things have settled down a little so I thought I'd try to write something. I have another blog that I use to talk to my son and I've been writing on it fairly consistently. Last I checked the other blog has about 70 entries and, well you can count the ones here. When I first started this blog I wanted to use it as a venue to opine on social matters and offer ideas and concepts I thought up. I didn't think there needed to be yet another blog saying "well the weather today was crappy". With all the turmoil my life's been in lately I find it hard to get time to put these things down in writing but I will try to be more consistent in writing here. If you would like to read the other blog I mentioned, it's not publicly advertised. The blog is there as a venue for me and my son (Andrew) to communicate and the contents aren't necessarily for public consumption. If you're interested, you can leave a comment and we can discuss it but if your not Andy then I'll be very hesitant to send it to you.

My son has a new name

As some of you know I have a son from my previous marriage. His Name was Andrew Hunt but he has legally changed it to Andrew Jones-Gonzales. His reasons for changing his name are his own and I don't want to speculate as to his motives. If you know about my previous marriage you'll know the basis of the new name and can formulate your own opinion on this. Andrew had informed me of his desire to change his name earlier in the year. At first I was wondering if he'd go through with it but based on the reasons he gave me I was pretty sure he would. I had know idea what new name he was planning on and expected something more obscure or even from a foreign language. I was pleasantly surprised that he decided to keep his first and middle name and only changed his last. What's in a name? Is a name just another word or is it an identifier that defines us? Can a name do more than just a identify your lineage? Some people take a lot of pride in all the names they've been given. Take Hillery Clinton for example. For several years she wanted to be called Hillery Rohdam-Clinton. She wanted to honor the lineage of her premarriage name by including it into hers. Many young ladies upon marriage decide to hyphenate their names for this very reason. This bucks tradition but who cares it's what make them happy. I'm sure Andrew's reasons fall somewhere in this but as I said his reasons are his own. So if you happen to run across Andy congratulate him on his new name. Hopefully he take pride in his new name.

Deployment now over Life sure sucked I'm glad to be home now Life improving

Affecting world events

Not many people get an opportunity in their life to affect world events. I'm not talking about the "Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes." Andy Worhal type of affect, but real and tangible things that will affect the world for years to come. Recently I've had two events in my life that have the possibility of having that long lasting affect I'm talking about. A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to transport an investigative team to a refugee camp in northern Africa. They here there to see first hand the effects of a long period of strife in the region and how it's affecting the population. The people in the area used to be mostly agricultural based but recently a guerrilla war has forced the people to concentrate around semi-secure camps and have stopped farming. Basically they have stopped producing for themselves and become totally reliant on government and foreign aide. They're economy has taken a downward spiral from total self sufficiency to total dependency. The team I took in was there to see first hand the effects of the war and hopefully a means to reverse the process. The teams approach to the situation was fairly unique in that it was not singularly focused but in fact took into consideration three basic human needs; defense, self sufficiency, and a feeling of community. One of the head guys referred to it as the 3D approach but other than defense I can't remember what the other two Ds where. Defense is pretty straight forward, but the other two where more difficult for me to comprehend. In a nut shell the where trying to build self sufficiency by providing a defense thus encouraging the families to go back out to the farms and out of the refugee camps. Also, the team was trying to get the government to allow us to go in to do more civil engineering project, road, bridges, rail, that kind of stuff. The feeling here was that if the people saw that the rest of the world felt strong enough to come in to do these types of things to improve their quality of life they would feel more like a part of the global community. The total goal of this project was to encourage people to want to be part of the global economy and not part of the terrorist network that seeks to undermine the free world. I'm not sure how this will all turn out but I know it's a work in progress and hopefully we'll all benefit from it. Secondly, recently I was on a crew that took the President of Iraq to a meeting with our President. I have no idea what they talked about but I'm sure it wasn't a social call. Iraq and the whole middle east is so much in turmoil these days, hopefully the meeting enabled a quicker end to some of the conflict over here. Any time there is conflict it destabilizes the entire region. As I've said before conflict is a necessary thing for humans, but in order for us to become better we also need to resolve our conflicts. Hopefully this meeting resolved something so this war/occupation can end sooner rather than later. Everyday someone out there is doing something that affects the world as a whole. Most of the time it's something small such as transporting a VIP. While these things on themselves are nothing, the end results could be everything. We all do this everyday, it could be the bank teller making a transaction for a global relief organization, a taxi driver taking an important underling to a back room meeting, or a world leader making nice with another leader; all of us do our part to affect everything else.

I've lost a friend

A few weeks ago I put a friend of mine on a medi-vac flight to Germany. That was the last time I saw him; he lost his battle with the illness he was suffering from shortly after his arrival. His passing has created a hole in me that only time will heal. I'm not sure if the hole will ever fill all the way, in some way I don't want it to. The grieving process really sucks but it's a process we all have to go through. In this day of the virtual world our lost friends are only one Google search away. It's a strange thing to see my friend now plastered all over the net and now I know his memory will live on forever on some server somewhere. The story's will never replace my friend but they will always remind me of him, my friend, my co-worker, husband and father, TSgt Joey Link. I'll miss you brother. http://www.reporternews.com/news/2007/aug/07/family-still-has-no-answer-on-what-caused-death/ http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/08/airforce_dyess_death_070806/ http://www.reporternews.com/photos/2007/aug/06/5018/ http://www.patriotguard.org/Forums/tabid/61/postid/601702/view/topic/Default.aspx

Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.

"Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Translation: "Therefore, whoever wishes for peace, let him prepare for war." (Vegetius in De Re Militari) This is a very interesting comment that most pacifist fail to comprehend. War, although unwanted, is what happens when peace breaks down. If you have peace then guess what, at one time you had war. I know there will always be those that feel war should be avoided at all costs and to some point I agree, but to not prepare for war, that's opening yourself up to conquest. How many of us out there have not benefited at some level from war? The United States would still be British if it hadn't been for the Revolutionary War. For that matter we wouldn't have country's at all if we didn't have war. People tend to get wrapped up in the minutia of war and not the results. Yes the atrocities associated with destruction are horrible but the outcome may be worth it. In every war people are fighting for what they believe in, what they feel passionate about. We have wars because not everybody feels the same way about all things. True peace can only be achieved by the removal of free thought or the eradication of man. Anything else and the best we can hope for are long periods of peace. Peace can only be assured by strength. Sometimes your strength is restraint but many times you have to show the bully on the block that your serious. We use all means to prevent war, diplomacy, negotiations, treaty's, and yes, ignoring are all tactics we use to avoid conflict, but those tools are only useful if your enemy knows you'll take things to the next level. Empty or hollow threats have never and will never protect you, they're as transparent as air. Vegetius has it right but here's my take on it: Thrust peace on your enemy, or they will thrust theirs on you.

Baby killers?

For those of you in the non-American world; don't believe what your seeing on your local news. The US military isn't the baby killing murderer's they're portrayed as. Come on, do you honestly think this to be true? These are human beings that have volunteered to support they're country. Get a clue folks, educate yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here's a rule of thumb for you, if it sounds to convenient then it's probably not true. Instead of taking what you hear as the gospel do a little research and dig for the truth. When I'm overseas I watch Fox New, Sky News and CNN; this gives me a pretty clear and objective viewpoint to almost anything happening in the world. Try this next time you hear that we're "evil" so you can make up your own mind. Stop letting yourself be brainwashed by someone else agenda!