Part Two (The Adventure Continues...)

So the week in Mexico had various events throughout the day to keep everyone occupied and entertained (personally, lying by the pool I was occupied by all the eye candy and the Mexican waitress saying "Here es yur Magarita señor"). One such event particularly sparked Victor's interest - the 'Scavenger Hunt'. At the beginning of the day he wanted to do it and I didn't, then midway through he wanted to just keep sippin’ on Piña Coladas while something inside me said "R.J., you MUST enter!” All of a sudden, as if preparing for war, my game face came on. I looked at Victor and said, "We're going to enter this competition and we're going to win - get out of the pool!" He saw how serious I was, and so we both put our A-games on and entered.

Fifty couples entered. The competition started with a clue that was given to you, which led you to successive clues and/or activities that needed to be accomplished. The first team to finish won. Sounds simple enough right? WRONG!

The second clue led us to a basketball court on the remote corner of the grounds where a coach had a basketball ready for us. We needed to make two 3-point free throw baskets (of a possible 4 attempts total). If we failed, we went to the back of the line which meant a delay of at least 15-20 minutes. I looked at Victor and said, "Can you play basketball?" He said and I quote "Girl, please! I'm a fu*kin cheerleading coach. I can't throw to save my life, you?" I reluctantly looked back at him with a facial expression that surely meant the end of the competition for us both. I was thrown the ball (which I dropped lol) and I gave it a few dribbles as if I knew what I was doing. I bent my knees (remembering something from 7th grade gym class) and shot the ball. Swish. All net!!! I was like, "Holy Shit!" One more to go and we would have it. I focused, aimed and shot - it bounced on the rim and rolled out as a sigh of "Awws" enveloped me. I threw the ball to Victor (which he also dropped lol). He grasped it with two hands and as he was about to launch the thing in the air I said, "Wait! Victor maybe I should go again and take your shots for you (this was within the rules)" He said, "Go, go, do it!" I dribbled, aimed, and with Michael Jordan form...swoosh, all net again! We did it!!! On to the next clue…

After a series of crazy clues and tasks, including kayaking, finding missing letters, solving riddles, singing in front of everyone, and playing hide and seek, we made it to our final clue. It read "Find Malcolm!" (Malcolm was the resort director.) Feverishly we knew where he was and we screamed running towards him, knowing we had almost finished, all of a sudden we heard, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the scavenger hunt is over! Congratulations to RJ and Victor for finishing in first place, both receiving the grand prize award which is an all inclusive trip for two to Club Med Cancun in April!" Victor started jumping up and down and I started screaming as we won the grand prize! It was unbelievable! I knew we'd win I just knew it!

The rest of the week was spent going to parties (the resort had a theme party every night, including the Mardi Gras Party, the White Party, the Tropical Party (where everyone just wore a sarong and nothing else!), a 70s Disco and even a Dog Tag Party (which I was more than ready for). If you put a red sticker on the dog tags it meant you were taken, a yellow sticker meant you were taken, but with a few drinks you'd entertain the thought, a green sticker meant available, two green stickers meant very available, aka, meet me in my room in 15 minutes, and if you had green stickers all over your body it meant "Take Me Now!" I was looking for someone to paint me green lol. Enclosed are a few pics from the week, friends we made, sunsets we experienced, and memories that will last a lifetime. Thanks for an amazing week Victor. It was great getting to know you again.

Next was Phoenix, AZ visiting my ex-roommate and good friend Josh. I stayed in a suite in a posh hotel called the Mondrian in Scottsdale, just outside of Phoenix. The pictures enclosed are of the hotel here (and not the place in Mexico). The hotel was beautiful and very Delano-esque (owned by the same company that owns the Delano Hotel in South Beach, Miami). The first two days I had an hour long Stone Therapy message, a manicure, a pedicure (I know, that was pretty gay, but I rationed that it was important for me to take care of my body after putting it through so much neglect for 7 months) and I finally spent time at the 'Serenity Pool' - a quiet oasis from the hotel with a warm pool, waterfall and quiet area (see picture). It was very relaxing - a perfect post-vacation vacation. The weather was sunny and unseasonably warm in the mid to upper 80s. Perfect weather to sit by the pool and sip on mojitos!

I bought an I-Phone today (yes, I know, the shopping spree continues) and now I'm learning how to set it up (a task that is even harder than the scavenger hunt and should take me into the weekend). As much of a good time that I'm having, I kind of miss my car. lol. Is that weird? I am still enjoying things on my Master Post-Iraq list, like "Go to Baja Fresh for a Baja Ensalada, go to P.F. Chang's for their Salt and Pepper Calamari and Mongolian Beef, and go hiking".

Currently I'm in Los Angeles spending time with my friends Luciano and Eli. We went on a hiking expedition yesterday and enjoyed the beautiful unseasonably warm and sunny weather. I have a few more people to see and then its back to Hawaii.

I'll tell you this - the past few weeks since my return have been interesting in the sense of experiencing life all over again. It's been nice just to see new faces (instead of the same few hundred that I saw every day in my routine in Iraq). It's been difficult making choices (instead of them being made for me) - like in a convenient store or at a restaurant. I have returned with an appreciation for everything. I've noticed that in contrast to others that seem to be complaining a lot about everything, I'm appreciative instead. I'm not bothered by simple stresses. My life seems exciting and new again, and that's pretty cool. Hard to explain, but I hope I can keep this feeling going forever.

Here's the guide to the pictures I attached:

PIC#1 Eating sushi at a posh sushi restaurant called 'Kumo' in Los Angeles . Pictured is my friend Luciano, his sister and I.

PIC#2 My friend Luciano and I going on a hike with his sister and and our friend Eli. The place was called Runyan Canyon. From the top there's a spectacular panoramic view of Los Angeles and Hollywood.

PIC#3 Victor jumping off a rock at the end of our Zip Lining adventure.

PICS#4 and 5 The Mondrian Hotel in Phoenix, poolside.

PIC#6 Friends I met in Puerto Vallarta during a night downtown dancing.

PIC#7 The sunset in Puerto Vallarta was beautiful! This shot was taken by one of the people that worked at the resort (a good MySpace shot, don't you think?)

PICS #8 and 9 When Victor and I ziplined down the mountain/canyon, it ended in the bar, where the bartender offered us some of the local moonshine. These are before and after pictures. It tasted like a mix between grain alcohol and raw ground up hamburger meat. It was painfully disgusting!

BACK FROM IRAQ! (Part One) The Long Awaited Entry

Wasssssuuuuuuppp! 'Hola' from sunny Puerto Vallarta everyone! Since the suite I'm currently staying in has wireless I thought I'd take a few moments to write a blog entry and tell you about my first week back - which has been nothing but madness. I've blown lots of money, bought a new car, flown through the air, moved into a new place and dealt with some serious jetlag, let me explain...

I stepped off the plane to sunny Hawaii, being unexpectedly diverted from Marine Corps Base Kaneohe to Hickam Air Force Base due to inclimate weather. This, combined with arriving a day or so early, put a damper on some of the plans that friends and family members had arranged for their returning troops - Karen Yamada, Kathy Sweeney and my mom being no exception to these folks. They planned for me to be greeted by Karen's cousin with a Meile Ceremonial Lei (pictured) and a special card that my mom sent to Karen to deliver to me. Needless to say, timing was off, BUT the thought was very much appreciated and I ended up meeting Karen's cousin shortly after landing to be leid and to receive my mom's card. Thank you to everyone that was a part of this greeting. It was very special to me.

Being greeted by a procession of individuals as we arrived in Kaneohe was an experience that I shall remember for the rest of my life. You know, there are a few moments in life that you can remember as being your proudest - moments that shall stick with you forever, moments that you think of fondly when the dark coulds of adverity gather around you. Being greeted as I came back from war was one of these moments. A band was playing, friends and families were there hugging one another, children were reunited with their fathers, and in typical Hawaiian style, each Marine was given a lei and a Hawaiian beer from a local brewery to celebrate the occasion. It was a sight to see and the Soldier's Angels were certainly a part of it.

So what was the first thing that RJ did? Well, I got a ride from a Flight Surgeon colleague of mine to my new apartment in Waikiki and got the keys from a buddy in my building. My place is really amazing guys! I really lucked out. It's on the 9th floor and has a panoramic view of Diamond Head on the left and Waikiki Beach and the ocean in front and to the right. It is newly renovated, travertine floors, Jacuzzi bathtub in the Master bedroom, 1200 square feet, pool, and ideal location! So after getting my keys, I took a moment to admire the view, and then…I took a bath in the Jacuzzi tub. I mean, I really stank after the long plane ride and what a way to relax. (And if you know me, you know I love taking tub baths).

I felt obligated to go out that first night back, so I managed to muster up enough energy to go out for “one drink”. (Right.) I saw some old friends and immediately the shots started flowing. Karen – I wish I could say that I used your coin lei for my first drink as I had intended, but I don’t think I paid for a single drink that night. Anyway, some beers, some shots, some liquor and a few hours later I stumbled home and woke up experiencing my first hang over in 8 months – an experience which was not pleasant by any stretch of the imagination. I really overdid it the night before and I got a good reality check from my liver the next day. So all day I laid on the floor of my apartment in my military sleeping bag moaning, staring up at the ceiling wishing I could be put out of my misery. I had no food, no water and could barely move! Lol. I told myself that I needed to get up and go “get some food at the chow hall”, that I needed to eat to feel better and drink some water. Just then it hit me – I can pick up my cell phone and have someone deliver food to me!!!!! So I mustered up enough energy for Chinese Takeout at a place called California Wok. It came. I ate some soup. I went back to bed, and the next thing I knew it was 4 am the next morning!

Things start to get a little blurry here because I had some wicked jetlag for the first week so I’m not sure which day was which, but I started to do everything I needed to before leaving for my vacation. I hitched a ride to the airport and rented a car. Then drove on an impulse to the Infinity Dealership and test drove the G37 Coupe. I have to say, I was not impressed! The next place I drove was to the Navy Mall at Pearl Harbor. This was about 3 pm. My intent was to go for a few groceries, like lunch meat and milk, but instead a monster emerged! 7 months of a repressed, forgotten desire to shop was unleashed when I entered that mall and by the time I left, only because it was 10 pm and they literally were closing and told me I had to go, I filled 2 shopping carts full of stuff that of course, I absolutely had to have. Among these items – a 46” Sony LCD TV which I had mounted on the wall of my living room, a Sony Blu Ray Disc Player/DVD Player, a new collection of Blu Ray DVDs, a portable BOSE IPOD player (a must for the room here in Mexico), a BOSE Surround Sound Home Theatre System for my living room (which I had wall mounted with the TV), some swimsuits, a bathroom set, stainless steel kitchen appliances and some toiletries. When I left, I forgot that I hadn’t bought ham or milk, so I stopped at a grocery store on the way home just to get them. Then I rationed to myself, since I already spent over 6 thousand dollars, what’s another hundred to treat myself to a gourmet meal at one of my favorite restaurants in Waikiki, The Yard House. I had Filet Mignon, Scallops, fresh Tuna, some wine and some Sam Adams Octoberfest! I can honestly say, I’ve never had a 6 thousand dollar day before, and it felt pretty damn good! Lol.

The next day I woke up and decided I needed some clothes for Mexico, so I did a little well needed shopping, then ate lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. I ended up seeing my former roomate who was still bartending there. We were cordial to one another and I quickly realized that there was hope for a shot at one day becoming friends again, should that be something we both want. Anyway, I digress. I had my long awaited slice of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake – which was FANTASTIC! Somewhere around 5ish I realized that I hadn’t even called my family or friends yet to let them know I was ok, and that with my new time change (6 hours behind the East Coast), everyone was sleeping. So it wasn’t until around day 4 that I got around to calling everyone.

The next day (Monday?) the movers came. They put a hole through my wall moving in my couch. But I decided not to get stressed about it. Then it was off to the Acura Dealer to see my TL Type S! I met Colin, the Internet Sales Rep I had been e-mailing from Iraq. He worked with me to give me a great deal – telling me things I needed and things I didn’t. I left feeling confident that I got a great deal on a spectacular car! I tell you – this car is smarter than me. It has GPS and knows when the car is facing the sun and adjusts the speed of the Air Conditioning accordingly so if the car faces the sun and is heating up, the A/C increases, when the car faces away, it decreases. Unbelievable! It has 500 voice commands all at the touch of a button on my steering wheel. I say “Call Mom Home” and it does! I say, “Play CD 5 track 2” and it does! And when I back up, it has a camera just above the license plate that shows you what you’re backing up into on a computer screen in the console. Unbelievable!

Before I knew it, it was Halloween, and out came LT Dangle from Reno 911, with package enhancer and all! Some friends and I walked down the streets of Waikiki, which were closed so that everyone dressed up in costume could walk around. It was mobbed! To my surprise, everyone recognized LT Dangle – HE WAS A HIT! I have to say, at first I was a little shy, walking solo to pick up my friends down the street and having everyone stare at me, but after a few drinks, I was stopping traffic and writing the cars tickets (which I’m glad the Honolulu PD found as amusing as everyone else). I ended the night at one of my favorite bars and even got asked out on a date by an old acquaintance. Not too shabby, huh? My friend Kelli wore a pair of Hawaii shorts, a Super Woman costume and a pair of fairy wings and she went as “The Hawaiian Super Ferry”, which was the most popular costume of the night.
The following day was spent getting a Passport for Mexico, along with a few hours of work (yes, I did go to work for a few hours). But before I knew it, I was back on a plane flying out of the country once again!

Mexico with Victor has been absolutely amazing! This resort is beautiful. Today is our 3rd day here and unlike the first two days here, which were spent lounging by the pool and having cute Mexicans bring us Margaritas and Pina Coladas, today we decided to go Zip Lining across some canyons about an hour outside the city. Attached is a pic of me flying through the air as I was going across a water formation. It was an amazing day! It’s also nice that I’m no longer “without”…alcohol that is, alcohol. After 7 months it’s nice to have finally gotten a piece of… alcohol. But the best part of my vacation has been waking up every morning to the sound of the ocean waves. Our suite is on the 9th floor and overlooks the ocean and the pool. It’s great! So far we’ve gone to see a Hypnotist, a comedian, we’ve done water sports, Zip Lining, drank a lot and got a fierce tan! Tonight we’re going downtown to the city of P.V. to take over a local club. Yay, some cute local Mexicans to practice my Spanish with! Then to Phoenix and to Los Angeles next week! This is Part One, standby for Part Two with some pictures of Victor and I in our swimsuits! What a homecoming!!!

Fare Winds and Following Seas

Well, as they say in the Navy when anyone is about to depart on a long journey, "Fair Winds and Following Seas".

Last night was my going away soirée at the Southside Medical Aid Station. I made Bruschetta. I know, a little odd, but let me explain. Karen Yamada, one of the Soldier's Angels, heard that I just couldn't wait to have some good Italian food again, so she sent me a "Make Your Own Bruschetta Kit". It included Italian bread crisps, seasoned tomatoes, freshly pressed olive oil from Sonoma County, CA, a very fine balsamic vinegar, sal du mar, freshly ground black pepper and fresh basil. She also included a chef's hat. I assume for two reasons - to help me get into the spirit of preparation and to pay homage to one of my life long dreams of going to culinary school and opening up a restaurant one day. Anyway, despite the roaring laughs I got, it turned out spectacular! Comments during our appetizers were "Wow! This is actually edible" and "Holy Cow, this is quite good!" It was a moment you had to see.

After our appetizers we had dinner at the chow hall and then came back to enjoy our typical Saturday night on the deck - something we did every two weeks during this deployment to pass the time. Basically, we played Uno. You can tell by the expression of my face that I had less than desirable cards. :) But it sure was fun, especially when a "Draw Four Card" fell underneath the deck and I volunteered to crawl under against all odds of being bitten by camel spiders and scorpions to retrieve this most important card.

The action figure in the other picture is Staff Sergeant "Stroker" - a wind up toy sent to one of my colleagues Justin by one of his buddies. When you wind him up his right hand moves up and down (look closely). As childish as this was, last night we passed the time in part by putting SSGT Stroker in various compromising, provocative positions and winding him up. I know I know, but it's kind of funny that a group of 8 normally serious medical professionals uncontrollably laughed their asses off to this stupid toy soldier. I guess you had to be there.

At the end of the night I said goodbye to my comrades and we drove back to "The Northside". By Northside and Southside I refer to the North Side of base and the South Side of base. It's funny really, it's like driving to a different town through the barren dessert fifteen minutes away. In actuality, the South Side is directly across from the flight line, but being that you can't just strut across the landing strip, you have to take the long way around.

This morning I packed my two sea bags and my roommate and I cleaned out our room in the barracks. I couldn't believe what I found behind my rack up against the wall... my Gerber pocket knife that my mom bought me for Christmas!!! I swore that I had lost it in the laundry 3 months ago and I even went out and bought another, cheaper one to replace it. It was the find of the deployment (next to the Emerald, I mean Jolly Rancher, of course). We continued cleaning. We threw away the sheets that covered our bunks for privacy, we swept up the sand and dust balls that blanketed the floor and corners, we cleaned up the mouse terds that were freckled atop our racks and in the corners, we put our TV that gets extremely poor reception of the AFN network in the hall, we chucked our dirty faded white plastic shelving units, we folded our clothes, and then we went to the squadron for a formation.

This morning was our "TOA", or transfer of authority. It is a traditional ceremony that occurs when one squadron "stands relieved" and another "posts". In essence, it meant the official end of our mission. Not to brag, but The Ugly Angels did a spectacular job here on base. Even the MAG CO stated that we set a precedent here - we had no mishaps, no major medical injuries and we exceeded the expectations of our mission, without complaint. We are being talked about by Generals all over base and over Iraq as one of the best squadrons in the Marines. Seriously. I feel proud to be a part of such a winning team. I also know that your prayers helped us to have an exemplary performance. Thank you. Here is a link to a recent article that was published about the Uglies:

http://www.centcom.mil/sites/uscentcom2/FrontPage%20Stories/Ugly%20Angels%2070,000%20hours%20of%20doing%20it%20right.aspx

Well, this is it. I have been corresponding with an Acura Dealer in Honolulu and to my luck, a single black Acura TL Type S is on a boat headed for Honolulu as we speak. It is the only automatic black car the dealership is getting and as a courtesy he put a hold on it for me so I could look at it when I go back and have first dibs should I want to buy it.

My apartment is ready and waiting for me to arrive.
I took Passport Photos the other day here on base and I have an appointment next week in Hawaii to get that done (for an extra hundred bucks you can get a passport issued to you the same day! Who knew? But of course, money makes the world go round).
I have a rental car waiting for me to pick up upon my arrival.
Thanks to all of you I have phone cards for the Uglies and I to call home during our journey back.
I made an appointment with the Movers to move my things out of storage for a week from now.
And finally, I charged all of the batteries to my laptop computer so I'll be all set for the plane ride.

Tonight, I am going to go to the DFAC (chow hall) and gorge myself with as many fattening foods as I can. I have disciplined myself for 2 months but tonight, it's all about fried Cheese Sticks, fried Chicken Fingers, cookies, cake, ice cream and TUMS! What the heck, my last supper. Unsure about the plan for tomorrow as yet, but this could be my last chance.

Please pray for a safe and speedy journey home and the next entry should be with even more smiles from either sunny Hawaii or sunny Mexico! I will notify everyone via e-mail when I next post to the blog just as I did for this entry.

Mahalo Nui Loa (Thank You Very Much) for your thoughts and prayers and I'll see ya all on the flipside (literally).

Peace!

-RJ

02 54 27 32 15 16 22 04

Last night I woke up at 0200 in the morning wide awake. My sleep patterns have been a little bit off lately, between the virus I've been enduring the past eight days that has been spreading around the squadron and between all the excitement and anxiety about the trip home, I haven't gotten a solid night of sleep for about a week now. I decided to get up and walk around a little bit. I went outside and looked up at the night sky. Thousands of stars twinkling before me. It was beautiful. I also noticed that the temperature was quite cool, and a shiver overcame my body. When I walked up to one of my Marines who was on Bus Driver Duty, he said that the temperature up at the squadron read 54 degrees! This would make the coldest temperature I'd seen here in Al Asad and also the coldest I'd felt since last Christmas when I flew home to PA. It was refreshing, but I was glad I was wearing my fleece just the same.

It looks like everything is tracking, as they say here, and if all goes as planned, the beautiful tradewinds that blow through the Hawaiian Islands should be hitting my cheeks by the 27th.

One of the Angels asked for before and after pictures of "RJ's Al Asad Workout". lol. While I actually don't even have a digital camera right now, I can tell you that I measured my waist yesterday and it was a lean 32! This is a sharp contrast to the thirty-six inch waist I was pushing at one point in the deployment when I was bulking up, and I'm excited that two months of strictly hard work at the gym and dieting have paid off. I'm ready for Puerto Vallarta, which is in a mere 15 days!

AT 1600 today some of my Marines and I had a ceremony. I took all of the letters, package slips, cards and mail from the Soldier's Angels and I put it in a burn barrel and had a bon fire. Much in the same way that when a flag has reached the end of its useful life, it is burned out of respect and honor, I have done the same with all of my mail. I re-read each letter, looked at all my cards one last time, looked over all the items that were written on the postage slips to be sent to us - Strawberry Oreos, decorations, sandals, socks, cookies, toiletries, lubricant, etc - and one by one put them in the fire. I said a prayer and expressed my gratitude to each of the souls who contributed to the bon fire. I feel like it was one final expression of my gratitude for all that everyone has done for me here - my friends, family, and angels. Don't hate me because I'm not a packrat like my sister. Let me say again - each of those items had a purpose, and they are a part of me now.

Well, its almost time to take the 2200 bus back to the barracks to change and hit the gym. I figure if I can do some cardio I can burn off some energy and hopefully fall asleep. The last number is the remaining number in the countdown.

One more thing. When you leave your comments, please leave your full name and e-mail address when you comment (if you're comfortable with that). That way I can keep in touch with everyone and let you know when I next make a blog entry. I'll try to post once more before I leave here though.

Bye for now...

RJ's Infamous Groundhog Story

It was a typical Saturday afternoon for a 4th grade boy growing up on Georgetown road in Nazareth, PA. I called Jan, who lived just 4 doors down from me and asked her if she wanted to ride her BMX bike with me down to “the dirt trails”. The dirt trails were a series of hills composed of dirt (appropriately enough) where the local kids of the block would ride their BMX bikes. It was conveniently located just 3 minutes down the street from the two of us and it was a place that we would frequent to be daredevils and ride our bikes up and down the hills, sometimes even riding fast enough to jump and get a little air with our rudimentary bikes. The area that was once filled with weeds, grass, dirt hills and rocks is now a flourishing development of houses and cul-de-sacs (like most rural areas of the Lehigh Valley right now) – but I digress.

This Saturday was a particularly beautiful day. The sun was shining on a cloudless sky and the temperature was a very pleasant 75 degrees. It was late afternoon and the ride down to the trails was great. The smell of freshly cut grass lingered in the summer air as the wind blew briskly against our faces. We had a few jumps and rode around together before I decided to be adventurous and explore the outskirts of the trails by myself. (We often liked to split up and then re-join one another after a few minutes). I rode back to the grassy area of the trails and I noticed a rather large, fat groundhog walking in the grass. Like most boys would have done, I decided to park my bike and investigate the animal further. I chose a nice grassy spot to put down my kickstand and I got off the bike to go take a closer look at this cute animal. It had a beautiful brown coat of fur on it and it reminded me of my good ‘ole friend ‘Rusty Brown’, a hand puppet in the shape of a dog that I went to bed with every night. As I approached the groundhog from behind it didn’t seem to mind my company, in fact, it was as if it didn’t care about me at all. Although I noticed it was acting a bit strangely – wobbling back and forth, pausing momentarily, then moving on slowly, then it made an about face and started walking towards my BMX bike. I continued to follow, and as it walked past my kickstand it approached the front tire. All of a sudden it started to bite the front tire, as if to sharpen its teeth. I couldn’t believe its behavior, for all the other groundhogs I had seen up until this day ran off at the first sight of me. Well, after a few seconds it turned and walked on. I followed it, and it paused momentarily to look at me, but again, didn’t seem to mind my company. I remember thinking to myself, “This is the friendliest groundhog I’ve ever seen (save for it biting my tire, but I thought that it was just trying to impress me with its ability to gnaw)”. Well, I’m not sure why, but an idea popped into my head --- “I wonder if I could pet it?” Mind you, this was not among RJ’s brighter moments in life, but nevertheless, there it was.

So I walked behind it, snuck up on it and went for my pet. Just one stroke on that velvety brown fur would have satisfied my desire and would have made for an amazing story to tell Jan when I rode back to join her. So I stepped forward, leaned in and reached out my hand…. All of a sudden it turned without warning and lunged at my right ankle. With vicious speed and agility this seemingly innocent animal turned into a baby Cujo! It sunk it’s newly sharpened teeth deep into my ankle, biting straight through my long, knee high grey tube socks (with the 3 red striped at top). I screamed as I lifted my leg in the air, trying to free it from the grasp of my nemesis. While flailing my leg in the air its teeth remained firmly imbedded into my muscle as its body flew around in the air! Its feet were literally off the ground as I continued to scream feverishly shaking my leg to dislodge this terrifying creature! After what seemed like minutes, I shook my leg in such a way that its body moved to the front of my muddy sneaker and I was able to kick it in its belly! This maneuver flung the animal about 10 feet away from me. It rolled over 3 times, then got up, shook its head, and continued to wobble on slowly as if the entire encounter had never happened. I screamed for help, “Jan! Jan where are you?!!!” as a stream of blood trickled down my leg, my tube sock absorbing the remaining saliva of this troubled groundhog. “Jan!!!!” After a minute she sped over to me, rapidly riding her BMX bike beyond what would be an acceptable speed but knowing from the sound of my girlish shriek that an emergency had transpired.

“Oh my God R.J., what happened?”
“I got bit by a groundhog!”
“WHAT???”
“I got bit by a groundhog!!!” I said again as she now noticed the bloody ankle and the hole in my sock.
“Get on your bike and ride home to your mom right away!”
“I can’t!” I explained, “The groundhog bit the air out of my tire!!!!”
“Here, take my BMX bike and go now, Hurry!”
“Okay.”

As I rode home with unprecedented speed my heart was beating a million miles a minute. What would I tell my mom? She was always telling us kids not to play down in these dirt trails and I always thought to myself, “What could possibly happen? A fall and a little scrape of my knee?” But now I had really done it. What would I tell her? How would I get out of this? Why did I try to pet that thing?

I arrived home and opened the screen door with panic – not bothering to put the kickstand on Jan’s bike up, but just letting it fall in the grass. My mom was on the phone with the mangled phone cord stretching all the way from the dining room to the kitchen…

“Mom, mom!”
“Hang on RJ I’m on the phone.”
“But mom...!”
“What is it R.J.?”
“I got bit by a groundhog!” just then I turned my ankle to reveal the blood soaked tube sock and the bite marks in the skin of my ankle.
“Oh my God…Margie I need to call you back! What happened?”

As I explained the story to my mom she could hardly believe it, but it was true! --- a groundhog snuck up on me while I wasn't looking and bit my ankle while I was on my bike! (I know, I know, it was a tough one to pull off.) So my mom did what any good mother would do in times of a medical emergency, she called the family Doctor…

Dr. Hoch had been practicing medicine for probably about 250 years in the quiet little town of Nazareth. He moved slow, had grey hair, glasses and was the town’s General Practitioner (back in the days when they actually had General Practitioners and not specialized Doctors). To that day he had performed well checks on me, given me the occasional shot, made me embarrassed when I had to ‘pull down my pants for him’ and kindly rewarded me with a lollipop after my encounters with him. He had gained the trust of my mom (as well as the mothers of most of the town’s kin) especially after he gave her such good advice just a few years prior to this incident when I stepped on a corn stalk the day I walked down to the creek barefoot --- “Take him to the ER!” he told my mom with brilliant deduction. So my mom dialed the number and spoke to him on the phone. He listened to what she had to say, and then with confidence replied something to the effect of, “Hmm…I see….well….put ice on it and call me in a week if it swells up.” My mother hung up the phone and undoubtedly followed his sound advice. “It’s going to be ok RJ.”

A week later my ankle started to turn black and blue and my mother called Dr. Hoch back to ensure that everything was still ok. He told her to just watch it and that the bruising should go down eventually. My mother, being a very well trained LPN herself, thought this was a little odd and decided to call Easton Hospital for a second opinion…

It was 10:15 a.m. when I got called on by Mrs. McMennamen in class. I sat behind a rather large girl and this was to my advantage as I could rest my head on my crossed arms and go unnoticed when I needed to snooze. But this morning my teacher was on her game. As I sprung up I noticed there was a little bit of drool dripping down the side of my chin. She said, “Well? What’s the answer RJ?” I thought to myself, “What’s the question Mrs. McMennamen?” – but being the Teacher’s Pet I didn’t want to tarnish my good standing with her, so instead I opened my mouth about to let my mind come up with something, when suddenly, I heard a chorus of “Ooooooohhhhh”s coming from my classmates. To my surprise, my mother walked in the door and marched directly over to the teacher’s desk. My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, since not once in all the days of attending elementary school had this occurrence transpired. She started to talk softly to the teacher as Mrs. McMennamen looked over at me. “What had I done?” “Was I in trouble?” “Was there a death in the family?” (the only reason I knew that a parent would enter the classroom mid-morning). The teacher said, “RJ pack up your things and come here please.” Again with the “Oooooooohhhhhh”s! My mom told me to follow her out and so we left promptly.

“What’s wrong mom?”
“I called the hospital. They said that from the description I gave, it sounds like that groundhog had Rabies.”
“So what?”
“SO if it was Rabid, we need to get you the vaccine!”
“So, no big deal.”
“If we don’t get the vaccine in your system within a certain period of time (7 days), it could be very bad (death)”
“It’s only been just over 6 days since it happened though.”

So we went to the ER of Easton Hospital and thus began one of the most traumatic childhood experiences of my life. That day I received a plethora of shots. Mind you, these were no ordinary needles. The Rabies Vaccine du jour consisted of a 6 month long series of shots, given in needles that were several inches long a piece. Each one that pierced my deltoid seemed to penetrate all the way down to my elbow. I screamed in agony when each one was administered. I cried and dreaded driving to the hospital each time. I would look away and hold my mom’s hand as the nurse had to be the one to lift up my sleeve, rub the alcohol pad over my shoulder and then jab me fiercely with her spear of death. And it seemed like there was a brand new nursing student to do it each time. It sucked! That first day I got several in the back, buttocks and shoulders (it was the year AFTER they switched from giving them in the stomach – Thank God!). I had to get one shot a day for the first week, then one shot every other day for the next few weeks, then once every 3 days, then once a week, then once every 2 weeks, then once a month, then finally, I was gifted with the last shot on my birthday, December 19th… What a present!

The repercussions of this dramatic story are two-fold; first, Groundhog Day has a special meaning for me and my family since it was because of a groundhog that I almost died (had the vaccine been started just 1 day later). Consequently, I will always have to endure a slew of groundhog jokes from my relatives on that day as well. And second, I developed a deathly fear of needles, which almost prevented me from going to Medical School and becoming a Doctor. I hate needles, hate the smell of alcohol pads, hate getting blood drawn, hate giving needles to others, hate it, hate it, hate it! So you can imagine my friend John’s expression after he volunteered to be my guinea pig on the “Medical School Student’s First Blood Draw Lab”. He looked at me and said, “Uh,…do ya mind stopping your hand from shaking before you put that needle into my vein?” Needless to say, I didn’t tell him ‘The Groundhog Story’ until AFTER I successfully drew blood from him ….on my 8th attempt! LOL.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VICTOR!!!

Alright guys, I have lots to “disclose”, if you will. First and foremost, HAPPY BIRTHDAY VICTOR! Victor turns 30 on Sunday (that’s a few hours from now here in Al Assad, Iraq) and I want to take a few moments to pay homage to my best male friend (I make the distinction from Jan, my best female friend)…

I still remember the first night that I walked into Shampoo Night Club in Philadelphia. It was an “alternative” night and walking into this club alone was somewhat intimidating, as a bunch of heads turned – “Who was this new guy in town walking into this place all confident?” I had moved from Miami to start Medical School at PCOM, left my most serious relationship of 6 months back in Florida and ventured out to “start a new life”. I was stressed about having to find an apartment in this new town and I decided to have a night out on the town by myself (like I would occasionally do in South Beach when I was stressed from Grad School). Anyway, I entered the club wearing my typical Miami garb – I think it must have been some black Kenneth Cole pants and a tight silver Armani short sleeve shirt. I was sporting a pretty fierce tan and I felt confident that I could pull off this outfit given I was in the best shape of my life at the time - until a deployment to Iraq happened, but I digress. I revealed my nervousness to no one and instead marched confidently up the stairs to the bar. This was the first night I had gone out since my Miami departure. The reason for this was because I made the choice to “leave the R.J. of Miami in Florida and I was going to start over, fresh. What happened down there stayed down there. That wasn’t me. That was someone that was confused.” But alas, after several weeks of this “rebirth”, I caved in and decided I needed to go out. [I can still remember the call I placed to the Operator from my mom’s house in Bethlehem an hour north of Philly. The 411 Operator came on and said, “Can I help you?” and I replied, “I need you to give me the number of some ‘alternative’ bars and clubs in Philly…” She was like, “Excuse me?” …lol, a week later, I found myself in Shampoo.]

Anyway, I walked up to the bar to order a drink and the bartender - this very fit Puerto Rican guy with a huge smile approached me. I think he recognized I was alone and somewhat nervous and he said, “Hey, what’s up, I’m Victor, can I get you something?” All of a sudden I didn’t feel nervous ever again. Little did I know this guy was destined to become my confidant, my best friend. He bought me a drink and a shot (which also helped with my nerves) and we started talking. Not about the cross country drive from San Francisco to New Orleans that we would take 4 years later, not about the time a Hurricane hit Pensacola and we were forced (okay, ordered by the Naval Air Station in Pensacola) to stay on Bourbon street and party our asses off for an extra few days while it passed, not about the time that we went to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware or better still, the time that we stayed in the penthouse of ‘The Hotel at Mandalay Bay’ in Las Vegas. No, we didn’t mention how Victor would 4 years down the road convince me to “blow off” my first day of the 3rd year of Medical School to stay an extra night in South Beach, Miami to go to a Crobar party that we just couldn’t miss. We may have considered, on some unconscious level, that one day 3 years in the future we would get into a vile public display of yelling outside the subways of New York City because we stayed too late for a Parade, or that 7 years down the road we would have to endure a blizzard in New York City for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade (never will I stay in the Hotel Chelsea again – quaint you say? That place was a sty and that freaking’ dog kept waking me up). No, on that night in Shampoo he just listened to how I was stressed about finding an apartment and he comforted me. Little did I know that night that it would turn out to be the most rewarding friendship of my life. Victor, you’ve always been there for me. You’ve always listened. This past year in Hawaii you always listened as I complained about the endless number of fights I had with my last relationship. And when you wanted me to get out of the relationship and I couldn’t find a way out, you still said, “R.J., I support you”. That’s friendship. When I was broke during Grad School and I needed money to pay bills and you sent me a Western Union, you were there. (Don’t think I’ll ever forget that message that was attached though). That’s friendship. When the Calvary Temple tried to “convert me”, you were there, laughing and supporting me. That’s friendship. Whenever I’ve needed you most, you’ve been there for me, and it has truly been a comfort in my life. I wish you the happiest of birthdays ever and I can’t wait to wish you in person when we party our asses off in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY VICTOR!!!

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Next item of business: I wanted to take a minute and give out some addresses. Since they’re listed in the phone book I feel comfortable listing them here as well. The first is my mom’s address in Pennsylvania. If all else fails and I move, this one is reliable, because although I’ve been trying to get my dear old mom to move to Florida, I don’t think she’s going to be going anytime soon. She is

Pat Matyas
604B Briarwood Drive
Bethlehem, PA 18020

Next, my new address in Hawaii is:

Dr. Robert J. Matyas II
2465 Ala Wai Blvd.
Apt#902
Honolulu, HI 96815

The final address is of the new Flight Surgeon here in Al Asad:

LT Matthew Rainey
VMM-263 Medical
Unit 77062
FPO AE 09509-7062

I want to take a minute aside just for my friends at Soldier’s Angels. Without your support I never would have been able to make it through this deployment. June, Missy, Susan, Karen (Yamada and Zimmerman), Kathy, Roger, Debby, Melissa, Julie, just to name a few of you… you have been my wings that have allowed me to soar. Many of you have written and e-mailed me and asked to keep in touch. I’d like that very much – for you are friends that will be in my heart for the rest of my life. When I get weary or down, tired or just want to quit, I’ll remember you guys and how you’ve lifted me back up. Having said that, just as my mission is coming to a close – so is yours and there are other soldiers that need your time, your thoughts, your prayers, your letters and your warmth as much as I have appreciated it. While I would like very much to hear from you guys every once in a while – just remember that there are other Marines and Sailors that need you too. The new Osprey squadron is here and they’re nervous. All eyes are on them right now. The new Flight Surgeon has an even tougher job than I did and he’s looking for people to support him and his squadron. Please keep your love and support going. Enclosed above is his address. He would love to have the same support that you’ve shown me and I’d love to be able to say that the final thing I’ve given is some love in the SA variety. It’ll be hard to part ways with you all – but please keep in touch, either via my blog (which I’ll try to post to every once in a while – especially of my new car and trip to Mexico) or via my e-mail: rjmatyas@gmail.com. Please give me your full names and addresses (I’ll send you Christmas cards), if you like.

Alright, now for some silly RJ updates. First, my mom and I have decided that December is a terrible time to visit Ireland and there is a relative paucity of vacation packages for that time of year due to the poor weather that is typically forecast. So we’re putting the trip on hold until spring or summer of ’08. Instead, I’m going to take her to Atlantic City and try to get a suite in a nice hotel/casino for a night or two the week before Christmas when she has off. Maybe we’ll even go back to Hershey and get another massage like last time (that Chocolate bath was pretty amazing, wasn’t it mom?).

There was only 1 day of Strawberry Jell-O and now they’re back to orange. What a tease!
…and the biggest news of the day…

IT RAINED TODAY!!!! After 6 months of nothing but a clear blue sky devoid of any clouds (except for sandstorms), yesterday a cloud front came through. We were in so much awe it was as if a Solar Eclipse was occurring and occluding the sun. We all looked up at the sky in amazement. Then today – it poured down rain for several hours. It was awesome! I went outside and just stood in it – getting soaked. I jumped in a puddle. I got my shoes muddy. I could smell the scent of the rain and it was familiar and refreshing. It didn’t get any hotter than 80 degrees all day and I could tell that change was in the air (clouds actually represent change if you’re into symbolism). What’s ironic is the last name of our new Flight Surgeon who arrived just yesterday…lol…RAINEY.

Well, that’s it for now. It is my sincere hope that I didn’t offend or “lose” anyone because of my omissions at the beginning of this e-mail (I know this isn't any new news for my closest friends and family, but for anyone else reading...). If you’re good at reading between the lines you’ll know exactly what I mean. I wish I could be more forthcoming and not so elusive, but such is the state of the world today. I hope and pray that time will change that. Susan French sent me a card that reads “you have a very special gift to give – it’s called caring, and you aren’t afraid to share either yourself or your feelings…”, well this is one circumstance where “sharing myself” is something I AM afraid of, but the card also says “you’re honest, and you never pretend to be anything but yourself…” I wish this were 100% true, but here’s one aspect of my life that proves this statement to be false, although it is with much regret that I’m not more courageous than a blog confession…

The Replacements

Excitement! That's pretty much the only word that describes my mood right now, and I still have diez y nueve to go. Today my replacement, LT Matthew Rainey, the Flight Surgeon for VMM-263, The Osprey Squadron, arrived! It was a very exciting day for everyone as each department’s replacements arrived and checked in. I feel like the ball is rolling and in so much motion that it just can’t be stopped. I can’t tell you how excited I am. Last night I had trouble sleeping because I was thinking about how much I’m looking forward to returning. You know, when I was a kid my parents used to take me to Wildwood, NJ every year during the last week in July. I remember distinctly how the night before we were about to leave I was always so excited that I couldn’t get myself to sleep. That’s how I’ve been feeling every night! I haven’t felt this excited about anything for years and years. It’s like…like when you’re on the most amazing date of your life and you know that you’re going to get a little nookie at the end you just know it and so you’re trying to wait patiently but you can hardly contain yourself. It’s like you’ve scratched off a lottery ticket and it says you’ve won a thousand bucks and you’re on your way to cash it in. It’s like when I got the acceptance letter into medical school and I was so excited to call people and tell them “I made it!” I’m just….ecstatic!

I also made up with the person who made that negative comment a little while ago. It’s tough to know what it’s like out here and sometimes people say things that they don’t mean. Sometimes people offend others unintentionally. But you know what guys – life is too short to spend time hating others. Life is too short to miss out on all the joy that relationships can potentially bring because a part of you wants to hold a grudge. It’s just not worth it. It takes so much more energy to be mad at someone than to forgive and move on.

So that’s it – just a quick hello to let everyone know I’m riding a high right now and I wanted you all to share in it.

All this AND they switched from orange Jell-O to strawberry today – my favorite!!!!!

October is Here!!!!

When I was ten years old I used to take Karate Lessons back in Nazareth, PA. One night, my mom was driving me into town on the night of a new moon. There were a few stars in the sky but for the most part it was dark. I was in the passenger seat of the grey Oldsmobile (with the burgundy vinyl top) when I noticed something up above out the side of my window. Curiously, I lowered the window and looked up and saw a strange object in the night sky. It was dark with a few faint lights around it. Yes, it was circular in shape and it wasn’t so high that I thought it was a plane – maybe just a helicopter or a “weather balloon”. Anyway, it was traveling above us, seemingly along the same path as us, down Georgetown road. I said to my mom, “Hey, do you see that up there?” She replied, “Yeah, what is that a helicopter or something?” But when we came to the next stop sign, it stopped above us too! My mom looked again at it and looked somewhat puzzled. We continued on our way and when we started to move again, it moved again! I listened but it didn’t make any noise at all, and it couldn’t have been more than a few hundred feet in the sky. As we entered a particularly desolate area of the road, a strange feeling came over me, it was as if time was slowing down for a moment, I can’t really describe it beyond that. We kept on going and as we were about to turn the corner into town, we saw the headlights of an oncoming car not too far ahead. All of a sudden I looked up and the object sped off really fast and disappeared! I wrote off this event.

About 2 years later my cousin Billy and I were sleeping out on the back porch when I was awakened suddenly without warning. Billy was still asleep and I wasn’t sure why I woke up from a dead sleep, but I stood up and looked out the window. It was a clear sky, well lit from the full moon and in the right hand side of my field of view was an object. It looked like an airplane but it suddenly disappeared and then reappeared in the middle of the sky, towards my center of view. I was so puzzled because there were no clouds behind which this object could travel and the speed that it was going was such that it wouldn’t naturally travel from point A to point B without “jumping” through the sky. I walked outside of the patio then watched as it again jumped through the sky, all the way to the left this time, then out of view altogether. I didn’t think much of this occurrence and I walked back in the patio and went back to sleep.

A few years later I was sleeping in my bedroom at the same house when I woke up out of a dead sleep. My eyes were still closed and I was puzzled why I was awake. I half opened my eyes and to my panic in the right hand corner of the room was a dark object standing between my dresser and my window, which suddenly froze when it noticed I was stirring. I shut my eyes back closed and thought to myself, “That wasn’t there, you’re just dreaming RJ, you’re just dreaming!” I decided to slowly open my eyes again and it was still there, staring right at me in the corner of my room in the shadows. I shut my eyes again and was scared to death. If I screamed for my parents in the next room it would surely get me, and I definitely didn’t have enough time to run out of my room. I was in my bed trembling at this point. What was I going to do? I decided to try to open my eyes again, just halfway so it wouldn’t see me open them, just to verify one last time it was still there. When I did, it sure was, and now it started to move, silently across my room, to the door and out of sight! I was so scared I was frozen in fear and I inexplicably fell back asleep. The next morning I sprang out of bed to check for signs of breaking and entering or check that everyone in the house was ok – not only was everyone fine, but there weren’t any signs of intrusion.

Throughout my youth I used to have these weird “stomach pains” as my family called them. Now I did have an allergy to shellfish during my youth, which I grew out of, but this was different. For no apparent reason, there would be days when I was bent over in stomach cramps. These would last anywhere from minutes to hours and would occur without warning. I went to several Doctors, even a Gastroenterologist, but they could never figure out just what was causing the problem. I ultimately was taken to the hospital by my mom and made several trips to the ER for this – had Barium studies and everything done, but to no avail – no one could find out what this meant. To this day it remains a mystery and went away as mysteriously as it came. My family said it was “nerves”.

What do all of these events have in common? I just finished reading a book called ‘Communion’ by Whitley Strieber. I read this book every night for the past week right before bed and I have to say, it freaked me out. Based on a true story, it was about a man who owned a log cabin with his wife in upstate New York. The story is his tale of being a victim of an alien abduction which he didn’t discover until he was under hypnosis. He discovered that he had been visited all throughout his life and it turns out these visitors would observe him in the corner of his room. He would see UFOs in the night sky and on further analysis, they would shove probes down his throat and into his anus and he would wake up the next day with stomach aches! Reading this book I thought, “Holy Shit! What if all of these seemingly unrelated events are all tied together into some intricate web of abduction and experimentation? What if I were the subject of aliens visiting me in the night?" I could always undergo hypnosis to see if there was more than I remember of those strange nights, but the thought occurred to me, “If you were even possibly the victim of alien abduction, would you want to know about it?” My answer is no. I’ll tell you right now, if there are aliens taking me without my knowledge and sticking probes up my anus – I don’t want to know about it! Until I open my eyes one night and they look at me in the face and say “Hola Roberto”, ignorance is bliss!

I throw this out there – What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened to any of you?

************************************************************************
Well, October is here, and you know what that means – this is the month that I leave this place! Yeehaw it’s finally come! Today I walked to lunch with a newfound energy in my step. Our replacements are scheduled to arrive any day now and the pack-up will soon commence. While I’m not at liberty to tell you the exact date I’m leaving for security purposes, I can tell you all that it’s in the low 20s, both the days remaining and the day we’re scheduled to leave. I’m very excited, since October is one of my favorite months and since Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I just spoke to my niece and she told me over the phone that she was going as a little devil. I told her that I was going as LT Dangle from Reno 911! To quote my sister, “Gross, yet funny”! The costume is complete with shorts, shirt and even a “package enhancer” – please hold back the comments on that one…LOL.

Top O' The Morning To Ya

This morning I awoke early, and my first thought, lying there in a hypnagogic state in my rack was - "I should take a trip with my mom to Ireland". I'm not sure why this thought came to my mind, but it did. I fell back asleep for a little while but on the way to lunch I had the thought again. Every year around this time I entertain the idea, but something always prevents me from following through with it. My mom has been saying for years that she wants to go back to Ireland and this year would seem to be perfect - I'll have the time off, my mom is in a job where she could take the time off, I'm in a great financial place to afford a trip for the two of us and what a perfect idea in lieu of a "Welcome Home Party", which seems to be a bad idea, to spend some quality time with my mom! Still, I wanted some sort of sign that I should move forward with this idea, and then on the walk back from the chow hall - there it was. I saw it from about 100 feet away - an emerald, shining crystal clear, just lying there in the sand! I couldn't believe my eyes and at first I thought I was hallucinating. I mean, I've seen a lot of strange things left in the sand since my arrival here - coins, jewelry, etc, but an emerald, no way! Selling an emerald this size, (walking towards it I saw that it was about the size of a bottle cap, maybe a little larger), would surely pay for an amazing trip. In fact, I thought how it may even pay for most of my Acura - for sure it would pay for loads of Margaritas in Puerto Vallarta. Where would I sell an emerald this size? Did it fall out of a ring? Would someone be looking for it? - No, I'm sorry, finders keepers, I wasn't giving it back, this was fate, THIS WAS DESTINY - this was...... a Green Apple Jolly Rancher that someone had just spit out of their mouth, still glistening and shimmering with spit :( Nevertheless, it was still the sign that I needed.

I called my mom up when I arrived at work. Waiting for 5 hours until an appropriate East Coast time killed me, but I decided to spend the time looking into Ireland Vacation Packages on-line. To my surprise, there were lots, and at reasonable prices! Everything from staying in 5 star castle hotels to staying in cozy Bed & Breakfasts or Cottages in the country. Even Aer Lingus, the Irish airline, offers deals. I started to think about how great it would be to be sitting with my mom in an Irish Pub on my birthday December 19th with a foamy lip from the Guinness I'd be sipping on. That was it, I couldn't wait another moment - I just had to call my mom.

The phone rang and it was 8 am in Bethlehem, PA. My mother was in her own hypnagogic state, but I woke her up and said, "Are you sitting down?" She replied, "I'm still lying in bed, yeah, what's up?" "I had a thought"...Now usually, and Victor can surely verify, whenever I spit out those words, a bomb is about to be dropped. God knows I've dropped lots of bombs on you Victor - my "epiphanies". Anyway, my mom took a deep breath, cracked a little smile that I could feel through the phone and she finally replied, "O.k., go ahead, what?" Then I threw it out there, "What do ya say you...and me...around December 15th through the 22nd or 23rd...take a vacation to Ireland?" Her first response was one of someone that didn't believe me to be serious, but once she knew I meant business, she made plans to go to the AAA on Friday and look for vacation packages - I said I would equally research it on-line and together we would come up with a vacation that we would remember for the rest of our lives!

It's amazing what can become of a single thought. I woke up and because of my thought, in less than 3 months I could be snuggling up to the fireplace in an Irish cottage sipping on some Jameson - yeah mom, I know I'm not the biggest fan of the Jameson, but I promise that on this trip with you in Ireland, I'll have at least one Jameson drink. (Mind you my mother swears that Jameson Irish Whiskey, which she used to rub on our teeth when we were babies and teething, "goes down your throat like water". She'd even say that "nothing gets rid of a cold like a good shot of Jameson". Kathy Sweeney, your whole family is Irish - I know you would probably agree. Anyway, I digress.) So the day is going to end with me lying in my bed thinking about Bailey's and Cornbeef & Cabbage, and Leprechauns dancing. I can't wait to go with you - this Green Apple Jolly Rancher that I'm putting in my mouth right now goes out to you and me mom! Top O' The Morning To Ya! Here's to planning an amazing trip together!

Tears of a Clown?

Last night I started reading a book that one of the Soldier’s Angels sent entitled ‘On Call in Hell – A Doctor’s Iraqi War Story’. In it, this Doc was responding to a Corpsman who was shot in the chest in Fallujah. So with bullets whizzing past him left and right, he ventured through the city with a small group of Marines in order to rescue the injured Corpsman. Lying in my rack with my headlamp reflecting some red light off of the page to read, I started to have some really depressing thoughts. Transient as they were, it made me think about how useless my job here has been – how I really haven’t done much here and how I haven’t been on the front lines fighting or rescuing anyone. At that moment, for the first time during this deployment, a tear fell from my eye.

The past 2 days I’ve been giving briefs to the squadron, along with the Chaplain, and yesterday the Chaplain made some interesting comments. He said, “This has been the dullest deployment. It has been truly boring, but that boredom has brought with it its own type of stress.” He went on to explain that it can take a toll on Marines to live in the same 2 mile radius of land day in and day out with nothing to do. Finding creative things to do is very important for everyone’s physical and mental well-being. It suddenly made me think about some of the things I’ve done with my deployment – try to learn how to type (an unsuccessful endeavor), make a movie about all of my friends (success), hit the gym a lot and get a great, in-shape body (success), keep a blog (success), write to relief organizations like the Soldier’s Angels, etc. I started thinking that there are different types of strength – that it can take just as much strength to do your job every day to the best of your ability and with pride in such a harsh environment in the same 2 miles of land as it can to be closer to harm’s way in the "front lines". Now I know that pretty much everyone would agree they’d rather be here than being shot at in Baghdad, but the two scenarios are apples and oranges. And it’s not fair to compare one to the other, since each is filled with its own unique challenges.

The Marines that I have had the honor of working with over the past 7 months have shown incredible resolve. No, they haven’t been on the front lines, losing limbs and firing against Iraqi insurgents in hand-to-hand combat, but we have been flying on missions where insurgents have shot at our choppers trying to shoot us down. We have transported insurgents who have stared us down with suspicious looks just waiting for us to show a moment of weakness so that they could take advantage of it. We have driven past IEDs right here on base without knowing it. Would that be considered “the front lines”? It certainly doesn’t make our picture any prettier than the picture of the Doctor in Fallujah, and I certainly don’t think Marines should be any less praised or recognized for their accomplishments when they return home, just because they didn’t use their rifle…

I was giving some thought to throwing a holiday party when I return home. I guess it would be something of a “Welcome Home Party” for me, only it would be in December, almost 2 months after my return, because I won't be flying home to PA until then. I’ve been thinking that I want to do this for several reasons. First, so many of my family and friends have sent me letters and packages, written me e-mails, and kept me in their thoughts and prayers everyday, it would be nice to thank them. It would also be nice to get everyone together under one roof and tell them verbally that it was in large part because of their gestures that I got through every day with a smile on my face. Because I was smiling, it helped me to do my job better. Another reason I wanted to have this party was because I wanted to have some closure with this deployment. And as conceited as this may sound, I wanted to be welcomed home and recognized for a job well done, like so many of my other Marines. Sadly, someone close to me made a comment to me the other day that made me question these reasons. This person told me, “I honestly don't understand why you need to throw yourself a party to make yourself "feel welcomed home too". There are soldiers returning to the U.S. without limbs, you are lucky to have spent a lot of your time over there in a decent environment…you get to learn how to type, write a blog, create and send out DVDs, etc. I'm not saying that it's not a hardship to be over there, but you aren't exactly on the front lines...”. These comments made me very sad. Not only did it show a complete lack of understanding for what I’m going through, and a lack of recognition of my needs, but it made an assumption of knowing what it’s like over here, and knowing what it’s like to live Groundhog Day over and over…for 200 days in a row,…without consistent hot water or power,…wondering if you’re flight is going to get shot down,…seeing people’s legs blown off,…working 7 days a week, 14+ hours a day,…in 140 degree weather,…without the luxuries or even basic necessities that we take so much for granted at home. To quote my best friend Jan, who often tells it like it is, “Do you need a fu**ing limb blown off to have a party?? Yeah, you weren't out on the front lines, but for Christ's sake...do you NEED a purple heart??” Thanks Jan. That made me feel a little bit better.

I wonder who’s right though. And last night as I sat in my rack in the dark, trying to keep my roommates from knowing I was upset and teary eyed, I thought to myself, “Do I deserve a party? I haven’t been on the front lines…I haven’t had to fire my weapon at anyone…I’m not one of the amputees I saw in the Emergency Room.” But this morning when I woke up I had a change of attitude (as I often do first thing in the morning, especially after a good night of rest). My job out here has been important, and while I haven’t had to dodge bullets, I’ve contributed in many other ways – to the point where I know I’ve done my personal best and have worked harder than many of the other Flight Surgeons out here. I’ve addressed everyone’s concerns, no matter how small they may have been. While other Flight Docs have blown off their patients or chosen to ignore their concerns, I’ve validated the concerns of my Marines. When we get back to Hawaii, I’m going to personally make sure that any Marine with a complaint that I haven’t been able to address gets seen by a specialist. Furthermore, I’ve helped to break up the stress and monotony that developed out here by developing activities for my Marines. For example, our “Ugliest Transformation Contest”, whereby the Marines competed for 3 months to see who could transform their bodies the most by working out every day. Because I took the first step to reach out to relief organizations like the Soldiers Angels, I’ve managed to distribute lots of supplies (both necessities and luxuries) to our Marines. Because they had to come into Medical to get them (vice just dumping the packages we got in the MWR room), I had a chance to talk to my Marines every day. People looked forward to coming into Medical to see what “Doc got today”. I think just talking to these Marines everyday in some way made them feel better, like someone was paying attention to them - especially the ones without good support groups at home.

People have commented how they’ve been surprised at how few incidents there have been in the squadron throughout this deployment (i.e. – no suicide attempts, no major cases of deployment depression, no major injuries). While I can’t take full credit for this gold star, I’d like to think that I was instrumental in why this squadron has done considerably better than most. The people that do have problems tell me that there are Soldiers Angels that they write to that make them feel better and help get them through their day – this makes me feel great!

So no, I may not be on the front lines, and no, I may not be an amputee, but dammit, my job HAS been just as important – in different ways. So I’m over the insensitive comment that was posed to me. I don’t need anyone to validate me, and I don’t need a party to do that either (although that wasn’t the only reason for it). I feel great in my heart about the job I’ve done. As I sit here drinking some fresh coffee from my Peace mug that was sent to me, listening to one of my new favorite CDs (‘Andy Hunter’) also sent to me, I feel confident and proud. So to the individual that made that upsetting comment, you can make whatever plans you wish this holiday. My plans will not be involve you, revolve around you and I could care less what you do and who you do it with. I’m over it.

P.S. Congratulations Jan on getting the job at Temple!!!

Happy Birthday Jan!!!

First and foremost: Happy Birthday Jan! Today is Jan Cleaver's birthday (September 17th). For a quick update, she's successfully moved to Philadelphia with her boyfriend Anthony, she's currently job hunting - (but I know you've got that job at Temple in the bag J.C.!) and adjusting to the differences between Suburbia and City Life. I can't wait to see you again honey, I hope you have a spectacular birthday!!!

Let's see, some exciting news here from the front lines of Al Anbar province. After 2 months, the chow hall has switched from red jello to orange! Also, Chuck Norris came to base to pay everyone a visit yesterday, and while I personally didn't go to meet him, one of my colleagues went and said "Even though he must be like 70, he hasn't changed a bit and he still has his sandy colored hair!". In other news, I won a game of computerized Monopoly last week. It was very exciting. All that, AND I got sent new socks and shower sandals from some Soldiers Angels to help my Athlete's Foot (which is markedly improving)!

Alright, on a more serious note, it has been kind of busy here at work. I've been preparing a set of required briefs to give the squadron on tips how to transition from deployed life to home life. These "Return & Reunion Briefs" might seem second nature to some of us, but for other younger Marines they serve to remind them of what they can expect and what they shouldn't expect when they return. The period just after a deployment is often plagued with DUIs, Legal Infractions and screw ups which tend to have long term repercussions on the Marines. It's my job to prevent as many of these occurrences as possible from happening. I'm also conducting PDHAs (Post Deployment Health Assessments) this week. The purpose of these forms and interviews with every squadron member is to address any medical problem that may have come up during this deployment and also identify Post Traumatic Stress Disorder early enough to be identified and treated. I take this job very seriously - it is one of the most important things I do out here - Preventative Medicine.

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The one photo is a view from Jan and Anthony's rooftop in Philly (taken last week), the other photo is of Jan and I taken by my sister during my PRE-deployment leave home. The final photo is of, well, uh, Jell-O (incidentally, orange is my least favorite flavor of Jell-O) :(

Just Day Dreamin'...

Same ole Same ole. Just day dreamin' of Mexico (view from the resort pictured above). Just day dreamin' of my new apartment in Waikiki. Just day dreamin' about what car I might get when I get back. (The latest ideas are the Acura TL Type S in Nighthawk Black Pearl OR the Infiniti G35 Sedan in Serengeti Sand - both top rated in Consumer Reports in their class - cast your votes now). Just day dreamin' about my nephew and niece (she just started pre-school yesterday). Just day dreamin' about Cheesecake Factory's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake (if you've never had it, you must try it or order one, I had a dream about eating a piece 2 nights ago). Just day dreamin', same ole same ole.

I'll leave everyone with this circulating e-mail passage, which upon further research comes from a man named Herbert W. Bryne, written in a book called "Sign of the Times". He writes:

America is typically represented by an eagle...

The following verse is from the Koran, (the Islamic Bible) ( 9:11 ) - "For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; And there was peace."

(Note the verse number!)

I think my deceased grandmother put it best, ..."Who the hell knows".