Time keeps ticking...

welp, i missed a few days but time didn't stop...me and my wife went to the beach over the weekend and spent sometime on the ocean front which was great, despite the cold weather. it was good just to spend time alone. we chatted a little about the upcoming months and our plans for family and the future. our son is planning to go on a missions trip to the dominican republic this summer and with me going to a desert 'resort', we figured she and our daughters should go somewhere 'enchanting' during the summer as well. so we have been going through the paces of getting passports for everyone. we still are not sure where the 'girls' are gonna go but travel is definitely on the agenda. i have taken a temporary 'leave of absence' from my muay thai training at tiger martial arts academy as i prepare to deploy however, my son will continue his 'punishment' routine...i recently got connected with another chief who will be filling a billet like mine at JCCS-1. we should meet up in our training cycle and deploy together. it would be great to train w/ someone and actually continue to work with them incountry. that is probably the biggest downside of IA tours, not being w/ the same crew through workups and deployment. but who knows maybe we will work together in country, we'll see...gotta go for now...HST medical, treat'em and street'em and BE SAFE....sandboxrich

nice day, nice ride...

as my days draw down and my gear up and fly out day nears, i had hoped to get some motorcycle riding in and that is just what i did yesterday! i got to spend some time on the road, in the wind with ~70 degree temps! a great day :) my wife has begun to prepare to be a 'single' parent and run a household again...(not that she ever stopped after my return from the last deploymen t...hehe). she has been a great blessing in getting paperwork around here sorted out. she has the task of not just keeping things together here, but she is also doing tons taking care of my mother-in-law who is recovering from cancer. talk about a heavy pack to carry. she is a great woman and i guess that is why God has us together. welp i wanted to get back to some 'normal' posts after that last 'lashing' post....Got my clearance done,off to PT(for those not in the know, it means physical training)...BE SAFE, sandboxrich

We are bringing "tough" back...

in the words of the Secretary of the Navy "We are a nation at war. Support of our Sailors and Marines in the Iraqi theater of operations is our most urgent task, and I am focused daily on what the Navy and Marine Corps can do to help achieve victory in Iraq and against terrorists elsewhere around the world."....as i prepare to deploy a second time to OIF, i have been watching with amazement at the recent message being sent by some, "retreat"...what the hell happened to the American fighting spirit? "When the going gets tough, the tough get going"...i don't think it meant 'go home'...we hang in there and do everything and anything we can to win...Stonewall Jackson said "When war does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." correct me if i am off here but to me that means get rid of the retreat mindset and let the enemy we are fighting know we are "In it to Win it!" i will finish with a word from one of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson "In matters of style swim with the current in matters of principle stand like a rock." has politics become stylish? be a rock....and BE SAFE, sandboxrich

Say what...

i got one of those learn iraqi cds from barnes and noble...not sure if it was recorded wrong or if the 'hock' sounds actually belong in between words. i guess i'll find out soon enough. i've continued with my pre-deployment preps. i've been working on getting my clearance back up to speed. seems like over the years, it has expired. but should not be an issue since i've held a secret clearance as a Fire Controlman (no we don't put out fires) for the last 19 years. the only problem is the paperwork involved. while most of it is online, there is a 30 page 'working' copy to fill out "just to make sure nothing is forgotten" ...had a chance to meet w/ a friend off the HST (USS Harry S. Truman, my prior command) and from what i understand the surgeon is bringing sexy back...lol...HST sailors reading this, enjoy the humor and BE SAFE, sandboxrich

Here we go...

well i am starting my blogging in prep for deployment to JCCS-1 in Iraq. the training has started in the way of medical/dental/legal/online courses. soon i will begin getting my gear issued. actually part of that has started in the way of 'self' issued gear. i got a laptop to take along and allow me to keep in touch with the rest of the world. i took some other IA's advice and got the extended protection plan for my new puter. the salesman really pumped up the quality and flexibility of the broken computer exchange portion...he went on and on about what is covered but he looked somewhat confused when i asked if the plan covered bullet holes and shrapnel damage...needless to say my wife was not amused at my question...BE SAFE, sandboxrich