Kuwait to Kandahar

As I’m looking forward to the next challenging phase in Afghanistan, this seems like a good time to reflect on my past 14+ months at Camp Virginia. I’m going to miss our small-town atmosphere, the gracious permanent parties, the transient troops and TCNs who so courteously do so much yuck work on base; I’ll miss Reveille, To the Colors, Taps, drills for Incoming and Ground Attacks. (Or maybe I won’t miss those; the same, only more so, in Kandahar.)

At Camp Virginia I’ve learned new things: Chrystal Light in my back pocket feels like a knife in the butt; I’ve picked up some good habits: praying before eating, washing my hands a lot; and I’ve collected some bad ones: toothpicks. There have been some surprises: I don’t curse any more than I did before I came here. I’ve met personal challenges: prevailing over some fears and recognizing that sometimes change is good. So far I have kept the promise I made to myself that I would not eat any donuts. I have travelled more these past 14 months than I could ever dream. I know too much for a woman my age about Call of Duty, Halo and Madden. I’ve discovered a lot about the USO, the people I work with and myself. I didn’t get to see Bo’s graduation from USC and I’ve missed my family, friends, apartment, Golden Spoon, meetings, KY&L and contiguous plumbing more than I can imagine. I met some wonderful, caring, fun and fabulous people who I hope will be friends for many years to come.

I am genuinely surprised by my growing appreciation for our US troops. Before I became a Duty Manager with the USO I had an infatuation with the military. Now I know with absolute certainty that our US troops are the most talented, kind, caring, intelligent, fun, patriotic, loyal, well-prepared, dedicated, hard-working and humble ladies and gentlemen on the planet. Words do not express my admiration and respect for the men and women who are the gift of our American Military.