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.

Can You Say Congested?

I've been working days at the USO these past few months, which I really like. It means I'm here to set up in the morning, unlock our doors and greet our first visitors. We're supposed to open at 10:00 a.m., but I aim for 9:45 a.m. Usually when I unlock there's a couple of people waiting for me; sometimes there's no one. Lately it looks like this when I peek outside.

Marines!! and Just Because

The USO at Camp Virginia is HOPPIN'!!! I am delighted to see so many adorable Marines; even if they're just here for a few days. Marines are so "special" (in every way possible).

As we had previously planned for "Tax Day," we made up some Just Because Bags (at 0600 this morning) and distributed them during the afternoon to some of the permanent parties on base. We tried to make them similar to a traditional school lunch for a taste of home. All were thrilled to receive their PB&J sandwiches, sweet cakes, Capri Sun juice, bite-size candies and chips.

During our rounds we discovered one soldier napping on the job.

The lovely young lady in blue is Wendy J., the new Duty Manager who is going to take my place.

Bye, Bye Bettie

My friend and fellow Duty Manager, Bettie S., left every early this morning to continue her career with the USO in Balad, Iraq. Bettie was my roommate for about 6 months and I had grown to really admire her.

We had a small surprise farewell party at the Center and then Scott, Bettie and I went to PF Chang's for a goodbye dinner. That's three Americans eating in a Chinese restaurant at the mall in Kuwait with a waiter from Sri Lanka. Makes sense to me. Fortunately, we did not discuss at dinner why Bettie was able to relocate 3 weeks after her transfer was authorized and I had to wait 5 months after approval for my new assignment.

Good luck Bettie. I'll miss you.

Movin' On

Finally got a date for my transfer to Kandahar: April 27th.
My new address will be:

Bonah Bachenheimer
Duty Manager
USO - Southwest Asia
APO AE 09355

Whew!

Up Against the Wall

The USO procured another T-wall at Camp Virginia. The volunteers used our design and painted their own wall. I think it looks great.

Music of the Night - Reprise

As usual, I left my cell on as I traveled. I received text messages with the accompanying musical notifications informing me of service with Etisalat, Mobilecom, Orange, GSM, Vodaphone, Mobinil and Royal Jordanian In-Flight Roaming. Travel on the train from Luxor to Cairo was a symphony, with various phones ringing, buzzing and jingling text alerts all night long.

While in Israel, cell service from my Wataniya/Kuwaiti cell phone provided my favorite two messages: "Welcome to your second home, Palestine. Watanya wishes you a pleasant stay." and "Marhaba. Smell the jasmine and taste the olives. JAWWAL welcomes you to Palestine." Oy!