2023: A Recap Odyssey

Stop the press, I’m not quite ready to wrap up the year. There’s still some unfinished business.

I never installed a tennis court in the backyard or published that great American novel, but it’s coming. 2024 is going to be a big one! A fortune cookie told me so. It didn’t specify a year. It only said that “big things” were on the horizon.

“Tell me more, oh, great cookie,” I responded, gripping the small slip of paper.

“Sir, could you please leave? You’re making the other customers uncomfortable,” my server interjected.

For some reason, I wasn’t wearing any pants! And that was my last visit to China Dragon Buffet.

The fortune cookie didn’t say what things, good or bad, were on the horizon. That’s probably just a matter of perspective. Getting a raise at work, for instance, is good. Stubbing one’s toe is bad. A quiet night at home is good. A civilization spiraling toward collapse is bad, and so forth.

Year of Living Semi-Dangerously

Around this time last year, I was leaving for Kuwait with upwards of 250 Army Reserve soldiers from the 143rd ESC in Orlando. We embarked on a nine-month deployment as part of Operations Enduring Freedom (Spartan Shield).

We had just spent two weeks at Fort Cavazos, TX for pre-mobilization and were eager to kick things off. The sooner we arrived; the sooner things would get moving. I was nearing 20 years in the Army/Army Reserves and had planned to retire. But with four prior deployments, one more trip overseas couldn’t hurt.

Our eventual destination was Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, a major military installation, forward logistics base, and central hub of the region. They also have a pool and a Chili’s. The base has been around forever and hadn’t changed much since my previous travels through there.

Arifjan is surrounded by a flat desert, with no mountains like in Iraq or Afghanistan. The base resides about forty miles outside Kuwait City and is strategically located near several vital ports along the Persian Gulf. The city has some nice parts, especially the Kuwait Towers and neighboring hotels. Hard to believe it was the same place Iraq invaded in ’91.

Home Sweet Desert

Our unit arrived in Kuwait on December 23rd. The chartered flight from Fort Cavazos, TX took a day and a half, with a few stops in Europe on the way. We took buses from the Kuwait International Airport to Arifjan, where lined up with our bags and weapons to check in outside the PAX terminal. Already jet lagged, a long night awaited.

The next day, we got our room assignments. Our massive two-story barracks had shared bedrooms and bathrooms like a college dorm. Whoever we paired with would be our roommate for the next nine months.

I was roomed with another E-8 master sergeant whom I’d never met. There were lots of new faces in the unit; individuals pulled from other units to fill deployment vacancies.

The 143rd is a one-star expeditionary sustainment command operating at the division level. In Kuwait, we facilitated operations and logistics for the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility in the Middle East. Some positions and duties weren’t clear at first. The situation was fluid, and with the new year approaching, our adventure had just begun.

The Return

As deployments go, I had no major complaints. Everyone made it back home safely. To go into further detail would require a much longer blog. We did our jobs, experienced the environment, and counted the days until it was all over.

Jumping forward, I returned home in late September to my wife, our house, and the things I daydreamed about while away. I’m fortunate to be home for the holidays and back to the old routine. I had adjusted to life overseas for most of this year, only to see the time race by once I returned home.

The most difficult thing was coming to terms with the loss of my dad.

It’s been a year now since he passed away from glioblastoma–an aggressive form of brain cancer. The news reached me on the morning of my first day in Kuwait on December 24th. One year of him gone cements things. I don’t want the memories of him to fade or to forget his legacy. I know that he loved Christmas probably more than anyone.

The holidays were an opportunity for my dad to indulge in his favorite pastime, seeing family. He cherished the the time with his kids and grandkids. We know this because he never made it easy to leave.

“Sure you don’t want to stay? We have the extra bedroom,” was his common offering at the end of the night.

He taught me an obvious lesson that resonated this year. There’s no place like home with your family. I find myself about to call him to check in and then realize he’s no longer here. I still have questions about all sorts of things he used to help me with. There was no one better suited to ask for guidance.

There was so much more I wanted him to see me do. We all miss him, but it’s true that the time we have with the people we love is a gift in itself.