Last Day Wearing the Uniform (MedBoard: Joint Base Lewis-McChord) Day 307

Put on the uniform for the last time today...here is the flag I received as my parting gift

I woke up at 0700 and casually got ready, the same as yesterday…except as I put on my uniform I realized this would be the last time I would be doing so. It all seemed a little surreal. I headed to Ft. Lewis at 0800 and went straight to Waller Hall. I arrived at the transition center a little before 0900 when they opened up shop. I signed in and waited about 10 minutes before being seen. The same guy I spoke to yesterday was helping me. I had given him all my paperwork yesterday, so he had everything ready. I could tell today was going to be a better day than yesterday.

The guy had me look over my DD214 one last time to check the accuracy of it. Once I said it all looked good, he had me digitally sign it. He then printed out two copies for me. I also received a certificate of appreciation, a certificate of retirement, an American flag, and even a certificate of appreciation for my wife. An army wife does have to put up with a lot as well, so this is a nice (small) token of appreciation for her as well.

I took everything and drove to the WTB parking lot. Once there I headed to the SFAC and made copies of my DD214. The DD214 is a very important piece of paperwork. It’s the certificate of release or discharge and pretty much shows the entire army career compressed onto one sheet of paper. It’s used a lot after the military to prove your service and apply for things like veteran’s preference in job applications.

I then went to the barber and got my haircut…the no maintenance cut (a bald head…my usual). After that I had lunch, a slice of pizza in the hospital food court. Finally I headed to my VA exit interview, which turned out to be a group exit interview with about 7 of us. We went into a small conference room and the VA rep basically just answered everyone’s questions. We found out usually 90 days after our final day in the army (the last day of terminal leave) is when we should start receiving our pay from the VA. After the brief was over, everyone handed him a copy of their DD214s and then took off. I drove to my brother-in-law’s restaurant to do a little network consulting for him.

I then went home, met my wife and then went to my in-laws for dinner. After that we went home and I did schoolwork.

Final Out (MedBoard: Joint Base Lewis-McChord) Day 306

I woke up at 0700 and casually got ready for the day, then headed to Ft. Lewis at 0800. I drove straight to Waller Hall and signed in at the finance station. I had to complete all others before coming to the finance station. I waited about 15 minutes to get called up. Once at the desk they looked over all my paperwork, then signed and stamped their portion. I also had to turn in a copy of my retirement paperwork with them as well. Once done at the finance station, I took my stack of paperwork to the In/Out Processing station to final out. I signed in and then took a seat.

After about waiting about a half hour, the guy at the desk says their copier is down. He then tells everyone who is waiting that the process will go much quicker if we can walk over to the library and make 2 copies of all our paperwork. I figure quicker is better, so I walk with a handful of other soldiers over to the library. When we get there we are told that the copier costs money to use. I’m not going to pay money to out-process, this is something the army is definitely going to pay for. I walked back, sat down and waited. After a half hour of waiting, I went up and checked the sign in list only to find that while I was gone trying to make copies they passed me because I was gone. This just keeps getting more stupid. I tell the guy at the desk and he takes all my paperwork and tells me to have a seat. They wait until they have about 4 or 5 people’s paperwork, then one of the guys takes the stack to another office and uses their copier to make the required copies.

When the guy finally gets back with all the copies I finally was called up once again. He keeps the originals and gives me the two copies…one for my S-1 and one for the transition office. It’s now been an hour and a half and I’m finally out-processed from the army. I went straight to the transition office, but because it’s a Thursday they have training and do not open until 1300…FML! I go to Subway and have lunch. I then head out to my car to hang out and listen to the radio for a while to pass the time. 

I went in a little before 1300 and went to the DEERs office first. I was told to get an official print out of my dependents to give to my VA rep at the mandatory exit interview. I made my way to the transition office about 10 minutes before they opened up and by this time there were already a bunch of people waiting around. They placed the sign in sheets out right at 1300 and I signed in and waited. Once I did get called, I find out that I have to come back tomorrow at 0900. I can’t receive my DD214 until the day before I go on terminal leave. At this point I’m pretty pissed off. I just spent hours here waiting around to be told to come back tomorrow. Typical army.

I drove home and worked on schoolwork. I’ll really be glad when I get done with both the army and school. I will really be happy to get back to a normal life.

Another Job Offer! (MedBoard: Joint Base Lewis-McChord) Day 299

I woke up at 0700 like yesterday and got ready for the day. At 0800 I headed to Ft. Lewis, I had no desire to go in for formation. There was a town hall today and I don’t have time for that. At around 0900 I headed to the security office to out-process…again. Yup I already cleared from security once…another case of army efficiency. Luckily the process was pretty quick since I’ve already been there.

At 1000 I went to the SFAC and checked my army email. I then drove to the PX to check on something for my mom, but they did not have it in stock. I then received a call from the second place I interviewed at recently and was offered a job. Even though I really wanted to work for a school district, this place is non-profit, does some real good for the community, and they really pursued me. I have a really good feeling about this place, so I accepted the job offer from them. Now I have to call the school district back and tell them I have to turn them down. I’m not looking forward to that.

I met up with my friend for lunch. It was great to see him again, we hung out quite a while after lunch and just chatted the entire time. After lunch I drove to the naval submarine base outside of Silverdale and checked out their PX for my mom. I was able to get her item for her there. I drove over to her and dropped it off, visited for a while, then drove home where I worked on my schoolwork.

When my wife got home we made a Costco run, then came home and watched a Netflix DVD called “88 Minutes”. The movie was decent. I’m sure I added it because the entire movie is set in Seattle. It’s about a university instructor who is told he only has 88 minutes to live…kind of an action/thriller.

Later on in the night I received an email from my Finance instructor. This guy is really pissing me off. I received a zero on my last paper I turned in because he said I was out of compliance with the University’s academic integrity policy. I was thinking to myself WTF? He had attached a PDF of my paper and I’m guessing ran a program to see what matched exactly from the sources I gave him. Of course I quoted and gave my sources, but I also paraphrased a little earlier in the paper. I have written all my papers pretty much the same way for every college paper. I read something, I ingest it, then I regurgitate it out in my own words along with my perspective and such…pretty much the same as every other student. I looked at the PDF I was sent and see that the highlighted areas that are representing exact matches to my references include items such as “There are” and “variables that” and “of the”. This instructor is freakin’ retarded! There were a couple other lines that had some items that were about 80% word for word from my source, but there really was no other way to state it and get my point across. I’m so pissed and so frustrated with this class and this instructor. I really can’t wait until it’s over. At least the instructor said I could re-submit this paper and get credit for it once I clean it up.  

Another Interview (MedBoard: Joint Base Lewis-McChord) Day 294

Received a text from my squad leader last night stating “0745 ACUs tomorrow”, I’m going to assume he doesn’t mean me once again. Now that I’m in the out-processing phase, I couldn't really give a crap about everything. I already checked out mentally quite a while ago, and as each day passes, the short timer’s syndrome gets worse. I got up around 0730 and got ready for the day. After breakfast I sat down at my desk and proceeded to do schoolwork. I’m still chugging away at these last two classes. I’m going to be so glad once I finally complete them and get my degree. I can finally take a little time off and relax a bit.

I received a text from my squad leader later on stating that he needs 100% accountability today and asked where I am. I let him know I’m doing my MOU this morning (schoolwork) and I plan on heading into Ft. Lewis this afternoon to pickup my installation clearing paperwork and stop by the RSO (Retirement Services Office). I then changed into my interview suit and headed off for another interview. The interview was for a random I.T. job at a local company that I actually didn’t know too much about. I knew they did some contracts with the government, but that’s about it. I wasn’t nervous at all when I went in, I think in the back of my mind I wasn’t giving much consideration to this job. My mind was changed though after the interview. I sat down at a table in a conference room with 3 other guys in their I.T. similar to my last interview at the school district. I could tell right away this was a much more laid back group. The interview went really well and I was really impressed with the company and pretty much everything.

When I left the interview, I headed home and quickly changed into my army uniform. I made a quick lunch to go and then headed off in my car to Ft. Lewis. I ate my lunch on the way there and drove straight to Waller Hall. At the out-processing station I asked to pick up my installation clearing paperwork. The specialist at the counter said on Fridays they only do final out processing and I’d have to come back on Monday. This pissed me off. I told the specialist that I was told yesterday to pick them up today. The specialist asked me who told me that, and I pointed to another specialist who was eating his lunch at his desk. He went back and conferred, then came back and told me to go around the counter and have a seat at his desk. A few minutes later he came back with my clearing paperwork and gave me the quick 5 second instructions. Why does everything have to be difficult? I am happy that I received the clearing paperwork, but was still a little pissed off that I almost had to wait until next week.

When I left the out-processing station and headed to the RSO I could see the waiting room was full, so I just kept on walking. I headed straight to my car and drove home. That’s enough of the army today. On the way home I received a call back from from the organization I interviewed at earlier today. They want me to come back this Wednesday for a second interview. That’s good news, but I’ll keep applying for new jobs until I am actually offered a job just to have all my bases covered.

On most of my drives of any distance I have mentioned before that I listen to a lot of podcasts. The podcast I was listening to on the ride home had a local guy come in and play a couple of acoustic songs. I’d never heard of the guy “Ayron Jones” or his band “Ayron Jones and the Way”, but I was hooked after hearing his songs on the podcast. One look at him and you’d think he is an R&B artist, but surprisingly he’s a mix of blues, rock, and that Seattle sound all in one. You can hear the passion just ooze out in all of their songs. Local Seattle rapper Sir-Mix-a-Lot saw them live in Seattle and quickly decided he wanted to produce their album. I ended up purchasing their new album “Dream” once I got home.

Later on I worked on my schoolwork once again for a while. It’s Friday night and my wife and I were deciding whether to go out for dinner and a movie, or just kick back and stay home…we decided on the latter. My wife made a quick dinner and then we had ourselves a little marathon of “The Following” with Kevin Bacon. It’s a great show, but now we’re all caught up and have to wait a week for the next episode :(

Retirement Brief (MedBoard: Joint Base Lewis-McChord) Day 293

I received a text from my squad leader last night “0815 first formation in ACUs, mandatory training at 0900”. I’m going to assume he doesn’t mean me…lol. I got up about 0830, ate breakfast and started my day. I worked on my schoolwork for a while. At around 1100 I took off for Ft. Lewis. I headed straight to Waller Hall and into the out-processing station to ask about getting my clearing papers. I am supposed to pick them up at 1300 or 1400 today, but I have a retirement brief from 1300 to 1630. The guy said I could just come back tomorrow and pick them up. No problem.

I hung out for a while in Waller Hall just passing time playing around on my iPhone. I headed into the retirement brief at 1300. The room was full of soldiers that have either been in the army for 20+ years, or like me, are getting medically retired. This brief was filled with a lot of information. The biggest focus was on Tri-care and the Survivor’s Benefit Program, which is kind of like a sort of life insurance. The retiree pays a percentage each month and if the retiree dies, the survivor receives a percentage of the monthly income for the rest of their life.

The retirement brief ended a little early at 1600. I got out and went home, then finished up my schoolwork for the day.

Battalion is Cleared! (MedBoard: Joint Base Lewis-McChord) Day 291

This morning’s formation was at the gym as usual because it’s Tuesday. I came in ACUs because I’m out-processing. Once accountability was over, I headed to my car and drove to the WTB parking lot. I then listened to the radio, slept, and then ate breakfast. At 0800 I had an NCM appointment…nothing new and no refills needed. I then went to the SFAC to check my army email and print off some application paperwork that I need for a job I’m applying for out in the real world.

I went to S-3 to out-process and the guy is there! I’m always pleasantly surprised when something actually works out in the army. After he signed my clearing paperwork and took down some information, I headed to my last stop at S-1. I signed in on the sheet and waited in the lobby. After about 10 minutes or so they brought me back and had me first see the meal card guy. I have never had a meal card, so he signed my paperwork and took me to another lady in the office. This lady signed a few things, then told me to go back outside and sign in on the finance sheet. I did so, and waited for another 10 minutes or so. The finance lady came out and took me back to her office. She signed off on my clearing paperwork and then I went back to the office lady I saw previously. She signed another portion and then took me to the battalion commander. He signed my clearing paperwork and then the office lady made a copy for her records. I have to come back and bring a copy of my installation clearing paperwork as well as a copy of my DD-214. She then turned me loose…I’m now officially out-processed from battalion! This is a great feeling…I’m one step closer to actually getting out of here!

I then drove home and did schoolwork. I had lunch and then chatted with SPC Mac for a while. He just received his leave form and battalion out-processing paperwork…and he’s excited as well.

Out-Processing Station (MedBoard: Joint Base Lewis-McChord) Day 290

I headed to formation in ACUs again this morning. I may have mentioned this earlier, but since I’m out-processing I will not be coming to formation in PTs again. After accountability I headed back to my car, listened to the radio and ate my breakfast. At 0730 I went inside the SFAC and checked my army email. I then used their copier to make copies of my leave form and several copies of my orders. I know I’ll need these as I out-process.

At 0800 I went to Waller Hall and visited the Out-Processing station. I signed in, then gave them a copy of my leave form and a copy of my orders. They gave me a date of this Thursday to come back and pick up my installation clearing papers. I was hoping I would get them right away and get started, but I guess they need a few days to get everything ready. I went back to the WTB and checked in with our company VA rep to give her my leave date and my final out date. She will in turn forward this info to the VA and get my first medical appointment scheduled.

I then checked the company supply room and guess what…nobody was there yet again. I asked my squad leader when this guy is ever in. He said the guy should be here today at some point. He took my battalion clearing paperwork and a copy of my CIF printout they gave me and said he would make sure it gets signed by the supply room guy and get me my paperwork back tomorrow morning at formation. That was fine with me. I left. As I left the company and stepped into the elevator, my phone rang. It was my squad leader saying that the supply guy was there, just not in his office. I came back and was finally able to get my battalion clearing papers signed by him.

I then went to S-1 and waited for about 45 minutes to be seen. A guy in S-1 signed a couple blocks, but the people that needed to sign other blocks were not in…of course. I then went to S-4 and had them sign my clearing papers. He then showed me where S-3 was…down the hall. The door was open, the lights were on, but there was nobody to be found. It looked like someone had just left, so I waited…and waited, but after a half hour I said screw it, and just left. I’ll check back tomorrow.

I drove home and on the way I got a call from the VA. They are going to schedule my first appointment in Bremerton. This is good, because they weren’t sure if the Bremerton clinic was taking any new patients. I thought I may have to drive to Tacoma. Today I’m actually done with schoolwork for the week, so I just kicked back and relaxed. I did a little job searching and then worked on this blog for a bit.

My wife is still sick, so no YMCA tonight. We just took it easy and watched our latest Netflix movie “Dallas Buyers Club”. To be honest, neither of us knew much about the movie at all except that it was nominated for some Oscars. It stars Mathew McConaughey, and it’s really amazing how he transformed his body for the role. He plays a guy who has AIDS when it first started breaking out in America. There was a lot unknown about the disease and most people thought it was only a gay person’s disease. Matthew McConaughey plays a homophobic character and we see his transformation as he at first tries to help himself live and later on helps the entire AIDS community including many gays. It’s a pretty powerful film and interesting as well. Very much worth a watch if you haven’t seen it yet.

Financial Brief - (MedBoard: Joint Base Lewis-McChord) Day 286

Formation this morning was at 0815 in ACUs, now this is one that I can make! There was a lot of talk about some training today because…you know….it’s Thursday and that means sergeant’s time training. I didn’t pay too much attention, I am out-processing and will not be attending anything unless it helps me get out of here.

After accountability I went back to my car, listened to the radio and relaxed for a while. About 0900 I went to the company offices and checked the supply room, but as usual there was nobody there. I guess I’ll try again later…I’m starting to wonder if I’m ever going to finish clearing from battalion. I drove to Waller Hall for a finance brief that I have to attend. The brief was actually very brief. Everyone was given two packets and the briefer went through each of them explaining to everyone what and how to fill them all out.

I filled mine out, but had to wait about an hour and a half while they called individuals back to go over their packets one by one. It took so long because they were calling people back by rank. As a specialist, I’m the lowest ranking soldier in the room that is retiring. I had planned on going to the out-processing station in Waller Hall afterwards, but at this point I was a little pissed off from all the waiting. I ended up just going home and having lunch with my wife, who had stayed home sick from work.

I then did my schoolwork and tried my best to comfort my wife and not get sick in the process.

NCM & PCM - (MedBoard: Joint Base Lewis-McChord) Day 284

I got up around 0900…didn’t text my squad leader and basically just don’t give a crap anymore. I think I have a severe case of short timer's syndrome. I’m lucky I can get away with this. My squad leader is very laid back and I think he just assumes I’m working with the navy when he doesn’t see me. He knows I’m an older guy and I take care of anything that needs to be done, so he doesn’t have to worry or babysit me.

I did schoolwork and then left for Ft. Lewis around noon. I headed straight to Waller Hall and picked up my orders. I had to look over my DD214 first to make sure all the information is correct. I then received my orders and a copy of my leave form. I had to head straight to the finance window at Waller Hall where they scheduled me an appointment for their finance brief this Thursday.

After Finance I drove to WTB and checked the mailroom to try and clear, but like the many times I’ve checked previously, there was nobody there. I went to the supply room at our company and again…nobody there. I checked with the VA Rep in our company, I’m supposed to give her my dates I was given for terminal leave and final out…but like everyone else, there was nobody there.

I had my NCM appointment, which went like all the others before…except this time I was able to have her sign my clearing paperwork. I knew I would at least get her signature today. After our appointment, I headed back to the SFAC to use their copier. I had to make 7 copies of my orders & 2 copies of my leave form. These are needed for the finance brief I was signed up for this Thursday. While I was there, I checked my army email.

I then had my PCM appointment. I had my PCM put in a request for my pain medication refills. We also scheduled one last appointment before I am out. I then made my way to the pharmacy and picked up the medication. On my way to my car I decided to stop by the WTB mailroom one more time just in case. To my surprise the guy is actually there! I had him sign my clearing paperwork and I filled out a change of address form for him to file. Kind of strange that I had to fill out the change of address, since I never had one here in the first place…but who cares? At least I got one more item marked off my list.

I headed home for the day and did schoolwork.

A Little Clearing - (MedBoard: Joint Base Lewis-McChord) Day 283

On the way out of Waller Hall...not sure what's going on with that hair!

I headed to morning formation in my ACUs because I’m officially out-processing now. It’s so nice not even paying attention to whatever the first sergeant is saying. I just wait until after accountability and leave. I went back to my car and slept until about 0800. I ate breakfast in my car, then went into the SFAC and checked my army email. I went to the mailroom to try and clear, but there is nobody there…yet again. Clearing would be easy if everyone was where they are supposed to be.

I went to Madigan and cleared from out-patient records. I had to fill out some paperwork and they will mail me my records. I then went to WTB and cleared from the VA rep. I checked the supply room, but nobody was there…again. I then drove to Waller Hall and cleared from EFMP (Exceptional Family Member Program). It just seems to me that with today’s technology, they should be able to query a database and only list places we actually need to clear from. It would see that I don’t have anyone in the EFMP program and then not even list it as a place I need to go. There are a number of steps that would be taken out of this stupid process.

I then drove home and did schoolwork. I received a text stating that my orders are ready for pickup at Waller Hall. Unfortunately it’s about 2 hours late, or else I would have picked them up today. I’ll be sure to get them tomorrow. I spent the rest of the evening watching college basketball on WatchESPN…that is until my wife came home and we went to the YMCA to get a little cardio in.

Clearing Battalion - (MedBoard: Joint Base Lewis-McChord) Day 278

On the drive home...the view of the Tacoma Narrows bridges

This morning I went to formation in ACUs because I’m finally clearing. Right after formation my squad had to follow our squad leader to his office. He had quarterly counseling statements for everyone to sign…one of those “check the box” and get it done moments. After that I went back to my car and tried to sleep, but it is just too darn cold outside to get comfortable. I just laid there listening to the radio…slowly freezing. Around 0900 I had breakfast in my car and then decided to start clearing (out-processing) from battalion. The clearing process involves taking my clearing paperwork (in this case just one piece of paper) and having each required place sign off on it and stamp it if they happen to have a stamp.

I decided to start at Madigan hospital. I was able to clear from VA Benefits, Occupational Therapy, and the Provost Marshal. Why some of these are on here I don’t know, most of the time the person behind the desk just takes the paper and signs it, then hands it back without even bothering to even look at my name.

I then drove to the security office. They have specific times available for out-processing and I wanted to make sure to get them out of the way. Once I finished with them, I drove to CIF and signed in at their customer service desk. About a half hour later, I was finally called up. They signed my paperwork and also gave me another piece of stamped paperwork that my company supply office will need to see.

At this point it was lunch time, so I drove off post and had lunch with a friend of mine at Taco Bell. After lunch I drove to the WTB and was able to clear from the following: Social Worker (via the on-call social worker), Billeting, Company training room, Company training records, Transition coordinator, SFAC, and ACAP. I tried to clear from the Mailroom, Veterans Corp, and Supply…but after multiple attempts nobody was there. So I decided to call it a day at 1400 and headed home. I’ll try and get the rest on Monday. Everyone will be training tomorrow because it’s Thursday, and Friday is a training holiday.

When I got home I did schoolwork as usual. I’m looking forward to finishing up class and finally getting my degree. When my wife came home we went to the YMCA and worked out. Finally we headed over to my sister’s house and had our usual Wednesday night family dinner.

Final Out - (Germany) Day 525

 Guest lodging entrance at Patrick Henry Village

This morning PT formation was at the PHV bowling alley parking lot, so I was able to get up and walk over there in my ACUs. The few that were there were doing a ruck march around PHV. I checked in and then headed back home…after a pit stop at the shoppette to pick up some coffee. We no longer have a coffee machine…one of the last things to get tossed from our house. When I got back home, we ate breakfast and got ready for the day. I then took down our bedroom curtains and gathered together all our bedding materials. All this stuff went straight to the trash, which is unfortunate. The recycling center closed down and we can't fit all of that into our luggage, so it all gets thrown away. We then did a quick sweep around the house and spot cleaned a few things. I unhooked our internet and phone, then threw the router and phone away as well. Both devices were 220v so we can't use them back in the states, and I couldn't find anyone who wanted them here.

We put our suitcases right outside our door and hung out until the housing inspector came by at 0845…the moment of truth. Now is the time we see if all our hard work cleaning every nook and cranny of our house really paid off. The inspector came and literally did a 30 second check of everything along with our appliances. He then checked to make sure we still had all our assigned keys and proceeded to have me sign some papers while he signed the required clearing papers. We were all done in well under 5 minutes…holy cow! It went a lot easier than I thought it would.

We waited on a co-worker to bring the TMP and then loaded up all our luggage and transported everything to guest lodging (the army hotel on post). We were allowed to check in early which was nice, this way we didn't need to store our bags and check in later at 1400 when they usually do it. I headed off in the TMP to the out-processing center and finished up my final paperwork there. I also picked up our plane tickets back to the states. They were supposed to email them to me, but I hadn't received them yet. I stopped by the internet provider and cancelled our service and then the bank where I turned in some rolls of coins that had accumulated during our time here. A quick stop by S-1 to drop off copies of all the final-out paperwork and then I was done for the day.

My co-worker dropped me off at guest lodging and I hung out with my wife for the rest of the day. We at dinner at the local restaurant on post "The Village Grill" which happened to be the first place we at dinner here when we arrived a year and a half ago. We've now come full circle and will be heading to the airport tomorrow. We could have stayed in guest lodging for free until our flight out on Sunday, but we decided to get a hotel at the airport for our last two nights here. That way we can get out and see Frankfurt if we want, we won't have to deal with any army base issues, and most of all we will not need anyone to drive us up to the airport very early on a Sunday morning…instead they can drive us on a Friday instead and get out of the office for a while.

Saw these on a tree outside guest lodging (the army hotel) and it made me smile

A Day Without The Uniform - (Germany) Day 524

This morning PT formation was at Campbell barracks. Since I don't have a car and I'm also clearing, I just had to call the platoon sergeant and let him know I'm alive at 0600. Once that was done I went back to sleep…which by the way was much better last night than the previous night thanks to a muscle relaxer. My head on the other hand is feeling a little better, but still in pain.

When I did get up I spent the morning with my wife getting ready for the day. We then continued to clean our house. I took a number of loads either to bulk trash or straight to the dumpster depending on what they were. Our place is completely empty now except for the government furniture and our suitcases we will be taking with us. Just a few things left like our bedroom curtains and our comforter will be thrown away tomorrow. My boss called and said one of my co-workers was on the way to drop off my clearing paperwork that our commander finally signed and sent back. I was afraid we would have to make the hour long drive up there just to make sure he signed it.

We made a stop by the post office to mail off some packages both to others and even ourselves (stuff we didn't want to pack). We ate lunch out and then I got my haircut. Now I'll be good to go when I arrive in Ft. Lewis. We came back home and did some more spot cleaning. An acquaintance of mine from back in high school came to the post and I signed him in. He's lived in Germany for years and wanted to do a little shopping in our commissary before I left so he could get some things he's been missing (such as root beer) that they don't sell out in the German economy.

I came back home and hung out with my wife for the rest of the evening. I took down a couple more loads of trash even including the shower curtain once we took our evening showers. The inspector comes first thing in the morning tomorrow and we'll see if all this cleaning was worth it or not.

Shipping the Car - (Germany) Day 523

The morning did not go as planned. I haven't been writing a lot about the pain I've been in because it's pretty much a normal every day occurrence. My back, neck and head are usually in some sort of pain, but it happens so often that I just work through it. I usually take a few Excedrin if the headaches get too bad and that helps sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. Last night I was feeling sore and took some Excedrin before bed. I didn't sleep well at all and at 0340 the pain was so bad in my head that I ended getting up and taking more Excedrin, which unfortunately did absolutely nothing. I ended just getting up for good at 0440 and starting my day because of this. I wish I had something to really kill the pain when it gets this bad, and I'm hoping we can figure something out when I start going through the medboard process at Ft. Lewis. A hot shower helped a little, but I ended up with a pretty terrible headache that lasted the entire day.

This morning PT formation was at Campbell gym. I showed up in ACUs as usual and listened to the usual morning announcements. I then coordinated with my boss to make sure someone would be able to pick me up after I drop off my vehicle for shipping. I then headed back home and got ready for the day.

I headed out about 0800 to Spinelli barracks in Mannheim which is about a half hour away and is also where vehicle processing is. I had an appointment at 0900 and arrived at 0830. They had me sign more papers than when I originally purchased the car! I was at a desk signing paper after paper, making sure to give them 5 copies of my orders in the process. I then went out with the inspector who said it passed the agricultural inspection (the one which I've heard so many horror stories about) and then he went over the "scratch and ding" report. This is where he marks on a drawing of a car every scratch and ding he can find. The end result looks like the car exploded on paper, but they want to document everything before shipping and after to make sure nothing happens during transport. I signed more paperwork and eventually was given my German license plates to take and "de-register" my car.

At this next office I signed in…I was the only person there…and waited a half hour for someone to see me. There were no other customers and two workers there. Ahhh…the life of a government employee. When I finally did get seen, I was able to de-register my vehicle, turn in my German license plates, get some new temporary ones to use in the states, and get my clearing papers signed. By the time I finished my boss and another co-worker were there to pick me up and take me back to the office.

We headed back, I scanned my cleaning paperwork and emailed it all to my boss. He in turn sent them up to the company commander for him to sign now that I have everything else done. We then went out for lunch and took our time coming back. The ComSec office used to be pretty boring, but now it's taken boring to an entire new level. There is no ComSec anymore since the place is closing. Nobody has a job to do anymore, so the only thing everyone does is watch YouTube on the computers all day. They have removed a few of the computers, so not everyone even has a computer. It's pretty crazy! I played games on my phone waiting for the commander to send back my signed form. I spent the rest of the day doing this as my boss called twice to check on the status. At the end of the day I got a ride home from a co-worker.

I spent the last half of the day playing games on my phone, when I could have been home cleaning. I final out the day after tomorrow and need that signature in order to do so. It's a little stressful waiting on others. I will feel so much better once I final out and make it to the hotel at the airport. I'll be done with this company and with this battalion.

Cleaning the House - (Germany) Day 522

This morning we had PT formation at the bowling alley here on PHV, which was good because I don't have a car…I could just walk there. So I got up, put on my ACUs, walked to the formation, then walked back home and changed into my cleaning clothes. I then took it easy getting ready for the day with my wife. We ate breakfast, drank coffee and watched the NBC Nightly News video podcast each morning. This keeps us up with what's going on back in the states.

We then spent the majority of the day cleaning the house. Scrubbing the appliances and cleaning the bathroom to make everything look even better than when we arrived. We did take a break and watched a documentary called "Super High Me" on Hulu. This was done by a comic (Doug Benson) who jokingly said he should do what Morgan Spurlock did on "Super Size Me" with McDonald's…only instead of McDonald's food he smoked weed. A film producer took him up on his joke and they decided to do the documentary. It started with the comic going 30 days without any weed or alcohol. During this time he was seen by a doctor and given a series of medical tests. The next 30 days consisted of him getting high from the moment he woke up until bedtime each day. The medical tests were done again and surprisingly everything was about the same…except his oral math skills kind of plummeted.

Hulu has been a great entertainment venue while we've been over here in Germany. Now that we only have our laptops for entertainment…we've been watching quite a bit more on Hulu. I then got back to work cleaning our house. I emptied out our small attic space and our basement. A large air conditioner, a fake Christmas tree, and various other items were all brought out to the curb for bulk pickup. I had a guy pick me up from the office and take me to the car detailer around 1500 to pickup my car…it's never been this clean since we first purchased it! They guarantee that it will pass inspection, I guess we'll see tomorrow.

By the time I got back home the A/C unit was gone…which I'm glad. I hate just throwing good stuff away, but nobody I worked with was interested in it. There are a lot of things that people just end up throwing away because they are PCSing and don't want to take it with them.

Just Say No to Days of Excellence - (Germany) Day 519

Today was "Days of Excellence" and there was a battalion run before the event. Because it was being held in Kaiserslautern, the folks from here had to leave at around 0400. I'm glad I'm out-processing. They wanted me to come to the Days of Excellence to receive my PCS award, but I let my boss know that I had to turn in my car to the detailer in the morning. So all I had to do was text my boss around 0830 and let him know I'm still alive.

The day turned out to be pretty easy going, in fact I didn't even put on my uniform at all. I dropped off my car at the detailer. This is a local German company that cleans cars and guarantees that they will pass the inspections required before we ship the car out. I've heard some horror stories of people trying to clean their car themselves and then having issues trying to ship it. I figured I'd pay the money and make sure there are no problems. I had SPC Mac pick me up and take me back home, where I spent the rest of the day. I did a little cleaning and that is about it. All I have left for out-processing is vehicle registration, the company commander's signature, housing, then the final out-process before I leave.

A Little More Out-Processing - (Germany) Day 518

A picture we took before the movers came. Just some of the places we visited 

and grabbed a Starbucks mug while we were there. We have a few more that we 

obtained after this picture was taken. Unfortunately Starbucks discontinued the 

"Global Icon Mugs" design shortly after we came back to the U.S.

This morning our PT formation was at Campbell gym. We had our accountability formation, then I took off. There were a few people that had to take a PT test. After my wife got ready for work, I took her in then headed home. I didn't really feel like going in, so I just stayed home until after lunch.

I then headed to the APO (Army Post Office) to have my clearing papers signed. The APO is such a joke. I've mentioned this before and I'm surprised half the stuff even makes it through. In fact I'm pretty sure half the stuff that gets sent to us does not make it. My wife has had numerous clients email her stating that their checks were returned. I had Netflix send me an email stating some DVDs were returned…while still others come through…we haven't changed anything! So it is with great satisfaction that I closed our APO box and just put my wife's parents as our forwarding address. I know the US Postal Service will do a much better job at handling our mail than the APO does. Just one more reason I want to get as far away from the army as possible. We thought about living on post when I get to Ft. Lewis, but not for long. Just thinking about having to live on an army post again started to make me sick, I don't want to deal with anything army any more than I have to.

After the APO visit, I headed to the ComSec office and checked my email. I received my NIPR/SIPR clearing paperwork signed by the NCO in Landstuhl. I added that to my clearing papers and now only need my vehicle registration and the company commander before I final out. I am almost done…but I know there are still going to be some bumps in the road. I have to take my car to get detailed, pick it up, take it to vehicle registration to get shipped and also get the company commander in Landstuhl to sign my clearing paperwork. With less people in the ComSec office it's going to be a challenge to line up transportation to get all of this done. Unfortunately SPC Mac flies out this Sunday…so there is one less person I can truly rely on.

I headed over to my wife's work and just hung out with her for the rest of the day…pretty much the same as yesterday.

Another Day…A Couple More Signatures - (Germany) Day 517

Viewing the sunset from out our window...it was pretty amazing!

This morning the PT formation was here on PHV, which is always nice because I get a few extra minutes before leaving the house. I pulled up in the parking lot and there was a light drizzle, so I waited in my car for everyone to get out. I guess because our platoon sergeant wasn't there they decided not to even have a formation. The lone NCO just told the guys to head to the gym and came over to my car and said I could head out.

I did pretty much the same thing as yesterday morning, took my wife to work when she was ready and then slept for an hour in her parking lot. The weather has turned to crap and it was a bit colder, which made the nap a little less comfortable than yesterday…but hey…a nap is a nap. I then headed into the ComSec office to check my email. I did get a little bit of good news, the supply sergeant in Landstuhl who I needed to sign a part of my clearing papers was coming out to Heidelberg today. So I waited in the office for him to arrive and when he did I had him sign my papers before he had a chance to do anything else. He wouldn't clear me on the NBC gear, so I had to send an email to our NBC sergeant asking him to confirm me by email that I'm good to go.

I then headed out to my car and hung out for a while listening to music and playing games on my iPhone. I just didn't feel like hanging out in the office with nothing to do. After a while I decided to head home for lunch. I took a two hour lunch and then headed back to the ComSec office where I was glad to see an email reply from our NBC sergeant stating that I am indeed good to go. I then forwarded that email to our S-4 sergeant and headed over with my clearing papers for him to finally sign off. I spoke with my boss for a bit and he sent up another portion of my paperwork to our company in Landstuhl for my NIPR/SIPR access to get signed. Now all I have left before I final out is the post office and vehicle registration (once I get that NIPR/SIPR paperwork back).

I left the office and spent the rest of the day at my wife's office just hanging out with her.

About to Lose My Mind - (Germany) Day 516

PT formation this morning was at Patton gym. I headed in my ACUs and listened to the morning announcements and then headed off back home. I waited until my wife was ready for work and then drove her in. I then proceeded to stay in her parking lot for an hour to take a nap in the car.

After the nap I headed into the ComSec office where I checked my email and then headed to the S-3 shop to get my clearing papers signed. I then headed to the S-1 shop to have them sign them as well. I found out that I have to make a trip all the way up to Landstuhl to get another signature besides the commander's signature. So I'll have to make the hour long trip each way…twice. This whole clearing process is really starting to piss me off. It sucks because our post is split up between 5 or so smaller ones. Our company is split in 3 different groups all working very far apart. The vehicle shipping office is also located about a half hour away on even another post. We are supposed to zip back and forth to all these places for what seems like no good reason. 95% of the people just grab my paperwork, sign and stamp on their place. There is no ID check and they do not even look anything up or put any information into a system. It all seems like a stupid joke.

I picked up the Subway platter for the chaplain's bible study lunch and delivered them. My "payment" was to take enough back for my wife and I to have lunch ourselves…lol. With Subway in hand I headed over to my wife's work and we had lunch together. The chaplain encouraged me to take even more than I did because they always have so much leftovers.

My next step was to "pre-clear" housing. The housing office is located a couple of floors above my wife's office. So I headed up and asked to be "pre-cleared". They said they can't do this…it's just not possible. I told them I have to have them sign it and "pre-clear" me on the paperwork, or else my commander will not sign his portion. They said they absolutely cannot do this and that I have to wait until the 6th when they do the inspection (which is also the day I final out). I have to have my commander sign it before I final out. I told them at least 4 other people from my office have come in before me and done the same exact thing. They flatly denied me and I had to leave. I was pissed off…why does something so simple have to be so hard. I called my boss and he asked me to get their number which I did. He called them and they gave him the same BS. The solution they came up with was to highlight that particular portion of my clearing papers green, which means it is part of the final out process so my commander will still sign my paperwork without that portion being filled out. I just don't understand how they would do it for some and not for others. I was pissed off. I told the lady this is exactly why I can't wait to get out of the army…stupid shit like this all the fucking time! (pardon my language). The army makes even simple things so damn complicated. I took my newly highlighted paperwork and left. I was pretty upset, so I just called it a day and headed home. This entire clearing process is a joke. Thinking back to when I out-processed from both Ft. Gordon and Yongsan Korea, I remember both of those being very easy. Of course each place was totally self contained, so you didn't have to travel to various posts in order to get things done.

Clearing Papers - (Germany) Day 511

This morning I headed to the 0630 PT formation once again in ACUs as I will for the duration of my time here in Germany. I pick up my clearing paperwork today and then will start out-processing. I listened to the announcements in the accountability formation and then headed back home once it was finished.

After eating breakfast and such at home, I headed into the out-processing center and picked up my clearing papers a little after 0800. The paperwork consists of a large number of places I need to visit and get signed. Some of the places like Tri-Care, ACS, ID Card and more are located in the same area as the out-processing office. So my morning consisted of choosing a station, getting a number and waiting for my number to be called. I would then take my paperwork to them and they would sign it. Some would ask me a few questions and others would have me fill out some additional paperwork, while others wanted copies of my orders. I also had to get cleared from both the bank and credit union on post even though I don't even have an account at either of them. I did pretty much everything I could at this particular post, then headed back to where I live on PHV and cleared from the dental clinic, the MPs, and the Self Help office.

I headed home after that and had lunch along with a nap. I headed into the ComSec office after that so I could use one of their computers and check my email. It had been piling up since I'd been on leave. I spent some time dealing with the email and printing off a few things. I then headed to our S-3 office to clear and nobody was there. This may be the most difficult part of the clearing process, with the base closing there are less and less people available. Hours of certain shops have been reduced and there are only certain days available for clearing at other locations. I headed to S-2 and again found nobody there, but luckily on my way out I ran into a worker that was on his way there. He was able to sign my paperwork after I filled out some for him. I then headed to S-4 where again the NCO was not there. After that I decided to call it a day, I'll try and get more done tomorrow. I headed home with about half of everything I need to do complete. Most of these are the easy ones, so I'll be trying to get the rest done here and there as I find people available. As for today, I finished up around 1500 and spent the rest of the day with my wife at home.