The Chaplain's Coin - (Germany) Day 441

The chaplain's challenge coin I was given 

(blurred out the name only because I don't use real names in my journal)

This morning for PT we headed to Patton gym, the normal folks did circuit training while those of us on profile headed into the gym for our own workout. I rode the stationary bike for some cardio since I didn't get much of anything yesterday.

I headed into my office and after checking the road conditions and weather reports, let the chaplain know it may be better if we don't do any traveling today. He was looking for an excuse not to make the drive up to Landstuhl today, so this was his way out. In truth it was snowing lightly outside and it was very icy with both Heidelberg and Landstuhl showing road conditions as amber.  So without any driving to do today, I concentrated on work I needed to do here. I started a new college class, so that was priority number one. I then moved on to studying some for my Apple re-certification. After that I did some SkillPorts so I can add them to my CompTia continuing education hours.

I headed home for lunch and then headed to the transportation office afterwards. I didn't go to see them, but just to pick up some of the required paperwork that must be done before seeing them. I'll fill all of that out and then swing by sometime next week to make dates for our household goods pickup. The rest of the day was the norm, just checking email and surfing the web. The chaplain came in at one point and said how much he appreciates everything I do for him. He then gave me one of his coins as a token of appreciation. I thought that was pretty cool, it is actually the first coin I've received since being here in Germany. While in Korea I received numerous coins, but it's been a different story here.

Town Hall - (Korea) Day 331

The Town Hall event at Collier Field House with The Secretary of Defense.
Korean media & of course AFN were there to cover the event.

Had to wake up at 0440 this morning to quickly get dressed and shave. Our NCOIC was going to arrive at 0500 to do a pre-check on our rooms, but I received a text that she had to make sure her kid got to school. We had the room inspection at 0530 as promised. A number of NCOs came through the barracks inspecting all of our rooms. I heard that one of the NCOs got really mad at PV2 Charlie because he had a spoon in his freezer?? They came to my room and didn't like the bathroom. Said I needed to scrub the floor, then it was over. I tried to lay down and rest a bit, but I was already up so I just laid there for an hour until I had to start getting ready for work.

Work call was at 0830, I was told to see our master sergeant in admin. When I got down there she said to make sure everyone in our office knows she's only the IMO on paper because of her rank. She doesn't want to do any IMO work, she wants me and PV2 Charlie to be the "go to" people. I was fine with that and it makes sense, but she was actually a little pissed off. No worries, I knew where she was coming from and let her know I'd pass on the word. Sometimes when someone has a problem they automatically go to the highest ranking person even if that isn't the correct solution. She can't really help them with anything except ask me to fix the problem or put in a help desk ticket.

We then start our morning with our normal Wednesday meeting in the secret conference room. This time I have PV2 Charlie do everything from scratch. He needs some instruction here and there, but he's coming along. He should be good to go for the next meeting. After it finished we cleaned up and when we arrived back at our office we helped clean up from another meeting that was in the top secret conference room.

Once finished it was lunch time, but before we left we heard that we have to be back early to head to a "town hall" and that was all the information we got. So I quickly ate at the food court and then headed towards the movie theatre which is where the pre-town hall brief was going to be. We were instructed that the secretary of defense will be conducting a town hall and told that we could not bring in bags, knives, any weapons, or even multi-function tools. Luckily our NCOIC told us to bring some reading material, because we sat in that theatre for a little over an hour total waiting for everyone to get accounted for and for the buses to arrive, so I grabbed my iPad before heading there.

We then all boarded buses and headed to Collier Field House which is not too far away, but they wanted us all to arrive at the same time. We then waited outside the gym for a little over a half hour while secret service checked the gym and had their dogs sniff all around. Security was pretty tight. We went through metal detectors and had to show ID to get in. Most of our office had to attend. I think there were a lot of people "voluntold" to go because they wanted to make sure all the seats were full and there was no embarrassment to the post by having any empty seats. This worked because all the seats were indeed full.

We sat and waited for about another 2.5 hours with a couple of briefs here and there getting us ready. I read a lot of my book during this time and also showed Special K a number of photos on my iPad to pass the time. Finally Leon Panetta, The Secretary of Defense, came in and gave a bit of a speech. He thanked everyone for serving and promoted public service, giving back to the country. Made me feel proud to serve even though I've made plenty of sacrifices to do so.

He then answered a few questions and then had everyone line up for a picture and gave everyone in attendance a coin, which was pretty cool. We're told we'll receive the photo at some point…we'll see.

By now it's getting late and we all head back to the office and then leave. I get back to my room around 1830. It's late and I have a dehydration headache, so I decide not to workout. Instead I drink water, eat dinner, drink some more water and watch CSI: Miami & NY while drinking more water. I then do some schoolwork before heading to bed. It's been a strange day, but I'm glad I was able to attend the Town Meeting with The Secretary of Defense. Not too many people can say they've done that or received his coin which beats my previous highest coin which was a 4-star coin…not too bad.

Moving Day - (Korea) Day 324

The army major in our office gave me this coin and said "Here you go...you deserve it".
The ROK 4-star general is leaving and I think they are trying to unload his coins by 
giving them to different officers in our building to give to their soldiers. Still it's pretty
cool to have a 4-star ROK coin to add to my collection.

Work call this morning was at 0830. First time in a while it seems that we've come in at the normal time. I setup for our normal Wednesday meeting in the secret conference room and then ran the two computers. I was going to have PV2 Charlie do the entire thing, but he's on a Korean cultural tour today and tomorrow. The meeting ran without incident and I cleaned up afterward.

I then headed to our conference room and made sure the system was up and running for a meeting. I stayed there in case they needed me for anything, but they only had one slide up for the entire meeting. I relaxed and watched some college football.

I headed to my room for lunch and video chatted with my wife. Once back to the office I had to swap the army major's desk with what used to be the air force major's desk. The army major is going to leave in a few months and a new deputy will be taking over so he wanted to move out of the way. The process actually took quite a while. I had to move all the crap from one desk to another, but clean everything as I was going. Once I had everything all setup I then had to go through the incoming deputy's drawers and clean them out as well so there wasn't a bunch of crap in there waiting for him.

I had to drive across post and find J8 to pick up a coin for an award that was going out. It was an emergency that had to be done right away. I'd never been to this place before, but armed with a map and a building number, me and our KATUSA were able to find it.

By the time we got back it was time to clean up and leave. I headed directly to my room and changed, then headed to the gym trying to beat the rush. It was still only slightly better than yesterday. Working out on weekdays is really going to be a hassle unless I get off work early.

Back in my room I ate dinner and watched CSI: New York. SPC Roy came by to visit and vent a little. He's in limbo right now trying to re-class, but is running into all kinds of problems. Once he left I did schoolwork and then went to bed…another day closer to seeing my wife.

the wife

another day closer. <3 :) ing.

Thursday, October 20, 2011 - 01:34 AM

Final Day of Exercise - (Korea) Day 270

The front and back of the coins that our KATUSA gave me. The one on the left
is from the ROK 2-Star general, and the one on the right is from his
counterpart...the US 2-Star general.

Work call this morning was at 0430. Oh yes…last day of the exercise!!!! I picked up the augmentees and headed back to the office. We were planning to leave 15 minutes earlier that the previous days. As I was waiting in the SUV our KATUSA jumped in the seat behind me and then asked to see my hand. Strange request, but I put my hand back there and he promptly placed two coins in it. Evidently the reason he had to stay behind yesterday was because he was selected to receive a couple coins from a two star general. I told him I couldn't take them and tried to give them back, but he insisted that I keep them. He said he thought I worked the hardest out there and that I deserved them more than him. I told him no way…he worked his butt off too, but he would not take them back no matter what. To tell you the truth, having a co-worker notice the effort and work that I put in was worth more than a supervisor in my eyes. It was an awesome gesture and I think these coins will hold more meaning than any of the others I have so far.

We arrived at CP Tango and immediately started to prepare for the awards ceremony from the four star general. There were 5 people getting the "Joint Service Award" and 30 folks receiving the 4-star coin. This is a lot less than previous exercises, I heard the new general wants to give more value to his coins. Our KATUSA and I were proctors for the ceremony. Our KATUSA held the case with the awards and coins and I handed them to the general as the folks came up to accept their award. The funny part is that this put me in all the photos that the people took with the general…lol. I thought about making a funny face, but kept it professional. Our NCOIC was one of the people that received a coin.

After the ceremony we started cleaning the office. Our NCOIC and our KATUSA headed to breakfast at the DFAC. During their meal she kept asking to see his coins, that's when he told her that he gave them to me and why. She was pretty impressed and ended up telling the Major in our office, who in turned told another person in the command group. The Major then ended up giving our KATUSA a different coin because everyone was impressed with his gesture. What I found out later is that our NCOIC was also given two more 4-Star coins that she was going to give me and Special K, but since our KATUSA gave me his coins she gave one to an augmentee that did a great job the entire exercise.

We finished cleaning the CP Tango office and waited for the end of exercise announcement. Finally it finished…North Korea invaded, South Korea along with it's UN allies repelled the attack and took over North Korea…thus reunifying the Korean peninsula!

We headed to K-16 and picked up some individual pizzas for lunch, then had to wait for the generals to leave CP Tango before we could pack up the office and head back to Yongsan. When we did get back, we still had a lot to do before we could call it a day. We had to drop off all the weapons at the armory, then take all the supplies into the office and turn back in all the rented vans and SUVs we had. Once this was done we prepared for our own ceremony for all of our augmentees. This is a little different than previous exercise ceremonies because it was only for the augmentees getting their Certificate of Achievements. These are worth 5 promotion points. Usually they are all handed out to everyone in our office at the same time, I'm not sure why we are doing it separate this time…I hear ours will be next week sometime.

I was unable to see the little ceremony though because I got a call about a "spillage" in our admin department. Classified data had found it's way to an unclassified computer. When this happens we have to immediately unplug the machine from the network and report it to the folks who are in charge of the secret network. I then got a call telling me that our colonel was unable to access the network. Turns out that his computer still thought it was on the CP Tango network and there was nothing I could do to change the settings, so I had to call the help desk and submit an urgent ticket. The only problem is that all the help desk technicians had all left for the weekend. Ugggghh. I had to setup an alternate laptop for my colonel to use over the weekend, but it wasn't a great solution because he didn't have access to any of his desktop files. Grrrrr!

My NCOIC mentioned going to eat at Taco Bell and asked if me and our KATUSA wanted to go. I said definitely…it sounds good. We had to wait for our KATUSA though…the two weeks of eating an MRE every day for lunch had caught up with him and he was stuck in the bathroom with a major case of diarrhea. When he did come out he politely declined and said he was heading home.

After dinner I got back to my room and shortly after laid down for a nap, but that nap turned into sleeping all night…13 hours total…much needed!

4-Star Farewell - (Korea) Day 219

The front and back of the 4-Star General's coin I received during the farewell ceremony

Work call this morning was at 0830. We setup for our normal Wednesday meeting in the secret conference room, but we didn't actually have to run it or attend. We had our own meeting we had to setup and prepare for. The commander of USFK, the four star general had a meeting scheduled to say farewell to our office. It was quick and short, he gave out some coins first and at the last second I found out I was going to get one. Very cool! Now I have a four star general's coin. Our KATUSA also got one which was well deserved, he works his butt off. The General then said a few words and we all took our picture with him. A short and sweet meeting.

We then cleaned up both our conference room and then later on the secret conference room. I received a list of openings for my job position from my NCOIC. I then sent an email to my branch manager requesting some of the cooler locations. I should be finding out pretty soon where I'll be heading. I would think that if I request a place that has an opening at the time I'm leaving Korea, that it would be a no brainer. I'm actually making the branch manager's job easier right? LOL…I guess we'll see where they think I belong "based on the needs of the army".

I then did SkillPorts until lunch time. I figured I would give a status update on my progress each week. Since this is the first day of the work week, it will be a Wednesday this time. Here is what my promotion point worksheet shows for Military Education:

Max 260 Points:

Army Correspondence Course Program (ACCP): 472 Hours = 94 Points

Slowly getting closer. I got a call at 1130 from my roommate, he locked himself out of our room and asked if I could take lunch early and let him in…no problem. I headed out and had lunch in my room while video chatting with my wife. When I headed back to the office I did the army SSD  Level 1 computer based training. This is the other training I found last week that I'm checking out. I finished the first module today. When I finish all the modules it's supposed to be worth 80 hours. I think I also get a certificate as well. We'll see.

I helped out Seaman bring in all the mail. Because of the holiday weekend he had the entire car filled with boxes! We had to make a few trips back and forth to get them all in with help from our KATUSA and SPC Mick. We then cleaned up and left at 1700 today.

Back in my room I ate dinner and watched TV shows. I then heard from my roommate that he broke up with his American girlfriend. It's probably for the better based on what I've heard so far with their relationship, but he's still pretty bummed. So bummed in fact that he had a few friends over to console him for quite a while. Even our KATUSA heard about it and came over "to feel bad for him".

Another day over…another day closer to going home. Now I'm going to sleep. I bought a fan that I placed next to my bed for the noise at night. Last night I slept with that on and my "white noise" from my iPhone playing. It worked out great…I didn't hear anything and slept like a rock.

Above Sea Level - (Korea) Day 94

The coin I received today. Challenge coins come in a variety of shapes and sizes

Work call this morning was at 0500 once again. We loaded up as usual, but the 1st van I usually get in had some issues. One of their headlights was out, so they had to take a spare van. I usually ride with the admin master sergeant, an air force captain and our colonel. This was the first time we rode with these particular drivers. As we took off our colonel made a comment to the admin master sergeant asking if that was coffee or tea she was drinking. She said it was pumpkin tea, then the driver went over a speed bump without slowing down and the pumpkin tea shot up and a lot of it spilled on the colonel. The master sergeant was drinking out of a normal coffee cup and not a travel mug. She started trying to wipe the colonel down and I was laughing really hard (on the inside of course). It was pretty funny. The driver is lucky we have a pretty easy going colonel.

When we arrived at CP Tango I setup the secure laptops as usual. SPC Roy came in and was in an exceptionally good mood. It was a little strange. I started to think he took some drugs or something. Then he got all excited and said "I have to go take a dump" and off he went. A little while later he came back even more excited exclaiming that "it was above sea level". He kept going on and on about his poop. It was actually pretty funny. I ended up hanging out with him at the table in the office for as long as I could before I had to go do a little computer work in the IMO office. Our secret computer was quarantined because it hadn't been on the network since the last exercise, so no updates were installed on it. I have been working with the help desk trying to get this resolved and finally this morning the computer was up and running on the secret network (SIPR). I setup the admin master sergeant's email accounts on it (had to do a little thinking back a few jobs ago when I worked with Outlook and Exchange to setup two profiles…it's been a while). She was happy I was able to get it all up and working for her though.

Later on that day the 8th army sergeant major came in and started talking to me. He then shook my hand said keep up the good work and gave me a coin. Army coins are kind of like an "atta boy". It's a nice way for them to say thanks and give you a token of their appreciation. They are coveted items by most soldiers because usually you have to do something special in order to get them. I think my hard work all week splitting time between IMO and operations was noticed. I think I deserved a coin just for putting up with SPC Roy all week!

When we got back SPC Roy and I took the broken van to the repair shop to get it's headlight replaced. We then headed back and were given the safety brief. "Don't drink because you're on exercise and don't be stupid". That was it…we were released for the day at a little after 1500. I worked out and then video chatted with my wife for a bit. I then left to the PX and ate some taco bell and had some ice cream to celebrate receiving a coin…lol. Unfortunately I have to work tomorrow as well, so I'm going to bed early tonight after I do a little schoolwork.

the wife

Keep up the awesome work asagua! Ice cream was well deserved!

Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 01:41 AM