Conclusion - (Germany) Day 526

During our last visit to Frankfurt...The Myzeil Shopping Mall...has a pretty cool hole in it!

This weekend we are staying at the Sheraton hotel which is connected to the Frankfurt airport. We'll have a lot more available to us including a short train ride into downtown Frankfurt instead of being trapped on "PHV island" without a car for our last weekend here in Germany.

As for my thoughts about my time here….

I had been to Germany as a young lad as part of our high school exchange program and had a blast, so I was excited to come back and visit as an adult. I was also very excited to be assigned to an actual signal unit, I figured I'd be doing my actual job and getting involved in all kinds of high tech information technology…geeky stuff. I figured wrong.

Germany and Europe were a blast as far as being a tourist goes. My wife and I made the most of our time here. We explored as much of Germany as possible and also made our way to England, Holland, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, and Greece. I loved being able to see all the history and my wife and I really enjoyed our time here. Our hometown of Heidelberg is a great city. The food and beer in Germany is amazing. The people we met were awesome and I was able to visit all three of the German exchange students that had lived with me in America as part of our exchange program.

Professionally my time in Germany was a real bust. Even though I was in an actual signal unit, I ended up being a ComSec clerk…which is actually a glorified librarian that only needs to make sure customer's paperwork is in order and all the signatures are in the correct places. A computer is not even needed to be a ComSec clerk. On top of that there were so many special duties and training that we had to do which had nothing to do with the job I signed up for…an Information Technology Specialist. Truth be told the only I.T. work I did was when I worked on my home computers. When I vented my frustrations via this blog, I ended up in all kinds of trouble. Free speech was thrown out the window. One does not simply shine a negative light on what's going on in the army. If a high ranking someone gets butt hurt, then there is going to be hell to pay. Even without getting in any official trouble, I had to deal with a lot of unofficial punishment…special duty, verbal assaults, and being alienated. Even though I never received any official punishment, my life was a living hell for a while. Ironically during my year and a half in Germany I received 3 AAMs (Army Achievement Medals) and the Good Conduct Medal.

I eventually ended up working as the chaplain's assistant, which helped him out and got me out of the sergeant major's bullseye. It worked out and my stress level went down considerably. During this whole process I did receive my clearance and I also ended up getting recommended for the medboard. So now I will move on to the next and last chapter of my army career as I go through the medboard process. The good news is that I'll be stationed at Ft. Lewis during the process which is only about 40 minutes from my hometown. I'll have the support of friends and family. I'll also be able to be a bigger part of my kids lives.

All the posts in Heidelberg closed down about 3 months after I left. The local newspaper had an article along with a video showing the Germans checking it out for the first time. (The page is in German, but if you use the chrome web browser it should offer to translate it for you. The video is also in German, but you can watch it as it shows you around Campbell Barracks where I worked)

Check out the video here: http://www.rnz.de/heidelberg/00_20140215163000_110629844-Video_Rundgang_durch_die_Campbell_Barracks.html
Edit: Unfortunately the newspaper has since removed the article :(

We did make one last trip via train from the airport to Frankfurt...

Street performers in Frankfurt...I love watching street performers, they

give a city some personality

Taking a break and posing for a picture

Me posing under the giant Euro sign in Frankfurt

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.

Weekend Wrap-Up - (Germany) Days 520-521

This weekend was a little different, as we had no car. Usually not having a car in Germany is no problem. Their public transportation is awesome, but living on our post (PHV) is like being on an island. There is no public transportation to speak of, in fact the taxis can't even come on post. So without our car, we were pretty stranded here on PHV. We did want to make it downtown at least one more time, so we called a taxi and walked off post to catch one. Taxis are expensive and just the short trip downtown costs about $20…round trip is double that, so you have to think twice anytime you decide to take one.

We walked around downtown, did some last minute shopping and had some ice cream. The nice thing about Europe is that there is an ice cream shop on every corner at least…and it's good stuff. There is something that is just better about the ice cream here and I'm going to miss it. It was actually a little sad walking around knowing that this would probably be our last time in downtown Heidelberg. It's a great city and we have loved living here.

SPC Mac and his wife came by in the evening and picked us up for dinner. We headed to one of our favorite restaurant and breweries in a neighboring town and had our own farewell dinner. One thing about my life in the army so far is that I've met some pretty cool people, but the bummer is that they are always limited in duration...one of us is always moving because of the army. Of course I've kept in touch with everyone through Facebook, but it's not the same as hanging out with them.

Sunday we ended up spending most of the day deep cleaning our house. We have to get it all cleaned up by Thursday morning when the inspection happens.

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.

Weekend Wrap-Up (Memorial Day 4-Day) - (Germany) Days 512-515

Looking up at the Eiffel Tower

This Memorial Day weekend my wife and I headed to Paris with SPC Mac and his family. We took the train to Paris and ended up taking a very expensive taxi ride to our hotel. SPC Mac's wife put the whole vacation together, so I can't complain…we were just along for the ride. I wanted to make sure we went out and did something fun on our last four day weekend here in Germany. Our hotel was outside of Paris situated between Paris and Disneyland. We spent the evening unwinding in the hotel and then we each enjoyed a couple's massage the next morning. We watched SPC Mac's son and his friend until they finished, then we headed into Paris. I've been there once with my kids, but still had a few things I wanted to see. With the two little kiddos we didn't make it very far though, we hung out mostly around the Eiffel Tower and waited until it lit up at night before we left...a pretty cool site to see!

The next day was Disneyland! We took the train to Disneyland which has a stop almost right outside the park's gates. We had a lot of fun checking everything out, but the lines for the rides were a little outrageous. We hit some good rides though and had a lot of fun in the process. The park is setup very similar to the magical kingdom in Orlando and Disneyland in California. We were going to wait until the fireworks at night, but ended up only staying until after the parade and then took off. The two boys were pretty worn out…as were all of us adults!

The last day was filled with our trip back to Germany. France is a place I'm glad I have been able to visit, but I have to say that the people just aren't as nice as a lot of the other places we've visited. The French just have sort of a different (kind of rude) attitude that I will not miss. Both SPC Mac and I did this trip off the books. Neither of us put in a pass to leave the country (because of all the hassle) and both of us were a little stressed when trying to catch our train back to Germany. If there were any problems we could have both been in quite a bit of trouble. Luckily everything went well, everyone had a great time and I'm glad we were able to do one last big event before leaving.

Check out the slideshow below, or check out my Flickr album:
Edit: I had a lot of pictures in a Flickr slideshow album, but Flickr deleted it when they switched to a limited free option. I have all the originals, but haven't put them back up on the blog unfortunately.

Prayer Breakfast - (Germany) Day 512

The chaplain up front doing his thing at the prayer breakfast in Landstuhl

This morning was an early one. I headed over to the chaplain's house by 0430 in the morning. I had told him earlier that even though I would be clearing, that I would help him out with this last prayer breakfast. We drove up to Landstuhl which is about an hour away. On our drive there the chaplain asked me to pull over at the next rest area…a minute later he said take the next exit and just pull over! He had to go pee and it was an emergency. So I pull over and the chaplain takes a few steps off the road and relieves himself…lol. We get back on the road and arrive at our destination then headed to the 181 company conference room. Eventually the 102nd Signal Battalion chaplain and CSM arrived as well. This will be the chaplain that takes over once our 43rd Signal Battalion chaplain leaves and the 43rd Signal Battalion shuts down.

The breakfast spread was pretty amazing because of one particular female specialist from 181 in Landstuhl. She brought in all kinds of stuff to eat including breakfast burritos and some type of egg dish. There were some pastries as well and of course coffee and juice. I stayed in the back most of the time taking photos for the chaplain and helping out whenever needed.

After we finished the breakfast we headed out, I was able to grab a muffin and scarf it down before we left…not quite the breakfast I imagined, but at least it was something. On the way back the chaplain wanted to stop in Mannheim at one of the posts to ask some questions about his car. He's looking to sell it before he leaves and needed to find out some information. We ship all our cars from this post in Mannheim, so I'll be making a trip there in the near future. The chaplain wanted to get his car washed and inspected (the inspection is a requirement in order to sell). He was going to have me stay with him all day, but I let him know I still needed to continue to out-process. So he took me back home and then headed back to Mannheim. Because it was close to lunch time by now, I decided to eat some lunch and take a nap. I then downloaded all the prayer breakfast pictures I took and emailed them to my work address so I could forward them to the chaplain later on.

I headed into the out-processing center and finished up my last remaining office there which happened to be the passport office. I'm not sure why we have to out-process there. I sat down handed him my clearing paper, he signed it and I took off. I then headed to the ComSec office where I sent the prayer breakfast photos to the chaplain and also uploaded them to the 181 Facebook page. I call it a page, but it's really a closed group. I checked my email, talked with my boss for a bit…then headed out. I was able to find the S-4 NCO and he signed most of my paperwork, but needed some confirmation from our company headquarters that I don't have any gear checked out. So I had to go back to the ComSec office and send an email requesting this. I think there will be a lot of this type of stuff as I'm trying to tie up all the loose ends.

I headed to the hospital to knock out the clearing paperwork there. The problem is that with the closing of the post, everything is consolidating and nothing is where it should be. Some offices on my clearing paperwork state they are on the 4th floor of the hospital, but they have removed everything from the fourth floor! I ended up on the 2nd floor looking for a behavior health office, when I walked in there was no receptionist. Shrek was playing in the waiting room, but there was nobody there…it was like an abandoned clinic. I wandered around the hallways peering into empty offices and passing by some offices that stated "In Session". Finally a gentleman came out of an office and I asked him if he could out-process me. He said the CPT that usually does that is gone…then gently knocked on an office door that was "in session". The lady who answered told the gentleman to sign my paperwork if I had never been to behavior health before…I told him I hadn't, he signed it.

I then headed to the first floor to the family practice center is. The receptionist there took my paperwork and signed off on everything else except one office called social welfare or something. She told me it was upstairs. I headed back up to the place I just came from and after seeing nobody there, decided to sit down and watch Shrek for a while. A CPT came in who was also out-processing. I told her that everyone was in their offices with "in session" signs on their doors…and the rest where empty. She said she actually works in the hospital and since they signed my behavior health already, she would just sign my social welfare. I don't really see the point of having to do all this out-processing. I never had to show an ID card. The people never looked anything up in a computer or any records, they all just took my paperwork and signed it. It's just a big waste of time!

I headed home and took a nap…getting up so early left me drained. 

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.

HHG Shipment - (Germany) Day 510

One of the movers hard at work packing our household goods

This morning I headed to PT in ACUs. I showed up for accountability only, because I have household goods being packed out and shipped today. During the formation our platoon sergeant was telling everyone the upcoming events and it seems there are quite a few big ones coming up (change of command ceremony, days of excellence, and even change of responsibility ceremony…along with other training events). All I can say is that I'm glad that I start out-processing tomorrow and I don't have to deal with any of that crap.

I headed home after formation and changed into more comfortable civilian clothes. I then started unhooking all of my entertainment system and computer systems in preparation for the movers. The movers came a little before 0800 and immediately started getting down to business. There were about 6 movers all together and they used the divide and conquer method to wrap, box and ship everything we own. Last night we put the necessities we need to keep in a couple key areas and made sure the movers knew not to pack these items. This is stuff like important paperwork I need for clearing, clothes, minimal bedding and such. We purchased some plastic plates and silverware to use as well during this transition period.

The movers were like well oiled machines and surprisingly had everything entirely moved out and in their trucks a bit after 1200 including my motorcycle which went in it's own special crate. I was pretty amazed at how fast they could take everything we own and leave us in an empty place. After they left my wife and I just sat there wondering what to do. We ended up sitting on the floor and watching a little entertainment on the laptop.

It wasn't until a bit after 1500 that our temporary government furniture was delivered. When I first made the appointment, I was worried we would still have the movers packing out our furniture while the government furniture was being delivered…no worries there. The guys brought up the uncomfortable couch, chairs, coffee table, and bed in just a few minutes. All this furniture is very uncomfortable, but it does beat sitting on the floor and it's free…so no complaining. The delivery guys on the other hand smelled pretty bad. So bad in fact that my wife had to open up a few windows and let our place air out for quite a while after they had already left.

We now start our period of living out of suitcases and eating from plastic-ware…this in-between period while I start out-processing and prepare to leave Germany…and go home.

Looking down from our window at all our household goods 

getting crated up and loaded into the truck

Leave! - (Germany) Day 509

Me hanging out in front of the Parthenon 
on the Athenian Acropolis

For the last 20 days I've been on leave and I've been loving it! The first few consisted of just lounging around enjoying not having to shave and wearing whatever I wanted. I would take my wife to work and then run errands…and take a lot of naps. The beginning of the next week my mom and aunt came to visit. I took them to see castles, old churches, France, Switzerland, Italy, and they took my wife and I to see Greece. We stayed in Athens for 4 days and checked out all the old ruins and such that the city has to offer. You can tell the country doesn't have the money that France and Germany do, things are run down and there is quite a bit of graffiti all over. It was still quite a bit of fun and we had a blast checking out all the sites and tasting all the great food.

Everyone had a great time and I sent my mom and aunt home worn out, but they had an experience they will not forget. It was my first time in Switzerland, Italy and Greece as well, so I think I had just as much fun! Seeing my family and getting away from everything army was just what I needed. I feel refreshed and ready to finish up my time here in Germany. I called into staff duty at around 1800 to officially sign back in from leave…that was a hard call to make.

Check out the photos below of our adventures...
Edit: I had albums of my trips to Italy & France, but Flickr deleted them. They did however leave most of the Vacation to Greece you can check out below:

A Mini Vacation to Athens, Greece: Slideshow below or my Flickr album:

Created with flickr slideshow.

Road Guard - (Germany) Day 489

Spaghettieis!! One of my favorite desserts from way back when I was 

an exchange student...ice cream made to look like a plate of spaghetti

This morning for PT I came in my ACUs. I was designated to be a road guard for the PT test. So during everyone's push-up portion I just sat around and chatted with the other designated road guards. For the sit-up portion I was one of the designated feet holders. Finally for the running portion I put on a reflective vest and stood on the road making sure that no motorists ran over our runners. After PT I followed SPC Mac to the auto detailer so he could drop off his car. Cars have to be spotless when shipping them back to the states. The shipping inspectors go a little overboard when checking out the cars before sending them back to the states. If there is dirt anywhere including the spare tire, the engine, or any other nook or cranny they can find, your vehicle will fail inspection and it cannot be shipped. This particular detailer guarantees that the vehicle will pass inspection, so both SPC Mac and I decided to just pony up the dough and pay to get it done. I gave SPC Taylor a ride home and then ended up taking him back into work once we were both ready.

In my office today I was able to get my schoolwork done as usual. I also finally made contact with my future platoon sergeant at the WTU in Ft. Lewis. I sent him all of my info including my flight itinerary. Now I don't have to wonder what I'll need to do once I arrive. I then went through my email and backed up any important info from my computer. Today will be the last time I use it. I made my final Tuesday run to Subway to pick up the party platters for his lunch bible study. The chaplain told me to grab some, which I did and headed to my office. I ate, shut the door, and then took a nap.

After lunch I basically just surfed the web and passed the time until 1700. I then headed over to staff duty and spoke with SGT Steroids who was on duty. With the new schedule where he is on call, I asked him if he wanted me to call him at midnight and wake him up…or if he wanted to just sign me out on leave at his convenience. He obviously chose the latter. Now I just have to hope that he does indeed sign me out on leave…I don't want any issues while I'm out. So I'll be on leave for the next 20 days…my next post will be after that with a short wrap-up. My mom and aunt are coming to visit Germany while I'm here, and I'll be playing tour guide.

Last Regular Monday - (Germany) Day 488

Just a random photo of me in rapeseed field. 

There are large fields of this all around the Heidelberg area.

This morning for PT we showed up at Campbell gym. Those of us on profile were in our summer PT uniform and headed to the gym, while the normal folks came in ACUs and their assault packs. They headed off post for a ruck march. I grabbed a stationary bike and got a decent cardio workout in.

I headed into my office and did the usual…schoolwork, check email, surf the web. SPC Mac came over and visited for a while, I think he just needed to get away from the ComSec office for a bit. He said all anyone does in there is watch videos on YouTube all day long. With the base closing and the ComSec office not issuing keys anymore, there is absolutely nothing to do. I headed over to Subway to make sure the order for tomorrow's bible study was put in. I then headed to lunch at home.

Once back in my office the chaplain called me down to his office to go over what's left of my time here…basically today and tomorrow before I go on leave. He thanked me for everything I've been doing to help him out and then surprisingly took a plaque he had made for me out of his desk. It's a pretty cool plaque thanking me for my help along with the picture of Heidelberg engraved on it. Even though I've never had any plans on being a chaplain's assistant when I joined the army, the job kind of saved my sanity. When all the crap came down on me for writing this blog and I was kicked out of the ComSec office, I hated life during my short stay in S-1. Having to deal with the CSM on a daily basis sucked and they had nothing for me to actually do while I was in S-1. So moving to help out the chaplain got me away from the CSM and gave me my own office with a computer. Even though I've never been too busy with actual army work, I've had the chance to do my schoolwork and at least surf the web on my computer to pass the time.

I thanked the chaplain a lot for the gift and let him know how much I appreciated being moved over. I found out later from my boss that the ComSec office couldn't have me back as they wanted because the chaplain had been praising me so much to the command…so they never moved me back and let him keep me for the remainder of my time here...lol.

Weekend Wrap-Up - (Germany) Day 486-487

I love shopping for beer out in Germany...it's like a Disneyland for beer lovers!

This weekend we drove up to Ramstein to visit with our niece who happened to come down from England with her high school's soccer team to play. We watched the game, then took her out to eat and watch a movie. After that we hung out with her at the PX until the rest of her team arrived for dinner. It was fun hanging out with her, it's not too often that we get to see family while being so far away from home.

Sunday we did the usual cleaning and laundry. We also gathered together everything that we're going to ship in what's called "unaccompanied baggage". This used to be the part of your household goods that were delivered via air that you shipped before you PCS. This way they would arrive earlier than the rest of your household goods, so stuff you need earlier can be packed. There are some exceptions and the weight limit is much lower. We've been told they are not shipping via air anymore, but we could still make a shipment much earlier than our normal household goods in order for it to arrive earlier. So this shipment is scheduled on May 2nd, I'll be on leave…but I didn't have anything planned except lounging around. We gathered up the stuff we wanted them to ship and placed it all in our dining room.

I have two more days until I'm off on leave. I've taken 20 days of leave and will have the first few to just relax before my mom and aunt come to visit. I can't wait!

Another Day Gone By - (Germany) Day 485

The pigeons like to hang out on our window

This morning we had PT at Campbell gym in civilian clothes. Those of us on profile headed to the gym and did our own workout while the normal folks did a half hearted attempt at a run. Our platoon sergeant put our useless sergeant in charge of PT before he left for an appointment. The useless sergeant had everyone do a run off post to the hospital and back, which is a short run already. Half way to the hospital I heard he told everyone to turn around and come back…when they all got back he said they were done for the day. So a few of the soldiers ended up coming into the gym to finish a workout on their own. I worked on the weights and had a good workout.

I headed into my office and did what has become my normal routine…schoolwork, check email, and surf the web. I'm trying to wrap up this particular class I'm taking before I go on leave next week. I have 2 weeks worth of work to finish before then, so I'm grateful for all the time I have to do schoolwork at work. It may not be the best use of taxpayer's money, but then again I think half the stuff the army does is a waste of time and money.

I headed home for lunch, then back to work. I spent the rest of the day surfing the web and playing games to pass the time. I took a couple things out of the office to the dumpster. Next Tuesday I hear that we will be moving the furniture out as well. Right outside the ComSec office they have a large machine with a huge mechanical claw along with large waste containers that they move in and out as they get filled up. The big claw has been taking from large piles of chairs and office furniture that each office has just being dropping off in big piles and putting them in the very large waste containers. It's too bad the base can't sell or give this stuff away, because a lot of it is still in good condition, but it's all just getting tossed. My office is pretty much good to go, I've cleaned it up and thrown all the small stuff away.

Cyber Warrior - (Germany) Day 484

This morning for PT we formed up at Patton gym in summer PTs, with the winter jacket for some reason…it's actually getting quite warm out, so we don't really need it. Everyone just came in hand carrying their jacket LOL. Anyway there weren't that many of us because of "regimental week". This morning a number of folks left at 0330 in the morning to head to Stuttgart for a 12 mile ruck march. Those of us left for PT just did our own thing in the gym. I did a cardio workout on the stationary bike and chatted with SPC Mac the entire time.

I headed to my office and did schoolwork for most of the morning. I did end up getting a call from my WTU rep here. I had emailed her a couple of times asking about some information about what I need to do when I get to Ft. Lewis. I haven't been given a sponsor or any information at all. I looked up what I could on the web and found out where I need to in-process at. I also plan to have friends or family pick us up at the airport, but if I didn't have that option I'd be out of luck. My WTU rep said she would find out the information and let me know tomorrow. Right before I was about to leave for lunch I got an email stating that I had to attend a meeting at 1400…great.

I had lunch at home and then headed back to work where I basically just passed the time until 1400. I headed over to the battalion conference room where we had another VTC lined up. This one was similar to the one yesterday with all the various components of the brigade from all over Europe, but there were also a few from the states as well…most notably from the signal headquarters at Ft. Gordon. I found out that the meeting was for E-7s and higher, but as usual our battalion made everyone come and attend so they could fill up all the seats for the camera. They even made the poor guys who left at 0330 this morning for the 12 mile ruck march attend (their eyes were half closed and their heads were like bobble head dolls the entire time). Even folks that had building cleanup were required to come in…all for appearances.

The VTC was all about the new MOS for cyber warriors. They explained all about it and what the big plan is for this MOS. Do I believe there is a cyber threat to the US? Yes I do. Do I think the army will be able to do much about it…..no. They should leave the defending of America's cyber infrastructure to the civilian experts. There is not much a soldier that is given 14 weeks in AIT is going to be able to do. I think the best they'll do is be the local cyber cops and keep an eye on the local network. They make the MOS sound all cool and everything, but I'm sure it will end up just like 25B…a bunch of people will sign up for it and more than half of them will not even end up doing that job…they'll end up driving a truck or something. I think the army should just get rid of AIT all together. Most of the soldiers don't do the job they signed up for, they get all their training "on the job". AIT is a waste of time and money. They cram all kinds of information down everyone's throat, then send them off. Most don't remember much and most don't get a real education out of it. I remember SGT Mex telling me that he is not even going to apply for any I.T. jobs in the civilian world because he doesn't feel like he learned anything useful in the army (I.T. related). They even required SPC Mac and his boss to come to this cyber warrior VTC and both of them aren't even in signal…they have nothing to do with computers. Both of them said that everything the people were speaking was like Greek to them! Sometimes the army can be so frustrating…I just had to keep reminding myself as the meeting went on and on…I only have 3 more days after today and then I'm on leave!