Friday, April 3, 2009

Under 100!!

97 days, 14 hrs, 8 mins, & 44 secs!

WOOHOO!!! We are under 100 days from "outta here"!! There are a couple catches, but I still like the way it looks. Here are the disclaimers:

1. We do not yet have orders...so our "assignment instructions" to Ft Riley in Kansas could change. But at this point, that is still the plan.

2. The date we are counting down to is actually July 10 when our DEROS date (I don't know what that stands for, something that means date we are scheduled to leave. it is 36 months after arrival) is August 10. But I set it there in case we take leave 30 days out, which often happens. Either way, our stuff will most likely at least be on IT'S way by then, even if we are not.

We hope to get some orders in the coming weeks so that we can begin scheduling household goods shipments, plane tickets, car shipping, whole baggage pickup, temporary furniture return, clearing of post, hotel or guest house stay, selling of hooptie, ETC! LOTS to do...but I'm excited!!

Same post, new topic...
What am I doing these days? Well...the ball has successfully passed, and while I'm still having some residual dreams about seating plans, momentos and ticket sales, I'm happy with the outcome. So, that's behind us and as a unit we can concentrate on the upcoming mission.
So that I am sure I don't violate any "Operation Security", I am going to post an article that was published a couple weeks ago:

5th Signal Command announces force deployments
Mar 16
By Kristopher Joseph (5th Signal Command)
MANNHEIM, Germany (March 16, 2009) - 5th Signal Command units have been identified for deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq in support of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom for the FY 09 force rotation. The headquarters element of the 7th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade, (this is my unit) stationed in Mannheim, Germany, will deploy with approximately 90 Soldiers to Afghanistan in Spring 2009 for up to 12 months as part of the normal rotation of troops. The brigade headquarters will serve as the Joint Network Operations Control Center (JNCC), which is the single control agency for the management of the joint force communications systems. One of 7th's two battalions, the 72nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion (ESB), (this is the unit I first worked for as an FRSA) also headquartered in Mannheim, will deploy with approximately 500 Soldiers to Iraq in Summer 2009 for up to 12 months. The 72nd will provide communications support to several locations in Southwest Asia using Joint Network Node technology. 7th Signal Brigade's other ESB, the 44th, redeployed from Iraq in December 2008 after serving 15 months in support of OIF.

and it doesn't say this, but the 44th ESB is moving to another base in Germany. So there is a LOT going on at work. The FRSA who has been at 72d for the past year is moving (her husband's unit deactivated) Sunday. :(

As soon as the ball ended, the focus (which was already in full swing) shifted to the deployment readiness. There have been a lot of weekends and evenings spent at work, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm excited to be doing something that I know is going to make it even just a tiny bit easier for family members to get through this deployment.

SO, I will be working up to the day we leave. I will watch Soldiers from both of these units that I have come to know and love go downrange and won't be here to greet them when they get back. That makes me sad, but I plan to stay in touch with them, pray for them, and send them things to keep their spirits up. Who knows...some of them might show up at our next duty station. That seems to happen a lot. "It's a small Army." :)

2 comments:

Kim said...

Kansas? Kansas is close to Texas! I smell a road trip!!!!

Heather and Stephen said...

If 12 hrs is close...YES IT IS! :) we'll leave the light on for you!