manrymission.com

My replacement, LTC Rob Hynes, arrived today along with Rick’s replacement, MAJ John Nufable. They hit the ground in Kuwait in the wee hours of the morning, rested for a few hours, then jumped on a C17 and flew to Mosul. Rick and I picked them up at the airfield about midday. We brought them back to the USACE compound, dropped off their bags, then walked over to the DFAC for lunch.

After lunch, we took care of the most important business first, computer paperwork. I had them go through the various IT policies and briefings so that they can get their computer accounts as soon as possible! I’m looking forward to sending an email that says “Please add LTC Rob Hynes to all emails for the MAO OIC”. After that, I launched into the Mosul Area Office briefing. It made me feel like I was back at West Point teaching cadets again. Imagine this. You’ve flown halfway around the world to a timezone with a 7 hour difference. You haven’t slept in a couple of days. It’s 115 F outside. You just ate lunch. You’re sitting in an air-conditioned office. Now some guy is droning on and on giving a PowerPoint presentation. I think they look pretty good considering my 3 hours of briefing torture!

I cleaned out my room today and moved into one of the visitor rooms. My replacement, LTC Rob Hynes should be in Kuwait soon. This will give the crew a chance to get the room cleaned and ready for LTC Hynes’ arrival. When he arrives, he’ll be able to move right in. In the process of cleaning, I picked up loose change in various locations and stuck it in my pocket. I also collected pogs I had received from the PX. At the PX, they give cardboard pogs as change instead of coins. The pogs have face values the same as coins, so you can spend them in any AAFES store. By the end of the day, I had $7.04 in change and pogs in my pocket along with other items.

Pocket Change

I promise I’ll spend it all in Kuwait on coffee!