Year of the Travelin' Man

Looking back on this past year, as many people and news stations seem to do annually in late December, I have been fortunate and blessed. Although I am once again deployed keeping me from friends, family, missing birthdays, holidays, graduations, I still count myself as lucky for being able to do the things I have done over the last 12 months. As the title eludes to, this was another year of travel. Back in 2005 I traveled to eight countries on five continents, the most traveled year for me ever. Four years later I made a run at that by traveling to Europe during my last deployment visiting four countries and again in the spring of 2010 going on a cruise with my grandparents, father and little sister sailing to five counties in the Carribbean.

2011 was no exception to traveling to new countries but it's not just traveling to other countries that I've done this year....it all started last January when my Christmas leave in Minnesota ended and I began the 1400 mile journey back to Virginia. Shortly after getting back, I flew with Anthony Joyce to Las Vegas to meet up with friends and his brother for his bachelor party. That's about all I can really say about our time there. In mid-February I had the fortune of being invited to and attending the wedding of Anthony and Jennifer Joyce. Sadly, one, who shall not be named, was/is not a fan of flying so the three of us drove down to Miami for a long weekend. February rolled into March when I flew to Scotland and drove around the entire coastline of Ireland. Finally April was upon me and the long flight to Kuwait began yet another deployment. But this deployment would be different than the last. The position I held opened up the door to spearhead a high visibility mission; design a plan to shutdown the FOBs in northern Iraq to get the troops out. This led me to wishing the Army had a frequent flier miles program as there were seven flights I took in and out of Iraq during the planning stage of this mission. Once I was in Iraq permanently, I was able to hop a flight over to FOB Al Asad where my brother Kyle was deployed to and spent a few days with him. Of course these flights were lacking the amenities even Southwest would have, the military spares no expense on C-130s. On one flight, I sat in the cockpit for the duration of the trip. Once we took off, it wasn't until around 11,000 feet that we finally punched through the dust that hovers over the entire country. It was on this flight that I got a front row seat to watch a combat landing in action. When in a combat zone aircraft are a valued target to shoot down so they stay at a high altitude until the last possible second. Instead of those nice coasting, gradual, nose pointed up landings civilian planes do, typically in decent weather, clear skies and no anti-aircraft fire, the pilots here must nosedive the final few hundred feet to the point where it seems there's no possible way it could end well. I spent the next four months living in Balad, just north of Baghdad and did plenty of traveling between there and four other FOBs ultimately chalking up another 5,000+ miles on the road. After leaving Iraq the end of October, November added the fifth country of the year, Australia, which I spent two weeks traveling around for my R&R. Not only was Australia the fifth country of the year, but the sixth continent I have set foot on, something I have waited patiently over the last few years to accomplish. Hardly two days after being back from Australia I was tasked out with heading over to Afghanistan and left in late December in a C-17 rounding up the end of the year.

Just today I was asked what my New Year's Resolution was and although at the time I couldnt come up with any, I now know. I resolve to travel. I know this year I've seen more than most will ever see in their lifetime, but my thirst has yet to be quenched. Six countries in one year on three different continents might be enough for someone, not this guy. Besides, three of those countries are in the middle east and let's face it, they were 1) not by choice and 2) no where on my bucket list. Sure I'll try and eat better, watch my weight, workout more and maybe at some point be able to say that I don't text and drive (last years resolution), but let's face it, seeing the world is much more fun!