Excerpts from a Military Journal

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Monday, April 6, 2009

Iwo Jima

When I arrived back from Korea, I was standing in the Ops Officer's office one day (he and I did this a lot brainstorming who would go where and do what, or just dreaming big on behalf of the squadron) when I saw the words Iwo Jima on the white board. They hadn’t been there when I left. When I asked... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

ULCHI FOCUS LENS

That August, I served as the OIC for a group of 9 Marines acting as an Air Support Liaison Team (ASLT) with the Republic of Korea (ROK) Marine Corps. We were there primarily as advisors, a funnel for information to allied units, and to process air support requests with air units on Okinawa. The... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Field Trip

I apologize for not writing much in the past month. I'm taking a team of Marines into Afghanistan soon, and I'll be gone for several months at the least. I can't say where exactly, but I've been led to believe that we may have some internet access there. To that end, I'll leave my accounts active in... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Hawaiian Volcanoes and Pearl Harbor

After a long adventure returning to Okinawa, this time with my wife and two cats (Calvin and Hobbes), I was sent to Hawaii for a TACP shoot (Tactical Air Control Party). This basically consists of us sitting on a hill in between two giant volcanoes on Kona (the big island) and dropping live ordnance... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Reflections in a Desert Sunrise

Christmas soon followed after my experience on the HSV. After an extended period of leave back home, I executed my orders to the desert in 29 Palms, California to begin training in my new MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). The desert was beautiful; very reminiscent of the Davis Mountains of West... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Japanese Observations I

I'm going to take a departure from my actual military journal for a bit, and speak again about my impressions and observations of Japan, specifically Okinawa. First, and make no mistake, I love it here. Living abroad in Japan has been one constant moment of personal zen (which is balanced on the... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, September 1, 2008

The HSV Odyssey: Final Return

My time on the HSV remains unique among my experiences on Okinawa. There was a bit of innocence there as my eyes were not yet fully open to all of the truths of being an officer and a gentleman. It was almost as if I was a child... Day 17 After a quick and relatively uneventful unloading, we were... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

The HSV Odyssey: Close Call in Po'hang

Korea was a strange extreme for me. My first experience with the country had the misfortune of being juxtaposed with Malaysia and the Philippines, just north of the equator. I can remember few colder days (and I used to run the largest winter camping operation in the US)... Day 16 I've got one word... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

The HSV Odyssey: Enroute to Korea

Day 15 We spent most of the day in port at Iwakuni, and I was able to get online and speak to my wife via instant messaging for a total of about 3.5-4 hours. It really helped me dump some of my own stress. At 1500, we loaded up the 11 Marines that were hitching a ride home, and we set out for Korea... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

The HSV Odyssey: First Anniversary

Day 14 Well, the day passed rather quickly…though we never left the docks. The crane came and offloaded the cargo, but weather conditions turned for the worst north of here. It should be clear tomorrow; we’ll leave then. We still don’t have a clear idea of what’s going on with that wreck in the... Sign in to see full entry.

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