Four more days

This blog is an attempt to keep family and friends abreast of my current situation without having to send out several emails.



I guess I should start this bad boy by answering some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's for you three letter acronym lovers)



You were in the military?



Well, not quite. But, I did spend 6 years in the National Guard. When I joined the National Guard almost 6 years ago, I signed an eight year contract. Six years of serving one weekend a month and two weeks a year and then two years of IRR, I have been done doing my one weekend a month and two weeks a year since February 07 which is when I started my time in the IRR. I never expected to be the situation that I am in right now.



Where are you being deployed too and for how long?



The orders I received show me being deployed to Afghanistan with the 27th Infantry unit (out of Syracuse, NY) for 400 days. I will leave on the 20th for Ft. Jackson, SC. There is a smaller portion of Ft. Jackson, called Camp McCrady that is dedicated to training others that are in the same boat (SS IRR). I will be here for two weeks, to in process, and retrain.

What will you be doing in Afghanistan?

Short answer, I have no idea. While in the National Guard I was a radio communications specialist. it is extremely difficult to say exactly what I will be doing. They could have me doing what I was trained for or have me fill some other void. Cassie is praying they have a desk job for me. However I will definitely share what I can when I do know.

Do you get paid while deployed?

Yes, I will be paid while I am deployed. I will receive active duty pay, which once overseas the majority of my pay will be tax free which should make it comparable to what I made before I was deployed. Money wise we will be just fine.
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That's all I can think of right now. Thank you for visiting and please check back often. I don't know how often I will get to post these first couple of months, but once in Afghanistan I will have frequent access to the interweb. Also, this blog will archive monthly so if you missed a post or want to read older ones as the months go by you will be able to do that as well.