Monday, April 1, 2013
Time to brag!
Tom Sawyer was promoted today...FINALLY! I can't think of anyone more deserving, and I say that with as much objectivity as possible. I couldn't be more proud of him, either. I talked to him today, and he said his Battalion Commander, Command Sergeant Major, incoming Battery Commander, First Sergeant, and much to his delight and surprise, his former "Smoke" all made the trip from the Forward Operating Base to Tom's current location to take part in the ceremony.
This promotion, along with any promotion to follow in the years ahead, is a BIG DEAL. I would never rely on or refer to Wikipedia as scholarly reference, but this blog is so far from scholarly that I have no problem directing anyone interested in learning what this promotion means for Tom to this link:
Way to go, Tom!!!
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Why Tom Sawyer, you ask...
I would wager that most people, especially American folks, know of the character, Tom Sawyer from Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In summary, Twain's telling of Tom's adventures is the coming-of-age tale of a smart, popular, likeable, mischevious boy's journey through universal conflicts, ranging from opportunistic manipulation (getting friends to whitewash the fence) to the effects of jealousy, devotion, and sacrifice in matters of the heart (Amy Lawrence and Becky Thatcher); from the relationship beween decisions made and both intended and unintended consequeces (the "drowning" incident and it's effect on, in particular, Aunt Polly), to integrity versus expediency (doing what's right versus doing what initially seems easiest regarding the murder of Dr. Robinson).
Most of you who know my Tom Sawyer know that he dabbles in music, or more specifically, in playing drums. I only use the phrase "dabbles in" to illustrate the actual amount of time, energy and resources he puts into drumming.** In truth, he is VERY good, and if playing drums paid the bills...well, who knows? My Tom Sawyer might be another Buddy Rich, Keith Moon, John Bonham, or Neil Peart.
Neil Peart happens to be the drummer for the Canadian rock band RUSH, perhaps best known for the song "Tom Sawyer." Peart also happens to be one of the writers of the lyrics to "Tom Sawyer," which are as follows:
A modern-day warrior
Mean mean stride,
Today's Tom Sawyer
Mean mean pride.
Though his mind is not for rent,
Don't put him down as arrogant.
His reserve, a quiet defense,
Riding out the day's events.
The river
And what you say about his company
Is what you say about society.
Catch the mist, catch the myth
Catch the mystery, catch the drift.
The world is, the world is,
Love and life are deep,
Maybe as his eyes are wide.
Today's Tom Sawyer,
He gets high on you,
And the space he invades
He gets by on you.
No, his mind is not for rent
To any god or government.
Always hopeful, yet discontent,
He knows changes aren't permanent,
But change is.
And what you say about his company
Is what you say about society.
Catch the witness, catch the wit,
Catch the spirit, catch the spit.
The world is, the world is,
Love and life are deep,
Maybe as his eyes are wide.
Exit the warrior,
Today's Tom Sawyer,
He gets high on you,
And the energy you trade,
He gets right on to the friction of the day.
When asked to briefly describe the meaning of his lyrics, Peart once responded,
"Tom Sawyer was a collaboration between myself and Pye Dubois, an excellent lyricist who wrote the lyrics for Max Webster. His original lyrics were kind of a portrait of a modern day rebel, a free-spirited individualist striding through the world wide-eyed and purposeful. I added the themes of reconciling the boy and man in myself, and the difference between what people are and what others perceive them to be - namely me I guess."
I picked Tom Sawyer for my husband's pseudonym for a combination of all of the following:
-The name Tom Sawyer, to me, represents, as Peart himself stated of the song, "...the theme of reconciling the boy to the man..." I have seen this fascinating process, thus far, with my own eyes in my own Tom Sawyer. I love him all the more having witnessed the growth he has experienced, the challenges he has overcome, and the sacrifices he has made on behalf of our family, and on behalf of this country, in his own journey of boy/man reconciliation.
-The first line of the song is a "A modern day warrior..."
-Tom is a HUGE fan of Neil Peart and of RUSH.
-I REALLY like the song!
-I am a big fan of Mark Twain.
-Tom's heart may belong to Becky (that's me, by the way); his body may be rented out to the US Government right now; his mind, however...well, his mind is his own!
-Tom and I both know that "changes aren't permanent, but change is."
:o)
**Props to David Cook, Julie Watrous, and OCJ supporters who made it possible for him to even "dabble." We are grateful and we appreciate your generosity
Most of you who know my Tom Sawyer know that he dabbles in music, or more specifically, in playing drums. I only use the phrase "dabbles in" to illustrate the actual amount of time, energy and resources he puts into drumming.** In truth, he is VERY good, and if playing drums paid the bills...well, who knows? My Tom Sawyer might be another Buddy Rich, Keith Moon, John Bonham, or Neil Peart.
Neil Peart happens to be the drummer for the Canadian rock band RUSH, perhaps best known for the song "Tom Sawyer." Peart also happens to be one of the writers of the lyrics to "Tom Sawyer," which are as follows:
A modern-day warrior
Mean mean stride,
Today's Tom Sawyer
Mean mean pride.
Though his mind is not for rent,
Don't put him down as arrogant.
His reserve, a quiet defense,
Riding out the day's events.
The river
And what you say about his company
Is what you say about society.
Catch the mist, catch the myth
Catch the mystery, catch the drift.
The world is, the world is,
Love and life are deep,
Maybe as his eyes are wide.
Today's Tom Sawyer,
He gets high on you,
And the space he invades
He gets by on you.
No, his mind is not for rent
To any god or government.
Always hopeful, yet discontent,
He knows changes aren't permanent,
But change is.
And what you say about his company
Is what you say about society.
Catch the witness, catch the wit,
Catch the spirit, catch the spit.
The world is, the world is,
Love and life are deep,
Maybe as his eyes are wide.
Exit the warrior,
Today's Tom Sawyer,
He gets high on you,
And the energy you trade,
He gets right on to the friction of the day.
When asked to briefly describe the meaning of his lyrics, Peart once responded,
"Tom Sawyer was a collaboration between myself and Pye Dubois, an excellent lyricist who wrote the lyrics for Max Webster. His original lyrics were kind of a portrait of a modern day rebel, a free-spirited individualist striding through the world wide-eyed and purposeful. I added the themes of reconciling the boy and man in myself, and the difference between what people are and what others perceive them to be - namely me I guess."
I picked Tom Sawyer for my husband's pseudonym for a combination of all of the following:
-The name Tom Sawyer, to me, represents, as Peart himself stated of the song, "...the theme of reconciling the boy to the man..." I have seen this fascinating process, thus far, with my own eyes in my own Tom Sawyer. I love him all the more having witnessed the growth he has experienced, the challenges he has overcome, and the sacrifices he has made on behalf of our family, and on behalf of this country, in his own journey of boy/man reconciliation.
-The first line of the song is a "A modern day warrior..."
-Tom is a HUGE fan of Neil Peart and of RUSH.
-I REALLY like the song!
-I am a big fan of Mark Twain.
-Tom's heart may belong to Becky (that's me, by the way); his body may be rented out to the US Government right now; his mind, however...well, his mind is his own!
-Tom and I both know that "changes aren't permanent, but change is."
:o)
**Props to David Cook, Julie Watrous, and OCJ supporters who made it possible for him to even "dabble." We are grateful and we appreciate your generosity
Monday, February 25, 2013
Theoretical Risk Management
I had to remove Tom Sawyer's address from the blog. If you need it, email me or call me. Sorry for any inconvenience. Operational Security, in theory, is a simple thing. OPSEC in action in today's world of social media...well, not so much. Tom Sawyer and I have scrubbed quite a bit of identifying personal information from our Facebook pages, and you will notice other changes here in that same vein. I certainly don't want to frighten anyone, but Tom Sawyer is in a not-so-nice place with some not-even-remotely-nice people. He wants to keep himself and his men safe, and he wants to keep all of us back here safe too. He doesn't want connections between himself and his loved ones back here all over cyberspace for theoretical compilation and nefarious use by the enemy. I know it all sounds very conspiratorial and far-fetched, but "better safe than sorry."
I spoke to TS on Saturday. He sounded tired; fatigue is but one variation of normal over there. He rarely has much that he can talk about when he calls because so much of his daily operation involves sensitive or even classified information, so he mostly listens to me and Things 1 and 2 ramble on about hats inside boa constrictors and other true matters of consequence.* As such, I don't have anything exciting or inspirational to share right now. As far as care package requests, I have nothing new to report. Many people have asked what they can send, and I will continue to refer all back to my prior post about mail. I know that probably isn't the answer some are looking for, but it is the only answer I have. The men are in very close quarters with limited-to-no personal space for superfluous "stuff." There are very limited means available to secure personal property; theft is not uncommon.
I wish I could tell you that all theft happens at the hands of personnel from other nations. Some does. As our population of service members has always consisted of a representative sample of our total population-at-large, theft and other sins do occur by our own, as well. I think that one of the best deterrents to theft in situations like this (and this is PURELY opinion formed from anecdote) is for us folks back home to keep our own supplied with plenty of "pogey bait." Most soldiers are willing to share. Selfishness in our culture is frowned upon already, but selfishness in a place where a quick trip to the "shoppette" isn't an option and regular mail delivery just doesn't happen...well, that's borderline criminal...only slightly less abhorrent that stealing.
Keeping our own supplied with the things they deem most wanted hopefully allows for sharing to take place. When Soldier A finds himself running low on his own stash, Soldier B is likely to share, in the interim, if Soldier B is confident that his own folks back home will keep it coming. It is even better if Soldier B is confident that Soldier A's folks are doing their part as well, because Soldier B might find himself on the short end of the stick of irregular mail service, and need to rely on Soldier A's willingness to share from his stash at a later time. Bear in mind, there are always a couple of guys who end up just flat-out neglected. Remember, these guys CAN'T just go buy what they need whenever they feel like it, not because they have no money, but because they have no access. They are lucky to make it to the FOB once or twice a month, and even then, they probably won't find what they really want or need. These, especially, are the guys who come to rely on their buddies, and on the generosity of their buddies' loved ones. These also are the guys who are less likely to find their buddies to be forthcoming in sharing because the buddies know there is probably no chance of reciprocity. Theoretically, the risk is essentially a sad sort of experiment in social Darwinism that can potentially run counter to unit camaraderie and cohesion.
No, I am not becoming a Marxist, so don't even go there. (In fact, I am still trying to reconcile Ayn Rand's Objectivism with the Gospel!). No one is going to compel you by force of law to send a care package, nor will any jackboot officer order a beaugeois soldier with an abundance of care package booty to share with the proletariate of the neglected and forgotten. I like to think of it as insurance...a wise investment toward enhancing security and cohesion within the platoon...theoretical risk management. Besides, it just FEELS GOOD to support my soldier in a way that I know trickles down into support for his whole platoon!
*Reference to one of my favorite books, The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
I spoke to TS on Saturday. He sounded tired; fatigue is but one variation of normal over there. He rarely has much that he can talk about when he calls because so much of his daily operation involves sensitive or even classified information, so he mostly listens to me and Things 1 and 2 ramble on about hats inside boa constrictors and other true matters of consequence.* As such, I don't have anything exciting or inspirational to share right now. As far as care package requests, I have nothing new to report. Many people have asked what they can send, and I will continue to refer all back to my prior post about mail. I know that probably isn't the answer some are looking for, but it is the only answer I have. The men are in very close quarters with limited-to-no personal space for superfluous "stuff." There are very limited means available to secure personal property; theft is not uncommon.
I wish I could tell you that all theft happens at the hands of personnel from other nations. Some does. As our population of service members has always consisted of a representative sample of our total population-at-large, theft and other sins do occur by our own, as well. I think that one of the best deterrents to theft in situations like this (and this is PURELY opinion formed from anecdote) is for us folks back home to keep our own supplied with plenty of "pogey bait." Most soldiers are willing to share. Selfishness in our culture is frowned upon already, but selfishness in a place where a quick trip to the "shoppette" isn't an option and regular mail delivery just doesn't happen...well, that's borderline criminal...only slightly less abhorrent that stealing.
Keeping our own supplied with the things they deem most wanted hopefully allows for sharing to take place. When Soldier A finds himself running low on his own stash, Soldier B is likely to share, in the interim, if Soldier B is confident that his own folks back home will keep it coming. It is even better if Soldier B is confident that Soldier A's folks are doing their part as well, because Soldier B might find himself on the short end of the stick of irregular mail service, and need to rely on Soldier A's willingness to share from his stash at a later time. Bear in mind, there are always a couple of guys who end up just flat-out neglected. Remember, these guys CAN'T just go buy what they need whenever they feel like it, not because they have no money, but because they have no access. They are lucky to make it to the FOB once or twice a month, and even then, they probably won't find what they really want or need. These, especially, are the guys who come to rely on their buddies, and on the generosity of their buddies' loved ones. These also are the guys who are less likely to find their buddies to be forthcoming in sharing because the buddies know there is probably no chance of reciprocity. Theoretically, the risk is essentially a sad sort of experiment in social Darwinism that can potentially run counter to unit camaraderie and cohesion.
No, I am not becoming a Marxist, so don't even go there. (In fact, I am still trying to reconcile Ayn Rand's Objectivism with the Gospel!). No one is going to compel you by force of law to send a care package, nor will any jackboot officer order a beaugeois soldier with an abundance of care package booty to share with the proletariate of the neglected and forgotten. I like to think of it as insurance...a wise investment toward enhancing security and cohesion within the platoon...theoretical risk management. Besides, it just FEELS GOOD to support my soldier in a way that I know trickles down into support for his whole platoon!
*Reference to one of my favorite books, The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Belated New Year's Greetings
I haven't posted in a while, as we have been occupied getting back into the swing of things after traveling for three weeks during the holiday season. Getting home, unpacking, doing laundry, and then putting away all of our Christmas decor takes time, of course, but it always takes longer when Tom Sawyer is away. He is our expert on efficiency and organization, and when he is gone, everything is...well...less efficient and less organized! :0) I hope all of you are off to an efficient, organized start to your 2013 with all resolutions intact!
There has been a slight change to the mailing address. You can find the update over in the right hand margin. (Deleted) has been changed to (deleted). Otherwise the address stays the same. This address change has caused more frustation and confusion than you could possibly imagine within the FRG. I know it is only an address but this incident should serve as a warning against perpetuating rumors, especially with social media use. The official word from leadership was that all mail should continue to be sent to Lagman until 21 January. That was the word that was given from command to be passed to families via the FRG chain of concern (the FRG's version of a chain of command). I did not even address the issue on here (until today, of course) in an attempt to help avoid what ended up happening anyway. Some soldiers jumped the gun and told their wives/families that it was probably okay to go ahead and begin sending mail to (deleted). Some wives, in turn, went to Facebook, posted a status update that their husbands had a new address, and asked anyone who wanted the new address to inbox them for the details. Of course, then, other wives saw these posts and began to wonder if their husbands were also included in the address change. I know this all sounds rather benign, but what happened next? A whole bunch of mail began going to (deleted) prematurely. (Deleted) was not equipped to process all of that mail. As a result, most of the mail that has been sent to (deleted) in the past month is locked up in a containerized shipping unit (a conex), awaiting the commencement of mail operations. No one should have been using the (deleted) address AT ALL until tomorrow, but, as usual, when one jumps, the lemmings follow. The logical conclusion is that (deleted), now having a back-log of premature mail, will commence operations with delays already hanging overhead. No worries, in the long run! The mail will get there, (though I feel for anyone who may be awaiting the receipt of anything perishable). The point is...when I harp on this subject of letting the information flow properly through the chain of concern, I have a darn good reason for it! If it doesn't come from the FRG (that is yours-truly for those who have been paying attention) or from the commander personally, then it is a RUMOR. PERIOD! At this time, we are "guesstimating" that mail delivery may now take 4 to 5 weeks. We hope that that will change as the new operation overcomes the inevitable growing pains of any new or expanding endeavor, but nothing is certain. I believe it is safe to say that if anyone is expecting mail to arrive in 10-14 days in the coming weeks, then that is an unrealistic expectation for the time-being.
I have been able to actually TALK to TS twice! He called on Christmas Day and he called again this past Tuesday. Christmas Day calling from the call center there was complimentary and unlimited all day that day! We discussed setting up an account for him to be able to call more frequently, but we were honestly trying to avoid another monthly expense, and international calling tends to be exhorbitant. Well, to our surprise and delight, he can call home for 4cents/minute! Now the issue will be finding the time in his busy schedule, but at least we know that phone calls home are within reach financially.
When we have talked, he sounds reasonably content with the mission at hand. His voice sounds kind of thick... strained and gravelly, like he may be coming down with laryngitis coupled with sinus congestion. In fact, he says he is chronically congested and requested me to send Afrin nasal spray just for use at bedtime. He says the congestion is so horrible that it keeps him awake. The fact that he is perpetually under-rested adds to the strained sound in his voice, but on the whole, he sounds like himself. Even when he is lamenting some of the challenges he must face, he sounds positive and upbeat. I shared once before that he said that his mission is one to be "damn proud of." Every time I hear his voice, I am convinced that he still loves his work. There is something to be said about a man who feels a sense of accomplishment after a hard day's work. Thomas Carlyle, the Scottish writer, educator, and philospher said, "Work is the grand cure for all maladies and miseries that ever beset mankind - honest work, which you intend getting done." This is, I think, the "secret" to how Thomas and men like him endure the things that they must in service to the proverbial greater-good. Were he to feel a sense of futility in the work he is doing, then I do not think I could bear it. I have peace-of-mind knowing that, while he may be lacking some creature-comforts, the warmth of loved ones, and palatable food, he is not utterly miserable in the midst of executing his mission because he sees the usefulness of the mission.
I hope that my sharing this is a comfort to others who love and care about Thomas. I know that he worries for all of us...all of YOU...while he is away. If he thinks for a moment that any one of us is entertaining thoughts of any futility in the work he is doing, he will be terribly saddened and demoralized. Not that he begrudges anyone the natural right to disagree with this war in the macro sense! By all means, he would give his life to defend all of our natural rights. But I believe it is important to him that we all support and believe in the small part that he has been called to play. The work he and his team are supporting may very well prevent singular incidents of anything from local political corruption, to police brutality, to illegal search and seizure, to child or spouse abuse...any number of things that we Americans consider to be atrocities. We have all heard, and probably thought, that those people over there will never change their ways and their culture. In a global sense, that may be so, but I do believe that while Thomas is there, he will strive to positively influence the individuals with whom he crosses paths. The little boy who, today, gets a pat on the back and "nice job" from Thomas may possibly grow to be the man who sees merit in treating his own children with a gentle hand and words of encouragement. I am sure you have all read the story of the person on the beach with the starfish. The person can see literlly hundreds of starfish washed ashore and dying, so he begins picking up the starfish, one at a time, and throwing them back into the ocean. A naysayer comes along and tells him that there are too many...that he can't possibly make a difference. The person then bends and picks up one more starfish, and spares its life by throwing it back into the ocean, with the reply, "I made a difference to that one."
There has been a slight change to the mailing address. You can find the update over in the right hand margin. (Deleted) has been changed to (deleted). Otherwise the address stays the same. This address change has caused more frustation and confusion than you could possibly imagine within the FRG. I know it is only an address but this incident should serve as a warning against perpetuating rumors, especially with social media use. The official word from leadership was that all mail should continue to be sent to Lagman until 21 January. That was the word that was given from command to be passed to families via the FRG chain of concern (the FRG's version of a chain of command). I did not even address the issue on here (until today, of course) in an attempt to help avoid what ended up happening anyway. Some soldiers jumped the gun and told their wives/families that it was probably okay to go ahead and begin sending mail to (deleted). Some wives, in turn, went to Facebook, posted a status update that their husbands had a new address, and asked anyone who wanted the new address to inbox them for the details. Of course, then, other wives saw these posts and began to wonder if their husbands were also included in the address change. I know this all sounds rather benign, but what happened next? A whole bunch of mail began going to (deleted) prematurely. (Deleted) was not equipped to process all of that mail. As a result, most of the mail that has been sent to (deleted) in the past month is locked up in a containerized shipping unit (a conex), awaiting the commencement of mail operations. No one should have been using the (deleted) address AT ALL until tomorrow, but, as usual, when one jumps, the lemmings follow. The logical conclusion is that (deleted), now having a back-log of premature mail, will commence operations with delays already hanging overhead. No worries, in the long run! The mail will get there, (though I feel for anyone who may be awaiting the receipt of anything perishable). The point is...when I harp on this subject of letting the information flow properly through the chain of concern, I have a darn good reason for it! If it doesn't come from the FRG (that is yours-truly for those who have been paying attention) or from the commander personally, then it is a RUMOR. PERIOD! At this time, we are "guesstimating" that mail delivery may now take 4 to 5 weeks. We hope that that will change as the new operation overcomes the inevitable growing pains of any new or expanding endeavor, but nothing is certain. I believe it is safe to say that if anyone is expecting mail to arrive in 10-14 days in the coming weeks, then that is an unrealistic expectation for the time-being.
I have been able to actually TALK to TS twice! He called on Christmas Day and he called again this past Tuesday. Christmas Day calling from the call center there was complimentary and unlimited all day that day! We discussed setting up an account for him to be able to call more frequently, but we were honestly trying to avoid another monthly expense, and international calling tends to be exhorbitant. Well, to our surprise and delight, he can call home for 4cents/minute! Now the issue will be finding the time in his busy schedule, but at least we know that phone calls home are within reach financially.
When we have talked, he sounds reasonably content with the mission at hand. His voice sounds kind of thick... strained and gravelly, like he may be coming down with laryngitis coupled with sinus congestion. In fact, he says he is chronically congested and requested me to send Afrin nasal spray just for use at bedtime. He says the congestion is so horrible that it keeps him awake. The fact that he is perpetually under-rested adds to the strained sound in his voice, but on the whole, he sounds like himself. Even when he is lamenting some of the challenges he must face, he sounds positive and upbeat. I shared once before that he said that his mission is one to be "damn proud of." Every time I hear his voice, I am convinced that he still loves his work. There is something to be said about a man who feels a sense of accomplishment after a hard day's work. Thomas Carlyle, the Scottish writer, educator, and philospher said, "Work is the grand cure for all maladies and miseries that ever beset mankind - honest work, which you intend getting done." This is, I think, the "secret" to how Thomas and men like him endure the things that they must in service to the proverbial greater-good. Were he to feel a sense of futility in the work he is doing, then I do not think I could bear it. I have peace-of-mind knowing that, while he may be lacking some creature-comforts, the warmth of loved ones, and palatable food, he is not utterly miserable in the midst of executing his mission because he sees the usefulness of the mission.
I hope that my sharing this is a comfort to others who love and care about Thomas. I know that he worries for all of us...all of YOU...while he is away. If he thinks for a moment that any one of us is entertaining thoughts of any futility in the work he is doing, he will be terribly saddened and demoralized. Not that he begrudges anyone the natural right to disagree with this war in the macro sense! By all means, he would give his life to defend all of our natural rights. But I believe it is important to him that we all support and believe in the small part that he has been called to play. The work he and his team are supporting may very well prevent singular incidents of anything from local political corruption, to police brutality, to illegal search and seizure, to child or spouse abuse...any number of things that we Americans consider to be atrocities. We have all heard, and probably thought, that those people over there will never change their ways and their culture. In a global sense, that may be so, but I do believe that while Thomas is there, he will strive to positively influence the individuals with whom he crosses paths. The little boy who, today, gets a pat on the back and "nice job" from Thomas may possibly grow to be the man who sees merit in treating his own children with a gentle hand and words of encouragement. I am sure you have all read the story of the person on the beach with the starfish. The person can see literlly hundreds of starfish washed ashore and dying, so he begins picking up the starfish, one at a time, and throwing them back into the ocean. A naysayer comes along and tells him that there are too many...that he can't possibly make a difference. The person then bends and picks up one more starfish, and spares its life by throwing it back into the ocean, with the reply, "I made a difference to that one."
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