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."
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