Membership has its privileges...

It seems like my blog has focused on the challenges and obstacles here in Afghanistan more than anything else. It is important in my mind to have a realistic view of what is going on here. But, sometimes this approach can breed little else besides negativity. I have discussed the finances of the war, compassion fatigue, medical treatment of prisoners, the devastating injuries caused by IED's, the insanse work pace here etc. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH! Let's focus on the positive for a while because being in the military has definite benefits.


When I return to Charleston in July, I will have one year to go on my Air Force commitment. More importantly, I will have NINETY FOUR days of vacation. Outstanding! Let's party! How is this possible? Well, the whopping number is due to 2 deployments in 3 years along with working in a clinic that seems to always be limiting time off due to staffing issues. At any rate, I have earned this time and I plan to make the most of it. It will be the year of 4 day weekends baby! Invite me to visit and chances are that I will BE THERE. It's exciting just thinking about it all. European travel to Germany and Italy... here I come. Whitewater Rafting... let's do it. Nebraska versus Washington on the gridiron in Seattle... Go Big Red. We get 30 days of "leave" every year in the military. You just cannot beat that. Also, there is the option of traveling military air basically for free. This is called "taking a hop". Military planes are flying all over the world every day. As an active duty member, you can show up and get on a flight on a space available basis. Why not take advantage of this? I will.

There is a certain amount of adventure associated with being in the military. My brother Chris is also in the Air Force. He has four kids and a wife. They have lived overseas for six years. His kids have seen and done things that most people never get to do. They have been to live performances in London, climbed on Roman ruins in Turkey, eaten amazing food in Spain, and gone on school field trips to Germany. These are enlightening experiences. Being a "military brat" can be pretty cool. My own military career has also allowed me to do things I never would have expected. On a rainy night in Kansas, I was at the trigger of 50 calibur machine gun during my training with the Army for my deployment in 2008. That was kind of insane actually. Later than year I went swimming in the Persian Gulf during my "R and R". Not many Americans can say that they have been on a beach so hot that it would cause first degree burns of your feet within minutes. The heat in Qatar was so oppressive that the Persian Gulf's water temperature was 90 degrees! Another highlight was a mountain climbing expedition outside Kabul on my last deployment. It was a beautiful fall morning. I went climbing with a group of Polish soldiers including a great guy named "Polish Mike". By the time we reached the top of the 8,000 foot peak, several other groups had also ascended up the mountain. It was an international party up there with Germans, Danish, Afghans, French, and Americans. I'll never forget that.

But, by far the best part of the military is the people. Everywhere I go and everything I do is with some of the highest calibur people you ever want to meet. Here at Bagram, it is no different. I treated a general one night who had been deployed 5 times. He had back pain from spending hours that day in 50 pounds of body armor sitting Indian style while meeting with Afghan village elders. Helping him feel even a little better was the least I could do. Being deployed 5 times is incomprehensible to me. That's the definition of service before self. During my residency at Offutt Air Force Base, I became quite close with my classmates. We were there for 3 years training to be good family doctors. Our class developed a very strong bond. This past September we were able to get together for a memorable vacation in South Carolina. My friends came from all over the country. There were 14 of us there which included 7 kids under the age of 4. Of course, my dog Maddy was there too. We rented a giant beach house on the Atlantic just 5 miles from my pad. It was a blast to be with everyone again. We commisurated about all of work related issues. We talked about the wars and aired our opinions openly. We relaxed in the hot tub and pool. We enjoyed the beach every day. The kids had tons of fun. A good time was had by all. That's comraderie at its finest.

So, here I am in Afghanistan for the second time. I could go on and on about how difficult it is. However, tonight I choose to embrace the positives. When I stop to think for a while, it is easy to see that military membership has its privileges.