Dan's Day

Dan does not have access to his blog through his government computer and he did not take one with him on the deployment. He figured he would make do with what was provided him and wasn't willing to pay the $100 a month he would have to pay for internet access out there. The only downside for me is that he can't even read my blog so I just have to email my posts every now and then to him as I remember. The other day I got this email and he asked me to post it.

"I enjoyed Cristtin’s blogs so much that it has inspired me to lead you through an average day here:

I wake from 0500 to 0730 and depending on how sore I am I might do PT. I immediately get the razor, put on shower shoes, and head for the bathrooms.

Since I shower at night when the room is clear, I don't have to shower in the morning when it's crowded. The bathrooms are on a ground floor. It’s about a 2 min walk from my room. They are made out of a CONEX boxes. If you have ever seen the movies with large cargo ships that have containers on the deck then you have seen my bathroom. It has windows cut into it and it is fabricated to put three stalls, three urinals, and two sinks. Often it smells like a porta-poddy since there is no sewage system. The truck has to come every day and suck it all out of the tank under ground. When you walk in and it doesn't smell like a porta-poddy, it's because someone is in a stall and it smells (indescribable).

I shave in one of the sinks as people walk by. Often I have to move away from the sink to allow someone to wash their hands after doing their business. At least they wash. I see many that just walk out. I have gotten in the habit a few years back to use towel paper to open bathroom doors in public places. Oddly, I think more people wash hands out here than back at home. It may be because they are in the habit from doing it before meals. Everyone washes hands before meals…otherwise we have disease issues.

Anyway, I finish shaving, rinse my face and use the wet hands to rub my eyes and short hair. Once I walk outside the air acts with the wet face to make things feel fresh. I walk back slowly and deliberately because I have my shower shoes on and the walk is in large gravel (stability issues) and sand where they put sand bags to get above the flooding that happens in March. Sometimes I drag sand it…in fact, at some level I drag sand in every day.

I get my uniform on, check my pockets for ID card, reflective belt that we wear at night, and strap on my weapon so it's at the "low-ready". Currently, I don't have ammunition in it since I am leaving my current job. I still have to wear it at the low ready. Once in a while I put it in my left hand pointed down and walk. It looks better that way.

So I head on my 15 min walk to work. It's nearly 3/4 miles from room to work since they moved me down to the original unit I am assigned to. There's only one sidewalk on the main road that parallels the flight line 400 meters away. I spend much of the time saluting and returning salutes. I see the annoyance to most people but we mostly all salute. After 1/4 mile I get to one of the dining facilities (DFAC). I don't always stop by for breakfast, especially when I drive back from taking a car down the night before. When I walk and am not behind schedule, I stop for some hot food. I can always get cold cereal and milk at the office since we load up on that stuff when we go to the DFAC for dinner. I wash my hands, grab my plastic utensils (not enough water here to wash dishes), and recycled cardboard tray, and head to the serving line. It always has the same English breakfast items.

Today I stopped by and loaded up with an extra milk and cereal to replenish the food I ate the day before. One milk box got away from me and hit a Local worker (from Afghanistan) in the butt as it fell. I said sorry, his friend picked it up. Poor guy was just emptying the trash and some Captain throws a box of milk at him. I imagine he was worried. Our rules here are so strict and they need the jobs so badly that he was likely worried that he would lose a job. I am off to work. I try not to load my right hand so I can return salutes. Today I just walked by as they saluted me. I didn't want to drop milk again…not on the ubiquitous gravel and sand!

Anyway, back to the average day: I get to work and drop my hat off, place my weapon in the weapons rack and immediately call Cristtin. People are around and the TV is usually on but I call anyway. There is no private area to talk. At night, her morning, I get more private time to talk. I get through the phone line most of the time. It's important to call immediately because it is about 1000 PM her time. We have a 10 min conversation before the recorded "lady" voice says we have no more time to talk. I call anyone that has a military base nearby that does morale call programs. In the instance of my family, that limits the options to Cristtin and Mom. The call to Cristtin starts my day off right and I immediately get to the e-mail so I can see what happened the night before. The rest of work time is pretty dull.

There's always the guy that goes to lunch at 1130 AM every day. He comes by to invite me (came by as I was writing this), I decline most of the time because I am engrossed in work or I have gotten an early start on lunch hour and I am dominating my staff in "Command and Conquer Generals". It's a game we play that takes 2 GB of space and doesn't require a disk to place. You can play online or on a network like us. I have applied the training I got in officer school (something my enlisted staff didn't get) and I beat them most of the time. That can last almost two hours if we all build up huge armies. We call it "training" since I always have to teach it to someone else.

After the normal day of actual work and random or reoccurring meetings, my staff and I walk to dinner, get take-out trays and go back to the office to keep working, play the game, or just socialize. I always call Cristtin again and start her day off right. I was once asked why I called twice. I call my wife in the morning and my best friend at night. They didn't ask again after that. Some guys don't call their wives but twice a week. How? It's not just about us out here…they need our support also.

After calling Cristtin, if I didn't workout, I go running. That goes well as I dodge the traffic on the sidewalk I walked earlier that morning. I jog back and forth until I get 45 min - 1 hr of running (any cardio after 30 min is when a person really starts to burn the fat). Yes, I am trying to lighten up since I have a reoccurring back injury. I just have to take the load off the upper body. That's one reason why I don't want to gain muscle either; I'll just strengthen and tone. Cristtin will be the main benefactor!

Now I can go shower. I shower in the mornings after I work out but the changing room is 3 x 3 ft. I have bumped into other dudes while trying to get dressed. I like having that space to my self. That's the main reason I prefer night workouts. I just don't like socializing in the shower room.

About the shower, it's on a second level and there is a widow cut where you can see someone’s window at their room. Who does that? You wonder if they plan these things out. There are 6 showers, limit 5 min a shower, the changing room is next to it and then there are four sinks. It's made of the CONEX boxes also so it is metal mostly with a wooden floor. Once I had to shower without shower shoes. It was icky. I never forget the shower shoes anymore.

After my shower, I go to my room. It has a doorway in the middle. It is about 6 x 10 ft room, made of wood, and not private. Someone made a door that goes up to 6 ft, leaving the rest above it open. That is consistent with the walls where sheets are tacked up to provide privacy. I leave one side open so that it feels more roomy. Somehow I have managed to place a closet, bed, desk, all my bags, lawn chair I acquired, a fridge, chair, and drawers in the place. I basically live in a walk in closet. I brought rugs over that I got from my last room. I just have to take the shower shoes off once in a while.

Someone installed a long shelf on one wall that holds my toiletries. I use it to put my cool MP3 player my family gave to me for Christmas. I listen to it every night. After I get back in the room, I check to make sure that no bugs entered in through the window that always stays closed but is so poor that it doesn't close all the way. Can't wait for winter! I sit down and immediately read two chapters out of the Book of Mormon. I used to read another book but I have been getting back late. I say my prayer and lay down to sleep in my single bed with the headphones on. I never fall asleep to them since I have been rudely awoken to the louder songs. I once found myself shaking because I wasn't ready for a song.

That is essentially an average day."

I did do some minor editing to the email. There were a couple times he confused the Pronouns, used you and Cristtin interchangeably, I just couldn't leave it. Other than that, I left it in Dan's words. It is so much fun to get a picture of what his days are like, even the icky parts. I figure this is a good time for some pictures he has sent me recently...



Here is Dan with some Pro-Ball players. That is Shaun Bradley with his arm around Dan, and yes, Dan is standing on a chair. These guys are the only ones Dan has bothered to go and met yet. Famous people have come to his base a few times but he has never taken off work to go see, not even concerts. But for some Basketball players he made some time. Although, he is not sure whether or not he offended Shaun Bradley or not when he invited him out to church, they were there on Sunday. Dan told him how great church was because it was so quiet without kids. He just looked at him and said, "I have six kids," with a face that said church is great with kid noise. Dan just kind of shrugged and left it alone. No one on earth could ever say Dan is anti-kid. I think that title goes to me.



Here he is at his soon-to-be ex-desk. You can see the weapons rack he was talking about in the background and even on the board on his wall some letters and pictures the kids drew him. Tanks and helicopters, of course.