recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but
the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with
open eyes, to make it possible." - T.E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia)
Two weeks at Carlisle Barracks flew past faster than an F16 on afterburners. That's not surprising though, as there was very little idle time. As a matter of fact, there was only one day "off" the entire time. Even that day included a class cookout at the golf clubhouse. The second week of the resident phase included more seminar discussion, but it also included a trip to Washington, D.C. My group paid a visit to the Congressional Appropriations for both the House and the Senate. It was a pretty fascinating visit that provided considerable insight into the discussions and debates that shape the future budgeting of the military. There is considerable agency interaction that, ultimately, makes or breaks individual requests for Department of Defense funding. I confirmed that my future is not in politics. The Capitol is a great place to visit but I'll leave the roles of elected officials to others.
At the conclusion of the resident phase, I began the long journey back to COB Speicher. My patience was tried from the start when my luggage was "lost" upon my arrival in Atlanta. Actually, it had been placed on a later aircraft. Fortunately, I loitered at the airport long enough to battle the line at baggage claim. Upon learning that my bag was arriving on a later flight I stuck around. It was long after midnight when the bag arrived. Thereupon I checked into the airport Marriott and immediately crashed. The next day would see me back at the airport to secure a seat on the R&R return flight back to Kuwait. I did not have high hopes because flying in a TDY status meant I had to fly stand-by. There were a lot of people returning from R&R. Wave after wave of Soldiers lined up and checked in while I waited. Eventually I was called forward. A seat was available. There would be no need to wait another night in Atlanta. By the end of the day I was on my way back to Kuwait on a capacity-filled Omni Air International flight.
The flight back to Kuwait was uneventful. We had a three hour layover for refueling in Shannon, Ireland. This is an ironic moment, as upon exiting the aircraft we walked through the duty free shop and exited into the concourse through a bar that touted several brands of Stout on tap. Alas, a tease! General Order #1 was back in effect. All we could do is look at the various Irish Whiskeys and try not to watch the other airport patrons savor their stout. It was torture but lessened by the fact that we had all just come off of two weeks in which we were not shackled by GO#1. Still, it was a test of will power and patience. Soon we were back on our flight. We arrived at Ali Al Salem at 0300. R&R returns were immediately manifested to their ultimate destinations. I had to sign up for space available (again, since I was TDY). I then checked into one of the infamous tents and laid down for a few hours of sleep. I was expecting an extended wait in Kuwait.
After about four hours of sleep I went back to the gateway tent to check the status of my flight north. The fixed-wing to Speicher had been cancelled. Damn! My next option was to sign up for a flight to Balad and hope that my friends at Catfish Air could get me on a helicopter from there to Speicher. There was plenty of room on the Balad flight, as several of those go out every day. Less than twelve hours after arriving in Kuwait I was on my way back to Iraq. My timing, it turns out, was impeccable. When I arrived in Balad I was able to hitch a ride over to Catfish Air. I was there for less than three minutes before heading out to the tarmac. Blackhawks were inbound and they only needed to swipe my card to get me on the flight. Sixteen hours after arriving in Kuwait I was already in Iraq and boarding a Blackhawk to Speicher. It was a gorgeous night and from my perch behind the door gunner I could see for miles. The lights below us were peaceful and could just as easily been the lights of sleepy towns back in the U.S. I enjoyed the view and the flight. By midnight I was touching down at Speicher. One of my TOC "battle captains" was there to pick me up. Welcome back to COB Speicher! Although it had been less than 48 hours past, Army War College was already a distant moment. Now it was quick sleep and get back into command mode. The war doesn't wait.
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