Sorry for the delay in posting, but it’s still Thursday in the far western reaches of the US. I’m going to say that counts!
I normally start to write on Sunday or Monday and add or edit during the week. However, this has been a busy week and I hadn’t had the chance to get things prepared. I wanted to write about Norway’s Constitution Day, which just happens to be the 17th of May. I have so many amazing memories of celebrating Norway’s equivalent to our 4th of July, but I am going to save that for another entry now.
Last night was my farewell from the CJOC. I’ve been working in the Combined Joint Operations Center (CJOC) at the NATO Resolute Support Headquarters for the past year, first in Kabul and then in Bagram. Most of the people here come on six month tours, some nine, and very few do a year like I did. In talking with other friends here who have been here, I can’t recall the last person to leave who had been here longer than me. A few of my supervisors have left recently, who were also on yearlong tours, but they had arrived just a few days to a week after I did. So for a while now, I’ve been the “greybeard” as one Colonel called me, of course laughing while he said it.
It’s bittersweet to leave. I desperately miss my family, friends, my bed, my house, my pets, cooking for myself, being able to drive, roller derby, and weekends! But here, my team has become a family. There are women here who support each other, no matter the rank. There are personalities here in the CJOC that I don’t have at home. Ryan recently told me that while he was home on leave, tending to his new pecan farm in Texas on his tractor, he said to himself, “I’m a farmer like Marny!” Leroy and Jimmy, law enforcement personnel from opposite coasts in their civilian lives, maintained a good spirited rivalry which was fun for others to egg on, while they weren’t listening to stand-up comedy provided by Leroy. Beta tells the driest jokes you’ve ever heard, but the delivery is spot on, complete with the anticipatory look while he waits for the joke to register.
We joke because we need to. It can’t be all strict and proper every second of the day or we wouldn’t last this time away from our loved ones. One day, a Lieutenant Colonel came in yelling about our weapons and a check we needed to do, insisting that everyone do the check outside at a clearing barrel. One of our Colonels came in after the proclamation and was told by a Major that he couldn’t check his weapon inside because of what the Lieutenant Colonel said. So the Colonel dropped his magazine, made sure his weapon was safe, and charged it repeatedly, with a smile on his face, until the Lieutenant Colonel came running out of his office to see who had disobeyed him. I couldn’t contain my laughter, along with many others, while the Colonel sat there smiling at the Lieutenant Colonel. Once the Lieutenant Colonel realized who it was, he just shook his head and walked back to his office. Good natured jokes and jabs like that are the heart of an organization, and make for fun stories as new people trickle in every week to work here.
One joke I liked to tell was about Julius. He liked to help with the scouts coming on camp and he learned how to make balloon animals for the kids from another NATO officer leaving. He practiced in the CJOC, making replicas of items we saw on a daily basis, hanging them up in our row. If anyone asked, I would tell them that Julius had made them, but then also include that he was doing online clown school and that was his practice. So the online clown school thing stuck, and now Patrick is doing it. Well, he taught himself how to make a balloon monkey with YouTube, but close enough!
At my farewell, I credited our NATO partners for not only speaking a second language, but being militarily fluent in a second language. I’m amazed every day by that. I was able to tell our Afghan partners that I hope we can help them have a safe country for their families and friends very soon. I thanked all the Air Force personnel I worked with for teaching this Artilleryman about all things Air Force. (I know more about aircraft now than I ever thought I’d know in my life!) I thanked my leaders for being the sort of smart, caring, and knowledgeable leaders that make organizations work well. I thanked my friends in the CJOC for becoming like family. I reminded everyone that the CJOC is a team. I wanted to read a bit of a poem I found recently, but I felt like I was using too much time, and I also felt a little nerdy reading a poem! So I’ll share it with you. It makes sense to me here, which I like. So in closing, here is a poem I found by Steve Maraboli called Dare To Be –
When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.
When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.
When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.
When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.
When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.
When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.
When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.
When times are tough, dare to be tougher.
When love hurts you, dare to love again.
When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.
When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.
When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.
When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.
When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great too.
When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.
Dare to be the best you can –
At all times, Dare to be!