TerraNaut: Voyage of a Land Sailor

Friends, family, and well-wishers, welcome to my blog! In just a few short days, I'll be starting an adventure like I've never had before. I'm headed for Afghanistan, with orders in hand to report as Protocol Officer to the Commander of the Joint Special Operations Task Force. This is a unique type of a assignment that requires special training. I'll be working with the U.S. Army, referred to by the Navy as an "Individual Augmentee" (IA). The particular type of IA assignment I'll be participating is further classified as a Global War on Terrorism Support Assignment (GSA). Suffering a loss of words to further explain this these types of orders, I borrow from Wikipedia:

"...An Individual Augmentee is a United States military member assigned to a unit in a TAD/TDY status. Individual Augmentees can be used to fill shortages or can be used when an individual with specialized knowledge or skill sets is required. As a result, Individual Augmentees can include members from an entirely different branch of service. The system has been used extensively in the current Iraq/Afghan War, though with some criticism. Currently, there are approximately 12,000 Navy and Air Force personnel filling Army jobs in the United States, Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba and the Horn of Africa at any one time..."


I detached from my last command, based out of Little Creek, Virginia Beach, VA about a week ago after two long years and two deployments to the Persian Gulf. Since then, I've spent some time cleaning up around the house, doing some landscaping and gardening, re-writing my Will and Powers of Attorney, talking to moving companies for price quotes for an eventual move to my next assignment, completing medical requirements for all my immunizations and of course, spending time with my wife, Amanda. All of my pre-requisites are complete; every box is checked off on my check-list and on paper, I'm ready to go. That doesn't mean mentally it makes it any easier to leave. With only a day left before reporting to the Navy's Mobilization and Processing Center (NMPS) in Norfolk, reality creeps in and I'm starting to feel a bit anxious for the first day.

Location:Virginia Beach, United States