Wow…today has been busy!! Col Caveman Holzworth had a FULL day of touring the base for me when I got to his office. First, I had the pleasure of sitting with Command General Halifan. He shed some light on the history of this war, the efforts that are being made now, and the future as he sees it. Be sure and tune in to Cat Country 98.7 to hear part of that great interview on the Cat Pak morning show. He had nothing nut great things to say about Pensacola, the training he received there, and the importance of our community’s support of the military.
Next, I was off to visit all the air squadrons on the Southside of the base. I talked to many Marines and Sailors who couldn’t wait to share how much they loved the time they spent in Pensacola. Some have plans on returning as instructors so that they can be a part of the essential training that is going on at NATTC.
Then it was chow time. Al Asad has four dining facilities. The huge one that most people go to and the satellite chow halls for those who are too far away to walk. Today I ate lunch with the Marines from the Southside….yes, it was great! The food was pretty good but the company was great! The moral here at this base is unbelievable. I guess I thought I would get here and find a bunch of lonely Marines and sailors who were feeling sorry for themselves for getting stuck in the desert for months and months. Not the case…they are here to do a job and that is what their focus is on. They are motivated and ready.
There is not a whole lot of spare time, the men and women usually work 12-18 hour days. But when they do have some free time, they spend it playing sports, cards, video games, and watching DVD’s. There is always a tournament for something. A Helo 4 tourney, a ping pong championship, the Texas Hold ‘Em finals. Never a dull moment that is for sure. Some get quite creative. Tonight there are plans of a real life WWE wrestling match between the Public Affairs Office and the Combat camera crew. They are pretty pumped up. My money is on the PAO’s. They are pretty ripped.
It amazes me that I am half way across the planet, yet I had a nice chat with SSgt Williams who graduated from Woodham High in 2000. Or how about this…I got a tour of the C130 hangar from SSGT Morales who just finished 3 years in Pensacola with the Blue Angels. It was nice to see we knew the same people.
I guess it is important to me to tell you what they need over here. The US is doing a wonderful job making sure these men and women are taken care of. They have wonderful dining, places to shop, and lots of recreation. What they don’t have is YOU. They enjoy hearing from their friends and family. So start emailing! If you have a friend of family member serving in another part of the country, write to them! Don’t waste your time baking cookies to mail. We had some wonderful desert tonight in the chow hall. If you want to send a care package, send their favorite magazines even if they are outdated. Send them things you just can’t find anywhere but the good ole USA. One man showed me a care package he got from a stinger, a child actually. It had things like silly putty, a squishy ball, and some sort of goo that when you push it into a can it sounds like a fart. This entertained 4 Marines for more than 2 hours. DVD box sets are nice too. Especially if you can find their favorite TV show that is in a season box set. Christmas is coming so get those boxes in the mail now! And don’t forget to send photos!!
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and there is a lot planned here. A USO show of some sort is happening…I’ll keep you posted.
Til Then…
Dana
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4 comments:
Hi Dana,
Happy Turkey Day! I saw you on WEAR news tonight. Yes you looked good and I could tell that you had a manicure. lol We miss you and are glad that you are keeping busy and having fun. Continue to be safe and give our thanks to the soldiers.
I didn't get to SEE you on tv but, I listened on AM 790. Good ole' radio Dana, lol. You look good in the pics I saw. And hearing from you daily has been great. Thank you so much for doing this. It gives you a little insight to what the Troops are doing. I think I thought the same way you did. Like they were sad, depressed & all. I'm glad to hear otherwise. And that you are seeing so many from Pensacola. I sent letters from my daughters school, about 1400, Bellview Middle, to you to deliver. I would love to write to these men & women. I need an address. if you can get that to me I can write send pics etc... I miss hearing you on the morning show! Please have a Happy Thanksgiving & pass it on to all you see. Helen, Pensacola, Fl
Hey Dana, Sounding like you are having quite the time out there!! I along with a lot of other people thought that the soldiers were having a depressing time out there. I now know that they are not as depressed as we all thought!! This is really good to hear!! I hope that you please spread the Thanksgiving joy around and hope that your family is as proud of you as I am! Please give thanks to the soldiers and let them know that we are waiting for their arrival back home!! I would love to be in your shoes right now, but because I can't, I am not sure that we could have picked a better person to go over!! Thanks for all you do!!
Love always,
Vickey
Oh by the way, send us an address that we can write and send pics to not just one person but to anyone! Some of us, really don't know anyone over seas and would like to help!!
Keep safe,
Vickey
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