Finally Getting an Office

                So if you have read my blog at all you know that since being here at Camp Phoenix we have not had an office to work in.  There was some miscommunication and then some red tape and then delays.  So, from day one I have been searching for places to conduct some work.  It is difficult to conduct defense work public areas because it is hard to have confidential meetings with clients when there are people all around.  Needless to say, it has been less than desirable work atmosphere.  Most of my time was spent in the MWR library, there were comfortable couches and it was pretty quiet and I could get a pretty good (yet over-priced) internet connection on my personal computer so I sometimes had things to work on.  All in all we made the best of a bad situation and made it work.  But as a couple of weeks passed it was really wearing on me.  Trying to work, and fill my time when there was no office, no work email, no phones, it was difficult. 

Before furniture

The guy that is working in the office with me had to take a trip to another base and was gone for just over a week.  During that week a lot of stuff started happening.  I was able to talk to the Mayor Cell here and they finally were able to get the contractors to start the walls, since they were starting the walls I went to check on getting our computers, printers, and phones.  During the week I was able to establish phone lines, and computer access and get that set up in the office.  Once things started moving they seemed to move more quickly, which was nice.  It was discouraging not seeing things move, but was much better once I saw that once it all got started it wouldn’t take long to complete.  Finally, we had a building that resembled an office.  What a relief!

So now the we had an office space, with computers and phones but no furniture.  I had to decide, did I want to sit in the library with no access to anyone, or did I want to have access with no place to sit?  I chose access with my own space with no place to sit.  So for about 4 days I sat on the floor with my computer on my lap and the phone at my side to work.  I, with major help from a Master Sergeant here on base, was able to get the printers hooked up and working and the scanner function set up.  It felt good to be productive and have something accomplished.  I felt like I finally was going to be able to start fulfilling the purpose of why I came over here.

The saying ‘if you build it they will come’, that rings true when it comes to Trial Defense offices I have found.  Once I started getting equipment in the office people started coming.  I was happy to see faces but it was funny when I told them they had to sit on the floor.  I conducted several client conferences while sitting cross legged on the floor.  It was definitely an entertaining sight.  I figured, "see, I am getting the full deployment experience, making do with what you have to be sure that the mission gets accomplished."  It made me appreciate how easy it is for us to get what we need back home.  Currently, we have barely any office supplies but I do have nice furniture now, a chair to sit on, a desk to work on,  even a cabinet to hold my extra stuff (if I get any)  and a chair for my client to sit in so we can discuss the case.  No more Kum-ba-ya moments on the floor, although it did give them something to talk about other than whatever the circumstance they were going though that made them have to come see me.  A distraction can sometimes be nice.  It is definitely a different environment trying to set up and furnish and supply an office over here.  We still aren’t sure where we will get all our start up supplies but we will figure that out slowly as well.  For now we sometimes get a few things from the PX, they have a very limited selection really just printer paper, and then borrow stuff from other groups, until we are able to get our supply channels figured out.



Office After Furniture



I am relieved and thankful to finally have an office and a space to work in, it is so nice to be able to have a second space away from my room that I can relax a little in and have to kind of call mine.  I am lucky I know to be able to do that as there are a lot of people who share small areas or don’t even have a second place at all.  I think about some of the lower enlisted who are living in shared rooms or even shared 30 man tents, with a bunk and a wall locker to call their own, then they are the ones going out on patrols and running the convoys they don’t have any space to call really their own, no place to escape from their surroundings.  That has to be extremely difficult, I can’t even imagine.  Think about that, you have your house, or apartment and there may be others that live with you but there are times when you can go to a room and shut the door and you are alone, or you can decorate it just the way you want so that you feel comfortable in it.  These guys and gals they don’t have that, sometimes for a year or longer, they don’t have any place to just sit and think or be alone or have some privacy. 

I have a lot to be thankful for!

Some of my decorations so far can always use more