Something's just make you stop and reflect.

I write about my travels some here, heck the last post was all about them, but mostly it is how I am annoyed or where I have to sleep. I try and stay away about my thoughts about actually traveling, partially because I don't want people to think I am one of the soldiers who goes out and gets in fire fights, but I am also not a soldier who only sits behind my desk at my one FOB and never leaves, I have seen at least a few different places. Lately I have been traveling more regularly. The first time I went "outside the wire," that is the military term for when you leave a camp or FOB, I was extremely nervous, I didn't know what to expect. Really every time I go out I get more vigilant but the nervousness has really passed.

It is a different experience, traveling, especially for me because I am relying on others to get me around since I don't have a unit or a movement team. Therefore when I go out I am putting my trust in people I don't know anything about, good thing with things like that I am a pretty trusting person. But mostly, it comes down to having a peace about being here. If God brought me to it he'll bring me through it some how. Some people see this as naive I think because they don't understand how I don't worry about traveling. I'm not naive to the safety risks I'm just at peace about them. (funny I worry about everything else but I don't worry about the big stuff).

I had just returned from a board not long before hearing about the helicopter that was shot down and killed 31 people over here. I remember being shocked and saddened for the loss of life, as much as it is expected over here it is never something you want to hear about especially that many people. I'll be honest most of my information comes from the news or what others tell they they have read or seen so I don't fully know where they were going or what they were doing but most likely they were going to assist others who were in a fire fight. Which are not the type of helicopter rides I am getting on but still it gave me pause. Especially because only about three days later I was suppose to be out again, traveling via helicopter to the same region I was going to, very near the same area.

For the first time in a while I was actually nervous to travel, it didn't help that it became more difficult to get a ride down because a couple of the stopped sending their birds down there until the investigation was complete. They weren't flying those routes because they didn't know what happened. It really made me stop for a bit and think do I really want to work to get down there of our choppers aren't even flying down there. They quickly resumed routes but still it gave me pause for some concern.

But I thought about it and reminded myself that I am here to do a job a job where sometimes I am one of the only people who shows a soldier that someone cares and it is one that I feel is where I am suppose to be in. And I remembered all things are under God's control and his plan. Obviously I made it there and back and have even been on two other trips since then and every time I remind myself it is all in His control.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Afghanistan