Exodus

The airport from which we were to fly home is not really set up to handle large crowds efficiently (or even medium-sized groups, for that matter). The "sterile" area has seating for about sixty people; we were about 100 more than that.

I waited in the outer waiting area as long as I could. There are about 120 seats there.

(How do you spell "bottleneck"?)

Not only were we not permitted to take liquids onto the plane, we couldn't even bring fresh fruit from the DFAC with us. My orange was impounded, much to my chagrin. They missed the fact that my trail mix was not in an unopened, factory-packed condition (I'd made it myself), so at least I got to keep it with me, and nosh on it over the course of the next 18 hours or so.

The final wait for the plane seemed interminable, but we actually got underway not too long after the 1330 time we'd been briefed earlier that morning. Because the aircraft was smaller than originally projected (the repairs on the one we should have been flying on had not been completed, so we were sent a different airframe altogether), we were somewhat more squeezed for space on board the plane, and there was a rumor that we might have to make two -- or perhaps three -- stops on our way to the States.

The first leg of the flight took us only as far as Leipzig, Germany. This is becoming somewhat familiar to me, as I've stopped there on my way to and from Iraq, and now on the way home from Kosovo. The layover of two hours just about matched the amount of time it had taken us to get there.

Back on the plane, it was a relief (and a bit of a downer) to hear that we were flying non-stop to Indianapolis. At least we'd be Stateside when we next touched down, but the bummer was that the flight would be 9.5 hours long.

Oy.

My arthritic knees don't do well in confined spaces for extended lengths of time.

But at least we were almost back!

I tried to sleep, but seeing as about the only time I can sleep in a moving vehicle is if I'm driving, I wound up watching the four movies they had to offer.

The food which was served was actually very tasty. (Why can't U.S.-based carriers do at least as well??)

I called my parents at 202113JUL10 (9:13 p.m., 20 July 2010) as we landed at the Indianapolis airport.

By the time I got to bed that night, it was already 0030 the next morning.

But at least we were back in the States!

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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All Aboard!

We wound up having to collect all our gear (after it had been inspected by Customs agents, loaded onto trucks, and locked up, starting at 0200) on Monday morning, since the plane we were scheduled to board had reported mechanical trouble and was supposedly being serviced in some other country. Sigh.

It had been a long, sleepless night, and I'd thrown the key to my (single) room through the window of the very nice person who'd let me stay in my billet after the rest of the Mustangs had left. Fortunately, a kind and generous Senior NCO invited me to use one of the beds in the room he'd been occupying, so I was able to stow my stuff, get some food, and attempt some shut-eye later in the day.

I'd not had to walk to the truck with my gear (two of the Chaplain Assistants came to pick me up in the van), but the distance from my room to the road did a number on my knees, none the less! However, my temporary lodging in Mid Town was about twice as far from the truck than I'd had to walk, so it was a project to schlep my duffel bag, ruck sack, and day pack to that room and back!

Friends of mine who go to a lot of AA meetings talk about how they "trudge the road of happy destiny," but I suspect they have something altogether different in mind.

It was great to be able to see my Ukrainian Army friends one more time, and to see how they'd set up the TV and DVD player I'd bequeathed them. They live six men to a room, so I had it really easy, what with being alone in half the space they had!

We were given something of a reprieve, in that we didn't have to report again (with all our gear, of course) until 0615, rather than at 0200. I got there at 0545, and was amazed at how many others had gotten there before me.

I guess a lot of us were really ready to go home!

The Customs inspection went very, very smoothly, and all the bags got loaded on the trucks rather expeditiously. Then it was a matter of waiting around to board the buses for the hour-long trip to the airport. Fortunately, we got underway without much ado, and were off to the airport.

More later!

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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CONUS

Well, if all had gone as planned, I'd have been back in the States a couple of days already at this point.

CONUS, in Army-speak.

That's "CONtinental United States" for everyone else.

I'm still not sure how to use the acronym in a sentence, because it seems as though it ought to take a definite article ("the CONUS"). I've never heard that phrase used, however.

In any event, after more than two years of being mobilized/deployed, and after having watched the two units for whom I served as Chaplain leave ahead of me, I was really looking forward to being back in the States according to schedule!

However, this is the Army, and as I'd been telling people rather consistently, "just stay in the present moment -- don't live in a future that may never happen."

It seems the plane which was originally scheduled to have picked us up developed some sort of mechanical problem, and had to land in a country other than Kosovo for repairs.

We found this out after having schlepped our bags to the staging area (for me, this was at some significant distance, and my duffel, ruck, and day pack weighed over 140 pounds -- *that* did a number on my knees and left ankle as I was-- very slowly -- making my way across the ever-present gravel!) at 0200, enduring the Customs inspection which started at 0300, being told we were "on hold" at 0400, and finally having been apprised at 0545 that we'd have to collect our luggage and repeat the drill 24 hours later.

Sigh.

We later learned that the delay would be an additional 4.5 hours longer than that.

It was a *huge* disappointment to me that all this meant I wouldn't be able to see my Aviators one more time before they departed for New York, Kentucky, Virginia, and South Carolina.

Powerlessness.

But it is what it is, and by not having dwelt in a future which can now never happen, I seemed not to have experienced as much Angst as some of those around me who'd approached the situation differently.

I guess my friends who go to a lot of those AA and Al-Anon meetings are on to something, because they've been telling me, for three decades now (one day at a time), that I might just want to try living in the moment....

No matter what it took to get here, it's good to be CONUS!

Even if I'm not quite home yet.

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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Flight time wrap-up

I had less than a third of the missions via air here in Kosovo than I did in Iraq, and most of the missions I flew here were simply TF AVN taskings, and didn't have anything directly to do with Religious Support Operations.

(One could make the case, none the less, that since one of the missions of Army Chaplains is a 'ministry of presence', I was conducting that mission each time I flew. That might be stretching it, however.)

Ever since coming into the Army, and especially once I took my first ride on a Blackhawk (as terrified as I felt that day in Iraq), I'd wanted to work with an Aviation unit. Now that I had the opportunity, I thought I'd avail myself of every chance I got to be with Aviators as they did what Aviators do.

Before the 25MAY10, I'd never used night vision goggles before, as I may have mentioned. Now that my flying with TF Aviation is over, I've logged 31.8 hours of NVG time. Not bad for six weeks, eh?

Moreover, I've got a total of 41.1 hours of daylight flying (some of which probably could count as "night, unaided", but I decided not to differentiate, seeing as this really doesn't count for anything real).

That means, then, that I'll go home with a grand total of 72.9 hours of flying around Kosovo in helicopters.

There was at least one pilot here who didn't have that much time over the course of the deployment, let alone over six or seven weeks.

What a blast!

I love my job.

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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Alone again....

My Aviators all left for the States recently.

Talk about déjà vu all over again!

For the second time in ten weeks I found myself watching everyone else in the unit I've been supporting leave -- without me.

Now, it's true that I've only been with Task Force Aviation for a relatively short time, but I've spent most of my waking moments with them during that time. So I've gotten to know a lot of them, and some of them, pretty well.

I'm very happy for them that they'll soon be home with loved ones and friends! I was just hoping to be able to be there while they experienced the flood of emotions which comes with going home after being away, in foreign countries, for so long.

But it was not to be.

So I'm back to feeling the grief which attends any and all loss. At least it's not completely unexpected -- I was told a couple of days prior to their departure that I'd be going with another group, very few of whom I know as well as I do the guys and gals in TF AVN.

Oh well. I'm sure in some (probably parallel) universe this all makes sense. I was unable to be with my Mustangs as they went through the demobilization process, too. Being here while they were there was a great sadness for me then, as this is now.

But this too shall pass!

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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Some more flowers and insects

I just can't help myself. No matter where I am, if I have my camera, and there are flowers and critters around -- especially wildflowers -- I'll spend time photographing them....

Isn't nature grand?

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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Aviation visits the Church of the Black Madonna

Not long ago a group of Soldiers from Task Force Aviation took a road trip out to the Church of the Black Madonna. As has been their wont for the whole deployment, they brought along a few soccer balls (they're called 'footballs' here), and one of the Sisters who lives and works at the Church was very happy to take a couple off our hands.

A bit later, without any publicity efforts on our parts, we were swarmed with children hoping to come away with a toy or two.

It seemed as though they were all smiles as we left.

I love it when Soldiers interact this way with others!

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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Typical sights in Kosovo

Most of the populace near where we live here just LOVE the United States of America. Many of the locals whom I've met have expressed a desire to move to the States, or at least to have their children move there.

I'm not sure I've seen more representations of the Statue of Liberty anywhere in the US than I've seen in these parts!

Another thing that's really common here is to have buildings, and especially houses it seems, painted with rather bright and surprising colors.

Some houses are very old and dilapidated, while others are clearly much better maintained. They can often be right next to each other.

A decade after the most recent war's end, one can still see buildings which were damaged in the war, and haven't been repaired or razed.

Who knew?

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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Happy Birthday!

One of my Army buddies, who had been an undergraduate in ROTC when I was teaching in the midwest a decade ago, celebrates his birthday today.

He's an amazing Soldier, and a wonderful young man. He's been a great power of example for me over the past three and a half years as I've tried to learn how to be an Officer in the U.S. Army.

Besides his amazing intellect (he scared me when he was an undergrad, he's so bright), and his encyclopedic recall of military history, he caught my attention long ago because he was a violinist in his spare time.

Three combat deployments to Iraq later (from which, each time, he brought all his men home alive -- no mean achievement for an Infantry unit involved in significant engagements with the enemy), he's still going strong and will soon be promoted.

That'll be yet another of my student whom I'll have to address as "Sir" or "Ma'am"....

Happy Birthday, Jason! Sir.

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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Old Glory -- update

A while ago I mentioned that I was on a flight which involved two helicopters. Now, while I was in Iraq, that was standard practice, but here it's not been as common. While we were on the flight, one of the Crew Chiefs flew a flag out the window as we were flying along. Our hope was that one of the crew of the other aircraft would be able to photograph the flag from their vantage point.

I found a couple of photos which they took.

(I'm actually glad to see that I'm not the only one who has trouble keeping the subject in focus while the aircraft is in flight....)

It's a grand old flag!

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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Part of the team

Because I'd been using another Soldier's flight gear exclusively for the past month, the person in charge of that sort of thing in the Lift Company notified me that I needed to sign a hand receipt for the gear.

At the same time, they made me a name tape for the helmet I was using, which identifies the wearer when the person's identity can't be otherwise determined (as when the darker eye shield is down during the day, for example).

Sometimes the names on the helmets simply reflect the given or surname of the Soldier; at other times, the appellation is more colorful.

When I got my helmet back, the name they'd given me was "Chappy."

I really felt as though I were part of the team.

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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Patience

Now that the aircraft have left Post to return to Germany, and thence to the States, Soldiers here in TF Aviation (and throughout KFOR-12) are getting even more antsy to get home.

I can't say as I blame them, but to be honest, I'm trying not to think about it.

After all, this *is* the Army, and things can change.

More and more folks are asking me if I'm excited about leaving, and each time I tell them I'll believe it when I see it. I mention to them that my experience has taught me to focus on doing the next right thing, and then whatever's going to happen will happen according to some other timetable than my own (usually).

By keeping my sights set on the near-term, on "the now," rather than on what *might* be at some indeterminate time in the future, I can stay sharp and see the mission through to completion.

But more than that, only be staying in the present moment can I have any possibility of conscious contact with a power greater than ourselves (as my friends who go to a lot of those AA and Al-Anon meetings put it). I've learned through experience that my God only exists in the present, and not in the past, nor in the future.

If I dwell in the past because of regrets or fears or resentments or whatever, I'm going to miss the surprises of finding God's presence in the "here-and-now." Ditto for attempting to live in the future because I find the past and/or present unacceptable. My God doesn't show up there. God only comes to me in the present moment.

So I'm not very excited about the return, whenever that might be. There's much to be done here before my mission is complete, and I'll keep my eye on that. At least for the present.

In so doing, I'll find the Presence.

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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Off they go, into the wild blue yonder....

On a beautiful, sunny morning recently, our aircraft left Post for the last time, signalling then end of our KFOR-12 aviation mission using equipment which arrived here last October. About an hour before liftoff, I moved from one aircraft to the next, bidding my friends good-bye, dropping off bags of 'treats' for their trip, and praying for their safe and swift return home.

It would have been great to fly up the Adriatic coast with them, but alas! that was not to be.

Along with a number of other Soldiers, I watched their departure from atop the air traffic control tower.

In a gesture of farewell, my buddies flew over the Post flagpole (aircraft are usually not permitted to do so here) on their way to their destination.

Now to finish my handover to my replacements, and I'll be able to get out of here, too!

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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Sunset flight, part 2

Here are the rest of the photos from the sunset flight we took a short time ago.

Ah, beauty!

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

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Sunset flight, part 1

Not long before I had to stop flying, we went out just before sunset, and as we were flying doors-open, I was able to get some pretty good shots of the western sky as we flew around. I hope you like them!

See why I love to fly so much?

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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