Day 39

Routine is good sometimes and other times, not so good. Last night, I should have been in bed by 10pm and gotten my first decent amount of sleep. However, the routine set over the past week since arriving in Oz kept me up until midnight, watching movies. Another 5 1/2 hours of sleep...let's see if we can change that tonight.

Today was a day of meetings. 8am, 9am, 10am and another one at 5pm with out partners back in the states. The 8 1/2 hour time change makes these conference calls a challenge. We're nearing "tracer burnout" and they're having their second cup of morning coffee. You military folks should get that "tracer burnout" comment. A senior Army officer said that in a meeting yesterday and it stuck...love it! Another one of my favorite Army quotes I've heard over the past week? "The juice isn't worth the squeeze."  In other words, is it really worth it? Love it. Nearly all of my meetings are with a round-table of senior Army and Air Force officers. Very, very rarely is there a Navy officer anywhere in the vicinity. Very rarely. I'm looking forward to tomorrow...only one meeting and for that one, I'm going to dial in to instead of attending. I'm quickly learning which meetings are worth attending, which ones I'll go to every once in awhile, and ones that are worthless to me. One thing I've learned is the very complex network of "theme parks" in Oz. I am blown away by how many are scattered out there. However, it's not all U.S. forces. There are many who are part of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) who include Romania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, South Korea, Turkey, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, and most members of the European Union and NATO also including Australia, New Zealand, Azerbaijan and Singapore. Amazing, huh? Sure, none have a presence like us but all have some stake in it...some more than others. Anyway, I wish I could take what I see and learn and spread it to the news media, friends, and family. Honestly, people have NO CLUE about what's going on. But how would they? Nothing is ever covered in the media unless something big happens. The complexity of our presence in Oz and what we're doing, in my opinion, is 99% unknown by the American public. Heck, most people think Oz is in the Middle East...it is not! Anyway...

After lunch, I swung by the embroidery shop where I ordered my "Don't Tread on Me" velcro flag to put on my uniform. The Army folks have command and combat patches but the Navy does not. The "Don't Tread on Me" has a deep history in the Navy and since 9/11, every Navy ship underway has it hoisted in the air. So finally, I got my flag and put it in the authorized location, right below my IR (infrared) flag on my right shoulder.

Later in the afternoon, I had my 5pm meeting which was another good exposure to learning about all the details of "erector sets" and the parties involved. I'm amazed at the coordination it takes to get these things produced and shipped internationally. By air, by sea (container ships), and by trucks in-country. The challenge to get things to Oz, a land-locked country, is immense and it takes international cooperation to make it all work. I'm certainly gaining confidence in my function here and am looking forward to being a catalyst for positive change going forward.

The best part of the day? I had a great, 20-30min call with Dorothy. If I closed my eyes, I could almost forget I was in Oz...just talking to her takes me home...if only for a few moments. I love you, Babe!!!

Don't forget! THIS Saturday is Armed Forces Day 2011! Need to find your flag, replace your flag, or get one for the first time? Now's the time! Memorial Day and Independence Day are just around the corner, too!

Goodnight, everyone.