A couple blog posts ago JG broke the news that he will be reenlisting this year despite concern with our career field's deployment rate.
Our career field manager who manages the entire public affairs, broadcaster and photographer enlisted force stopped by last week to visit the Air Force Public Affairs Agency. For me, the three most surprising facts he shared were: PA deployments increased by more than 60 percent this year, state-side broadcast positions were only 35 percent manned and photographers were at a 1:7 deployment dwell rate (pardon combat camera).
And, after listening to the numerous other challenges and how he and the director of public affairs have been working to translate senior leadership's empathy into action, I am now rooting for a 1:1 dwell. (Insert Gasp Here.)
Why?
Anyone can be pulled at any time - making the deployment selection process more 'intimate.' Deployments would be based on an individuals dwell rate. For example, when I deploy next March my dwell rate would have been a 1:5 (thanks to five ankle surgeries). When I come back, my dwell rate starts over at 1:1 and I'm racked and stacked against every other individuals' dwell rates who are not currently deployed, rather than just those within my band.
Also, it gives PA leadership even more justification needed to plead their case for more manpower and to prevent further cuts.
I'm confident that after this long year ahead of us JG and I will be able to PCS and have two years of two-parent stability for our boys - and a baby.
Lately I'm feeling a sense of relief, particularly because of facts and figures, but mostly because there's a bunch of people who care. Supervisors and others in each of our chain of command shared their concern about our situation and empathized that enduring those circumstances long term would have serious consequences for our family. I've also been really impressed with the career field manager's candidness on these and other issues.
I'm also impressed with the director of public affairs. I'm quite thankful he overlooked me answering my direct line today with a rushed "Tech. Sgt. Buzanowski" as I had to put a company wanting an Air Force License Agreement to use the Air Force Symbol on hold. (www.trademark.af.mil) The Colonel called to give me kudos on the work I've been doing on the trademark program, he said he's been hearing my name 'everywhere' but in a good way. He asked how 'Buzz' was doing on his deployment, asked me how the family was doing and told me that he and his wife will be holding a get together at their house next month for all of the spouses of deployed members in our directorate.
Funny in a way to be thought of as a 'spouse.' I really didn't think much about it until today. I find myself socially awkward around other spouses who don't wear the uniform.
So get this - my original deployment tasking was changed meaning I no longer deploy in March, I deploy in May ... but a 30-day combat skills training course in April. I'm so excited that JG and I will get to celebrate our first wedding anniversary together.
Signing that piece paper was much easier.
Showing posts with label Public Affairs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Public Affairs. Show all posts
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Past, Present and Future ...
A couple of days back from Afghanistan and I'm leaving right out again. That's how these things go: "downtime" is spent getting ready to leave. Had a few days to recover from the solid days of work at Bagram. Unpacked, did laundry, repacked. Made some decisions, made some obserations, made time to catch up with an old friend. Also had some wine ...
After much deliberation, consternation, contemplation and acceptification, we've decided the best thing for our family is if I reenlist for another four years in the Air Force. The increasing number of deployments is daunting, but the bottom line is I still enjoy what I do in Air Force Public Affairs and that was always the agreement I made with myself. Only it's not just my self I have to worry about anymore. As part of my reenlistment, I'll be eligible to sign up for the new G.I Bill benefit that allows me to transfer the money for college to a wife or child. Basically it's how we're going to send at least one of the kids to school. I figure it's the best gift we can give them for putting up with the months they spend without us. Although if you ask Zachary or Edward, I'm sure it would be a video game. Most of the time I would agree ...
Had a disagreement with my team, however, on how best to perform our mission. There are still some major differences between the way Combat Camera and Public Affairs operate. But despite some growing pains, I think we're slowly starting to understand each other a little better. More than that though, I've done a little soul searching about deployments in general. Or at least the ones I've been on. I do a lot of grousing and griping while I'm deployed. And I always go home with a lot of memories and stories. However, I really need to cut back on sentences that start "Back when I was here last ..." or "When I was deployed to ..." Ugh. I'm becoming THAT guy ...
So my goal is to try and find some perspective that next year I will more than likely look back at my time here as a fulfilling experience, despite any temporary personality conflicts. Because back when I was here last and when I was deployed to Afghanistan, that's how I ultimately came to consider those experiences. Oops, I did it again ...
While deployed, every emotional response amplifies because of physical distance, time difference, connection issues, etc. Every small misunderstanding becomes something so much worse. Jennifer and I have already worked through our fair share of what would be normal relationship difficulties, but they've been worse and more difficult to find resolution to because of our being separated by so much. It's absolutlely our faith in each other and our family that is getting us through those days. And when it isn't relying on each other, it's relying on our friends. Especially when they buy you a drink ...
I ran into my old pal, Rick Wagner, here yesterday. Rick joined the Air Force a couple years after I did. We used to hang out when we lived in Humboldt County, California. We had a lot of the same hobbies and our dads were both in the Coast Guard, so I've always liked Rick. And now here we are in Southwest Asia. A small world it is. Unless you're Yoda ...
After much deliberation, consternation, contemplation and acceptification, we've decided the best thing for our family is if I reenlist for another four years in the Air Force. The increasing number of deployments is daunting, but the bottom line is I still enjoy what I do in Air Force Public Affairs and that was always the agreement I made with myself. Only it's not just my self I have to worry about anymore. As part of my reenlistment, I'll be eligible to sign up for the new G.I Bill benefit that allows me to transfer the money for college to a wife or child. Basically it's how we're going to send at least one of the kids to school. I figure it's the best gift we can give them for putting up with the months they spend without us. Although if you ask Zachary or Edward, I'm sure it would be a video game. Most of the time I would agree ...
Had a disagreement with my team, however, on how best to perform our mission. There are still some major differences between the way Combat Camera and Public Affairs operate. But despite some growing pains, I think we're slowly starting to understand each other a little better. More than that though, I've done a little soul searching about deployments in general. Or at least the ones I've been on. I do a lot of grousing and griping while I'm deployed. And I always go home with a lot of memories and stories. However, I really need to cut back on sentences that start "Back when I was here last ..." or "When I was deployed to ..." Ugh. I'm becoming THAT guy ...
So my goal is to try and find some perspective that next year I will more than likely look back at my time here as a fulfilling experience, despite any temporary personality conflicts. Because back when I was here last and when I was deployed to Afghanistan, that's how I ultimately came to consider those experiences. Oops, I did it again ...
While deployed, every emotional response amplifies because of physical distance, time difference, connection issues, etc. Every small misunderstanding becomes something so much worse. Jennifer and I have already worked through our fair share of what would be normal relationship difficulties, but they've been worse and more difficult to find resolution to because of our being separated by so much. It's absolutlely our faith in each other and our family that is getting us through those days. And when it isn't relying on each other, it's relying on our friends. Especially when they buy you a drink ...
I ran into my old pal, Rick Wagner, here yesterday. Rick joined the Air Force a couple years after I did. We used to hang out when we lived in Humboldt County, California. We had a lot of the same hobbies and our dads were both in the Coast Guard, so I've always liked Rick. And now here we are in Southwest Asia. A small world it is. Unless you're Yoda ...
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Penny for your thoughts …
Like a bad penny, Bagram Airfield keeps falling in my path. I was first here in 2004 for about a week and was sitting in the passenger terminal when we found out about Pat Tillman’s death. I came back in 2006 to work for the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. Now I’m here again and 
much like our home base, it’s odd to see what’s changed and what’s the same. For crying out loud though, they still have the lame wooden shacks for people to live in. In the winter, there’s no drainage, so it floods between the buildings. Then when it freezes, the pools of water ice over. Seriously, you can literally skate from your room to the bathroom when you wake up at two in the morning to go to the bathroom. So it breaks up the monotony of walking at least …
The other cool story out here is the F-15E Strike Eagles. The squadron out here is one of the squadrons I used to cover back at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., so it’s awesome to see those guys again. I actually took pictures of one of the jets during a refueling mission last weekend, so was able to give the squadron a disc of photos, which they loved. They have a sign on their front door that says “The mission is the 18 year old with a rifle. All else is support” and they have a great attitude about providing cover for the guys on the ground. No fighter pilot ego at all; just straight talk about doing what they can to keep troops safe. Because usually, you know how you can tell if a fighter pilot is in a bar? He’ll tell you …
We have a few other missions that we want to cover while we’re at Bagram, so we’ll see how that works out. We’ll be here for a couple more weeks and hopefully cover the Afghan elections, which in a larger sense, is symbolic for why we’re here to begin with. If it works out, we’ll be headed out with the provincial reconstruction team. When I was here last, I did a lot of missions with those guys and it was one of the highlights of my last deployment. We’d go into villages and bring them food, supplies, medicine. I’d bring a bag of candy with me to hand out to kids. It still amazes me that they’d run through snow with no shoes on just to get a Jolly Rancher. Then again, so would my kids. Then again, so would I …
Speaking of the family, Jennifer and I are struggling through communication missteps. The Internet connection here is pretty spotty, so we don’t get to email or instant message each other very much, let alone send photos or anything else. It sometimes takes me ten minutes to open a single email. Other times it can be pretty decent, but it means getting up at 2 in the morning. That’s the one thing that makes deployments easier. We don’t need more bingo games; we need bandwidth …
But when we have been able to talk, we’ve worked out a lot of issues. The time difference (8 ½ hours in Afghanistan) and distance away (a gazillion miles) only compound the usual difficulties that creep up in a relationship. I’m still learning how to be a husband and a dad, and fortunately, everyone has some advice. My “favorite” has been “the first year of marriage is the most difficult,” since Jennifer and I are spending most of ours away from each other …
In the meantime, I’m just trying to stay busy, as it helps the time pass faster. There are lots of good stories about Airmen out here, so I’m just trying to do what I can. And sometimes that means letting the aforementioned 80-pound Doggy of Doom chew on your arm …
much like our home base, it’s odd to see what’s changed and what’s the same. For crying out loud though, they still have the lame wooden shacks for people to live in. In the winter, there’s no drainage, so it floods between the buildings. Then when it freezes, the pools of water ice over. Seriously, you can literally skate from your room to the bathroom when you wake up at two in the morning to go to the bathroom. So it breaks up the monotony of walking at least …But our team is here to work with the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs office. A good friend and colleague back in D.C., Capt. Dave Faggard, is in charge of the shop, so at least we’re in good company. I went to advanced contingency skills training with him and 
two of his Airmen before our deployment, so it’s kinda cool to see them again. He and I discuss our career field and its future alot, especially when it comes to the use of social media. He's the guru on it for the Air Force and we see eye to eye on a lot of what needs to be done on both the officer and enlisted side of things. Although the good captain and I have found a way to work out our differences …
Our first story was to cover the military working dogs here. Bagram is unique in that it’s the only base out here where Airmen provide all the perimeter security. Part of that is done by the dog handlers and their canine companions. The folks who work in K-9 units are typically really good folks and are a staple for community relations visits back home. Everyone loves seeing them and their dogs so when we do base tours, we always try to hit up the K-9 folks. They’re also a lot of fun to take pictures with. Except when the handler misses the dog coming out of the tunnel and 80 pounds of German shepherd fury comes barreling at you and your camera, only you don’t see it coming ‘cause you’re just trying to keep the image in focus so it comes as a total shock when the camera slams into your face and you’re on your butt just trying to figure out what the heck just happened. You know, for example …
two of his Airmen before our deployment, so it’s kinda cool to see them again. He and I discuss our career field and its future alot, especially when it comes to the use of social media. He's the guru on it for the Air Force and we see eye to eye on a lot of what needs to be done on both the officer and enlisted side of things. Although the good captain and I have found a way to work out our differences …Our first story was to cover the military working dogs here. Bagram is unique in that it’s the only base out here where Airmen provide all the perimeter security. Part of that is done by the dog handlers and their canine companions. The folks who work in K-9 units are typically really good folks and are a staple for community relations visits back home. Everyone loves seeing them and their dogs so when we do base tours, we always try to hit up the K-9 folks. They’re also a lot of fun to take pictures with. Except when the handler misses the dog coming out of the tunnel and 80 pounds of German shepherd fury comes barreling at you and your camera, only you don’t see it coming ‘cause you’re just trying to keep the image in focus so it comes as a total shock when the camera slams into your face and you’re on your butt just trying to figure out what the heck just happened. You know, for example …
The other cool story out here is the F-15E Strike Eagles. The squadron out here is one of the squadrons I used to cover back at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., so it’s awesome to see those guys again. I actually took pictures of one of the jets during a refueling mission last weekend, so was able to give the squadron a disc of photos, which they loved. They have a sign on their front door that says “The mission is the 18 year old with a rifle. All else is support” and they have a great attitude about providing cover for the guys on the ground. No fighter pilot ego at all; just straight talk about doing what they can to keep troops safe. Because usually, you know how you can tell if a fighter pilot is in a bar? He’ll tell you …
We have a few other missions that we want to cover while we’re at Bagram, so we’ll see how that works out. We’ll be here for a couple more weeks and hopefully cover the Afghan elections, which in a larger sense, is symbolic for why we’re here to begin with. If it works out, we’ll be headed out with the provincial reconstruction team. When I was here last, I did a lot of missions with those guys and it was one of the highlights of my last deployment. We’d go into villages and bring them food, supplies, medicine. I’d bring a bag of candy with me to hand out to kids. It still amazes me that they’d run through snow with no shoes on just to get a Jolly Rancher. Then again, so would my kids. Then again, so would I …
Speaking of the family, Jennifer and I are struggling through communication missteps. The Internet connection here is pretty spotty, so we don’t get to email or instant message each other very much, let alone send photos or anything else. It sometimes takes me ten minutes to open a single email. Other times it can be pretty decent, but it means getting up at 2 in the morning. That’s the one thing that makes deployments easier. We don’t need more bingo games; we need bandwidth …
But when we have been able to talk, we’ve worked out a lot of issues. The time difference (8 ½ hours in Afghanistan) and distance away (a gazillion miles) only compound the usual difficulties that creep up in a relationship. I’m still learning how to be a husband and a dad, and fortunately, everyone has some advice. My “favorite” has been “the first year of marriage is the most difficult,” since Jennifer and I are spending most of ours away from each other …
In the meantime, I’m just trying to stay busy, as it helps the time pass faster. There are lots of good stories about Airmen out here, so I’m just trying to do what I can. And sometimes that means letting the aforementioned 80-pound Doggy of Doom chew on your arm …
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
To Be or Not To Be
Dual military that is. The active duty-to-active duty reality hit us harder and faster than expected, on a Monday morning no less.
I've been tasked to deploy just weeks after JG returns from his deployment. He's expected home last week of December or first week of January, then I leave for combat skills training Feb. 9-22 and then report to the AOR (area of responsibility - just a fancy word for 'desert') by March 31.
When I return from my six-month deployment in September 2010, JG will be hot to deploy two months later. And not wussy, worn brick red - we're talking fire engine red. Why? The public affairs enlisted force is sitting at a 1:2 dwell. This means the rate at which we are deploying is 6 months deployed, two 6-month deployment cycles home, then 6 months deployed and so forth.
So, how will the dwell impact our family while I serve the remainder of my commitment through March 2012 and if JG decided to reenlist for another four years in January 2010?
Total months since marriage April 2009 until March 2012 = 36
Months separated by deployment = 23 (not including mandatory deployment training)
Months residing together = 13
What it boils down to is we'll have between 2-4 months of time together between one of us being deployed. Sitting at 16 years of service come March 2012, this deployment analysis above assumes I will deploy again in October 2011 in order to finish the last four years of my career. If I decide to separate at 16 years, I will have an extra five months at home with JG before he deploys again in 2013.
JG can decide to separate in January when he'll have 8 years of service completed, I'll be just shy of 14 years. We want to have another child and we planned on doing so after we PCS'd (moved on to the next assignment/base) and we planned to do this before I turn 34 in January 2012.
"Honey, I need to conceive between the time you get home in January 2010 and April 2011," I say. (This is so sexy, right? Total buzz-killer.)
But wait, he deploys in November 2010 and won't be back till May 2011 so conception needs to happen before then just incase we have trouble getting pregnant.
Conceiving before my deployment right when he gets back will only allow him to be with me for the pregnancy and he'll probably miss the birth and at least the first six months of her life (yes, we are having a girl). She will only be a year old and would only know life with both her parents for four months before I'm deployed again.
The alternative would be to conceive after I return from my deployment in the month of October 2010, then JG would be gone during most of the pregnancy, but would be home for the birth and the first 10-11 months of her life before he deploys again. I would deploy right when the baby turns six months old if our career field is still at a 1:2 dwell.
My fear? Even if JG decides to separate in January, I may decide to separate from the service while I'm pregnant anyway (servicewomen are giving this option, subject to commander approval) and I've just screwed both of us out of a career. Why? It was so hard leaving Zachary at age 6 and Edward at age 2 for a deployment ... I can't imagine how painful it will be to leave Baby Girl at the fun phase of eating 'solid' food.
And these scenarios don't even begin to cover all things considered. Our assignment manager is telling us to expect orders when JG comes back from his deployment. Added pressure logistically to get the house ready to rent (another blog to follow on the rennovations) and juggle my training requirement, family bonding and a PCS move between January-February or worse, left to JG to handle alone after I'm gone.
Granted, JG can decline the assignment by separating, but then we run into being stationed at virtually every Air Force base that has a public affairs office. This means we could end up at a less-than-desirable location such as obscure bases to go unnamed in the Midwest (no offense, but no thank you) since only one career needs to be accommodated, not two. (We cannot work in the same office where one of us would have any authority over the other. This becomes a non-issue if the assignment manager only needs to accommodate one career.)
Since we are at a 1:2 dwell, are they bringing back reenlistment bonuses for public affairs? (If so, it's important to note that if you reenlisted while deployed you get to keep the 20 percent that's normally deducted for taxes.)
Could one of us possibly get a joint assignment (as in working for a command or unit made up of all the military services) or an Air Force special duty assignment that's considered 'non-deployable' so that we are able to spend 12 months together as a family while only one of us deploys?
What will all these deployments do to our boys? Do we choose our careers over having a baby? Do we postpone having a baby and accept the health risks of me carrying a baby in my late thirties?
If we do stay in, what are our career options? With a critically-manned career fields it's almost impossible to break away four to six years to become first sergeants, professional military education instructors or basic military training instructors. They would also just as unlikely grant permission for us to cross train into a different career field altogether.
There are so many unanswered questions right now. JG and I are left absolutely heartbroken over the situation. And you know what? I'm angry. No, I take that back. I'm pissed.
How did the career field I've been apart of my entire career succumb to this? I had volunteered for deployments as an airman at my first assignment at Kelly AFB, Texas, and at my second assignment as a staff sergeant at Eielson AFB, Alaska, but didn't get to go. Those were the days when the folks in the same deployment 'bucket' used to fight over deployments. Now it's 'where are you going?' not 'do you get to go this time?'
At my third assignment I had my first deployment ever as an 11-year technical sergeant. In contrast, JG who joined right after 9-11 is now on his fourth deployment. For years we've been on the 'critical list' with career fields you may expect like security forces and EOD. I would have loved to have seen the look on the at-the-time Air Force Chief of Staff's face the first day Public Affairs appeared on that briefing slide. You have to wonder if the other general officers around the table chuckled. And I'm seriously asking: Has anyone outside of Air Force Public Affairs (up the chain) taken this seriously?
I have three friends in immediate proximity, all OUTSTANDING public affairs NCOs, who have made the decision to separate. Each are in a different phase of that process with one now a member of the Air Force Reserve and my response to each of them was 'I can't imagine being in a position to have to make such a hard decision.' Ladies, I still can't imagine because I am still in shock.
If Air Force leadership assures Public Affairs leadership they are legitimately trying, well, maybe I can too. But today, I'm discouraged, I'm confused, I miss my husband and the boys miss their Dad. For the first time in my adult life I'm questioning if my personal values and Air Force values are in alignment. Air Force Public Affairs will somehow manage through the new steady state of the 2000s, but how will the Buzanowski family?
I've been tasked to deploy just weeks after JG returns from his deployment. He's expected home last week of December or first week of January, then I leave for combat skills training Feb. 9-22 and then report to the AOR (area of responsibility - just a fancy word for 'desert') by March 31.
When I return from my six-month deployment in September 2010, JG will be hot to deploy two months later. And not wussy, worn brick red - we're talking fire engine red. Why? The public affairs enlisted force is sitting at a 1:2 dwell. This means the rate at which we are deploying is 6 months deployed, two 6-month deployment cycles home, then 6 months deployed and so forth.
So, how will the dwell impact our family while I serve the remainder of my commitment through March 2012 and if JG decided to reenlist for another four years in January 2010?
Total months since marriage April 2009 until March 2012 = 36
Months separated by deployment = 23 (not including mandatory deployment training)
Months residing together = 13
What it boils down to is we'll have between 2-4 months of time together between one of us being deployed. Sitting at 16 years of service come March 2012, this deployment analysis above assumes I will deploy again in October 2011 in order to finish the last four years of my career. If I decide to separate at 16 years, I will have an extra five months at home with JG before he deploys again in 2013.
JG can decide to separate in January when he'll have 8 years of service completed, I'll be just shy of 14 years. We want to have another child and we planned on doing so after we PCS'd (moved on to the next assignment/base) and we planned to do this before I turn 34 in January 2012.
"Honey, I need to conceive between the time you get home in January 2010 and April 2011," I say. (This is so sexy, right? Total buzz-killer.)
But wait, he deploys in November 2010 and won't be back till May 2011 so conception needs to happen before then just incase we have trouble getting pregnant.
Conceiving before my deployment right when he gets back will only allow him to be with me for the pregnancy and he'll probably miss the birth and at least the first six months of her life (yes, we are having a girl). She will only be a year old and would only know life with both her parents for four months before I'm deployed again.
The alternative would be to conceive after I return from my deployment in the month of October 2010, then JG would be gone during most of the pregnancy, but would be home for the birth and the first 10-11 months of her life before he deploys again. I would deploy right when the baby turns six months old if our career field is still at a 1:2 dwell.
My fear? Even if JG decides to separate in January, I may decide to separate from the service while I'm pregnant anyway (servicewomen are giving this option, subject to commander approval) and I've just screwed both of us out of a career. Why? It was so hard leaving Zachary at age 6 and Edward at age 2 for a deployment ... I can't imagine how painful it will be to leave Baby Girl at the fun phase of eating 'solid' food.
And these scenarios don't even begin to cover all things considered. Our assignment manager is telling us to expect orders when JG comes back from his deployment. Added pressure logistically to get the house ready to rent (another blog to follow on the rennovations) and juggle my training requirement, family bonding and a PCS move between January-February or worse, left to JG to handle alone after I'm gone.
Granted, JG can decline the assignment by separating, but then we run into being stationed at virtually every Air Force base that has a public affairs office. This means we could end up at a less-than-desirable location such as obscure bases to go unnamed in the Midwest (no offense, but no thank you) since only one career needs to be accommodated, not two. (We cannot work in the same office where one of us would have any authority over the other. This becomes a non-issue if the assignment manager only needs to accommodate one career.)
Since we are at a 1:2 dwell, are they bringing back reenlistment bonuses for public affairs? (If so, it's important to note that if you reenlisted while deployed you get to keep the 20 percent that's normally deducted for taxes.)
Could one of us possibly get a joint assignment (as in working for a command or unit made up of all the military services) or an Air Force special duty assignment that's considered 'non-deployable' so that we are able to spend 12 months together as a family while only one of us deploys?
What will all these deployments do to our boys? Do we choose our careers over having a baby? Do we postpone having a baby and accept the health risks of me carrying a baby in my late thirties?
If we do stay in, what are our career options? With a critically-manned career fields it's almost impossible to break away four to six years to become first sergeants, professional military education instructors or basic military training instructors. They would also just as unlikely grant permission for us to cross train into a different career field altogether.
There are so many unanswered questions right now. JG and I are left absolutely heartbroken over the situation. And you know what? I'm angry. No, I take that back. I'm pissed.
How did the career field I've been apart of my entire career succumb to this? I had volunteered for deployments as an airman at my first assignment at Kelly AFB, Texas, and at my second assignment as a staff sergeant at Eielson AFB, Alaska, but didn't get to go. Those were the days when the folks in the same deployment 'bucket' used to fight over deployments. Now it's 'where are you going?' not 'do you get to go this time?'
At my third assignment I had my first deployment ever as an 11-year technical sergeant. In contrast, JG who joined right after 9-11 is now on his fourth deployment. For years we've been on the 'critical list' with career fields you may expect like security forces and EOD. I would have loved to have seen the look on the at-the-time Air Force Chief of Staff's face the first day Public Affairs appeared on that briefing slide. You have to wonder if the other general officers around the table chuckled. And I'm seriously asking: Has anyone outside of Air Force Public Affairs (up the chain) taken this seriously?
I have three friends in immediate proximity, all OUTSTANDING public affairs NCOs, who have made the decision to separate. Each are in a different phase of that process with one now a member of the Air Force Reserve and my response to each of them was 'I can't imagine being in a position to have to make such a hard decision.' Ladies, I still can't imagine because I am still in shock.
If Air Force leadership assures Public Affairs leadership they are legitimately trying, well, maybe I can too. But today, I'm discouraged, I'm confused, I miss my husband and the boys miss their Dad. For the first time in my adult life I'm questioning if my personal values and Air Force values are in alignment. Air Force Public Affairs will somehow manage through the new steady state of the 2000s, but how will the Buzanowski family?
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
You can check out any time you want ...
So I puked in the helicopter. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Our time here at Camp Taji is coming to a close. I've got a half dozen stories and took about 800 photos. The Airmen here have been fantastic in helping us get what we need, whether it's a place to crash, interviews, a vehicle, whatever. Much thanks to Tech. Sgt. Rico and Lt. Col. McNerney. And to the dining facility that always had Cocoa Puffs. They're my new comfort food out here. Not the healthiest of snacks, but it's got the riboflavins ...
Our job here was to cover the Airmen who are assisting the Iraqis as they get back on their feet. We spoke with guys working on the mission support side of things and they really seem to have things together. On the operations side, where they're flying helicopters day and night, things are a little slower to progress. But there's promise. All in all, it's been a pretty good mission, with good people, quality stories and a room with a bed instead of a tent with a cot and 20 other people in it with all their gear and no way to lock up our belongings so you never know if you'll come back to find your stuff gone or sold on eBay. I've heard stories ...
So really, I'm not in a rush to leave. In fact, had a couple of moments I'll never forget. While talking with an Iraqi lieutenant, he asked me how I could help him start a base newspaper. He wants to be able to get information out to his troops. Told him I would talk to some folks and see what we could do. But there's no Air Force public affairs presence here; it's an additional duty given to one of the gunnery instructors. But that's a different issue altogether ...
A day later I'm having lunch and next to me is one of our own lieutenant colonels reading Stars And Stripes while he eats. So I ask him what base he's from and if he reads the paper back home. "Oh, no, absolutely not," he tells me. Which I find intriguing, considering how he's pouring through his copy of Stripes. After talking with him a bit more, for him it's a credibility factor with his base newspaper back home. With Stripes he knows he's getting reporting from the Fourth Estate instead of "What the wing commander wants me to know about." Which puts me in a really difficult place, and I don't mean the back of a Volkswagen ...
On one hand, an Iraqi officer wants an avenue to communicate via mass media with his troops. On the other, one of our officers only wants news and information from an outside source not part of the military. So if what we, in our career field, try to communicate to our own internal audience already has a bias against it, how do we get past that bias and reach people? I really don't have the answer, but really, I just found the dichotomy of my conversations good food for thought. Funnily enough, tastes like chicken ...
We're getting ready to head back to our home base. We tried to get back Sunday night, but ran out of gas and had to come back to Taji. Where I had aformentioned room with bed still waiting for me. Yeah, I was real broken up about it ...
The back of the Mi-171 helicopter was hot and the exhaust from the engines was blowing inside. We spent the first 90 minutes practicing maneuvers, so lots of ups and downs and banks and whatnot. I'd never thrown up on a flight before. But there I am with the little plastic bag, desperately trying not to spew all over my body armor or anything else. I'd made it three hours just feeling horribly nauseous. I was trying to keep my mind off it, but it's funny when you feel queasy how memories of other times you felt that way come flooding back. Like that night after too much rice pudding at the Lebanese restaurant in Doha where Major (now Lt. Col.) Dave Honchul wouldn't stop to let me buy a new shirt before we went through the checkpoint to get back on base so I had to sit there with sick all over the front of me ...
So the plan is for us try to get out of here in the next few days. We'll see how that works out. Honestly, I could stay here for another month and be happy. Except that I have care packages waiting for me and I really would like to be someplace where I'm not paying $20 a week for Internet access. So that's the pot at the end of the rainbow. Unfortunately, however, it means we have to go back through Baghdad. This time I'll remember to bring breadcrumbs so I can make it back from the latrine instead of accidentally walking into someone else's room. They're called door locks, people ...
So really, I'm not in a rush to leave. In fact, had a couple of moments I'll never forget. While talking with an Iraqi lieutenant, he asked me how I could help him start a base newspaper. He wants to be able to get information out to his troops. Told him I would talk to some folks and see what we could do. But there's no Air Force public affairs presence here; it's an additional duty given to one of the gunnery instructors. But that's a different issue altogether ...
A day later I'm having lunch and next to me is one of our own lieutenant colonels reading Stars And Stripes while he eats. So I ask him what base he's from and if he reads the paper back home. "Oh, no, absolutely not," he tells me. Which I find intriguing, considering how he's pouring through his copy of Stripes. After talking with him a bit more, for him it's a credibility factor with his base newspaper back home. With Stripes he knows he's getting reporting from the Fourth Estate instead of "What the wing commander wants me to know about." Which puts me in a really difficult place, and I don't mean the back of a Volkswagen ...
On one hand, an Iraqi officer wants an avenue to communicate via mass media with his troops. On the other, one of our officers only wants news and information from an outside source not part of the military. So if what we, in our career field, try to communicate to our own internal audience already has a bias against it, how do we get past that bias and reach people? I really don't have the answer, but really, I just found the dichotomy of my conversations good food for thought. Funnily enough, tastes like chicken ...
We're getting ready to head back to our home base. We tried to get back Sunday night, but ran out of gas and had to come back to Taji. Where I had aformentioned room with bed still waiting for me. Yeah, I was real broken up about it ...
The back of the Mi-171 helicopter was hot and the exhaust from the engines was blowing inside. We spent the first 90 minutes practicing maneuvers, so lots of ups and downs and banks and whatnot. I'd never thrown up on a flight before. But there I am with the little plastic bag, desperately trying not to spew all over my body armor or anything else. I'd made it three hours just feeling horribly nauseous. I was trying to keep my mind off it, but it's funny when you feel queasy how memories of other times you felt that way come flooding back. Like that night after too much rice pudding at the Lebanese restaurant in Doha where Major (now Lt. Col.) Dave Honchul wouldn't stop to let me buy a new shirt before we went through the checkpoint to get back on base so I had to sit there with sick all over the front of me ...
So the plan is for us try to get out of here in the next few days. We'll see how that works out. Honestly, I could stay here for another month and be happy. Except that I have care packages waiting for me and I really would like to be someplace where I'm not paying $20 a week for Internet access. So that's the pot at the end of the rainbow. Unfortunately, however, it means we have to go back through Baghdad. This time I'll remember to bring breadcrumbs so I can make it back from the latrine instead of accidentally walking into someone else's room. They're called door locks, people ...
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