After having some trouble with my old domain host and registrar I was able to finally successfully move the site to it’s new domain host (GoDaddy). I figured this would be a good time to upgrade to a better blog engine as well. To you the end user this means a fancy new interface, and hopefully better overall site performance. To me, the blogger, it means a lot of work.

There are all sorts of scripts and nifty bits of code that are supposed to make the process of moving from one blog engine (b2evolution) to another (WordPress) easy and automated, but they all seem to have their own quirks, and since I am also migrating from one server to the other, I figured the best way to handle my migration is to do it all by hand, that way I can ensure there are no broken links, or missing graphics.

So with that in mind, I hope you will bear with me. I am hoping I will be able to migrate all of my old posts this weekend, doing my best to ensure they have the proper original dates and such. So please keep checking back and hopefully the site will be back to 100% soon!

The video below was one of my presents to my girlfriend Nora this year. She loved it, and I am pretty sure her folks did too… It’s like a digital scrap book of the last year of our lives together.

***UPDATE***

Unfortunately, the RIAA blocked the above video from YouTube for fear of possibly losing a few cents in royalty fees… You can see the video, and hear the audio HERE

I am glad to say it has been a very merry Christmas for me. I received an abundance of gifts, more than I deserve in my opinion. I spent the holiday with my girlfriends family and was welcomed in like a member of the family. Everyone was very gracious. To be fair, I have been a friend of the family for over 15 years, and I have been dating their daughter for 3 years.

Christmas could not have been better. I feel well prepared to take on the challenges of my upcoming deployment and the two week break was exactly what I needed to help me recharge my batteries for work. I cannot say I am looking forward to the deployment, but I am ready, and I am looking forward to finishing it.

For now, I am maximizing the time I spend with my loved ones, so I am keeping this post short. Pictures to follow soon…

With fewer than 2 months left until I deploy next, I feel like time is flying-by at an increasingly accelerated rate, and frankly, I am not sure how I feel about it all. To say that I have mixed emotions would be the understatement of the year. On one hand, I really do not want to leave my family and the woman I love behind, but on the other hand I am growing tired of all the inspections and silliness that goes with being back in the States.

When we are home in the States, it is very easy for your work to quickly start to feel like it is pointless. It gets very hard to figure out exactly what goal you are working towards. Whereas when you are deployed your goal is as focused as a Laser Beam. You are working towards getting home (and in one piece)!

Another big benefit is that the sooner I get back from this deployment, the sooner I can get on with the life I am trying to build for myself. I have an absolutely amazing woman, who is going to move in with me when I get back from the deployment, and we are finally going to start building our lives together, so I am eager to get the deployment out of the way.

The real perk of being deployed is being able to settle into a productive routine, and knowing what you are doing and why. My days are so busy underway that time just seems to fly by, not to mention the fact that the entire time I’ll be saving money.

I suppose, all things considered, I am actually looking forward to getting on with it and getting it out of the way. There is a good chance that this could be the last deployment of my career (a small chance), so I hope it turns out to be a good one.

This is fantastic… It’s a really funny parody of a video done on Saturday Night Live which featured “T-Pain”. This should serve as a fine example of what bored Junior Officers do with their free time. Enjoy…

The good people at SoldiersAngels.org are sponsoring a fund drive called “Valor – IT”. They are trying to raise $140,000 dollars to purchase voice activated laptops for wounded warriors.

Every cent raised for Project Valour-IT goes directly to the purchase and shipment of laptops and other technology for severely wounded service members. As of October 2009, Valour-IT has distributed over 4100 laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines across the country, and is now expanding its mission to include other technology that supports physical and psychological recovery.

Valour-IT accepts donations in any amount to support our mission, but also offers a sponsorship option for laptops. An individual or organization may sponsor a wounded soldier by completely funding the cost of a laptop and continuing to provide that soldier with personal support and encouragement throughout recovery. This has proved to be an excellent project for churches, groups of coworkers or friends, and members of community organizations such Boy Scouts.

Originally Valour-IT provided the voice-controlled software that accompanies the laptops, but now works closely with the Department of Defense Computer/electronic Accommodations Program (CAP): CAP supplies the adaptive software and Valour-IT provides the laptop. In addition, DoD caseworkers serve as Valour-IT’s “eyes and ears” at several medical centers, identifying patients in need of laptops and other technological support for their recovery. Wounded military personnel can also directly request a laptop through the sign-up form or through the Valour-IT/Soldiers’ Angels representatives at the following medical centers, and other veterans health care facilities across the country:

* Balboa Naval Hospital

* Brooke Army Medical Center

* Madigan Regional Medical Center

* National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda Naval Hospital)

* Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton

* Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital (29 Palms)

* Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Please CLICK HERE to support the cause!

Most anyone who knows me knows that I have not been the biggest fan of the war in Iraq. However, I am a big supporter of the war in Afghanistan. I firmly believe, that if the war there is conducted properly, and given the logistical support required, that the efforts there can result in a very positive outcome not only for the United States, but for Afghanistan and the world as a whole.

The October 17th-23rd issue of the Economist refers to the war in Afghanistan as “Obama’s War”. I find this to be a rather interesting misnomer. Afghanistan is not Obama’s war, it is America’s war, and we have done a disservice by not providing it the full attention and support required to conduct it properly. I understand that the President’s handling of the war in Afghanistan will likely play a major role in the success of his presidency, but to call it “Obama’s War” seems to belittle the whole thing in my opinion. This war is more than just a talking point, it is an international effort that is of vital importance to the whole of southwest Asia, and indeed, the world.

General Stanley McChrystal, a long time Special Forces veteran and current Commanding General in Afghanistan has submitted a request to the President for an increase in troop levels in Afghanistan. Reports indicate that he has submitted multiple plans, with his least favorable option requiring only 10,000 more troops, and his most favorable option requiring between 40,000 and 60,000 more troops to serve on the ground in Afghanistan.

The case for supporting the General’s request is strong. The West has a very real security interest in preventing the region from slipping into further conflict and utter chaos. Pakistan, Afghanistan’s neighbor to the east, is particularly vulnerable to the Taliban’s potent mixture of ethnic-Pashtun nationalism, and radical Islam. Anarchy in Afghanistan, or a restoration of power to the Taliban would leave Pakistan woefully vulnerable to cross-border instability. Let us not forget, that Pakistan has nuclear weapons, which we certainly want to keep out of the wrong hands.

Just as importantly, defeat in Afghanistan (or the perception thereof) would only serve to embolden the West’s opponents in Pakistan and around the world. It would be a major “IO” (Information Operations) win for our enemies, thus leaving us open to more attacks and garnering further support for Terrorist organizations globally. In short, it would only serve to show the tactic of Terrorism works.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, to leave Afghanistan or to falter there, would be a terrible betrayal of the Afghan people. Many of these people have risked their lives to help us, many more are suffering troubles that are a direct result of our intervention in the country, and many of Afghanistan’s best and brightest are Afghans who repatriated to their homeland to help rebuild, trusting in American success and the promise of long-term stability and security.

The U.S. currently only has about 62,000 troops in Afghanistan out of a total of about 100,000 foreign troops serving there. Whereas that may sound like a lot, it really is not when you consider the reality of the logistics imposed by the harsh Afghan terrain.

One must also consider the types of troops that are deployed. A war requires many types of service men and women to ensure success. You need infantry and Special Forces to ensure security and conduct kinetic operations on the ground, but just as important are the Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations troops who conduct Civil Assistance missions and ensure stability. The continuing effort in Afghanistan is not a simple one by anyone’s standards. General McChrystal himself was quoted as saying “Every day I realize how little about Afghanistan I actually understand.” The has a bewildering tribal make-up that is alien to most westerners, it’s communities are broken at best due to tribalism and 30 some-odd years of war. And the country is physically comprised of forbidding deserts and mountains. This is not an east problem to solve, but it must be addressed and any signs of uncertainty on the part of the United States will dishearten our allies, while serving to embolden our foes.

I personally feel very strongly that we MUST send more troops to Afghanistan, and we must do so quickly. We cannot appear to be uncertain or undetermined, the costs of losing this war are too great, and too wasteful and would be a slap in the face to those of us who have served and continue to serve there.

Well, if you have been reading my blog, and I know many of you have, you know I have been away for a while. I have also been somewhat remiss in reading and posting your comments. I have read your comments, and e-mails, and there seems to be two common trends… 1) Many people would like me to continue writing & 2) A surprising number of you are still reading and enjoying the site. So with that in mind, and an inbox full of requests, I have decided to once again start updating this site.

I am not going to remove any of my posts from Afghanistan. They seem to be very popular, and I intend to add more of my tales and photos from my time there. I am also not going to change the name of my site. My time with the U.S. Army permanently changed me, and my Navy career. I am and always will be an “Army Sailor”, so the site will remain, ArmySailor.com.

Though I am not currently deployed to Afghanistan, I do intend to continue to write commentary and thoughts on what is going on over there, from the perspective of an active duty veteran of that war. I also intend to include any other writings that I think may be of interest on a Military Blog.

So with that being said… I look forward to resuming my writing here at ArmySailor.com.

Additionally, if you are a Sailor who has been serving on IA, or are (or has been) stationed with an Army unit, and you are interested in contributing to the site, please feel free to let me know. I would kind of like the idea of expanding the site to include a few more authors.

It seems impossible to believe it now. It’s been more than 2 years since I have been home from Afghanistan. I still think about it everyday. Everyday I read more and more about the men and women that are still over there fighting and busting their asses. For two years I have been enjoying the luxuries of home. While it is true that I have done another deployment in that time, it simply doesn’t compare to my time on the ground. I’ve become a non-hacker, but in my heart I know I still pack the gear to get the job done, and I know I could be doing a lot more than I am. I don’t feel like I am pulling my own weight.

I have had a lot of great opportunities to help sailors, and to do a lot of great things for the Navy. And I do love the fact that I have gotten to spend a lot of quality time with family and friends. But none of that makes the feeling subside. None of that can silence the voice constantly reminding me that there are still men over there fighting, and dying, while I am here at home surfing the internet and watching Judge Judy.

Life is a funny thing. While I was over there all I wanted to do was to get home, now that I am home all I seem to want to do is go back. Deep inside, I know that what I really want is for all my brothers and sisters in-arms to come home. I want us to successfully complete our mission, and come home so we can all get on with our lives. I know that I will never be able to get on with my life, until all my brothers and sisters can get on with theirs as well. How can I go on in the day-to-day, knowing that my family, my truest family, is over there fighting, while I am sitting on the bench… getting weak.

It is with a heavy heart that I write this post to this blog. While I was in Afghanistan I had the distinct honor of having been able to serve with (then) Captain Lance Waldorf. He was a U.S. Army reservist who truly demonstrated the best the reserves have to offer. He was a prior enlisted officer who had never forgotten where he came from. He was one of those soldiers who did his job with pride, and not just because it was his job, but because he truly loved it.

Major Lance Waldorf took his own life on June 4th of this year. It was the day that I returned to the U.S. from my latest deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Word of his death reached me quickly through a mutual friend, and it struck me very hard. I found myself no longer excited to be home, but now completely grief stricken at the loss of this man who truly was a Soldier. I cannot possibly imagine the situation surrounding his decision, but I can say that he would have been about the last person I would have ever guessed would do such a thing.

In his absence I am doing my best to focus on the privilege it was to have known him, and to have been able to serve with him, and I am trying not to focus on his loss. Major Waldorf made the world a better place. He touched the lives of countless Afghan citizens, and he made a positive difference in those lives he touched, including my own.

He will be missed, but never forgotten.

——————————————-
From the Detroit Free Press:
——————————————-

Major’s wife says he was depressed

Dark stories from tours kept to himself

BY KORIE WILKINS • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • June 6, 2008

Maj. Lance Waldorf took pride in what he did during two tours in Afghanistan as a civil affairs officer, helping villagers build schools, roads and hospitals.

And, his wife said, he was looking forward to a third tour in Africa in the coming months. As she prepares for his funeral, set for Saturday, Lana Waldorf is comforted by the good her husband did while deployed and her deep Christian faith.

Lance Waldorf, 40, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head Monday at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly Township. A note, his will and family photos were nearby. While he exhibited signs of depression, Lana Waldorf, 51, said her husband seemed to be doing better in recent days. He was in the U.S. Army Reserves.

“The appeal of being at peace in heaven was greater than the thought of enduring the pain he was in,” Waldorf said Thursday from her Bingham Farms home. “I know Lance is at peace with the Lord. I’m not angry with him. I have forgiven him.”

Waldorf said she supports military efforts in Afghanistan. And one of her husband’s proudest moments in Afghanistan came in 2004, at the end of his first tour, when he was with a group of soldiers feted by villagers.

They feasted on a whole cow, an honor, and a village elder gave Lance Waldorf his ring.

“The man wept openly,” Lana Waldorf recounted. “He said his children and his children’s children would remember what Lance did for his people.

“He made a tremendous difference there.”

But while her husband shared positive stories of his time in Afghanistan, he kept the darker, more difficult tales to himself.

“I saw some symptoms” of depression, she said. “But what I didn’t know were the details of what he was experiencing emotionally or psychologically.”

Officials from the Michigan State Police said a handgun was found near Lance Waldorf’s body. Waldorf, who was part of the 414th Battalion out of Southfield, was wearing a camouflage military uniform.

His struggles are not unique. Last month, U.S. military officials released a report that there were 115 suicides in 2007 by active duty and reservist troops, a 13% increase over 2006.

Lana Waldorf said she believes all returning soldiers should go to mandatory counseling for at least a year. Lance Waldorf, who worked as a financial consultant for the Merrill Lynch office in Auburn Hills, went to some counseling sessions.

“Lance Waldorf was a good man and a colleague who showed great promise, professionally. We were very, very proud of him,” said Dennis Drenikowski, his boss at Merrill Lynch.

Lana Waldorf said her husband was a man of character and integrity who never forgot a birthday or anniversary.

“There are at least 100 people praying for me,” she said. “I feel the strength of those prayers.”

Contact KORIE WILKINS at 248-351-5186 or kwilkins@freepress.com.