Goodbye/Hello

The air conditioning briefly went out in the JOC when the main generator went down. It happens.

A senior NCO pointed out that it was just like in Jurrasic Park when the had to reset the system to turn various components back on.

He then proceeded to give his best impersonation of a velociraptor. It sounded like an angry goat.

Maybe they did sound like angry goats. No one called him out on it.

It is possible he hunted them when he was younger...

--------

But the real event of the day was my formal farewell at a briefing for the boss... followed almost immediately by me giving my normal briefing as if nothing happened. It's a little odd.

The whole farewell process is kind of funny. The boss doesn't know many of us. He's busy in the rarified air of command. However, he wants to personally and publicly recognize us before we all leave.

In order to do this there is a standardized form with some basic questions like our name, home unit, family info, hobbies, etc. I filled it out.

So according to my official bio:

I'm married to an almost-doctor.

I live in city X, but my unit is in city Y and I'm a fan of football team Z--this is key because all three cities are big football towns. X and Y are rivals, by Z is a neutral party and it always confuses people that I'm not a fan of teams X or Y.

My hobbies are fixing the garage door, sharpening hte kitchen knives, and anything else on my wife's to-do list for me.

My job was to tell him when it would be hot, dusty or hot and dusty. The joke is always that we have the easiest job since it will always be hot and dusty. But how hot? How dusty?... whatever.

I got a chance to say a few words afterwards. I thought about pretending to have a long speech since everyone is sitting there waiting.

I didn't though. I just said that it's been an honor and I'll probably see many of them again there, Afghanistan, or the next one.

It's a small community and an odd world.

In then end the boss shook my hand and gave me a coin. Everyone gets a coin.

It's not quite as un-special as when I got one of Gen Petraus's coins from someone at the Pentagon that had a drawer full of them, but close. It will go in my little coin collection in the closet in the back room.

And just like how I had to give my normal briefing after this little farewell ceremony, tomorrow I go back to work a normal day.

To finish it off, I got my flu shot.