This week

Just a quick post today.  I finished inprocessing this morning and really didn't do all that much this week.  I went to a really good guesthouse last night, and watched some good movies.  Exciting stuff, I know.  Next week I am in training, which surprisingly I have heard is actually quite good.  Go figure, an Army school where you learn something.  What's next?  Fall cleanup after all of the leaves have fallen off the trees?  I think that one still makes too much sense for the Army right now though...I'm headed to Munich tomorrow and I'm going to spend the night.  I want to go and see Dachau while I'm there, but I also want to get to see a lot of the city, so I'm sure I'll have a pretty busy weekend.  I'll post some pictures if I get anything particularly awesome.

First week in Germany

Guten Tag!  I've just finished my first week here at Vilseck, and made it through most of my inprocessing.  I still have a few things left to do, and on top of that I have other training to complete to allow me to deploy to Afghanistan in a few weeks.  Just by looking at the checklist I can tell that it is going to make me want to poke my eyes out by the time I finish with all of the online training they want me to do.  I've been through enough Army schooling at this point to be able to tell at a glance when something is worthwhile...and this just doesn't look like it is going to make the cut.

Oh well, on to better things!  So far, Bavaria is very nice, and every town I've seen is picturesque.  Neatly tucked into the landscape with very German houses that almost seem like a part of the land, each village seems to look similar but unique.  With as long as some of these towns and villages have been here, they almost are one with the land.  I looked at two apartments this week, both were nice, both were the second floor of a family's home, but one was nicer than the other.  Not only was it larger, but it was newer and the rooms would be more adaptable than the other one.  Plus the other one was right here in Vilseck, and the couple that lived there were very nice, but very old and they didn't speak any English at all.  I'm going to go back to Housing on Monday to see if they have any other available units, if not, I'll take the one I liked better. 

My sponsor said that he is going to show me around the area this weekend, and I've got a buddy who is stationed nearby, so even though I don't know exactly what I'm going to get into, I know I'll enjoy it.  Today I went to Nuremburg, saw the castle and several churches, wandered through the old city for a couple of hours, and ate really great food.  I decided not to stay later in the evening because I was by myself and don't really know the area.  So movies for me tonight! 

Last week in the States

I am writing this entry from the Atlanta airport waiting for my flight to leave in a couple of hours.  I had a great week at home!  I was able to see almost everyone I wanted to.  It kept me busy, but who would want it any other way?  I borrowed my pastor's motorcycle for the week, which was a lot of fun and really allowed me to see the Valley from a different perspective than in my truck.  This time of year the Shenandoah Valley starts to come alive and show just how truly beautiful it is.  There are so many colors that I am always dazzled at the sheer grandeur of it.  Reds and yellows and oranges and greens of so many different shades and hues that it almost hurts the eyes to simply look upon it.   The gently rolling country of the valley floor is  a mixture of woods and fields that complement each other well. 

I am very much ready to go to Germany, although I always find that I do not have enough time at home regardless of how long I have off.  I had sixty days of leave last summer and it still felt way too short.  Twelve days really doesn't even compare to that, but I feel like I had some pretty action packed days that allowed me to go and do a lot of things on my limited time off.

I can't really think of anything else to write about now so I'll go ahead and sign off and bid Auf Wiedersen!  Next entry from Deutchland!

Leaving Fort Benning

Today was my last day at Fort Benning!  After four days of running around and almost 200 miles added to my truck, I was able to accomplish my goal and get out of here before the weekend.  The whole process is unneccessarily difficult at times, but it is over and done with and I'll be able to enjoy the company of family and friends over the next week.

I'm really glad that I'm able to take this leave as I will soon be very busy in Afghanistan, and even after I get back I do not know when I will be able to make it back to the states.  Or even if I want to.  I had such a great time in Europe last summer that I don't know if I will want to leave at all!  I was able to go to several places in Europe and I look forward to both revisiting familiar spaces and discovering new locales for further adventures.

I'll post again before I leave to fill you in on my last week at home, but I can't wait to see my family and friends again!

Introduction

Hey guys, my name is Michael and I'm writing this blog primarily to communicate with friends and family that might not otherwise be able to communicate with me during my deployment to Afghanistan and my stay in Europe with the Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment (2SCR). 

A little more about me:  I graduated from West Point in 2009, branched Infantry, and I am currently outprocessing at Fort Benning after completing the Infantry Basic Officer's Leader Course, Airborne School and Ranger School.  I am headed home at the end of this week on leave before I head to Germany for a short time and then will be deployed to Afghanistan.

2SCR is already deployed to Afghanistan, so I will meet them downrange and take my platoon in theater.  I feel as well prepared as I can be and look forward to performing the service I signed up for and trained for all these years.  Look for more posts as I have more interesting stories to tell.