Back on Track

OK - as of this moment, we are back on track and everything looks good. Of course it looked good last time as well and one of the key clichés around the AOR - "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" - it means two things... 1. Take what you can get when you can get your hands on it - and 2. You don't have it UNTIL it's in your hand!

So to make a long story short, I'll be home when I get home. That's not sarcastic, just the way it is around here. And the better you can roll with the punches, the better for everyone else.

I'm still smiling and I look forward to coming home soon.

Mark

Slight Delay

As luck would have it, we get to spend a little more time here than we originally thought. The good news is the beer is still cold and the weather is beautiful! I will send Pam all the details and she will communicate them as soon as they are available.

Not much going on today other than the bad news. It really is very nice here. We are all doing fine and just waiting for confirmation.

Mark

The short answer to why I am here

In case any of you are still trying to figure out why I am here, the significance of this day might be able to help you. I will be home soon with my head held high knowing that I was a direct part of protecting you for the last 8 years - and the almost 20 before that.. Today we remember where we were on 9/11/2001 and remember all those innocent civilians who died and their families. Also all those who died and their loved ones making sure it hasn't happened again. Since 9/11, there has not been one single incident of terrorism on US soil and I believe that is a direct result of America taking the fight to the enemy and not letting them bring the fight to us.

I am an American Airman and I have answered my nations call.

God bless all of you and God Bless America as we all remember today the events of 2001 on this very day.

Mark.

Pete's Place

I'm sitting in Pete's Place - a nice relaxing place in Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan. They have a bar that serves REAL beer from all over the world, pool tables, ping pong, lots of TV's and free high speed Internet! It's a real pleasure to be able to check my email and other websites in the normal time - just a few min! No hassles and no waiting! And - my iTouch is working well also! My room accommodations are well above my expectations - good thing they weren't this nice BEFORE we went into Bagram - I would have been in complete shock! :-)

It's FRIDAY - and as many of you know - I love Friday's! This one is particularly nice because it will be my LAST Friday in the AOR - hopefully, and most likely, forever.

I'm very relaxed and just waiting now for confirmation of our flight out of here.

Soon I will make my last post to this blog and this chapter in my life will be complete. I want to thank you all for everything that was done to support me, my family and the entire team here for the last 8+ months since going on orders back in JAN. Through CST in FEB and 6 months at Bagram, I have really appreciated all the cards, letters, packages, etc - but again, most importantly, your prayers.

We are very fortunate that nobody was seriously injured during our time and nobody got into any major trouble. We accomplished a significant amount of work and as a team, we made a vast improvement to the enduring operations on Bagram. Our major accomplishments include a new Blackwater tank farm which initiated operations the day we left BAF! This alone will reduce the amount of trucks entering and leaving the installation by some 500 vehicles daily and the result is a huge increase in force protection and reduced traffic flow.

We also completed major construction in several buildings including a redesigned HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system in the main communication facility for Afghanistan! The folks there had added several new servers and the HVAC system was under sized and not nearly adequate enough accommodate the new equipment. There was a serious risk of overheating and the entire network was in jeopardy - meaning communications (both secured and unsecured) would have been affected. Our team performed emergency modifications to the existing system allowing a sufficient amount a time to design and install a new system that is now cooling the facility to a chilly 65 degrees - even during the peak temperatures we experienced this summer of more than 115 degrees Fahrenheit!

There were several other major projects and countless minor projects not including the maintenance "favors" we did to improve the many different facilities on Bagram. Our team improved the life, health and safety of coalition forces on BAF now and well into the future. I am VERY proud to have been part of this team and all their accomplishments.

The new team is lead by LtCol Parkinson and CMSgt Torres from Hickam AFB in HI. They were very appreciative of all the work our team did to try and ensure a smooth turnover of projects, equipment, and living quarters. I wish them the very best and I hope their tour will exceed all their expectations. I pray for the team and leadership that they are all safe and are able to execute God's plan and all return home to their families when their mission is complete.

I am really excited to return home in the next few days and promise to keep you up to date on my locations as they change - provided I am able too (no communication issues). I don't expect any.

See you all soon!

Mark.

Manas

We are out of the "war zone" Still the AOR, but no where near the same threat level.

I am very tired, and I have at least a couple days here - I'll post a nice blog for you all tomorrow - I don't have anything better to do all day! :-)

Mark

God is GREAT, Beer is GOOD, and People are CRAZY!

(I'm especially enjoying the BEER part at the moment!)

What does not make me happy.

Sorry for the short posts!

Robert has been keeping me pretty busy soaking up everything I have to throw at him out of the fire hose. There is a terrible quality (blurry) pic here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mark.schubert/BAF1602

I was thinking the other day and I recently heard one of my favorite songs - "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood. I have always told Pam these lyrics even before Lee so eloquently put them into his song, "If tomorrow all the things were gone I'd worked for all my life, And I had to start again with just my children and my wife,..." More literally, I've always told Pam that you could take away everything I have and I would still be a happy guy. And today, I'm very happy to report that I can now say these words with even more certainty - because I was just thinking about what I have when I was packing up my stuff. For the last 6 months, I've had - well, basically nothing. The things I did have were intermittent Internet, my computer, some good food to eat, and a wooden box to lay my head (which I don't even have that anymore!). That's about it. And also, for the last 6 months, you can ask anyone here at BAF that I have met or who has seen me - and that's just about everyone - "What was Chief Schubert like?" They would probably answer with one word - Happy! I had a smile on my face the entire time and I still do now and I always will. I'll have an even BIGGER smile when I get to see all of YOU again!

Mark.

Tomorrow is another day

But should be the last!

Mark.