Another day!!

Good Morning all, I have been holding out a couple of days in hopes I could update once we received our Christmas parcels from home, unfortunately, they have not yet arrived. It's a little unfortunate that they did not make it for Christmas day, but I know that some things do take priority over mail. Troop movement especially this time of year is a priority and I do know because of the weather lately back in North America, a lot of flights were delayed so there is a bit of a back log. So, today is day 4 in Kandahar and things have been going pretty good, food is the same but the weather has definitely changed. It goes down to about plus 3 or so, some mornings there is a layer of frost on the puddles and is pretty crisp while I am out chatting with Lana, during the day it goes up to about 20, t-shirt weather for sure. Christmas day, we were treated to a sit down served dinner in the mess hall, it was a nice having the senior NCO's serve us our dinner and I might add, the dinner was awesome, turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings!! Our work schedule here has been pretty steady and I am certainly not complaining, the best way to get through time here is to work every day. The only problem with that is you lose track of days, yesterday being Saturday, I emailed Lana at work wondering how her day was going, I hadn't heard from her after a few hours which was out of character and I started getting a little concerned, finally I saw Victoria online and asked her.....then it clicked, DUH, it's Saturday. She decided to sleep in :) I asked her in her email if she was at work, and her response to me after a bit was..."yup, working on getting my butt out of bed"
Any way, not much else is new, same old Kandahar, hopefully we will see a mail shipment in the next day or so, otherwise my wife is going to call someone important! LOL I will certainly post an update once the mail arrives, I can tell you we are all anxious to see what has been sent!! Till next time...

Support The Troops
~M

PS: Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of our fallen soldiers. Our other family members (our brothers and sisters) over here, especially during this time of year!

Merry Christmas from the Middle East

Hey there all and Merry Christmas to everyone! By the time you all have a chance to read this update it will be Christmas Eve for me, we are 9 hours ahead of you and things happen here first. Let me start first by saying I am still having a bit of a hard time respecting the fact that it is Christmas, today it reached 33 degrees Celsius and except for the background Christmas music being played from the chapel, there is not much buzz. I'm thinking that everyone is in the same boat and just wanting it to be done. Then I had a chance to just think and found my self singing to some of the music; like Blue Christmas by Elvis, or even Jingle Bell Rock. Today I went into town just to get away from the camp for a bit, we went to a Walmart type store. I have been in this store many times before over the past, but always have felt rushed to get in and get out and this time I did something a little different, I decided to walk every isle! I bet Lana can just picture it with my little stroll on, hands in my pocket and just watching the people. As I made my way to the grocery section I stopped at almost every "foreign" type food that I did not recognize, trying to figure it out, most of it was in the fresh food area. So I started to make my way back to the front and walk back to electronics, my favorite area to browse. A tiny Philippine lady who worked in the frozen foods section made eye contact with me, I smiled at her and she smiled back at me, I started to walk past her and she said "Hi Sir...Merry Christmas" I was stunned and not quite sure why, maybe I was thinking they didn't celebrate Christmas over here. I responded by saying Thank you and wished her a Merry Christmas as well. At that moment I said to myself, why can't I celebrate Christmas while I am away. Why can't I think of all my family members during this time? It is probably the most memorable time for my family and not because of the gifts that we receive, but for the simple fact that we are together and nothing else and I mean nothing else comes between us!
Christmas eve has become a family tradition for Lana and I to host local family to our house for a get together and gift exchanges, as well as an unknown "Secret Santa" who drops by with a sack full of goodies. This year was no different, Lana had agreed with the assistance of other to pull it off yet again. My plan was to arise early - 2am and be a part of the festivities while it was going on. As of right now, I am scheduled to fly from here to Afghanistan on Christmas morning...early morning. Remember I mentioned the 9 hour time difference, well I may only get an hour or so with them all and for that I am grateful. As I prepare to start the second phase of our journey of this trip to Kandahar, I am going with no expectations but fully aware of what I have encountered on the last two trips. But I can tell you that things have been extremely quiet up there and that makes me feel good. It is especially going to feel good to be reunited with the rest of my crew mates and OH YEA Tim Horton's....God, I Sooooooooo Can't wait for that. The rest of the boys can have there Christmas cheer at the mess dinner on Christmas day, I WILL be showing up with my Timmies in hand!! So tomorrow will be spent finishing packing and tidying up some lose ends and then in the evening, I will go and play Bingo..don't laugh. They have awesome prizes, can't win if you don't play! Then to bed for and early morning wake up. I want you all to know that I read your comments and cherish all of them and I also want you to know that I am holding a very special heart very tight and very close to mine and will not let go. ;) So as I sign off...Merry Christmas to all of you, I hope that Santa brings everything you want...Lana, Santa will bring you yours in February baby! Enjoy the season, relax and don't worry...Mark is doing OK!! Till next time...

Support Our Troops
~M

Crazy couple of days!!

Well, the title of this update pretty much sums it up, we have had a run of days that really all gelled together, which is not uncommon here at times, but it does throw you for a loop . It started shortly after we hit the ground when we got news that we had lost three more soldiers in Afghanistan, I would have to say that it is the most draining of all things we do over here, whether it is here in the safe zone or in Kandahar. Here in the safe zone we accept the bodies with a full Repatriation (ramp ceremony) from Kandahar and then usually the next day we send them on their way back to Canada with another full Repatriation. There is no separation between the two ceremonies, the emotions are just as intense for both. I say it every time, I hope it will be the last! The rough part of the last couple of days was the repats were both at 2am and we also had work during the day and other obligations (duty) during the nights as well. It may sound like I am complaining, I am not, just trying to put in to perspective the events of the last few days. So, I mentioned in my blog on the last trip that here in the safe zone we were lucky if we got two days of rain a year because of the climate, well winter is here, this morning while chatting with Lana on MSN and watching the hockey game in the mess, I was raining so hard that Lana could here it hitting the steel roof and it was so loud that I couldn't even hear the TV announcers. It rain enough this morning that could rival the rain we get back home all fall. Our patio area was completely flooded, computer speakers were drowned with water in a container. It was like we had been hit by a major storm, well I guess I guess we did, did not expect that at all. By noon the sun had come up, 30 deg Cel and just the remnants of the "flood" were left behind. It was quite the scene.
We got some bad news last evening, we found out that our crew was going to be split up again, 5 of our guys went to Kandahar early for operational reasons, no information on whether they will be coming back here or they will just stay there till we all get there. The sucky part about that is, we were separated quite a bit last trip and we were hoping to stay together this trip, but I guess that is the cost of doing business. So we are 8 days from Christmas and It doesn't even feel like it, the staff here has decorated the camp with Christmas trees and lights, but I hate to say it, it's just not the same without snow. There is no Christmas buzz in the air. However, we will make the best of it, I can tell you one this is for sure, I am really looking forward to Christmas eve at our house with family and friends, I just hope the Internet cooperates with us that night. I will be participating via web cam as well as Christmas morning with my girls!! So that's about it for now, I hope thing stay somewhat calm and I can update more often, Take care all and till next time!!

Support Our Troops
~M

Back in the Land of Sand

Hello all, well here we are, back in the Middle East for another go.
This will be my last trip for quite awhile and I have never been so
anxious to get it done. I know we are only two days into it, but all
things considered with Christmas and all, I need/want to be at home
with my family... BUT, I also know that when I signed on that little
dotted line, I knew this could have been possible so I make the best
of it. I was hoping to start my updates yesterday, but when I went to
log in, it would not allow me to. I had a similar problem last trip
and was able to find a back door way in, but no go this time, so I
will resort to sending my updates via email to Lana and she will post
them for me, Thank you sweetie!!
On Wednesday, our departure day, Lana drove me to the terminal to
check in, we went and had a quick bite to eat and said our good byes,
god I hate that part. It was especially hard this time for both of us,
I had lots of time before taking off and could have just held her for
ever, but the tears would not have stopped either. That's the
killer part, the deep pit in your stomach and the huge lump in your
throat is a very uncomfortable feeling. So I sent her on her way
thinking that I was only going to have an hour or so before boarding,
not so. We were delayed almost an hour and a half, the weather and
freezing rain was being difficult. We finally lifted off at 8:30pm
local time and headed east. As we were clearing Trenton, my buddy Blair
sitting behind me points out a High School, all lit up and says that's
where his kids are playing basketball right now! We could have thrown
a rock and hit the school. Then a few more minutes down the road to
the east we fly right over Napanee, I could determine the exact
location of our house and wondered how Lana and the girls were doing.
I find out afterwards, Lana was "braiding" Vanessa's hair at that
moment. So, I'm thinking that we were meant to be looking out those
windows on that side of the plane for a reason. I had a warm somewhat
peaceful feeling as we were leaving North America and it made me feel
comfortable.
The remainder of the trip was good, we had a brief stopover in Germany
for fuel and food and then proceeded to our destination. Landed here
just before 8pm local time and got settled in to our spaces. A day and
a half has passed and I'm still trying to get adjusted with sleep and
all. Right now it is 2:50am, not so bad today because I have to work
in 45 minutes but it could be a long day. The weather here has changed
drastically since the last time, it is definitely winter. Down to
about 15 deg celsius at night and up to about 30 deg celsius during
the day, perfect working weather. So the countdown is on, I am
excited to get to work, makes the time go a little quicker. The
buzz of Christmas is starting to surface here on camp, just not sure
what it will entail. So.. I must sign off and get ready for work,
thanks all for voting on the site and if you have feedback at all,
don't hesitate to comment. I look forward to them. But don't feel
pressured to write something, I know your following it!! Till Next
time...

Support Our Troops
~M

P.S. I saw Kamal this morning, and as usual, his face lit up with a huge smile!

Back for another go. Trip 3 of 3!!

Hello all and welcome back to my blog, I hope you like the new design and look, I felt that it needed a bit of a tweaking, same reading pleasure just a different look!! As you start this journey with me, I ask for a favor, I thoroughly enjoy writing to my blog, it provides me with a sort of therapy that at times we need while I am overseas, So the favor you ask, I would like to hear your comments, It enables me to see who is following and also helps me for future updates. The comments option is very simple and you don't need to be a member to leave a comment.
So I sit here again in "my chair" one day away from re-deployment to the middle east, and I must say...Not looking forward to it. I suppose there are a lot of reasons for that, but the number one is missing Christmas and that time of the year. I know it's only one Christmas, but I am still a kid at heart when it comes to that and try telling a real kid that they are going to miss Christmas this year. The only consolation with going over this time is that I get to escape the cold and snow for a couple of months, Sorry Lana, but the snowblower is ready to go :(
Today I will spend, whats left of it, packing and relax tonight with the family. Tomorrow do some fine tuning , making sure I have all my stuff in order and head to the airport for 4pm or so. Over the last couple of months there has not been much "activity" in Afghanistan except for the most recent three soldiers that lost their lives in a IED explosion. The most recent death before these three was a Sargeant whom I was at his Repatriation in Kandahar. I hope and pray that there will be no more deaths, but the fact still remains, We are at War. God willing and all the powers that be, this whole thing will be over soon, regardless, this is my last trip for at least a year and If I have any say in it...several years.
So, on that note, again, I do look forward to your comments and look forward to spending the next couple of months with you!!!
Till next time...

Support Our Troops
~M

Home....Safe and Sound!

Well folks, I am sitting in the same chair that I started this blog in just over 2 months ago, It is 6:20am and I have been up for over 2 hours, I'm sure it is a combination of the jet lag, 8 hour time difference and the fact that I can do my "morning routine" on the internet and it won't take 5 hours to do it. But the most important thing to me coming home was seeing my family. Lana and Byron met me at the airport, with a Timmies in hand I must add, Byron had to drive to Toronto because Lana is still very sick with a cronic sinus and ear infection and then getting home to see the girls, I missed them like crazy, they said they missed me too, and I keep asking why and especially Victoria just laughs. So, here we are another 2 month tour in the books, it was long but yet it went fast, can't quite explain, but I'm glad it is over. I am going to enjoy the next couple of months at home because I know it will pass just as quick. On the first morning after my last trip I remember waking up and feeling empty, not beeing in the Middle East, the rush of going to work and the 9 other guys I spent 2 months doing EVERYTHING with, this time is different, I'm not feeling that empty feeling and In no rush to feel it. Last night just before bed, I was able to give the girls their souvenirs from the trip, which they thoroughly enjoy, the new iPod Nano, they told me they wanted to give me my birthday present a night early. So I get to close my eyes and plunk..Vanessa drops two bags on my lap, In it were all the things that I have gone without over the last two months, candy, my favorite cereal, couple of bags of chips, deodorant that I ran out of while Overseas, don't worry, I bought some more, but not the kind I like. So, I make a side handed comment about being 40 now and how many people are commenting on my 40th, It doesn't bother me to be turning the big 4 0 , but Lana says to me...oh, don't worry, there will be many more knowing that your 40, Yet again, I have to close my eyes to be walked to the front yard to see it plastered with lawn ornaments and a sign that says Happy 40th

So, to say the least , I was very surprised, because just an hour earlier, the lawn was empty. So Lana has "one upped me" and I can hardly wait for her 50th lol.She is such a trooper, all that she does for me and beeing as sick as she is, I LOVE her to death! In all seriousness, I am grateful to be home, whether it is my birthday or not. So, today is a rest day for our crew, I think I just might do that, except for the fact my drivers license has expired, I must do that today, oh well, it will give me an excuse to go out and get my Timmies..mmmmmmmm good!! Thank you to everyone for all the support on this trip, stay tuned for the second installment of the blog when I re-deploy in mid December. Till next time...

Support Our Troops
~M

Tick Tock Tick Tock!!

Well....I sat here for a few minutes thinking of an update and couldn't, so I decided to go for breakfast and come back to it...guess what, still nothing, except for the fact that a short 9 days ago I was still in Kandahar, which by the way seems like forever ago. While I was at breaky I was thinking how bad the food is there. I know, when your hungry, you will eat almost anything, but I am so thankful that we have the opportunity to split our overseas time between here and Kandahar, and that we have a couple of months off at home before we come back to go north again, I seriously do not know how the 6 monthers in Kandahar do it. I guess they just get used to it. We are only a couple of days away from departing here and heading home, and let me tell you, just about everything I see about home is making me want to be there now. This has not been an overly hard trip work wise, but the "other" things that go on in a war zone have been. I hope it is all over real soon, and bring every one home. I'm looking forward to seeing my crew mates that stayed behind in KAF, I hope their spirits are high and staying positive. Well..that just about it from here, things have been quite slow, and not much else is new. I will probably update one more time before heading home, I hope all had a great Thanksgiving weekend and look forward to my/our Thanksgiving dinner at Dad and Rainnes!! Till next time...

Support Our Troops
~M

Another "Feel Good" Moment!

I'm not quite sure if it is my "old age", but when I see feel good stories, the get me chocked up! I want to start witht the story about Cedric, downtown here in the safe zone, we have come to like a Local coffee shop that serves the best "Americanized" coffee and the to die for Cinamon Sticky Buns I have ever had. Cedric is an employee there and on our first visit, tried to make conversation with us, he was asking us way to much information about why we were there. It was somewhat tricky answering the question as it it is supposed to be confidential why we are here. We did end up having a common interest in the fact that he likes UFC fighting and most of us do as well. He treadted us like kings every time we went in for our coffee, the other night, three of us went in and he noticed us, came over and instantly started chatting, after a bit, I went outside to have a smoke, and Cedric followed me, I was a little concerned he was going to ask me questions, well, he did....but not what I thought, In his deep Philipino accent, he says "Sir, guess how old am I? I guessed at 27 and he told me he was 22, He started talking about his family back home and how his girlfriend just had a baby, he started to cry....WOW, what an impact, this young man, away from his family for such a long time, supporting his girlfriend, baby and his parents. He told me that he makes the equivalent to $500 American a month, and he keeps $50 for himself. He was ecited to tell me that he was being promoted to supervisor and was getting a raise of an extra $100, now I'm not sure how this would equate to minimum wage jobs back home, but I guess what hit me the most is the fact that people sacrifice so much for those they love. Don't get me wrong, there are way bigger sacrifices then what I am doing over here, especially our "boys" in the field, but I don't think I would be in this if it wasn't for my love of my family and the support they give me!!
I have posted the above video that is floating around the internet, George Canyon does a remarkable job portraying the conflicts over here. A little bit of background on this video...I was working the late shift at work when he bagan shooting the video, The parking of the Herc and the lighting units that lit up the Herc was mine and a buddies doing. We were tasked to go help, had no idea what we were helping for, later to find out that it was a video. So a little Mark connection to a very powerful video and song. In all honesty, this is the first time I have seen it, Thank you Lana. This video really sends home the message of why we are here..what we are doing. George Canyon has been here several times and I had the privelege of flying home to Canada with him last trip...especially the 3 hour stop over in Germany, playing a makeshift basketball game in the terminal with everyone!!
So, my countdown to coming home is definitly on, the benchmark is my birthday, unfortunately, I don't think we will be out of here by then, but once that arrives, I know it is only a few days before I see my Family, who I have missed greatly this trip, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner at Dad and Larraines and I can't wait to get a Tim Hortons Coffee. But I think mostly is to get home and watch some hockey!! I can't wait to sit in my Lazy Boy chair and turn on the tube...Hmmmm, I wonder what Cedric will be doing! I will never forget this young man!!

Back in the "Zone"

Hi all and Happy October, it's been a little since I have had a really good update, so I have a few minutes, hopefully I can shed some light on what has been happening. We arrived in the safe zone very late last night to finish off the remaining couple of weeks in theater. Our Kandahar portion of this tour is complete and I am very happy for that, the last 19 days have been very intense, work and other. I would love to elaborate on the other on here but don't feel it to be appropriate, I will however have some stories to share back home. I will say again, that the "boys" out actually fighting the war on terrorism are doing a great job and my heart goes out to all of them, we shared the flight last night with over 100 of them that are completing there 6 month tour and are heading home soon, they looked very tired, but at the same time, within an hour of being on the ground, they were in their civilian clothing boarding a plane out of here, with the biggest smiles on their faces.
Prior to boarding last night out of KAF, I went up to the boardwalk to treat myself to one last Tim Hortons coffee, with that, I have a short story for you all. While on my first trip in KAF, I sat beside two ladies in their middle ages at lunch, during small talk conversation I discovered they were from Cape Breton, we chatted a bit longer during lunch and "Bobbi" asked me if I was interested in a CD of down home pictures backed to celtic music, I said sure...Little did I know that their tent was only a few away from ours, so, in the course of time, the Ladies wer insistingly trying to talk Blair and I into playing Tarbish, well, i'm not much of a card player and it never worked out, but to get to the Timmies part of the story, I was walking back from Timmies with a tray of Java for the boys, and "Bobbi" yelled at me with this very serious look and very heavy Caper accent saying "the next time you go to Timmies you better have a double double for me" and the reason for that was because she is a civilian, they were not allowed to leave their tents without having all the armourde protection on, which is very daunting and heavy. I said..No problem at all....i would do that with out a doubt, during my last Tim's drop at her tent, I asked her what brought her to Kandahar, she said she has been a barber back home for 40 years and felt that she needed to do something different in her life, a friend of hers was here and she thought it would be her way of giving back. She since has been here twice and plans on coming back a third time after her 6 month wait is up, all bearing in mind that she is a cleaner in HQ and she makes a mere $14 / hour, considering where she is, She is not doing it for the money. It is those feel good stories that I will cherish forever, I may not ever see her again, but the story will never be forgotten.
So, here we sit in the safe zone, 1:26pm and it is 45 degrees or so, you may have noticed in previous updates from Kandahar there was not much mention of the heat, well it was hot, but not humid, we were welcomed back here last night with a wall of humidity, but...not near as bad as it was when we left, Ahhhhh. After a few hours sleep, It's back to work, I must get ready and try and recover my room. Hope all is well with all back home, and I surely can't wait to return. Till next time,

Support Our Troops
~M

Winding down in Kandahar

Well folks, I know its been a few days since the last update, so here
it goes. Work has been very steady here in KAF, lots of work making
sure these flying buses stay in the air. It becomes very challenging
at times, especially considering the conditions we have. When we talk
about conditions, it covers everything from the weather, dust, lack of
parts, not enough time in the day, bosses breathing down and even the
Taliban throw crooks into our everyday affairs. After being here this
trip, my personal views on the whole thing have changed, but I
certainly will reserve them for personal conversations, ask me and I
will tell you. But Lana hit it right on the head the other day ask
her, i'm sure she will tell you also!! My time for this trip in
Kandahar is coming to an end...Thank God! The first trip over here
was an adventure, this time it has been an extreme adventure, and I'm
too old for this S**t, LOL In all seriousness, I will always hold my
experiences close, and never forget why I am here. It is my job and I
take great pride in it.
I am eager to get home and spend some very quality time with family
and friends and especially the Thanksgiving dinner that Larraine has
so graciously postponed until I get home.
The freezes are continuing to be devoured, the candies are almost
gone, except for the peach gummies....yumm. Remind me all to tell you
about the "rockets". Well...tomorrow comes quick, and it is yet
another work day, seems like alot more work days then rest days, but I
guess that is the cost of being here. So I should sign off...Till next
time,

Support Our Troops
~M

And the days go on!!

It has been pretty much situation normal here in Kandahar, for us anyway. It's been busy at times, but quiet at others, but I wanted to take a second and talk about those that are no so fortunate to have quiet times. On a very regular basis I see the "guys" from the field that come in for a break, I know I often complain about getting a few hours sleep on our busiest days. I'm sure that those outside the wire go days without any sleep at all, not quite sure how they do it, but they do, my hat goes off to them!! We all have a job to do here, we would not be here without them, and they would not be here without us.
A friend of mine has created a Facebook group called S.O.T. I encourage all to check it out and join, but not just join, follow the goal of the group and that is to have S.O.T. at the end of your status's. Something so small as 3 letters can mean so much! If you have Facebook you can check out the link http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=31199155667&ref=mf

Well, small update for now!! Till next time!

Support Our Troops
~M

Mail Call ~WOW~

So...As you can see from the above picture....Mail finally arrived from Canada, all I can say is WOW, let me back up a bit, I was at OCH trying fevershly to see my sweetie on webcam...no go, not even voice, she could only see me and we typed chatted, I was ok with that, but I did leave there kinda bummed (no pun intended). So I made my way back to the tent, where I find my mail sitting on my bed, I did a little dance and then took it all outside to open, I didn't want to wake the boys with my excitement, so one after another I opened each package, still in shock that I got 4 pieces. I want to say thank you to Lana, Larraine and Momma Barb for the contents. The freezies are a welcome relief, the 7 pound box of candies will be well shared, how did you know that rockets were my favorite all time candies. Momma Barb, I LOVE YOU, thank you for the Tim's certificates. I now can drink all the timmies I want till I go home, so, I'm pretty sure that I am good now. Thank you again and I love you guys...It made my week, seriously.

With all that being said, I must now get ready to go to work soon, not really sure what the day will hold, but I am in a fantastic mood, I recieved mail, I have my Timmies in hand and I was able to see my babies smile. Too bad the voice wasn't working well. Tomorrow is another day. Till next time...


Support Our Troops
~M

What day is it??

I have pretty much lost track of days...now I know it is Saturday, I think...lol, but two days have passed and I am wondering where the heck it went, well let me tell you. Yesterday after 20 hours straight, just to stop for meals, we finally finished work at 3am, not because the work was done, only because we could not focus anymore. So we headed back to the tent, which is about a 35 minute drive at 15km per hour, any faster it kicks up too much dust. I was asleep within minutes of getting to my bed and then woke up 3 hours later to go back to work. I'm done now barring no problems with the planes, but I was able to get a bit of sleep this afternoon before supper. Oh supper you ask, the only good thing about it was Mario's company, 1 big scoop of Tuna, a Tomato, a bunch of Cukes and a dinner roll, the menu tonight was very un-appealing. I have to admit though, the cake was very good!! So I'm just sitting waiting for Lana to get home and get our "fix". I missed chatting with her yesterday for obvious reasons. I think I will spend a little time tonight fine tuning my Fantasy Hockey Team, I picked 10th overall so I have a little work to do. Well, not much else to update, till next time!

Support Our Troops
~M

Thought's From OCH

I'm just about ready to call it quits for the night, so here is a little update. Today was a rest day for our crew, after yesterday...God knows we needed it! ;) Lets just say, it was intense! I must say, I really enjoyed Lana's "other side" update, she doesn't want to make it a regular thing, but I really want to see a couple more before it is all over. Lana mentioned in her spot that she was wondering what I ate for supper, well, the above picture sums it up, I will let you decide on what it is. Maybe you can post a comment with your guesses, this should be interesting! I did have the opportunity today to meet up with a friend. It was a very enjoyable visit, and I'm sure it was good for him to see a somewhat familiar person!! Well, I'm going to sign off for now, tomorrow is a new day...Till next time!

Support Our Troops
~M

Update: Yahoooooooooo, I was able to log in from my end and update. On another note, OCH stands for Old Canada House...Close Larraine...but not quite there!!

The other side of the story, from the wife!

Well there is 33 days left to go and I sit here wondering if he is sleeping well.
I hope he is because then at least one of us is, although I'm not sure how one can sleep with the sounds of planes flying overhead and snoring in the next bed(divided by a canvas wall)
Another day passes and I have done my normal job for the day, now I'm mom again. I'm cooking dinner tonight and it is Ham, noodles and green beans, I wonder what Mark had for dinner tonight and was it good?
While he is laying in his bed sleeping, I'm giving my motherly orders. Such as feed the dog and cat, clean your room and finish your homework, BTW thanks for taking out the recycling!
I wonder what orders he had to do today and was it a quiet day in the dessert, BTW Thanks for what you are all doing over there!
So after dinner I will finish up the things I need to do around the house for today and do it before Mark wakes up. While doing all this I'm always watching for the little blue light to come on my computer, that is indication that he is on and waiting for me:)
Somedays he comes on and I reaIly don't feel like talking because I'm so tired, but I do because it makes him smile. He needs to know he is being supported as they all do, and what a great way to start his day and end mine!
As I chat with him on the computer and see his smile on the web cam, I have often thought of my grandfather and when he was at war.
Waiting patiently for that special letter to arrive and what would he think today!
We have it made with the technology we have and i'm so greatful we do! However one has to laugh as well because years and years ago it was letters with perfume and a black and white pictures. Today it is thumb drives and web cams and with that comes "pictures" on a thumb drive and "boobies please" on the web cam.
While we get dropped calls because of poor internet over there, just a 5 minute conversation makes our days and nights better.
Why, because he is safe for another day and I get to see him smile!
That's how I support him and apparently his crew members, whom I have grown to know so well:)

I miss him and can't wait for him to come home safe as I hope all of them do!
Stay safe my Love and I'll talk to you soon.
All my Love and support, Your Lana xox

PS Maybe the web cam will work tonight;)

Update by Proxy!!

As I try to get settled into Kandahar of what could prove to be a very long ride, I decided to update my Blog, Well I discover that I can view it but I cannot update it. So I have decided instead of dropping it, I will be sending Lana my updates via email and she will update for me. I'm sure it will work out, few extra steps in the end, but very much worth it. I also want to say that I enjoy reading your comments and encourage more to come.
We arrived in KAF (Kandahar Air Field) around 3am local time, by the time I jetted over to Canada House to chat with Lana briefly and head back to the tent it was 4:30am, fell asleep in no time at all, but when I woke 6 hours later, It felt like a Mac Truck ran over my head. What is interesting is the majority of the guys felt the exact same way, we spent the better part of the day trying to get rid of a "hangover" type headache. It is now just subsiding, and starting to feel human again. A few things have changed since we were here last. The weather being the biggest, still very very hot during the day, but gets quite cool at night, down to about 15-20 degrees, but when your so used to 45 plus, 20 degrees is somewhat cool - sweater weather in the early morning chats with my sweetie!! The other couple of things that are new, is the construction of the new McDonalds and the newly finished Thai Massage Parlour...The smell of "human waste" other wise known as the "shit pond" is still in the air, usually blows through around sundown and lingers in the tents untill morning, I know it's an aweful image, but it's the simple fact of war. The dust has not let up at all, and I am thinking that the air is alot more dry. My nose is very dry...enough said on that topic. I was able to secure my old tent space from the first trip, in my opinion, it is the best space of the rest of the guys!! Looking forward to work tomorrow, routine is a huge part here..if your not working your losing your mind, not much else to do, we are going to take the long way to work tomorrow and show some of the new guys the "carnage" of the bombing from a few years back. The fence (wire) line follows a large part that has lots to see, I will snap some pics for tomorrows update, I will let Lana figure out the word part of posting the blog and then I will throw a picture to add for her...Sorry sweetie!!
PS. The picture is our Night Flight into the desert
Thats about all for now, Till next time,
Support Our Troops
~M

This is a video of an Offset Shallow that we were treated to yesterday. Next to seeing Lana on cam before my day started, this was a definite highlight!!

PS I just re-watched it again...sorry about the language!!

It's been another few days since I last updated, It's been a couple of really good days at work and even pretty good around "camp". I decide to take some initiative and "beautify" the outside of the shacks, it was so dull and boring and we spend allot of our time outside. We added some mood lighting (christmas and rope lights) and some screen shelter from the sun, I have not heard one complaint about how it turned out, I only hope that it will still be here in a few months when we come back. "Kamal" called it the smoke area today, he really liked the upgrade. We do have plans for the other side of the patio, but with our crew going camping soon, it may have to wait untill we come back. Or maybe someone else will take some initiative....but some of the vets here said that in 6 years on camp, they have never seen anything done to the outside of the shacks!!
Lana and I have had a couple of really good chats..or at least I think so, all you have to do is look at the smiles in the above picture. Not sure if she realizes or not, but my day cannont be ruined when I see her smile at the beginning of it. I miss her more than you can imagine, and this trip has definitly been different being away from home, it is more of a work trip than a work/vacation, and that is by my own choice,I have seen it and done it now the novelty of being here has really worn off and I am WAY ready to be home. But with that being said, I know I have a job to do...and being here comes with the job.
I have been spending some time on getting ready for our upcoming hockey pool on Yahoo sports, I can't wait for the upcoming season to start, I may just have to stay up late to watch the Leafs opening game, we should be in Kandahar for it so it will be on the bigscreen, might be a packed house though!!
I should sign off for now, I must start packing for camping, don't get upset Lana, but I am kinda looking forward to the change of pace and scenery, and besides, once Kandahar phase is done, then we are that much closer to coming home. Considering we are almost halfway through Ramadan, it has been relatively quiet up there. keep your fingers crossed and keep the prayers coming. Till next time...

Support Our Troops
~M

Quick update

I just thought I would pop in and fire off a quick update before I fade off to sleep....Yup, sleep, The re-pat is scheduled for 2:30am. Not too much to update though, We had a very fun day off at diving, it was the most surreal thing I have ever done. During the first trip out to the rock, we encountered a small school of sharks, they were about 6 feet long, the just swam around us in circles, not to intimidating but the distance was just perfect for me, on the other hand, I really enjoyed swimming with all the Nemo type fish, you know, the bright colorful ones. I just floated there and they would just swim up to us and look. The water temp was a warm 37 degrees but the outside temp was 50 plus Celsius. By the end of the trip, it did not take us long to all fall asleep on the bus home for the 2 hour trip. I have posted some pics on my Picasa web album, check it out www.picasaweb.google.com/marknlana There are also pictures there from my first trip over seas.
Thats all for now. Till next time,

Support Our Troops
~M

The Roller Coaster Continues....

After a much needed and deserved day off swimming with the tropical fish and 6 foot sharks, arrived back on camp to find a "comm lockdown". We spent some time as a group bonding and conversating. When the lock was lifted I was saddened by the news that my Nanna Vonnie had passed away, she was everyone's favorite, she had a personality about her that radiated. There are way too many things to mention that she will be remembered by, but the one thing I will never forget was her sense of humor. The whole "arm thing"...some of you will know what I'm talking about. Heaven has gained a true angel today, I know she is at peace and she is resting with Grampy, something she has not been able to do in a long time. There is a song that comes to mind right now, it is called Heavens Table by Garou, if you have a chance listen to it! My thoughts go out to all family, immediate and extended. Nan would have been 93 on Tuesday. She will be missed!! R.I.P. Nanna Von :)
__________________________________________________________________

My sister just sent me the link found in the Cape Breton Post

Veronica MacLean
Sept. 9, 1915 - Sept. 7, 2008
Boisdale
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Veronica MacLean, formerly of North Sydney, in her 93rd year.
Vonnie died peacefully at Kenwood Hall, Harbourstone, in Sydney, with family by her side. She was the daughter of the late J.J. and Margaret (MacNeil) MacInnis, of Sydney. She had been a 12-year resident of Parkview, Enriched Housing in North Sydney, following the death of her beloved husband, George F. MacLean, in 1995.
Vonnie thrived on people and gatherings and especially loved when friends, family and their children would visit. She was the last of ‘The Lasses of Campbell Street,’ Sydney, and was never very far from the Scottish music and songs that she grew up with and loved so much.
She is survived by her eight children, Margaret, (Fred MacDonald), Upper Port LaTour, N.S., Ronald, (Lorraine), Kingston, Ont., Joseph, Airdrie Alta., Rita (Frank Glogowski), Sydney Mines, Rhodena (Gerard O’Handley), Port Hawkesbury, George (Denise), Lower Sackville, Basil (Theresa), Seal Cove, N.L., Miriam (Lloyd Poirier), Lower Sackville; 29 grandchildren and 41 great-grandchildren; also by her sisters-in-law, Margaret MacLean and Norma MacInnis; longtime family member and friend, Lillie MacLean, as well as many nieces and nephews who visited her often.
Besides her husband George F., she was predeceased by her sisters, Sr. Mary C. MacInnis CND, Rita Bryden, Agnes MacCormick, her brothers, Joseph Roy MacInnis, Dr. M.Vincent MacInnis, her grandson, Michael MacLean, and his mother, Sandra MacLean.
The family would like to extend their special thanks to Vonnie’s caregivers and friends of the last year and a half at Harbourstone, who made her stay very comfortable and happy.
Visitation for Vonnie will be held in St. Andrew Catholic Church, Boisdale, on Tuesday from 7-9 p.m. and Wednesday from 9-11 a.m. The funeral mass will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. with Rev. Paul Abbass officiating. Burial will take place in the parish cemetery.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association or a charity of choice.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to the W.J. Dooley Funeral Home, North Sydney.
Online condolences for the MacLean family may be sent to info@wjdooley.com.
_________________________________________________________________

I'm PROUD to be Canadian!!

As I sit here in my "shack" after the Repatriation of 3 young soldiers, I will say, I am Proud to be a member of the Canadian Forces and I am Proud to be Canadian. I am not vocally patriotic, but when you witness an event like I have this morning, it brings certain things down to reality. I watched as the three caskets draped in the Canadian Flag made their way, I took time to think of many things, how lucky we are to have our freedom. I have a number of emotions flowing through my mind and heart right now...too many to mention. But I'm sure many of you would agree. So, our "boys" (and women as well) and I say boys because our most recent 3 returning home were so young - they continue to push forward, not really knowing anything else. I read in an article that one of the soldiers injured in the attack insisted on being at the repat, to bid farewell to his brothers, well nearing the end of the ceremony, he took off out of the ranks in his wheelchair and proceeded to the ramp of the aircraft, got out of his wheelchair and hobbled up the ramp to say a final farewell as the caskets lay in the belly of the plane, I can just imagine the thoughts going through that mans mind...Actually, I can't imagine! With the Repat plane being somewhere over Europe right now, life here at camp must continue, it is just one moment in time where it seems almost everything stands still, I sincerely hope I have seen my last Repatriation.

Till Next Time
Support Our Troops
~M

Down for the count

Well, another couple of days in the books, and the above picture pretty much sums it all up. Our schedule continues to be all over the place with the transition of new troops going north, at the same time we are also changing "workplaces". The work routine when this happens is very hectic and fast paced. Nonetheless, it sure makes time go a lot quicker. The above picture was taken just shortly before 4am after working 13 hours straight, I was waiting for my buddies and decided to "crash", and crash I did, when he took this picture, i woke up to him giggling. I had only been there for maybe 15minutes but it was enough of a rest to carry on for a couple more hours. We work at night, sleep during the day, it's just too hot to work in the middle of the afternoon. Currently it is 9:56am local time and I am just getting ready to go back to bed, hopefully to sleep until supper time, and then back to work tonight for what will most likely be another all niter. So, that's about all for now, I know there has not been much detailed info, but it's mostly been just work, work, work. Lets hope we don't have another fire alarm.

Till next time ~ Support our Troops
~M

...Couple of days worth!

Well, It's been a few days since I updated, I actually tried something different last night on my blog and it was a video blog entry, unfortunately, because of our connection, It was going to take days to upload it, so I decided to go back to the ole pen to paper..or fingers to keys. The last few days have been really messed up with our work schedule, working very odd hours , so trying to get back on track has been the biggest challenge, it seems like all our guys are doing is sleeping, but like I said, it's a premium, take it when you can. The transition of troops will be happening soon, so we should be in for some busy days, and before we know it, we will be camping. The weather has been hot as usual, I just came in from lunch and it is 52.5 degrees Celsius, the humidity doesn't seem to be as high the last couple of days. Two mornings ago, I was chatting with Lana and it was around 5am, I looked up and saw what I thought was drizzle, well, we are lucky if we get one day of rain a year here, so I knew it couldn't have been that, then I realized, it was the humidity rolling in, I just shook my head, humidity so dense that you can see it. It's all part of the life here with the climate. We look around at the workers and wonder how they can survive wearing long sleeve shirts and pants and sandles, but that is exactly what they grew up with. So, on that note, I'm off for now, hopefully, I can continue to update daily, because I'm pretty sure I am forgetting something, If I remember, I will update the post.

Till next time ~ Support Our Troops
~M

**Update...Well as I laid comfortably in my bed trying to get some sleep, we were all rudely awakened at 12:45am with a fire alarm, it is about the 9th time this has happened in a one week span, as with all the other times, it was a false alarm...GRRRRRRRRRRRRR . Rumor has it, the high Humidity plays tricks on the system!!It's a real "Test in patience"

Day 3 ~ Done like dinner!

Today was a very busy day at work, and the heat and humidity was almost unbearable, In my opinion, it was the hottest and most humid day that I have encountered from both trips, In all honesty, we would have put a big dent into the freezies today, absolutely no pressure Larraine, I know you are doing what you can, and they are not in season, but I wanted to share that because you don't realize how much you miss something, untill they are gone. We will welcome them at any point.
Unfortunately because today was mostly operational, there is not much more to share, except for the fact that our "team" worked today the best that any team over here could, everything we did today came together perfectly, sure was a good feeling after it was over. There is alot of "soldiers" depending on us as techs and to see them leave us, going on to their next journey is rewarding!!

Thats all for now.
Till next time - Support our Troops

~M

Day 2 ~ In the books

Well, today was a rest day (day off) for us here, So I decided to do just that, time is a premium and whenever you have a chance to do just nothing, take advantage of it. I went into town to do a little shopping, couple of things that I forgot to bring with me, browsed the shopping center a little and then hopped the bus to get back here in time for supper, supper tonight was Roast Beef and mashed potatoes, food here is really good, I must take advantage of it because when we go north to Kandahar, it is virtually is slop on a plate. After supper digested, I decided to take a walk to the gym, not my favorite place to hang out, but I have decided to spend more time this trip being fit, I actually want to go home and have Lana say "wow" lol, she says that now anyway :) So, i took the plunge, for a start , I did 45 minutes on the treadmill,(4.2 km) surprisingly, I felt pretty good, especially my hips. So, as I lay in bed, I am sore, hopefully I won't be too bad tomorrow, we are in for a very busy and long day, thankfully I will still have a chance to chat with my baby in the morning!!

Thats all from 11,000 Km's across the world,

Till next time - Support the Troops
M

Day one down!

This will be a quick one, not much real new today, as expected, my friend greeted me this morning with the biggest smile saying only "Sir, Sir, Your back again...good" with an exciting tone in his voice, "Camel" is an immigrant worker that cleans our barracks, and does he ever clean, I established a connection with him and I have yet to see him talk to anyone else. His English is very limited, but the vibe I get from him is that he is a very happy person, we have been told that the workers that are brought here to this country only make a very small wage. Picture what some of us might make in a day, "Camel" makes in a month, and he has a family to support in his home country. Seeing him in the mornings wearing the "Support our Troops" hat that I gave him on my last trip here really makes me feel good, I only hope that I can do something special for him again this trip. I would like to give him a "tip" but they are not allowed to accept money. Hmmmm, might have to put some thought into it. He is also the barber here so I may be able to tip him there, i will keep you updated.

Today was our "paperwork" day, not much work work, but it's a good thing, cause the temperature rose to 55.5 degrees C at around 1:30pm. So I will close and continue tomorrow, still trying to get used to the 8 hour time zone change.

Till next time ~ Support our Troops

~M

12:21 am (my local time)

Where to start, After a very emotional goodbye with Lana and the girls in Trenton, I boarded a bus to take to the airport in Toronto, we arrived, checked our luggage and headed to a restaurant to have a quick bite and a beverage, It was time to board our plane, was kind of exciting considering who we were flying with, we got to our seats and got comfortable for the 13 hour non stop flight. It was a good flight, I was able to sleep about 6 hours thanks to my new neck pillow, I highly recommend it for those flying economy. The highlight of the trip was being able to watch any movie or tv show I wanted right at my seat, food although left a little to be desired, I am certainly not complaining!! We finally arrive in the "Middle East" and clear customs, no problems except for a minor glitch with one of our guys. :) So, I get outside after aproximately 15 hours after my last smoke leaving Toronto and half way through my smoke I almost turned green, I know, good time to quit right, nah ah, the second one right after it was the best smoke in a long time. After a short trip by bus from the airport we are now at our "home" away from home, a few more smokes, a couple of cookies, a bowl of froot loops and a few bottles of water, oh ya, the water, the drink of choice here by the way. Not sure what the temp is right now, but when we got in around 9:30pm, it was 33 degrees, and very high humidity, but i must say, after the summer we have had in Ontario, it is kinda a welcome relief, i'm sure that will change at 3 in the afternoon and it is 60 degrees. So as I lay in my bed typing this, I feel my eyes are starting to burn, I must try and get some sleep, I need to get back to my routine of being up at 5am so I can video conference with my sweetheart, perfect start to the day, and it is much needed on both ends. On a side note, I am really looking forward to seeing my friend "Camel". Looking forward to his smile!!

Till next time ~ keep supporting the troops!! S.O.T.

~M

...And so it begins

Just a quick note before I head out, Just sitting here and reading all the well wishes and support from friends and family on Facebook, It really is nice to see and appreciated, But I have to tell you, the thing I like the most is S.O.T. ~ That sums up everything in 3 letters. Keep adding those 3 simple yet powerful letters at the end of your status's and I will have a constant smile. Now, I must get going and start my journey. 13 hour direct flight from Toronto to the "safe zone" , the only consolation is we are flying on one of the most luxurious airlines in the world. I will certainly send an update once I am grounded. Take care all and thanks again!!

~M

Minus 1

As I sit here in my comfortable lazy-boy chair in my air-conditioned house only one day separates me from my second trip to the middle east, I want to be able to document the happenings of my time overseas with out compromising operational security. So if I happen to share things in here that make absolutely no sense, there is a reason!! Today I will do some last minute packing and then the "journey" begins. I think I am confident of what to expect this time around, unlike the last I felt a little overwhelmed. But as you know, anything can happen. I hope that all who read this daily (hopefully) blog will get some enjoyment as to what I am experiencing in a land far from most.

~M

7:54pm

At the moment I am preping the last few things for my trip, I am sitting on my patio with an absolutely beautiful evening and an even more beautiful Lady who I am going to miss more than words can describe, I most likely will be out here for awhile because my Step Brother Jeff sent me a hard drive full and I mean full of Movies and TV shows to copy to my laptop to pass some time while I am over there, I still have about 3 hours to transfer and I can't unplug the drive or I'm not sure what will happen, so I think I will just leave it plugged in :) Stay tuned, Hopefully i will have some entertaining updates!!

~M