SEPT. 9 – One of my dearest friends, who also is a student from one of my fitness classes, hosted a going-away party for me at her home. It was the most outpouring of support that I have ever experienced in my life. Many of my students, whom I now call friends, were displaying their emotions about how they felt about me. It took me by surprise. I guess, in my mind, I thought what I did was NOT such a big deal to render such an emotional response.

SEPT. 12 – Today is my 24th wedding anniversary. I can’t believe that we are still together after all these years! Most of our friends are in their second or third marriage by now. I knew without a doubt when I met Wendy I knew that I wanted her to be my wife. She has been the best mom to our kids. She has done an outstanding job with them. I just wish that I could give her more. She has been so faithful to stand by me through the ‘thick and thin of life’. I couldn’t ask God for more for such an awesome spouse!

SEPT. 14 – This is my last week here at work. Just in the past few weeks, I have attended a series of multiple lunches and dinners in my honor. I am so grateful for the outpouring of support from my friends and family as I prepare for this mission. As I’m walking down the streets of downtown Charlotte during my lunch break today, I can’t help but wrestle with the insecure thoughts of not being home for a full year! As the people on the street pass me going to and fro, I wish I could stop them and say “Please remember me!” For some crazy reason, I want people to know that what we do as soldiers has given them the opportunity to enjoy life’s little pleasures such as eating in restaurants, driving the newest SUVs, and just plain having the freedom to walk around without the fear of death! In essence, we are all guilty of taking for granted the freedoms this country has to offer.

SEPT. 15 – We are leaving for New York/Connecticut today. I am so excited. I haven’t been home since 2000. At various times work conflicts prevented me from coming home. I have to return to my home town before I go. This will give me comfort and reinforce my memories of the good times I had growing up.

SEPT. 16 – We arrived in Connecticut at about 9:00 a.m. in the morning. We drove by car because I couldn’t afford the airfare for the entire family. We visited my sister-in-law and her husband. It was great to be there. I spent a lot of time here when I was dating my wife. The air smelled fresh and was full of the upcoming autumn season. I loved it! I would go on for the next few days and visit my hometown in New York and my best friend in New Jersey. Before we headed back home, we made a stop in my favorite city in the world, Manhattan. I purposely stopped by Ground Zero to visit where the World Trade Center towers used to be. This one now sacred ground, has gripped my soul. This is an area, where 3,000 Americans lost their lives that morning, was now surrounded by a chain-link fence. Construction crews could be seen working in a deep hole in the ground rebuilding what would be the ‘new’ World Trade Center. I needed to see this so that I could have a strong mental picture of ‘why I am going to war for freedom.

SEPT. 21 – We arrived back home from our trip yesterday. We spent the night in Fort Lee Virginia at the guest house. Today is the day. I started my task list by washing some clothes and packing a few loose ends. The day was finally here. My wife and kids seemed to be in good spirits. I guess I wouldn’t see any emotion from them until it came time for my plane to leave. With everything finished we loaded up the car and the kids and headed for the airport. I checked in and we cleared airport security just a few hours before my departure. To my surprise, our families were given passes to wait with us at the departure gate. I was so glad about that. I didn’t want to say goodbye at the check-in desk. As my family and I headed to my gate, people who were waiting for their flights would look at us soldiers with confirming smiles of support. There were representatives from the USO who were there in the concourse pointing soldiers and their families to where they had set up a reception area. It was a nice and quiet location where soldiers could wait with their families until they had to board their flight. We were able to stop by for a short visit. My son and daughter were busy sampling the free treats while my wife and I sat holding hands in intimate silence. Soldiers that I knew, one by one came into the USO with their families.

The time had finally trickled down to the last 30 minutes for all of us. The announcement came and we were told to gather up our families and head to the departure gate. The flight attendant began calling our seat numbers one by one. Each soldier would kiss his or her family with an intense kiss that was mixed with tears. Finally, my number was called. I proceeded to kiss my son first, and then my daughter. My final kiss I saved for my wife as I held her almost as if I were going to work for the day. I could sense her sadness in her embrace. “I will be careful, I promise”, were the last words that I said to her as headed down the catwalk to the plane. I returned once more to kiss her. This would be a true test for our family but I knew we were ready.

SEPT. 22 – We are processing our records today here at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The people that I am with are from all walks of life. Onboard we have police officers, businessmen, correction officers, and yes even a lawyer or two. Everyone is upbeat and positive about the mission. There was one guy who was on the plane who was so excited to be there that we couldn’t shut him up on the plane! I know yours truly, has the gift of gab but I truly couldn’t match this guy’s energy. It was like being on the plane with a bad Robin Williams.

SEPT. 25 – We loaded buses to board our second flight to Fort Riley, Kansas, the location where we would execute our train-up exercises for deployment to Iraq. Of course, the ‘bad’ Robin Williams guy was in full gear throughout this flight as well. We flew out this time from a nearby Air Force base. They chartered a plane for us and we boarded the plane from the runway. As we entered the plane the flight attendants were handing out bag lunches. I found this to be so primitive by today’s standards but funny. Are the airlines getting so cheap that now they have to hand out bag lunches instead of the standard in-flight meal?

SEPT. 26 – We landed in Fort Riley, Kansas with no issues. I’m in the northwest. It’s a little cool with some slight wind gusts. Today was a processing day. We got new ID cards today. The woman that processed me asked me “Is your birthday in March?” We discovered that we both had the same birthday on the same day. I needed that little spark of ‘friendliness’ today because I was having an emotional rough day. I really missed my wife and kids today. I can’t wait to start training so that the days can go by faster.