Change

As Barack Obama might say, "Change We Can Believe In". Well I am about to go through a change that I certainly can believe in. I am leaving Afghanistan soon and going home. This will be one of my final updates from Afghanistan. I will be traveling in about a week and should be making my way home after several stops along the way. It has been a long journey, but it is not over yet. In a future update, I will reflect back on the entire experience. For now, I am slowly packing up my things and preparing for the next adventure: going home. My work is essentially done her. I won't say "Mission Accomplished", because there is still much to do, but for me my time here has come to an end.

Speaking of change, there is massive change in the CJ4 as many people are coming and going. This changeover creates a lot of disruption and some angst for the organization. So many who are leaving, including myself, have gained a greater understanding of how things work here in Afghanistan and at CSTC-A. Losing that knowledge does create quite a void. As new personnel arrive, it takes some time for them to get acclimated and become fully engaged productive team members. As with any change though, it is how you prepare and communicate change to the team that will determine its success. Imagine a company that had 30 to 40 percent of its personnel changeover every six months. You can understand what a challenge it is trying to make substantial progress.

Back on the homefront, my niece Elizabeth spent her spring break with Rebecca and the kids this week. They saw a ballet, went to Disney's California Adventure, spent the day at a spa and had high tea at the new Del Mar Grand resort. Thomas is having fun playing Little League on the "Angels" and Madigan's softball team, the Lil' Angels, is keeping her busy.

Rebecca is doing party preps and has booked a block of 15 rooms at the Navy Lodge at NASNI for those interested in staying at the beach the weekend of May 2nd/3rd for the "Welcome Home/Birthday Beach Bash". Rooms are $77/night. The block on the rooms is only in effect until April 18th – the rooms are released after that time. There is a 7 Day cancelation notice on these reservations. If you are interested, email Rebecca at rebeccaw@san.rr.com and she will give you all of the details.

Peace to you all,

Pat