Erika really has had no connectivity to post at all on this trip, so I am going to keep updating some of the less mushy parts of our conversation up here.
She has successfully arrived back at VBC (Victory Base Camp) earlier today, but she spent the past few days in Fallujah, where, much to her surprise, she became the VIP on post. I know I am not surprised by this, but she certainly was. She was given the VIP room on the post, which included such long forgotten amenities as 1) a room to herself, 2) a real bed, and even 3) real sheets and pillows. Being Erika she claimed not to need such high class treatment, but the base insisted. She said that if the SecDef were to visit this post, this would be the room that he would stay in. She was very flattered. Also in this room were a variety of phones, including a standard DSN phone, some other unnamed phones, and one that she was told was a direct line to a three star. The funny part of this is that every guy I told this part of the story to, including when I first heard it, had the same first reaction, which was, "you should totally pick up that phone and try to order room service!" For some reason, she didn't find that as funny as I did.
At this point, she had another experience here that was special. Getting off the Marine helicopter that transported her on post, she encountered a Marine K-9 unit. Anyone that knows Erika, knows how she feels about dogs, and being able to pet a German Shepherd meant so much.
For example, when I first met her, she made it very clear up front that even though I got to make out with her, her German Shepherd was her real prince and protector.
Ironically, the Marine whose dog she got to pet went to the rival high school here in Marietta. What a small world! Anyway, it was a brief reminder of her home life, which came at a time when she really needed it.
Unfortunately, Erika may have to go to another base to help out, which would only postpone her current work and make it that much longer before she comes back. No rest for the weary right? (just when you think she's over halfway there, the finish line keeps getting pushed back.)
This reminds me of the stories I've heard of Ranger school and the "run of unspecified distance." This is a mental (and physical) toughness training exercise, where you start running without being told how far you are going. It could be one mile, two miles, ten miles, who knows. The point is you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It may not sound that tough, but go out and try to start running and keep running until someone calls you and tells you to stop. See what starts going through your mind around mile 3 or 4 and see how badly you want to quit. It takes a very special, well trained, and highly disciplined person to just keep going.
On a different note, I was going through some old pictures the other day and found this one. The background to the picture is that Erika and I were travelling through Texas circa 2003 and stopped at Dyess Air Force Base just outside of Abilene, Texas for an air show. (Dyess is the home of the B-1B Lancer). This was long before Erika started her current job, but it is a good forshadowing of the next several years of her life. The quality isn't that great because I don't have a scanner, so I took a digital picture of the picture and uploaded it, but anyway, I thought it was pretty fitting, so here it is:
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