Life at Camp Arifjan III

Wednesday 6 August 2008
2200

When I first got here I took a picture of this palm plant outside the barracks and wrote a posting I called “Life at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait”. This plant was the only growing thing within about a quarter mile of the building. My mother said it looked like the scrawny little Charlie Brown Christmas tree:


Life at Camp Arifjan #1b
Originally uploaded by hkp7fan.

Later I did find a few dried-up little weeds here and there, but by and large this palm plant remained the only living thing anywhere nearby. It grew steadily, watered by a constant drip from the nearby fire sprinkler drain pipe.

I took another picture a year later and posted that, calling it “Life at Arifjan - One Year Later”:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/58512268@N00/1671790765/
Originally uploaded by hkp7fan.

Now that it’s time for me to leave, I thought I’d take one last photo. So here is “Life at Camp Arifjan III”:


080806 Life at Arifjan III
Originally uploaded by hkp7fan.

Maybe when I come back someday, it will actually be a palm tree with a trunk!

Speaking of life at Camp Arifjan, I had an interesting thing happen today. I got an official Department of the Army award for my service here. I was awarded an MSM (Meritorious Service Medal), which is a very nice award to receive.


MSM
Originally uploaded by hkp7fan.

Previously my highest DA award had been an ARCOM (Army Commendation Medal). So I appreciate this award. But the way that it reached me was kind of anticlimactic.

I was told to stand by on Saturday morning for the presentation by the DCG, but then it didn't happen. So they said to come back on Monday morning, but then it didn't happen again. They then said to come back Tuesday, but that was a no-go so I was told to stand by for today. But late yesterday I got an email saying to forget it. It seems that everyone was too busy to bother with a formal presentation, or it got lost in the shuffle, or something. So today the STB Executive Officer, who had tried like heck to get someone in the chain of command to make a formal presentation of this award in a suitable setting, just handed it to me across his desk rather apologetically, disgusted with the politics of the command group staff.

Now, this is an official DA award that goes in my permanent record and really means something for promotions, etc. I think it's kind of ironic that the various coins I've been receiving from people were all handed to me in person, eyeball to eyeball, with a handshake and warm expressions of appreciation. But the "real" award was treated as a mere afterthought, not important enough to take a few minutes to present.

Oh well, I don't really mind much - as I said in my earlier post, it's the little heartfelt tokens of appreciation from people who know me and my work that mean the most anyway. But the goat-rope the XO went through trying to get this award formally presented to me is one more example of "Life at Camp Arifjan".

I’m still waiting for orders, although now they say that “the packet has been approved, and we should have orders REAL soon”. Whatever that means.

Mood: Impatient to leave
Music: Soundtrack from “Henry V”