Fort Dix has been an adventure for us all. Now that we are getting ready to leave there are many types of emotion in the air. While some calmly read books, surfed the internet, talked to love ones or listened to music, others found a sense of companionship in huddling together to talk, play cards and even tossing a football with battle buddies, the same battle buddies they will spend the next 10 – 11 months with. We will learn to love these battle buddies as family, and at times even fight and argue but at the end of the day we are one team, one family. Will will learn and grow together, experience a life that only a few have walked through in past deployments. For those we are gracious and will look up to for guidance and support.
The general mood is somber but content, hopeful for a warmer climate and anxious of the unknown. Many are speaking to loved ones for the last time on friendly soil, the next time they speak will be via internet or MWR phones in Kuwait. For the loved ones at home that we all leave behind, rest assured that our leaders will lead, and our soldiers will do their job as they were trained. Our leadership is knowledgeable and experienced, our soldiers trained and proficient, we have been validated by those who have deployed before us and have returned to work at mobilization stations like Fort Dix. Their job is to ensure that new soldiers going to the field are taught the skills they need to do their job and return home safely. We are required to prove those skills in mock scenarios and earn the confidence of those who have walked before us. The time has come as they say, we are ready.
Below are just some shots of the night we sit here in this hanger awaiting our bird to fly to a far away place. I have tried to capture the mood and convey that for all to see, we ARE ready!
So great! Wonderful Pics!!!!!!!!