Djibouti

2012-07-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! We are wrapping up our deployment and are in the last month. Our mail stops next week, so please don't send any more care packages. What you have all sent, has been so wonderful for us all.
I finally had time to make a little video for my family and I'd also like to share it with all of you. I hope you enjoy it.

2012-07-03T18:17:00.003-07:00

Thank you to another great supporter!

http://operationwritehome.org

HEROBOX.ORG

2012-06-08T20:07:00.001-07:00

Today at mail call I received over 40 boxes! Most of them were from HEROBOX.ORG
It was overwhelmingly wonderful. They were filled with everything from toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, q-tips, to coloring books, sunglasses, and snacks. I would like send out a huge THANK YOU!!! from myself and all of the Marines in my unit. This is going to make the last few months of our deployment much more pleasant. For anyone who has ever thought about donating to an organization that supports the troops: HEROBOX.ORG and the USO are the best in my opinion (and I'm a troop).

I would also like to thank some people who have sent boxes of toys and stuffed animals for the Djiboutian children that we care for at the wounded clinic we hold at the downtown school. Many of the children are orphans and so the toys and candy are a valuable treat for these children who live in seriously impoverished conditions. Bless you all.

Again, thank you all so much for your support. I will continue to update on how our guys and gals are doing.

2012-05-18T20:07:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! I'm still working on the videos. In the mean time, here are some photos of our helicopter, crew, and some flights we took. This particular day we are taking some Navy personnel from the camp to a nearby ship. Then we took some cargo (mostly mail) back to the camp.

Deployment Day #112

2012-05-07T23:04:00.000-07:00

We just got through the halfway point in this deployment. This past month we had some fun activities. Our unit participated in the base's Captain's Cup. We also went on a beach trip last month. Here are the pictures from that trip.

The bus ride was about 45 minutes on the roads through Africa and then another 45 minutes "off-road" to get to our private cove, which we had to hike over a small mountain with all of our beach gear, to get to. We didn't care about that though. This was the first day off for the unit since we arrived (3 months earlier). Most everyone was excited to finally get to see Africa from a view other than inside the camp walls.

Deployment day #68

2012-03-25T01:07:00.000-07:00

Deployment day #68

Hey everyone I just wanted to post some pictures of the "real Africa" that I get to see whenever I leave the base. It's very trashy and mostly poor. I am trying to compile a little more video to make it interesting. I have my online midterms this week so I've been a little pressed for time and thus there is no cool video this week, but they are on the way.

Later this week our unit is having a "team building" beach day. Fishing, snorkeling, volley ball, cookout. It is well deserved for our guys and gals. They work 12+ hours in very hot and humid conditions. We haven't had a day off yet. And of course I'll post those pictures afterward.

Above is a picture of one of the public transportation buses. The mud flap says "John Cena" and I'm not sure if that is a tribute to the wrestler or not. If you notice on the right side of the bus, there are indeed people hanging out the side door. We were traveling approximately 40-50kph. It's very common for people to be hanging on to the inside of a vehicle (with no door present). They try to cram as many people in the vans and buses as possible. And they do not really head any kind of traffic rules. Here, they really are just traffic suggestion.

To be honest, the terrain looks almost exactly like my home town area in Arizona. It's a similar desert environment as you could find in California or Nevada as well.

2012-03-17T05:02:00.000-07:00

Had a very fulfilling morning! I went along with some of the EMF crew to participate in a wound care clinic for some of the locals who do not have access to medical care. It was located at a nearby school run by French volunteers.

We brought a couple of boxes filled with candy and stuffed animal toys for the Nuns to give to the children. We can't give them directly to the children because word travels fast and some children might hurt themselves just to come in to get toys and candy.

The children LOVE to have their picture taken (especially with digital cameras so they can see themselves right afterwards.

We take care of their wounds and do the best we can to patch them back up, but we have limited supplies.

Bienvenue!

2012-03-16T05:03:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone.

Here is it, just as promised, my Africa blog.

I will try to update it often, especially if I have any interesting news or sights to share.

Thanks for stopping by and please check back weekly.