I hope this note finds you all well and enjoying you last few days of summer weather.  I am doing well.  I cant believe that it has been almost 4 weeks since I left Orlando for Fort Polk.  Sunday September 19 was a super difficult day to leave Connor and Grace.

My first stop was Gulfport, MS.  There I did the official active duty check in.  I was fitted for my gear, had another health record review, and successfully avoided getting a small pox immunization.  I remained in Gulfport for about 1 week, then off to Fort Polk.

I am living in Tiger Land, and am being trained as a Combat Advisor.  My main job is to support and advise medical professionals in Kabul.  I will be running 7 Med-Surg floors, ER, ICU, and will probably be advising anesthesia as well.  The CRNA who is there now isn’t being replaced.

I  have two room mates.  LCDR Dial is a hospital administrator and LCDR Feliciano is a pathologist.

Fort Polk is in the middle of no where, so needless to say the options for excitement are limited to laughing as the Air Force tries to walk in formation and eating Mexican food.  The food here is actually not half bad if you like chicken, because you will eat it for EVERY meal.

The first week saw us getting our briefs from the 2nd battalion, a rules for the road brief.  We then got MORE gear: body armor, M4 rifle, M9 pistol, cold weather gear, rain gear, and the like.