My co-workers were depressed and went out of their way to tell me so. I don’t know if that made me feel good or bad (a little of both). I too was a little melancholy. Looking back on photos from my early on in my deployment, none of the current crew were around. Still, they all seem amalgamated into a collective whole that I remember fondly. After a last lunch at the Palace DFAC (we ate outside) my teammates and I went to my CHU to get my bags. They consist of: two issue sea bags full of gear I will need to turn in when I get to Kuwait, a large DCU back pack (for my laptop and other miscellany) and a large rolling suitcase.
We walked the bags over to the North Ballroom of the Palace and waited around for the Rhino show-time in the early afternoon. I did some last minute emails and phone calls related to my current planning project. I looked at my watch and announced, “well, it’s about that time, gents.” We started gathering my bags. To my surprise, the army colonel who runs our Plans shop shouldered the heaviest sea bag. I said, “Sir, you don’t need to carry that,” but he said, “you carried our burden, now we’ll carry yours.”
As I made my way to the office door, my teammate, Al said in a booming voice heard throughout the ballroom, “Call it out! Commander, U.S. Navy, de-par-ting!” which is the custom when a senior officer leaves a ship in port.
As a group we walked the short distance from the north end of the Palace to the Rhino staging area. When we arrived everyone stood around chatting and laughing waiting for the Rhino convoy. We took one last picture as the convoy arrived and I shook everyone’s hand and saluted all.
Very bittersweet. From within armored confines of a new MRAP, we drove away.
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