Dear Afghanistan, Believe it or not, it is with somewhat heavy heart I leave you today. I came here an 18-year-old Iowa farm girl, innocent and somewhat naive – fresh out of AIT ready to begin my career in the Army. You gave me many memories I could never forget, from meeting my best friend, to getting shot. From treating injuries under fire when wounded, to earning my commission so I may serve everyone better. It’s been a heck of a year! But here I am, 15 months later – ready to close this chapter of my life, and start writing the next one. There are so many people I have met this past year that will be my friends for the rest of my days. To my team: I will be thinking of you as you go back to Texas and resume your Army careers in a zone of peace. It would be my privilege to work with any of you again someday – you are second to none. To Junior: my best friend. Little did I know saving your life would open the door to the journey on which I am about to embark – medical school. In Dubai last August, you told me I could do better and challenged me to raise the bar higher. THANK YOU!! You believed I could clear that bar…you believed in ME, when I wasn’t sure I believed in myself… and now I have cleared it – and am on my way to the next hurdle. I will clear that one too. I will not fail you. There is no one I would rather have to pin my captain’s bars on me in 4 years. I will not fail God for the knowledge and opportunity He has bestowed upon me. I am very blessed. Thank you – all of you! So now with tears rolling down my face, I sign off for the final time from Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan. All that is left is to fold and pack my freshly washed linens, power down my laptop, go turn in my access badge and keys, and enjoy one last lunch with my friends at Echo’s. Then - I wait for my flight this afternoon at the outbound terminal, donning the battle rattle, one final time. Next stop: Transit Center at Manas, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Too bad I have to go back to Texas first – I could fly straight to Saint Petersburg from Manas on Rossiya airlines. Take care, and see you there! God Bless.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 04:59:40 +0000
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