Yikes! I'm in 7th-grade!!!

Hi! This is Kayla. I'm in 7th-grade now, and I'm a little nervous. I've visited my school with the rest of my class, and I should get my schedule soon. They showed us a play (a la Cinderella) that I really liked. We got to ask questions. I don't like that we MUST dissect a frog (Dad thinks it's cool--ugh!!!).

Saturday, sister and I are going to "deploy." It's called S.P.A.C.E. Jr Deployer. We get to experience what Dad does when he deploys. It's not exactly the same, but it's pretty close. I think it's going to be cool. We've received our orders already. We get ID's (even though I have a real one) and dogtags. We get to wear Daddy's clothes, if we want to (just the shirt and hat). It's gonna be cool.

Friday, June 8th, multiple things happened. 1) We got out of school. 2) The Father-Daughter Banquet happened. It was AWESOME!!! We danced with Dad, and ate supper, and had dessert, and had our pics taken, and all sorts of stuff. I loved it!

In case any of you don't know, my Aunt's horse (Expresso) had a baby (DoubleShot). She was really stubborn about having it, though. We kept waiting and waiting and waiting, and she waited another week to have it! I can't wait to see her. Here's a picture of her:



That's all for this week. Come back next week for MORE!

Sincerely,
The Smiths

Who Knew?

Sierra was tested for a gifted program within the county, and scored a 134 on the Wischler IQ Test (#4). Must be a genetic anamoly somewhere!!!

Breathe in--breath out!

Wow! What a week it's been!!! I'll start from last Friday (8 June).
* Girls got out of school.
* The Base Chapel held its first ever Father-Daughter Banquet (led by me). It was an amazing time. Nothing preachy; just wanted to get Dads and daughters together to have a good time and enjoy each other's company. Andrew Ralon came out (thanks, Andrew!) and played his violin (called a "touch of class" to have him strolling around playing). It was awesome. I received this e-mail today in regard to the Banquet:

...I wanted to say how great the Father daughter dance was. All the
girls there including my own were smiling from ear to ear. It was the
first time I have really danced with my 15 year old daughter and a night
that I will forever remember and cherish. I received an honest heart
felt unprompted "I love you dad" for the first time in a long time. It
was something that I and a lot of military dads are missing out
of--quality one on one time with our daughters. Thank you so much for
that opportunity. I hope you are able to do it again next year.

I almost cried. God truly blessed that night. I cannot begin to tell you how meaningful of a night it was. If you want to see a pic of the girls and myself, shoot me an e-mail.

Saturday, 9 June
* Hiked Vedawou with the girls and Andrew (http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos/Misc/Vedawou_bouldering_58075.html)
* Received call to be at Base Command Post by 0600 Sunday morning for possible Active-duty death.

Sunday, 10 June
* Arrived 0600 to find out that A1C Eric Barnes, from our base, had been killed in Iraq.
* Preached the 0800 service.
* Commander's Call at A1C Barnes' squadron to inform squadron. Gave some pastoral care to grieving and shocked Airmen.
* Preached 1100 service.
* Took 2 hour nap (after the service, of course).

Monday, 11 June
* Worked with squadron and began memorial service plans.
* Had a funeral service in the morning. While preparing the sermonette (a.k.a., "Words of Comfort"), Sierra looked over my shoulder and said, "He enjoyed life?!!!! Life is not fair; how could he enjoy life?!!!!" I'm sorry my child is so abused).
* Jen and girls took Andrew back to the airport.
* Talked with dorm residents where Eric lived at 1700.

Tuesday, 12 June
* Visited with squadron.
* Worked on memorial service.
* Received call from Command Post re: another Active-duty death on base. Really strange circumstances there.
* Another Commander's Call for another squadron for another death.
* While Kayla went to CAP, I struggled with my "words of comfort" for A1C Barnes' memorial service on Thursday. Didn't get very far.

Wednesday, 13 June
* Worked on the script for the memorial service.
* Visited the squadron.
* Finished the "words of comfort" for the memorial service tomorrow. If you want to see what that looks like, let me know.
* Did take the family out for supper and a Tops In Blue performance (http://www.topsinblue.com/).

Thursday, 14 June
* Breakfast with squadron and A1C Barnes' family--0800.
* Invocation for another squadron's Change of Command (0930).
* Memorial Service for A1C Eric Barnes--1300.

In all of that, include counselings, sermon prep, etc. It's been a busy week! You might keep our base in mind. One person's death never affects a small group only. Couple that with two deaths in one week, and the effects can be overwhelming. Pray also that I might give God's comfort during this week.

The "Exercise" continues . . .

Tuesday was spent setting up camp, doing visitation, etc. Wednesday was the really FUN day. We practiced being attacked all day long (literally--I got home at 1900). So, I spent most of the day in Chem Gear! Yay!!!! My all-time favorite uniform.



You can figure out which one I am. Anyway, the day was not ill-spent. Having never been deployed, this at least makes me think about what I will do (for instance, chaplains minister to the folks at Mortuary Affairs while they are preparing the bodies or have prepared the bodies) in certain situations. It was a thought-provoking day, actually, although those who have done this multiple times may not understand that. So, here are a few pictures of camp for you to enjoy.





Jennifer scored me BIG points. Someone challenged me with the statement that another Chaplain always brings doughnut holes, and I wasn't keeping up! Jen sent me on Thursday with around 175 homemade cinnamon rolls and a huge bag of banana bread muffins! Thanks, Jen!!! Several people told me their shop would always accept such items.

Okay, that's enough for the monkey gallery to make more nasty comments. I enjoyed (for the most part) the exercise; the real thing will be here soon enough.

A Boy and His Battle Rattle

Okay, so here's the deal. 100+ of us here at F. E. Warren AFB are "playing" war games this week. Yours truly, for instance, had to be on base in place locked, cocked, and ready to rock at . . . . . . . . . ready for this? 0400 (that's 4 a.m. for you non-military types). I got home at 1800 (6 p.m.). We start again tomorrow at 0545 and are scheduled to end at 1800. What fun! What thrills! What a waste of time some of this is while the leadership gets the administrative details together. What do we do while playing? We set up camp; we train; we are attacked. I, as the Chaplain, will have a service on Wednesday afternoon (thinking of focusing on those really deployed and missing), make up a simulated schedule, visit the Airmen, counsel, and participate in various scenarios. The first day is a pain, administratively, but the other days can be quite fun. At any rate, it's worth giving you a look-see at Kraig in full battle gear, otherwise known as "battle rattle." Here goes!



Who'd of ever thunk it? Okay, off to bed at 2000 (figure that one out!) so I can rise early in the morning. Anybody want me to call them?!

Days 4 and 5 of AF Conference

Thursday was another interesting day of briefings. Some were more interesting than others, I assure you. The most interesting briefer, for me, was Maj Gen Paul Selva, the man in charge of thinking ahead for future AF needs, etc. If you know me at all, you know that I am really interested in thinking ahead to the future. What will we look like? What will we need then that we need to start working on now? Here are a few things from his briefing:
1. 30% of China's population lives in the cities. What will the energy demand be in the future if more of that 70% rural population moves into the city?
2. At the current rate, the new F-35 will take 50 years to buy.
3. The AF needs to think about replacing the F-22, the world's premier fighter, in 2018.
4. The last American Soldier killed by enemy aircraft was in Korea--1953 (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123052633).
5. Without air dominance, 1 of our servicemen dies to every 7 of theirs. With air dominance, 1 of ours dies for every 60-600 of theirs!

Very interesting stuff re: the importance of the AF and what we bring to the fight. Also interesting in that people wonder why the AF needs fighters unmatched by the rest of the world. You'll note three things--1) the rest of the world is not just twiddling their thumbs (SAMs, for instance, can lock on to aircraft that are 200 miles away--much farther than we can lock on!); 2) the buying process is so long that systems are in fact obsolete before we can procure them; 3) the R&D process and the procurement process are so long that we have to have systems far in advance of anything current so we can be current when we do get them!

I've been impressed by the deep thinking going on. It's great to know someone is thinking those thoughts!

Today, we went to the Pentagon and toured around (this was a personal tour). That was pretty neat as well. We go home tomorrow, and it's back to the grind. For now? It's time for supper! Ciao.

Day #3 of AF Conference

Just a quick note before I go to our Dining-In. If you don't know what that is, check this out (http://usmilitary.about.com/od/airforce/a/afdiningin.htm). Anyway, went to the White House today (first time I've been), Arlington National Cemetery (toured around by the Honor Guard), the Air Force Memorial (more impressive than I expected), and then the Air and Space Museum, where I went into a flight simulator and had my picture taken by teens on a pictorial scavenger hunt (one of our group had her picture taken by a Chinese woman--spy? This is D C!!!). Anyway, I'm off to our Dining In. This is our cool, fancy uniform for such an affair.


Toodles! There will be more tomorrow, the last day of the conference, which is good, as I'm almost out of clothes!!!

Day #2 of AFCGOC PD Conference

Well, I ain't necessarily dumb, but today was definitely the AF nerd's day! We heard from the Vice-Commander of the AF's new Cyberspace Operations command. We also heard from the Commander of the National Reconnaissance Office (Did you know that everything in space that is 10+ cm is counted?!). Both were pretty much over my head! Good stuff, however, what I understood. You could hear the pocket protectors and slide rulers coming out!!!! We also heard from 5 Chief Master Sgts. The Chiefs are always good to hear from because they shoot straight. Best quote? "If you're going to be an officer, act like an officer!" Did you know the AF has a Special Operations command? I did, but not a lot of people do! The Vice-Commander spoke like a true SpecOps member--short and to the point. One of his tips for leadership is, "Stay in shape; pick up trash." Those two statement are not necessarily connected, just by the way. Perhaps the best speaker today, surprisingly, was the four star Marine General--James Cartwright. Very intelligent, articulate, and deep. He asked these questions--"How do you change the [military] culture to match the world? How do you remain relevant?" I couldn't help but wonder how the Church needs to answer those questions. We don't change church culture to match the world, by any means, but we might have to change it to remain relevant. As long as the Gospel remains the same, the rest is window dressing, and yet so many churches continue to stay the same. Lastly, we heard from Col (sel) Al King, the first mayor of Baghdad. He was very interesting. He actually has a website--www.2xarmed.com. Haven't checked it out yet, so can't tell you what's on there. He has much to say about how the Administration screwed up Iraq, but also has much to say about how we might still fix it. A few of his points--
* The problem came about when we labeled ourselves "occupiers," no longer "guests."
* "Iraq has never won a war, and never lost a negotiation."
* Al Qaeda is to Islam what the KKK is to Christianity.
* Cultural tips:
a. Don't shake hands unless it is offered to you first.
b. The senior person sits at the head of the table.
c. At the end of the tea at the end of the meal, LEAVE!
d. Don't use the left hand for anything.
Good stuff. I bought his book. I hope it will be helpful for when I go over there (if I do).

Lastly, our two star sponsor, Maj Gen Wurster, called a 1Lt up, and he and another two-star pinned on her new Captain's bars in front of everyone at the end of the day. It was pretty neat. Not many Lt's can say that has happened to them. Neat conference, thus far. I had supper with AJ Dobson and Andrew Ralon tonight, then came back and ran for 25 minutes. Tomorrow is tour day, and my bus will go to the White House, the Air and Space Museum, and Arlington. We'll be back tomorrow night in time to get dressed for our formal Dining-In.

Peace!

Conference Day #1

Interesting day today, with lots of good speakers, so I've enjoyed it thus far. Most of our speakers today were two and three-stars, and yet very down-to-earth. So, just a few key ideas, thoughts, and quotes for you to ponder:
a) Prince George's County, MD, has a higher murder rate than NYC;
b) On Jan 11, 2007, the Chinese successfully destroyed a defunct missile (thanks, Wikipedia) using an ASAT (anti-satellite)weapon, thereby causing a few people to go, "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm";
c) At least two speakers emphasized (footstomped) the necessity of bringing the family along. One said, "If you reach the top of the [promotion] pyramid, and your family is not with you, you have failed." I have long been impressed by the AF's commitment to the family;
d) "Communication is the hardest thing we [as humans] do";
e) The amount of trade in the Pacific region of the world in 2005 was $1.1 trillion;
f) India is the world's largest democracy and the third largest Muslim country;
g) "People get kicked out for doing something stupid--it's either with the Government Travel Card or with the zipper."

I'm also always impressed with the admonitions of our top leaders to be humble, to work hard, to live core values, to care for your people, to remember that service, by definition, involves inconvenience. Not that the AF, by any means, is perfect, but I sometimes wonder if the military (and civilian corporations as well) do a better job of touting spiritual ideals and holding people accountable for those than other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . institutions do.

On another note, I played the Wii at the Kendig's house Sunday. It is really a neat system. One of the games was boxing (at which I beat the former reigning Kendig champion--Ashley), and I am surprised (and even chagrined) at how sore I am the next day--as if I'd had a major weightlifting session!

Happy Mother's Day!

It's been an interesting weekend. I have an Air Force Company Grade Officers Professional Development Conference in D.C., starting tomorrow, so Jen and I flew in on Friday and drove down to SOMD for the weekend. The traffic is worse than I remember (!), and the East Coast is lusher and greener than I remembered! What a contrast to Wyoming!!! After the High Plains, Maryland feels positively "jungle-y"! We stayed with friends for the weekend, and we were very well treated. Thanks to the Dardens, who graciously opened their home up to us and anyone who wanted to visit. Bill hosted an Axis and Allies game Friday night (which I actually won!!!), as well as tons of people. Saturday morning, Bill and Barb managed to keep the boys from banging on drums like they wanted to, and Jen and I slept in a little while. Tina came over, and we talked, and then went to see the boys' soccer games. Afterwards, about 8 gazillion people came over to the Dardens, and the last one left around 10:30 p.m. We ate 5 Guys Burgers and Fries for supper (fiveguys.com), which we had both had a craving for, and just visited all night long. It was really nice. We had not realized how much we missed our circle of friends in Maryland, many of whom have children close to the same age as ours! It was really an amazing day of reconnecting with some great people (including several of "my" teens).

On Sunday, we attended Leonardtown Baptist Church and heard a really good sermon. The service itself was phenomenal (http://leonardtownbaptist.org/). It was strange, to say the least, to see so many of our good friends there instead of Lexington Park Baptist. It's quite saddening to see how LPB has gone down, especially for a church which had so much potential.

All in all, it was a really nice weekend. Great hospitality, neat people, beautiful countryside, warm church--very refreshing. Now, what did we do with the girls? Well, they went down to Aunt Mel's in Colorado Springs, where they mucked stables, rode horses, saw a new foal, played with 4-wheelers--in short, they had a very "rough" time. Mel brought them back to the house tonight, where Jen will meet them.

So, you're caught up now. Have a great week!