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Deployment: A Fresh Take

2/4/2016

15 Comments

 
Picture
Five years after I last thought I'd be 'downrange', I'm packing to do it again.  It's the first time no one has told me I have to get in the fight.  This time I volunteered to deploy.  To leave my family and put my Pacific Northwest life on hold.  The newscasts of ISIL attacking Paris, burning pilots alive, and murdering people along the beach moved me to raise my hand and say, "I want to get back in the fight."  Will it be the direct action missions of the past?  Not this time.  I'm older, my SOF days are done.  But this dog still has a few skills that are valuable.

Returning brings back memories.  My final flight out of Kandahar is one I cannot forget.  A C-17 was leaving westbound... west toward America, toward home.  So I grabbed my bags and jumped a ride.  Little did I know that my knees would be 16" from a row of flag draped caskets for the next three hours.  "Sobering" doesn't come close to describing it.  Deeply moving, profound, desolate, angry, honored.  Those are a bit more accurate.  The loadmaster and I were the only two souls in the back, no doubt each thinking about life, the pains of war, our mortality, families, and this fight.

I told myself, "I'm not coming back to this shit."  It made sense at the time.  But five years later, I get the feeling it's a different fight.  Is it?  Back then it was the Taliban, Pakistan-backed insurgents, the Haqqani network.  Those a-holes are still there.  But now it's the cancer on the world that is spreading beyond national borders.  Peddling something worse than drugs: a violent, intolerant, radical caliphate that would rule the world if they had their way.  

So I join my American sisters and brothers; do my little part in the big puzzle.  Let's roll.

Packing begins.  I actually like packing.  It reminds me of getting ready to leave on a big mountaineering trip or international adventure.  (This is an adventure, right?!)  I'm pretty lucky to have a wife that is making breakfast burritos for me right now, so I can be well fed for the 24hrs of travel that begins tomorrow.  

My goal is to pack light.  Not have a lot of crap to weigh me down or distract me.  Work out gear, books, and a computer.  Plus lots of uniforms/military stuff.  I've got some new flippy flopies that should keep my feet free of shower scum (thanks Combat Flip Flops!), but more importantly looking chillaxed when cruising the gravel paths of the Middle East.  I meant to get a light-weight travel hammock... damn, forgot it.  But otherwise I think I'm GTG.

There isn't much time in the day, as we've got big plans for my last night here.  We're off to the Northwest Avalanche Center Snow Ball- a charity event to raise money for a super important resource for snow-loving mountain people.  It'll be a great way to say adios to the PNW.  So I'll cut it here and get back to packing.  --RMM

(Maj. Marshall's blog is hosted by USAF50Summits.com as part of our mission to tell the story of military members who are also avid outdoorists.  Stay tuned in for more adventures.)
15 Comments
Edie
2/4/2016 02:27:21 pm

Thanks for sharing, Rob. Too bad it's too late for me to send you my travel hammock ;-) Have fun tonight and a safe trip tomorrow! Am looking forward to more updates... <3

Reply
Rob
2/4/2016 02:54:24 pm

Thanks Edie. I've got a sleeping pad and small bag that will get me shut-eye anywhere. The hammock would have been nice for the flight there and back. Will do my best to keep regular updates going.

Reply
Dad
2/4/2016 03:54:04 pm

If you want my light weight , small and comfortable hammock (Army), drop by home.

Reply
Lamar
2/4/2016 03:57:43 pm

Be safe my friend. I appreciate you

Reply
Bryan's
2/4/2016 04:38:59 pm

Thanks for sharing Rob. We'll keep you in our thoughts. Be safe! K & S

Reply
Uncle John
2/4/2016 05:46:18 pm

Hey, Rob, I echo your friends' "be safe" and I look forward to our next meal together. Our best wishes, J & C.

Reply
Mom
2/4/2016 07:13:32 pm

Thanks for sharing Rob! While I don't know all the ways, I believe non-violence can change the world... food, water, shelter, opportunity to improve one's way of life, health. Safe journey ❤️
With love... Mom

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Rich and Heidi
2/4/2016 07:25:47 pm

Thoughts and prayers for safe travels and deployment. Looking forward to having you back home soon for backyard campfires and s'mores.

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Geoff Riordan
2/4/2016 07:26:03 pm

Rob - You will always positively affect the lives of those around you, no matter what you are doing. We'll keep you and your family in our prayers.

Your Arkansas Friends

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Jayne Anne
2/4/2016 07:44:15 pm

Prayers. Thanks for your service and for keeping us safe.

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Adam
2/5/2016 01:03:32 am

Cheers, Rob. May you have another safe journey.

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Stacey
2/5/2016 07:05:42 pm

Can the Glasers ship you some cookies???

Reply
Fran
2/6/2016 07:19:39 am

Your sense of duty is admirable and most appreciated. Stay safe and coffee upon return! Good Job!

Reply
Rob Marshall
2/7/2016 03:53:07 pm

Thank you for all the feedback everyone. I'm looking forward to coffee with you Fran, s'mores with you Rich and Heidi, cookies from the Glasers, and Afghan food back in Seattle with you, John and Christine. May your superbowl afternoon be a grand one!

Reply
Ben Brown
2/8/2016 09:05:28 am

Had a great time sending you off in style at the NWAC gala! We'll get some spring corn when you return.

Reply



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