So I am finally back at Camp Lejeune after three weeks at Ft. Pickett, VA for some pre-deployment training. It was an exciting and exhausting period with something going on 24/7. The battalion stood up a Forward Operating Base (FOB) which is where I coordinated all of my activities from. The FOB also held the Battalion Aid Station (BAS) which is where the corpsmen handle all major care and also became my sleeping quarters because the tent for officers ran out of room and I lost my spot the first time I left the FOB to visit the companies. This happened the first night of training, but wasn't too bad as I wasn't on the FOB often or for very long. I got off the FOB for half of the training nights and really enjoyed being out and about with the Marines during this complex training environment. It was also nice to not have as much counseling regarding guys not wanting to be in the Marines now that they are out doing the job for which they signed up and trained for many years.
I got to see my RP (assistant and bodyguard) shoot for the first time and was quite impressed. 4 shots, 4 kills at 400 yards on the range. I know that I am well protected while in country, which is good news to both myself and my mom. It also gave me a chance to see the RP in action and I have lucked out with a great assistant who does well keeping me on schedule and also works well with me to keep me from forgetting things I need for worship, etc. He can also hang with my hectic nature in the field of getting out as often and for as long as possible outside the FOB, something we plan to continue while in country.
I had the opportunity to perform a number of services while out there and got some good feedback that those who showed up left filled with God's word and presence. I even had one say he came not expecting anything worth returning for, but found himself looking forward to coming back again. I also worked with a Catholic priest to facilitate services for the Catholics in the battalion. He was well received and held their attention during the services. He really enjoys serving Marines when they come up there and even enjoyed eating a MRE.
The other major thing I was tasked to do while up there was to introduce an "ethical warrior" training program. I basically trained the Non Commissioned Officers on the history of ethics, just war theory, military ethics, how to run case studies and introduced the concept of ethics of care so that they can go back to their squads and start talking ethics on a regular basis with their Marines. The goal being that the Marines discuss ethical issues now before so they know their ethical core before issues come up both here in garrison as well as when they are operating in country. Unknown to me before designing the program, there is high level interest in programs such as this and I was filmed and photographed giving one of the trainings followed by an interview with a public affairs officer who is incorporating the training into an article on innovations the battalion is implementing. I will update that if anything comes of it.
I also got to be a bit of a battalion photographer and PAO as I was tasked with updating the battalion's facebook page each week with photos from the field. I guess that comes with being one of the few guys who gets outside the FOB regularly to visit all the companies. It was fun taking a ton of photos and some videos to give the families a taste of what the guys were going through. Though it blows up my email account with people requesting to tag photos and making comments.
Overall it was a great time and I am fortunate to have a job that allows me such a great way to connect with others in a unique way. I am back here for a little over two weeks and then off again for more training. This time to the Mojave Desert for our final deployment certification. Deployment will be here before I know it. I just need to figure out a way to keep the posts coming from overseas so I can make sure care package requests are available for those few who read this.
Now it is back to the weekly grind of meetings in garrison. At least I get a break from meetings and get to hold an Ash Wednesday service this week that I still need to plan.
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