Was it just five months ago that I was last in the D.C. area?

On Tuesday I drove through N.C., Virginia, D.C., and Maryland on my way to the Annapolis area. How different things seem now. But it’s not the area that is different. I am different, after all the training and new experiences I’ve been through. I was surprised, when I did the math, that it has only been five months since my last drill weekend. So much has happened that it seems more like a year.

I drove past Andrews Air Force Base, where I was officially mobilized, and then on to Annapolis. On Wednesday I was at Ft. Meade, just down the road from the drill site for my last unit which was at an Army Reserve Center. How ironic. In a sense, I was right back where I started — but only for the day. I drive back to Ft. Bragg Wednesday afternoon.

I am in the final month of my sojourn in N.C. I am scheduled to head to Afghanistan in early November. I think I will make it this time. I’ve spoken to the Air Force Captain I’m replacing, so I know I’m actually going to be filling a job over there. Last time, there were no billets open, which is why I didn’t fly. This is different.

Also different is how much more prepared I feel, compared to my feeling like a deer in the headlights in July. I’m feeling more settled into “Big Army” and feel less like an outsider. I’ve acquired some knowledge of what I’ll be doing once I’m there. And I know several of the people I’ll be working with. None of those things was true in July.

Even though the extended wait has been frustrating, I have appreciated the extra visits from family and opportunities for trips home. I’ve also appreciated the immersion in the active duty way of life, which is vastly different from my Navy reserve experience. 

I’m making final decisions on what gear to leave behind at Ft. Bragg and what to send overseas. I’m putting my heaviest gear on a flight next week to go ahead of me. That will make for less stuff I’m hauling around when I actually board the C-17. (I blogged about whether it would be like Jonah being swallowed by a whale in July.)

Less than a month before I fly.