This is probably the first blog that I've sat down to write and not had the words figured out before I even logged on. Maybe that means this will be something just astounding, or maybe it'll be a jumbled mess. Lets find out together.
This deployment has taken it's toll on Derrick. His faith in the goodness of man has dwindled some. With each deployment, it always does. In my head I rationalize that he sees the good and bad sides of war, of our presence in Afghanistan, but usually only hear about the bad. He's in a place where the impact we're making isn't always discernible. All the times we talk I try to feel the waters to see if there was a genuine good person who affected his life. That might sound crazy to some of you, and I don't mean a good US Marine or Soldier. I mean the people he works with in the community, the people he sees while on patrol through villages, the village elders, or the men, women and children on the streets.
I remember when he first got out there I was sending things for his team and Manan, the young boy who works for them. At the time he was twelve years old and he along with his brothers worked so they could care for their mother and smaller siblings. He may still be twelve, or his birthday may have passed. Derrick's been there well over half a year already. In any case, I don't hear stories about Manan as much anymore. I don't even know if he still works for them.
When I see articles about a thriving Afghanistan I make a point of sharing them with Derrick. It gives him hope that what he's doing is making a difference. It's hard for Derrick to actually grasp though because the sheer barbarism that he sees on a day-to-day basis. Where he's at they still don't have electricity, women are still second class (if that) with no education and no rights what so ever.
Today I saw something amazing. I saw the light go on, the one that told him- "we're here for a reason" & "we are appreciated." It came in a very random and emotional way, but it was what he needed to know he, they all have made an impact. They've shown these people a better way to live and they're grateful.
He tells me more about his job and the day-to-day then many wives hear & possibly more than many want to hear. I want him to be able to express himself when he needs to, no matter the cost for me. I have support here if I need it. He has nobody. There are no chaplains, no higher ranking people and no peers. It's him and his Marines and that's just unethical.
As we were talking this evening he told me that they went to talk to the father of one of the enemy KIA. He said he was so upset about his sons actions that he didn't even go to his funeral. He then went on to tell me what a nice old man this guy was, how upset he was because his son was fighting for the wrong side and how wrong his son was.
I can't imagine being in this mans shoes. I can't begin to fathom the emotions he is feeling. At the same time, I try to put myself in Derrick's shoes and I can't do that either. This had to be an emotionally moving day for him. For weeks he's talked about "getting the hell out of [t]here." Today he said, "I'm ready to go home even though there are some things I will miss about here."
I don't like that it's things like this that show him that they're helping make a difference, it's such an extreme difference than what I'd conjure up, as an American I mean. It's not a pretty happy picture with flowers and smiley faces. It's a mean, aggressive war, but in it, there are moments that have the ability to reach through all that dirt, sweat and armor to touch a hardened heart.
Another day where I feel completely humbled to life as freely as I do.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
I live in my little bubble
It's not as tight as some wives, but there is plenty I try not to know. If you know me well then you know it's not much. I tend to seek out the "stuff" that's going down in Afghanistan. I read it, I hear about it but it's seldom close to Derrick. When I hear things from him it does affect me. And you can probably tell by my moods and mannerisms when I'm not doing so well. For the most part though I am fine in my little bubble, knowing that things happen in Afghanistan and near Derrick. But not so near in a weird kind of way.
Pop! Did ya hear that? Yeah that was my bubble. Last week I mentioned that Derrick was interviewed by a reporter from the Chicago Tribune. He was not listed in the article because he is not part of the Illinois National Guard, but since he was interviewed I started following this reporters work. I guess in hopes of seeing a later article that specifically mentioned him. Wishful thinking I suppose.
Today that papers website search engine is down so I had to search from the home page and the sections listed. I saw a link for the Afghanistan War-Blog. That sounds about right so I clicked to check it out. Sure enough it's written by James Janega himself (the reporter who interviewed Derrick and also responded personally to my e mail).
The great thing about having it on a blog is he was able to upload pictures, in the online archives there were no photos to go with the article. The firs blog was about the French troops celebrating a national holiday at another camp, but the majority of the posts are specific to Derrick's location. Again, since he is not a Chicago native and not part of the Ill Nat Guard he is not mentioned here but I know each event blogged about is an event that Derrick is participating in. I can say this without question because I know the size of this outpost and the amount of troops there to sustain it.
He jokes with me when we talk, now that there are no phone calls home we only have instant messenger. What had become a daily routine has become something more sporadic. There is no rhyme or reason to his timing anymore. So every few days I'll hear from him for 5-7 minutes before he has to jet off to a brief, teach a class or grab some chow while there's some left. But he's always some smart remark about being safe. The most recent was, "scare's are cool right?"
I can thank this blog, not mine but Janega's for the belief that I now have. That the insurgents are fully aware of our calendar. Like when our holidays are.
Few know about the bizarre happenings of Valentine's Day 2009, both for the kids and I and D out there. It wasn't until a few days later that I learned we did share something this year. A scary as all heck event. I will completely give him the award for this one though. His was by far more massive.
Until recently I thought Valentine's Day was the first seriously eventful day. That is not the case, prior holidays & other non-holiday dates as well, but to back my theory, Independence Day was no exception. I talked to Derrick that morning, but not again for a few days. I guess a lot can change in a few hours.
I'll save the ridiculous cliches about fireworks and bombs bursting in air. I don't feel super patriotic at the moment. It's kind of scary to realize the protection of my bubble has been removed.
Just be safe Derrick. You promised me & I'm holding you to it. I need you.
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/afghan-war-blog/
Pop! Did ya hear that? Yeah that was my bubble. Last week I mentioned that Derrick was interviewed by a reporter from the Chicago Tribune. He was not listed in the article because he is not part of the Illinois National Guard, but since he was interviewed I started following this reporters work. I guess in hopes of seeing a later article that specifically mentioned him. Wishful thinking I suppose.
Today that papers website search engine is down so I had to search from the home page and the sections listed. I saw a link for the Afghanistan War-Blog. That sounds about right so I clicked to check it out. Sure enough it's written by James Janega himself (the reporter who interviewed Derrick and also responded personally to my e mail).
The great thing about having it on a blog is he was able to upload pictures, in the online archives there were no photos to go with the article. The firs blog was about the French troops celebrating a national holiday at another camp, but the majority of the posts are specific to Derrick's location. Again, since he is not a Chicago native and not part of the Ill Nat Guard he is not mentioned here but I know each event blogged about is an event that Derrick is participating in. I can say this without question because I know the size of this outpost and the amount of troops there to sustain it.
He jokes with me when we talk, now that there are no phone calls home we only have instant messenger. What had become a daily routine has become something more sporadic. There is no rhyme or reason to his timing anymore. So every few days I'll hear from him for 5-7 minutes before he has to jet off to a brief, teach a class or grab some chow while there's some left. But he's always some smart remark about being safe. The most recent was, "scare's are cool right?"
I can thank this blog, not mine but Janega's for the belief that I now have. That the insurgents are fully aware of our calendar. Like when our holidays are.
Few know about the bizarre happenings of Valentine's Day 2009, both for the kids and I and D out there. It wasn't until a few days later that I learned we did share something this year. A scary as all heck event. I will completely give him the award for this one though. His was by far more massive.
Until recently I thought Valentine's Day was the first seriously eventful day. That is not the case, prior holidays & other non-holiday dates as well, but to back my theory, Independence Day was no exception. I talked to Derrick that morning, but not again for a few days. I guess a lot can change in a few hours.
I'll save the ridiculous cliches about fireworks and bombs bursting in air. I don't feel super patriotic at the moment. It's kind of scary to realize the protection of my bubble has been removed.
Just be safe Derrick. You promised me & I'm holding you to it. I need you.
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/afghan-war-blog/
Friday, July 10, 2009
Roughing it part of tour
So Derrick is not part of the Illinois National Guard, but this is where he and 2 other Marines have made their home for the past 8 months. The place that will be home through the summer. I knew his conditions were meager to say the least, but this gives such insight into how some of our men are living while others bitch over their XBox 360 getting the "red ring of death" or their steak not being cooked to perfection. This really puts things into perspective.
After reading this article I decided to thank the reporter. He made a trek so many of Derrick's own command won't make, he has earned my respect. I thanked him with no thought of getting a response but the following morning this is the message I received: "I met him, and he's a terrific guy. Tell him to stay patient! His job is really demanding, and his students are very taxing."
I don't know that I can express in words what getting that message, those specific words meant to me.
Here is the article I am referring to:
REPORTING FROM DUMLAM, AFGHANISTAN
Roughing it part of tour
Illinois troops stationed at an isolated outpost far from civilization, James Janega writes
Tribune staff report
July 8, 2009
The outpost is a three-hour drive to the nearest reinforcements, a half-hour walk to an observation post the soldiers call "Little Round Top" and smack in the middle of four valleys used by Taliban insurgents and smugglers of black-market timber, drugs and weapons.
For the Illinois National Guard detachments from Headquarters and Charlie Companies of the 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry, this is home, and they like it here. But there are drawbacks.
They have no way to wash clothes, meaning soldiers' green camouflage trousers are tinged with yellow, not to mention ripped at the pockets and seams. Without running water, there are no flush toilets. (Hand-washing is done with Purell.) They got a kitchen only two months ago, meaning they could stop eating Pop-Tarts and barbecuing goats.
"I feel like we're in the middle of nowhere," said Spc. William Pippen, 23, of Chicago's Chatham neighborhood, gazing out at the scrub-covered beige mountains and snow-capped 10,000-foot peaks behind them. "We are in the middle of nowhere."
But the troops here actually prefer it to the larger bases in Afghanistan run by the Air Force.
"They have streetlights, for God's sake," said Spc. David Gray, 20, of the city's West Side. "Some of those bases, it's like you're in Ameristan."
That is not the case for the soldiers from Chicago, Kankakee and Joliet here at Combat Outpost Najil, halfway up Afghanistan's Ali Shang Valley.
It is rustic even by infantry standards, and it is strategically placed to inject a government presence into the area (Afghan soldiers also live on base), while simultaneously getting in the way of insurgent travel and moneymaking activities.
For that reason, the base is frequently mortared and rocketed.
"It limits the enemy's freedom of movement. If they're going to traffic in lumber, narcotics or weapons, they've got to do it in front of us," said Capt. Luke Gosnell, 26, of Warsaw, Ill., Charlie Company's commander. "The mere presence of us here deters a lot of that."
Maps of the rugged territory ripple with closely spaced contour lines, offering countless alternative routes between the nearby Pakistani border, the capital Kabul and Afghanistan's restive south. And Gosnell allows that despite his troops' presence here, the Taliban feels secure enough to have established an entire shadow government.
Nevertheless, the U.S. soldiers say their presence has accomplished some unexpected things, such as winning friends among some of the locals, including former guerrilla fighters.
The Chicago-area troops say they're proud of what they've done, and speak warmly of COP Najil -- to a point.
"After a while, you get tired of staring at the same mountains," Pippen said.
After reading this article I decided to thank the reporter. He made a trek so many of Derrick's own command won't make, he has earned my respect. I thanked him with no thought of getting a response but the following morning this is the message I received: "I met him, and he's a terrific guy. Tell him to stay patient! His job is really demanding, and his students are very taxing."
I don't know that I can express in words what getting that message, those specific words meant to me.
Here is the article I am referring to:
REPORTING FROM DUMLAM, AFGHANISTAN
Roughing it part of tour
Illinois troops stationed at an isolated outpost far from civilization, James Janega writes
Tribune staff report
July 8, 2009
The outpost is a three-hour drive to the nearest reinforcements, a half-hour walk to an observation post the soldiers call "Little Round Top" and smack in the middle of four valleys used by Taliban insurgents and smugglers of black-market timber, drugs and weapons.
For the Illinois National Guard detachments from Headquarters and Charlie Companies of the 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry, this is home, and they like it here. But there are drawbacks.
They have no way to wash clothes, meaning soldiers' green camouflage trousers are tinged with yellow, not to mention ripped at the pockets and seams. Without running water, there are no flush toilets. (Hand-washing is done with Purell.) They got a kitchen only two months ago, meaning they could stop eating Pop-Tarts and barbecuing goats.
"I feel like we're in the middle of nowhere," said Spc. William Pippen, 23, of Chicago's Chatham neighborhood, gazing out at the scrub-covered beige mountains and snow-capped 10,000-foot peaks behind them. "We are in the middle of nowhere."
But the troops here actually prefer it to the larger bases in Afghanistan run by the Air Force.
"They have streetlights, for God's sake," said Spc. David Gray, 20, of the city's West Side. "Some of those bases, it's like you're in Ameristan."
That is not the case for the soldiers from Chicago, Kankakee and Joliet here at Combat Outpost Najil, halfway up Afghanistan's Ali Shang Valley.
It is rustic even by infantry standards, and it is strategically placed to inject a government presence into the area (Afghan soldiers also live on base), while simultaneously getting in the way of insurgent travel and moneymaking activities.
For that reason, the base is frequently mortared and rocketed.
"It limits the enemy's freedom of movement. If they're going to traffic in lumber, narcotics or weapons, they've got to do it in front of us," said Capt. Luke Gosnell, 26, of Warsaw, Ill., Charlie Company's commander. "The mere presence of us here deters a lot of that."
Maps of the rugged territory ripple with closely spaced contour lines, offering countless alternative routes between the nearby Pakistani border, the capital Kabul and Afghanistan's restive south. And Gosnell allows that despite his troops' presence here, the Taliban feels secure enough to have established an entire shadow government.
Nevertheless, the U.S. soldiers say their presence has accomplished some unexpected things, such as winning friends among some of the locals, including former guerrilla fighters.
The Chicago-area troops say they're proud of what they've done, and speak warmly of COP Najil -- to a point.
"After a while, you get tired of staring at the same mountains," Pippen said.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Let it go
It's been a rough couple of weeks for me, for the obvious, this deployment and my closest friend moving away, but also for other reasons. I've really felt myself being consumed with feelings- just tons of feelings about people who have walked out of my life. In the actual sense, or in the emotional sense. I have spent the past few weeks, maybe even months wondering why I felt so alone, what I was doing wrong. Today I realized it doesn't matter.
It's not me.
It is how it should be.
Life is happening.
If you know me, I'm not overly religious. Heck, some days I think it's hard to sense even a hint of religion in me but this is what I forgot.
There are people who can walk away from you.
And hear me when I tell you this! When people can walk away from you: let them walk. I don’t want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, Caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean hang up the phone.
When people can walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left.
The bible said that, they came out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not for us. For had they been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. [1 John 2:19]
People leave you because they are not joined to you. And if they are not joined to you, you can’t make them stay.
Let them go.
And it doesn’t mean that they are a bad person it just means that their part in the story is over. And you’ve got to know when people’s part in your story is over so that you don’t keep trying to raise the dead.
You’ve got to know when it’s dead.
You’ve got to know when it’s over. Let me tell you something. I’ve got the gift of good-bye. It’s the tenth spiritual gift, I believe in good-bye. It’s not that I’m hateful, it’s that I’m faithful, and I know whatever God means for me to have He’ll give it to me. And if it takes too much sweat I don’t need it. Stop begging people to stay.
Let them go!!
If you are holding on to something that doesn’t belong to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to……
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to past hurts and pains…
LET IT GO!!!
If someone can’t treat you right, love you back, and see your worth…..
LET IT GO!!!
If someone has angered you …….
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge……
LET IT GO!!!
If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction…..
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents
LET IT GO!!!
If you have a bad attitude…….
LET IT GO!!!
If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better……
LET IT GO!!!
If you’re stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new level in Him……
LET IT GO!!!
If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship………………..
LET IT GO!!!
If you keep trying to help someone who won’t even try to help themselves…..
LET IT GO!!!
If you’re feeling depressed and stressed …..
LET IT GO!!!
If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling yourself and God is saying “take your hands off of it,” then you need to…
LET IT GO!!!
Let the past be the past. Forget the former things. GOD is doing a new thing for 2007!!! (2008, 09, 10... He keeps renewing)
LET IT GO!!!
Get Right or Get Left .. think about it, and then ..
LET IT GO!!!
Let it go for 2007…
By T. D. Jakes
It's not me.
It is how it should be.
Life is happening.
If you know me, I'm not overly religious. Heck, some days I think it's hard to sense even a hint of religion in me but this is what I forgot.
There are people who can walk away from you.
And hear me when I tell you this! When people can walk away from you: let them walk. I don’t want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, Caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean hang up the phone.
When people can walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left.
The bible said that, they came out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not for us. For had they been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. [1 John 2:19]
People leave you because they are not joined to you. And if they are not joined to you, you can’t make them stay.
Let them go.
And it doesn’t mean that they are a bad person it just means that their part in the story is over. And you’ve got to know when people’s part in your story is over so that you don’t keep trying to raise the dead.
You’ve got to know when it’s dead.
You’ve got to know when it’s over. Let me tell you something. I’ve got the gift of good-bye. It’s the tenth spiritual gift, I believe in good-bye. It’s not that I’m hateful, it’s that I’m faithful, and I know whatever God means for me to have He’ll give it to me. And if it takes too much sweat I don’t need it. Stop begging people to stay.
Let them go!!
If you are holding on to something that doesn’t belong to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to……
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to past hurts and pains…
LET IT GO!!!
If someone can’t treat you right, love you back, and see your worth…..
LET IT GO!!!
If someone has angered you …….
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge……
LET IT GO!!!
If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction…..
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents
LET IT GO!!!
If you have a bad attitude…….
LET IT GO!!!
If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better……
LET IT GO!!!
If you’re stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new level in Him……
LET IT GO!!!
If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship………………..
LET IT GO!!!
If you keep trying to help someone who won’t even try to help themselves…..
LET IT GO!!!
If you’re feeling depressed and stressed …..
LET IT GO!!!
If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling yourself and God is saying “take your hands off of it,” then you need to…
LET IT GO!!!
Let the past be the past. Forget the former things. GOD is doing a new thing for 2007!!! (2008, 09, 10... He keeps renewing)
LET IT GO!!!
Get Right or Get Left .. think about it, and then ..
LET IT GO!!!
Let it go for 2007…
By T. D. Jakes
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Cordovas_n_Okinawa blogs from Yahoo360
_______________________
It's been a while since I've written anything and it seems people are starting to notice. I guess it's time for an update. Things here in Okinawa are going well. We're about to hit our 1.5 year mark, well in January. Half-way to home as Derrick says. He is by far the most homesick of us all. The heat is killing him, that and the lack of hunting and fishing. We've done a little but it's hard to figure out what to use where. There are fish here we'd never even imagine seeing- the colors are crazy and the shapes they come in too-just something else. Who knows what they eat or how to catch them. So aside from the lack of outdoorsy stuff Derrick likes to do we are having fun. We snorkel often, during the spring and summer months. About October the water conditions change so we take a break. This summer we picked up a little underwater digital camera but haven't had much luck getting those amazing pictures. Tons of goofing off taking underwater pictures of the kids. Brandon has really taken a liking to snorkeling also. Melanie has her bouts of liking it, but for the most part there are fish in the water and that's just gross. Luke is still content with playing in the water but will occasionally put his mask on and watch the fish swim by his feet. I'll include snorkeling pictures in my next photo album.
September started a new school year for us all. We are now a family of 5 students. Melanie is now officially a high schooler, Brandon is in 4th grade and Luke is in 1st. I started my second year at UMUC and Derrick is taking his first class there as well. We are actually taking that class together. It's been really fun working with him academically. Less competition than I suspected there would be. I'm going to miss when this term ends and we have our own classes once again. Melanie is working with the guidance counselors to determine what she needs to take to put her on the right career path for her. This week she wants to be a defense lawyer. If you ask me it's because she saw a pretty cool lawyer show the other night. But hey, if she sticks with it that would be awesome. Brandon is loving 4th grade. He has a great teacher (last year his was awful) and he's doing awesome academically. Luke is following in his footsteps, he's reading above grade level and soaring in math, oh and this year they have introduced the Spanish Immersion classes for 1st grade. This program will follow him each year until all grades have it, but in it's first year they started with kindergarten and first grade. So along with the Japanese culture classes he is also getting Spanish lessons 3 times a week as well. He is doing amazing. His class just won the "Good Behavior Party for Septiembre" so a party is in the works for this week.
Last month we had two birthdays, but one party. Melanie turned 14 and Brandon is now 9. They are growing so fast. Brandon had his first (and hopefully only) sleep over birthday party. It wasn't that bad, but when is a houseful of 10 boys good? And Melanie was going to have a Luau but her crazy teenage attitude put a halt to the party. Instead we had a family day that ended with dinner at Chili's. There only because we knew they would sing one of those oh so embarrassing "Happy Birthday" songs to her. And they sure did!
The kids are waiting for sports to start up again. The seasons are so different here due to the heat and humidity. Basketball is about to start, but we have one who doesn't want to play and the other is going to have a hard time landing a team locally. The big typhoon I mentioned before damaged the courts near our house so the teams up here are limited & with the 3 kids & school, me driving 30-40 minutes 3 times a week for practice is not a real option. What the boys are really looking forward to is baseball. So we'll be waiting until January for that to start. I'll be sure to add pictures and updated when that starts up.
Right now we are all looking forward to Halloween! Putting together costumes and making sure we'll have enough candy to pass out this year. We don't want a repeat of last year. We will be having the Okinawan children joining us again this year so look for pictures of that in early November. All is great on this end, we're having a blast and enjoying everything about Okinawa! Hope all is well on your end too. We send hugs and love to all!
(Pictures can be found at Picasaweb.google.com/denicordo)
We survived our first "Super typhoon!" Apparently you all in the states are hearing more about it than we are. We only know what we saw and what friends on different parts of the island have told us. We don't have real "American News" here, just updates recorded weekly, and newspapers also a week behind. It took an e mail from my mom to know that people actually died and many are missing as well. We were very fortunate to not lose power or phone at all through the 3 days of torrential rains. Most of our friends were not as lucky. Some are just now getting power back on today, 3 days later. For the most part damage consists of downed trees and power lines, 95% of the houses here are made of re-enforced concrete so they don't budge. I don't know what our windows are made of, but they are the sturdiest windows I've ever seen, especially for how big they are. I'll be attaching pictures of our typhoon adventures to the list of albums and I'll send more updates as typhoon season continues. Other than a few days of complete stir craziness we are all good, enjoying our summer and trying to explore more of the island every sunny day we get. We send our love and will talk to ya'll soon.
Love, Denise, Derrick, Melanie, Brandon & Luke
Our pictures have moved, you can check out pictures of the Typhoon and other Cordova family things on Flickr through this link: www.flikr.com/photos/cordovas_n_okinawa
Sunday June 3, 2007 - 06:41pm (JST)
It's definitely been a while since I've updated this. I think my last one was just before or just after Derrick left. Since then we've seen so many things happen. The best is, Derricks home. He's been home since April and we've all readjusted to having both mom and dad home. We're nearing the end of our first school year on Okinawa. Luke is more than ready for first grade, as he's been working ahead of his class with a few other students for the past semester. Brandon is going into the fourth grade and wishes that the Eisa Drum Program was going to be available next year, but due to funding it won't be back. I'll be attaching some pictures of one of his drum concerts from this year. Melanie is 8 school days away from officially becoming a 'high school-er'. She's had her share of struggles this year, but managed to blow us away once again with her placement test scores. It's truly a case of she does what she wants when she wants, but excels when it matters. And that's the kids. For me- I'm half way to my associates in general studies. I'll be taking the summer off with the kids, the starting back in August, in hopes of having my AA before the kids end their next year of school. Derrick is weighing his options right now, as to when he'll be able to start on his degree as well.
There are a few rumors that have been flying around about an early homecoming for us. I guess anything is possible, but at this time it's looking more like the long haul for us. In July it will be one year down, two more to go. This month is going to be an informative month for us. Tomorrow will be Derrick's first day back after a month of leave. We've spent some time sight seeing, showing him all the things we saw while he was gone. We managed to get all our spring cleaning done and he even had time to buy his first Harley Davidson and take a drivers safety course. (I'll include pictures of that too).
As well as it being his first day back at work, it will also be the first day that he'll see the list from the HRST team. They are the group who decide who will go on recruiting duty and who will not. If you remember, we opted to come here vs. him going on recruiting duty about this time last year. Now that we're here, sometimes he wishes we would have done that instead. Derrick really doesn't like Okinawa. If he is on the list, and is deemed qualified we could end up back in the states sooner. The odds on that are very slim, as the military tends to not do the transcontinental moves more than once every 2-3 years per family. But if he's told to go, then off he goes. He will attend a school in San Diego for 2-3 months, then after he completes it, he would come back here, pack up and we would go where ever he'd be assigned to. Again, just another variable in the crazy mix. We've really learned to just roll with the punches.
Some of you may have heard about an early return to Camp Lejuene, NC by a Generals recommend. That is still a very faint possibility, but because we haven't been on the island long enough it doesn't look that promising. We were told in a year request orders and if the same command was in place at the receiving unit (in NC) and they remembered him directly then they would approve it. He and I both know the likelihood of that isn't good, so we've pretty much written that possibility off.
Another newsworthy item is Derrick being in the zone for promotion. Right now the board that overlook promotions are in session and he just barely made the cut. It's based on his time in current rank and the date he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He managed both by the day, exactly. They are only promoting about 50 of the best 100ish that are in the zone. I don't know the exact numbers, but Derrick has them. Because he's been in combat environments and lead his last deployment as acting CO (commanding officer), he's also completed all of his military training required for his current rank we are hoping that he'll be one of the more qualified Marines and be selected for promotion this fiscal year. If he gets it this year, he'll make Gunnery Sergent (E-7) in 11 years. If he does get passed over this year, we know it's simply because there were more qualified Marines higher on the list that he was and next year he'll get promoted. We should know something either way by months end.
We survived our first Okinawa winter. It was beautiful. I don't think I even looked for our winter coats once. Jeans and a light coat seemed to work for us. I could definitely do winters like this every year. Though I might trade the summers. We've had our first reminder of what an Okinawa summer is like, it's something I definitely forgot. The temperature never gets above 90 degrees, it's just the humidity that kills. The heat index is easily pushing 100 degrees already and it's only June 3rd. As soon as school lets out, we are going to become beach bums once again. It's the only way to survive here. We're hoping that the kids will all embrace the water a little more and take up snorkeling this summer. It's amazing out here.
We've seen our share of changes here. We've all met new friends, when we arrived and when they did after us; and we've seen close friends leave to new locations. It's definitely an amazing adventure here on Okinawa. Whether we stay 2 more years or end up back in the States early, I don't think anyone of us would trade the times we've had here. I'll do my best to keep on top of this blog. The kids are getting too big too fast to not stay on top of it. We hope this reaches you all in good health and wish you all a wonderful summer.
We send our love and biggest hugs, Denise, Derrick, Melanie, Brandon and Luke
***UPDATE**** 05June2007
The HRST screening list came out yesterday, and Derrick was not on it- he will NOT be going to recruiting school this year. (yay!!- I didn't want him to) I'll update again soon, once we hear back from the promotion board.
Its amazing how fast time has been going here. We've already been on Okinawa almost 5 months. The kids are almost halfway through the school year and I've almost completed my 2nd term at UMUC. Derrick called last night just to let us know he's arrived and will call again in a few days when things get situated in the Philippines.
We had a great turn out for Thanksgiving, about 10 Marines joined us for the long weekend. It gave them a place to go for a home cooked meal, and it helped me put faces to the names of the guys Derrick has working with him. We had a unit Christmas party this past weekend and the boys had a blast. Santa rode in on a firetruck with the ocean as a backdrop. The boys now know Santa can make it all the way to Okinawa. They were a little concerned.
Other then that, there isn't a whole lot of news from this end of the world. How are things on that side?
I'll update this when I get more information on Derrick's deployment or any other 'newsy" stuff from this end. We miss you all and hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season!
~Denise and the kiddos
PS. I'll be adding pictures from our farewell weekend to the picasa albums soon.
Tuesday October 31, 2006 - 08:18pm (JST)
Man what an amazing evening we have had. The kids got home from school and finished up all their chores and homework and quickly got into their costumes. Brandon was Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean and Luke was Darth Vader. Melanie threw together her costume- she wanted to be an Emo dude. If you don't know what that is, you're not missing anything. She looked crazy. Her friends said she made a 'hot guy'. I guess that's a compliment. They have trick or treating on base from 6-8 pm and the gates were open from 7-8 for the local Okinawan children. In the first hour we ran out of candy 2 times and before they opened the gates for the nationals I had Mel run to the store and get $20worth of candy. Then the gates opened...
It was absolutely unbelievable. I don't know that words could even explain what we saw. The pictures I took don't do justice. These children, some in costumes and some just with pumpkin bags, couldn't speak anything more than trick or treat and thank you, but it was the cutest thing. We tried to talk to some and they would just smile and wave. I am still just taken back by the whole thing. It was amazing. After about 15 minutes of complete craziness we ran out of candy and took one of the boys bags and started passing that out. When that ran out we called it a night. I have never felt so bad about not having anymore candy. There was one girl who came up and did the trick or treat thing then reached into another bag and put 2 small decorated bags full of Okinawan cookies and candies down next to us. I can't wait until next year. I am going to start stocking up about a month early, and might even wait to pass out candy until the locals are allowed on base. They were so much more polite than any American family was. It was something else. Poor Derrick though, he said it was like a humanitarian mission passing out candy. The kids just kept coming.
Check out the pictures I've added from tonight. Some are blurry, my camera doesn't do movement well and there were too many people to try and get them to stay still. But I wanted to capture a little of what we saw in front of us to share with you guys. Tonight was amazing!!
What a weekend! We went out and saw some more of the Island. We stopped by one of the castle ruins on the island, but it was already closed, now we know to plan earlier in the day. I didn't get any pictures, but the view from the road up was amazing. We had a friend, Joe, from Cherry Point as a tour guide, he and his family had been here before. (7 years here) and he's back to finish his Marine Corps career here. We ended our day at an amazing park. We were told about the concrete slides with a straight down drop, but never imagined they would be what they were. And the roller slides- we knew they were big, but until we saw them, I had no idea what BIG really was. The climb to the top is a workout in itself but very worth it. There are pictures of both slides in the new album I posted on here. It's labeled Okinawa pictures. I am about to add some from yesterday. I brought the camera when we took Joe back to his place and got some amazing sunsets over the Pacific Ocean. All is well on this end, nothing new to report except ~ Brandon starts Eisa Dance and Drum classes this week. There was a lottery to determine who got in, so we were really happy when he made the group. They will train all year and get to perform a few times, and wrap up the school year with a performance for some Okinawan nationals. I'll keep the updates coming and will attach more pictures as I take them. We love and miss you all!!!
Well, We've survived another month here on Okinawa and seen and done some really awesome things. Last month we had a family party for Brandon's 8th birthday. We had cake and ice cream and went to American Village to play in the arcades. It's the closest to Chuck E Cheeses we can get. There was a typhoon that blew through the day before so we still have to reschedule our Ferris wheel ride. There is an awesome 6 story Ferris wheel here that takes 15 minutes to go the whole circle.
The next weekend we had Melanie's Pretty in Pink party. She had a houseful and everyone had a blast. They had a cake fight and her friends toilet papered her to a chair and we took tons of pictures, they are here on 360 in the birthday album, go figure.
We made it to the beaches a few times. We are still exploring them, I don't know if we will ever see them all and each one seems better than the one before, for the most part. On top of seeing the beaches last weekend we went to the Shisa Mai dog festival. It was really neat, and we had a friend who knew the story behind it all, so we actually understood what we were watching, well to a point. Things are so different here. Shesa's or shesa dogs are protectors. They ward off the evil spirits from the Japanese houses and their crops. A fall festival of sorts. I have some pictures of that too, that I'll attach this evening. We saw several different groups in traditional costume doing karate and taming their Shesa's. The dogs are something similar to what you see when you see the Chinese Dragons during Chinese New Year. The music and food were amazing. Later this month we are going to go and watch the bull fights. It's not like they do in Spain, but actually 2 bulls fighting each other. More of a bunting heads, so we've been told. We want to check it out, we're trying take in as much of the culture as possible while we are here.
School is in full swing for everyone, and I think everyone is liking it. Luke is ahead of the class when it comes to math and counting. He amazed me the other day counting all the money he had in his wallet. He knew all the coins and their value. Brandon is taking to swimming and science well. His teacher has commented on his love of science a time or two. Melanie is about the same as always. She picks one or 2 classes and accelerate in those and stresses us out over the others. It's crazy that she can get such a high grade in a language she can't speak but do so poorly in ENGLISH. As for me, I'm doing awesome in one class, nothing less than an A and in the other nothing less that a 18 out of 20. I am really enjoying myself and can't wait until next term, so I can increase my workload a little more. My goal is to have my BA in Psychology within 2 1/2 years. It'll be non stop school the whole time I'm here.
Things with Derrick are busy. He's seen a few more Marines check into his unit, freeing up a little of his workload, but as new ones come in, old ones leave, and the workload keeps growing and changing. There are a few upcoming deployments that he's a candidate for, one leaving before years end and the other in the spring. Knowing his abilities and strengths we know he will probably be on at least one of them. It's all part of the job, we just take it as it comes. We are sponsoring (helping an incoming Marine and his family adjust to the island and set up all the initial classes/appointments) a family that will be here in mid November, so on top of work and school we've been getting things in order to welcome another family to Okinawa. The kids are excited, The incoming family has a 13 year old daughter and a 9 year old son. It's been fun for us so far, We had a less than eager sponsor helping us, so we are really trying to do everything in our power to make their arrival much less stressful for this family.
I think that's about all that's going on over here. If i missed anything or you have any questions, give us a call, e mail or leave a comment on this blog and I'll get back to you. As things happen, or change here with Derrick deploying or anything else- I'll post it here. We miss you all and send our love!
We send our love,
Denise, Derrick, Melanie, Brandon & Luke
Hello everyone,
With all the e mail updates I've been sending over the last 3 months I thought finding a place to get it all together would be great. I am going to try and keep this up to date with everything happening here. I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier.
So what's going on here?
We've settled in, the house is in order and everything is unpacked. Work is in full swing for Derrick and he's hoping to fill the position of Company Gunny soon. It would put him on the right track to go the First Sergeant route.
Melanie and Brandon started school on the 29th and both really like their new schools. Melanie is taking Japanese and at the elementary schools they go to culture classes every 4 days. Brandon's class is working on getting 20 stamps/stars. The reward is a Japanese Tea Party. Luke's response to that was, 'Tea parties are for girls!' He says that now, but when school starts for him next week he will learn that he too will have to work for that same party with his class. Another cool thing here is the pool. It's next to the school and for PE all students take swim lessons. Melanie has a pool at her school and they to do lessons but also water sports and have a scuba club. With all three kids in school now I'm able to go back myself. I've registered for 2 online classes with UMUC (University Maryland University College) that start on Monday. I've jumped the gun and already completed the first assignments in both classes. I'm taking Asian Philosophy and Environmental Geology. Two classes I really had no interest in taking, but am really getting into it. Right now I am just working on general education classes but am thinking I am going to major in psychology with a minor in human resources or education. I'm a long way from there now so the direction I go may change.
On top of school and work this month we have both Melanie and Brandon's birthdays to plan for. Melanie is thinking she wants a themed party. She's seen too much of MTVs 'My Sweet 16'. She wants it to be Pretty in Pink party. Brandon hasn't decided what he wants to do yet, fortunately he's only going to be 8 and doesn't care about all that themed stuff.
It's Saturday morning and the house is buzzing now, kids are getting restless so I'm going to close and maybe take them to the beach. I'll snap some pictures and add them soon.
We send our love,
Denise, Derrick, Melanie, Brandon and Luke
a walk down memory lane
Not too terribly far back though, just back to 2006. I have been getting notices in my inbox from Yahoo 360 for the past month or so, seems they're closing down and my profile is about to be deleted. With that so are my blogs. The first "blogs" I publicly wrote. It's kind of funny how much I've stayed the same yet changed over the past 3 years. One of them (4 in all) talks about my first term of college- reading it made me smile. And to think, I still joke around with Derrick about 'outcrops' and 'basalt' among other rock qualities. :) The first three are from North Carolina & the most recent (9/06) was my first blog on Okinawa. I need to search for the Cordovas_n_Okinawa blogs, those should be entertaining- that is where I posted our family updates. Maybe I'll post those here next. Here are my first 4 blogs.
Entry for September 18, 2006
It's been a while since I've written anything on here, maybe a little overdue. Things here are going good. I've managed to survive the first 3 weeks of school and catch myself talking about rocks. I guess this stuff is sinking in, whether I want it to or not.
I'm learning my way around the island and starting to explore more out in town. I've even ventured into the water. Anyone who knows me well, knows I don't do water. It's really amazing out here, underwater. I'll try to add new pictures soon if not here, on my other account. I'll try and keep the updates coming.
There's my T-R-O-U-B-L-E
Monday April 17, 2006 - 10:53pm (JST)
So- Easter was cool. Took a break from the norm and just had fun. Did baskets in the morning- the kids loaded up on chocolate. Took em to lunch then hit the beach. Made it back in time for an evening egg hunt then had dinner at a local place where everyone knows my name. So even mom had some fun last night. Hope ya'll had a wonderful day too.
Happy Easter Everyone!!!!
Monday April 17, 2006 - 12:51am (JST)
Hope ya'll are havin fun!!!
Happy Easter Everyone!!!
Funny how it works...
Monday April 10, 2006 - 05:22am (JST)
Hmm, where to begin? It's funny to see what life gives you and how you deal with it. All the answers seem apparent looking back, but while running through it all you just don't see what's been there all along. You find closeness in people you didn't know you would and those you think will always be around drift away. I guess everyday is truly a learning experience and I wouldn't change it for anything. I just look forward to the adventures that lie ahead.
And to those who make the impact you do- thank you- you know who you are. You make me shine when I would like to curl up a fade. You make me see the better side of me. I only hope that I help promote the same essence in you. You're truly amazing people & I'm blessed to have ya!
Entry for September 18, 2006
It's been a while since I've written anything on here, maybe a little overdue. Things here are going good. I've managed to survive the first 3 weeks of school and catch myself talking about rocks. I guess this stuff is sinking in, whether I want it to or not.
I'm learning my way around the island and starting to explore more out in town. I've even ventured into the water. Anyone who knows me well, knows I don't do water. It's really amazing out here, underwater. I'll try to add new pictures soon if not here, on my other account. I'll try and keep the updates coming.
There's my T-R-O-U-B-L-E
Monday April 17, 2006 - 10:53pm (JST)
So- Easter was cool. Took a break from the norm and just had fun. Did baskets in the morning- the kids loaded up on chocolate. Took em to lunch then hit the beach. Made it back in time for an evening egg hunt then had dinner at a local place where everyone knows my name. So even mom had some fun last night. Hope ya'll had a wonderful day too.
Happy Easter Everyone!!!!
Monday April 17, 2006 - 12:51am (JST)
Hope ya'll are havin fun!!!
Happy Easter Everyone!!!
Funny how it works...
Monday April 10, 2006 - 05:22am (JST)
Hmm, where to begin? It's funny to see what life gives you and how you deal with it. All the answers seem apparent looking back, but while running through it all you just don't see what's been there all along. You find closeness in people you didn't know you would and those you think will always be around drift away. I guess everyday is truly a learning experience and I wouldn't change it for anything. I just look forward to the adventures that lie ahead.
And to those who make the impact you do- thank you- you know who you are. You make me shine when I would like to curl up a fade. You make me see the better side of me. I only hope that I help promote the same essence in you. You're truly amazing people & I'm blessed to have ya!
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