Retrospect 2/28

Hi all!

I have been here a few days now (6 days on board ship  .. although it feels longer...in a good way...more of that later), so I have time to send some notes from my my journal...since e-mail wasn't available to us until 3/3. So here we go:

It's February 28:

On the flight deck at 6:30 am watching the Singapore Army with their morning manuevers.  We were briefed on our mission (HOPE's) and were processed through deportion, bags weighed (I own't even tell you how many pounds my duffel was! thank God for those wheels), and tagged, and then, the proverbial, "hurry up and wait".  At least the room was air conditioned.  I think the damp coolness (everything is damp here) helped calm the rising anticipation - after all those hours and miles of travel, our mission was about to begin (after a few more miles, and a few more hours of travel).

S'pore troops march by information as we watch in that early morning humidity.  We gather our gear and walk out onto the tarmac, passing the hanger bays, with fighter pilots assembled for pre-flight ---looked just like Top Gun!

As we stand waiting for our aircraft, the air is heavy with many morning scents and the raw power of too little sleep after too many miles and hours of flight time---and still the promise of what's about to unfold.

 It's time!

We are strapped into the webbacked, hard bench seats of a C130!  The "cabin" of the aircraft  is essentially a long dark tube with large duffels and packs in cargo webbing swinging overhead, and us sittiing knee to knee, face to face, and shoulder to shoulder.  I quickly maneuvered to an end seat next to the crew...at least I had light and room around me (not into knee knocking in tight places...just a little claustrophobic). 

Our gear is all shrink wrapped and palleted at the rear in the cargo bay 10 feet from me.  With the accompanying drone of the props as they spun up, and the booming sound of fighters taking off on the arifield in front of us, there is no other word but ... surreal.

Earplugs are passed out now, oh my God, we're moving now!  Strange with no windows to look out.  The Marines abaord are young, enthusiasatic and very accomodating, AND I daresay, amused at all of us---scared, excited and with cameras ready to flash - illuminating our path - the first of this great discovery!

I watch with interest at the casual grace and sincere polite manner of these young Marines. They explain what the aircraft is capable of, and help our PR person get into a jump seat so that she can video or take off ---he suggested ear phones so that she could tap into the cockpit and record it all ---my shuffle earbuds worked out nicely (hope the photo turns out, APPLE would love it).

They made us feel so comfortable that soon we went from a quiet, non-moving, frightened group into the same cabin scrambling, webclimbing monkeys they are.  We began to explore and experience...part of the grand discovery!

I smile at us, suddenly so adventurous when a mere hour ago we were worried about having to use the honey bucket (literally a plastic lined Bucket back by the payload..."pee, fling and vaporize".)

About an hour to go...I'm rocking out with my shuffle for awhile, but turn it out as the prop noise has become less an intrusion and more of an invitation.

We're landing now, PayLoad Master gets the crew to tighten the load as we land.  And then, as we are touching down the cargo doors open and the intense air of Bande Ache pours in.

It's Begun.

We're here.

We've done so much, experienced so many new things, and we are not even aboard the Mercy yet ...

   ...and the choppers are coming!