D - 2

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.
-- Robert Louis Stevenson

Today was our last day of work. We showed up, dropped off our bags to be palletized, loaded our flying gear on the airplane and then gathered for some last minute review and training classes.

There are some interesting requirements that suddenly appear when you get notified you are deploying. Some make sense, some don't. Once we found out we were heading overseas, all of a sudden we were told we had to review our computer "awareness" and anti-terrorism training. We DIDN'T have to review anything on firearms, even though we probably haven't qualified on a weapon for a year or more. Computer "awareness" is obviously more important!

The other tasks I had to deal with was out-processing from my civilian job. Even though my military and civilian jobs are exactly the same and overlap, the civilian side has to pretend that they are separate to keep "the books" straight. Though the civilian job keeps me flying in the Reserve unit, and I am highly encouraged to volunteer to deploy, they won't give me any civilian pay to go do what they want me to. So I have to take leave without pay, ensure I am on military orders, dump my health insurance (I could keep paying the premiums if I wanted...) and file time cards showing that I'm off their books. Once I come back i will have to ask to buy back the time I'm away for retirement purposes, as well as pay to get 401k contributions I'll miss by not being paid. I think the issue is that the civilian side doesn't want to be responsible for any long-term injuries should something occur, even though we all work for the same boss. Funny, isn't it?

Losing my civilian health insurance meant I had to ensure I had military health insurance. You would think that getting a set of orders for the requisite period of time would automatically start the health insurance, but it doesn't. I had to go off-base to the local Tri-Care office, and sign up for it. Then I had to go back on base and get paperwork to enable my family to get their ID cards updated after I'm gone (they have to be there in person to get their cards) so they can obtain medical care. But it all worked out and was accomplished over the course of the day with several back and forth trips, and it was with a definite sigh of relief when I finally realized that I was basically done and could head home for the day. Next time I show up, I'll be in tan and heading for an airplane departing for overseas.