Re-deployment

About a week and a half ago Hyrum called.  We talked for a few minutes, and then--out of the blue-- he said, "Worst case scenarios is I come home July 15.  Best case scenario is I come home July 6."

Uhm what? Excuse me??

The Army likes to keep us on our toes, that's for sure.  He originally was supposed to stay until October, but apparently they were sending someone (soon!) to fill his position and would send him to a different unit.  (That's pretty normal in the Army to move every 12-18 months, I just didn't expect it to happen in the middle of a deployment.)  

So that's happening.  And I'm still not sure what to think about it.  It's like starting to run a marathon, and then hearing at mile 12 that it's really a half marathon and you're almost done.  All of a sudden that last mile becomes way more difficult than it would have been otherwise.  And you probably would have run the first 12 miles differently if you knew that was it. 

Of course we're excited to have Hyrum back.  I'm most excited for the kids, and don't think they really realize what it means that "Papa is coming home in a week."  He will be able to spend time with them over the summer and go to the pool, be there for Tiago's first day of school and birthday, and hear how well the girls are talking.  

But my regrets are that I didn't get all the 'stuff' done that I wanted.  They're all fairly insignificant things (organize the house, get doctor/dentist appointments taken care of, make some photo books, take stuff to the thrift store) but it's these insignificant things that I wish I could have just crossed off the list already.  And I regret gaining back some weight in Utah that I'd previously lost.  I thought I had 3 more months to keep working on it!!  Fortunately, this is all stuff that doesn't matter.  Hyrum can home home to a house that still has some dirty closets.  (One closet that needs some TLC hasn't even been opened in the last 6 months!)

We found out a few days ago that Hyrum will be moving to Division, which will be a completely different position from what he's been doing the last 5 years.  It's exactly what he hoped to do next, we just didn't think 'next' would be so soon.  

I should know by now that whatever plan we have can just be tossed out the window.  And slowly, I'm learning to be a little more flexible.  (Like the fact that it's less than a week away and I'm not sure when/where/under-what-circumstances we'll be meeting him...)

random photo from their deployment

Deployment travels

Hyrum's brigade is in the middle of an interesting deployment that has them moving around every few months--and moving includes not just soldiers, but all of their equipment and vehicles!  If nothing else, they'll be in really good practice when it's all over.

They're about to wrap up their first phase in Poland, before heading to Germany (Graf!), then back to Poland or possibly Hungary.  Because they're not in a combat zone, and Europe is generally safe (and awesome) they've been able to use some of their Saturdays or Sundays to do day trips.  It's amazing how much is within just a few hours radius.  And the trips seem well-deserved because the rest of the time it's all work, work, work.

Auschwitz (Oswiecim, Poland) - Most of the soldiers got to visit Auschwitz, which is a 3.5 hours away.

Berlin, Germany-  Hyrum visited Berlin with some friends (only 2.5 hours away!!).  Like Auschwitz, it was his second time there.

Freiberg, Germany-  It's not common to be able to visit an LDS temple while deployed.  Although temples are certainly dotting the earth, they haven't quite made it to the Middle East.  Hyrum got permission to organize a trip to the Freiberg temple for LDS soldiers in the area.  (He bumped into a handful of people from our old ward.)  They stopped in Dresden after.

Wroclaw, Poland-  This is the closest "big city" to where Hyrum is living.  It's just over 1.5 hours.

There was a trip planned to Prague that fell through because they couldn't get a vehicle, but hopefully before they leave Europe he'll be able to visit there again.  Last (and only) time he visited was in 2012!

Meanwhile, back in the States, I'm just rotating between Colorado Springs and Utah.... so exotic.

Hyrum in Poland

Hyrum has been in Poland for a little over 3 weeks, so I thought I'd post an update of what they're doing.

Back in the fall, most of the division's equipment was loaded on trains to eventually make its way to Poland.  The first group of soldiers that left for this deployment went to Bremerhaven port in Germany to unload the nearly 3000 pieces of equipment (vehicles and containers) and get them to various parts of Poland by rail.

Most of these pictures are from the 4-10 Cav facebook page, where they post periodic updates.  One update explained the goal of their mission:  to enhance deterrence capabilities in the region, improve the U.S. ability to respond to potential crises and defend allies and partners in the European community.

Here is the equipment arriving in Poland.

Looks cold, huh?  Hyrum said they freeze every time they exercise outside.  But I think because they're in real buildings there's less suffering from the elements than existed in his Afghanistan deployment.  (They were in tent structures, with less reliable heating.)

While it might be warmer inside, the quarters are more cramped.  Hyrum is sharing a pretty small room with one other guy, and there's enough floor space to get from the door to their beds.  The rest is covered in Army gear.

This is where they're staying... it's the headquarters for the Polish 10th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Swietoszow, Poland.  Still not sure how to pronounce the town's name, and Hyrum isn't much help in that department.

On the weekends they do get some down time, although they're also working.  They're allowed to leave the base with permission, and often go to the nearest 'big city', Boleslewiec.  That's the place we went Polish pottery shopping back in 2014.  It's less than 30 minutes from their current base.  There are a few advantages to being stationed in Poland.  First, the cost of living is really low, so they're able to get a nice restaurant meal for about $5.  (And $4 haircuts!  Important for soldiers that cut their hair every 2-3 weeks.)  And second, the food is really good.  Every time Hyrum talks about buying pirogis my mouth waters.

On Sundays they have an LDS group that meets together.  Within a 30 mile radius there are a couple of other bases with US Soldiers, which translates to a handful of people meeting together for church.  Hyrum helps coordinate the meetings, and they've usually had 4-5 in attendance.  He said they'll be a ward soon. ha   [The closest LDS branch is in Wroclaw, which is 1.5 hrs away.... too far for them to attend.]

The soldiers have been busy getting equipment ready, working with the Polish Army, doing gunnery trainings, and getting all their systems in place.  I'm sure there's more to it, but that's the extent of what I understand.

They eat in a cafeteria with the Polish soldiers, so it's all very Polish food.  Hyrum said there's actually not much variety, but it's good food.  A lot of rice, potatoes, meat, etc.  And not much fruit.  I think Hyrum would really love a huge American breakfast occasionally, but he'll survive without.  They have internet that works moderately well, and he's still able to text with his phone.  So all in all, communication has been great and it's just the 8-hour time difference that requires some planning.

One of these days I'll have to get Hyrum on here to give his own update.  I'm sure it would be 1000 times more informative.

Hyrum's 2nd Deployment to Poland

Deployment #2 is one week underway.  So far, so good.

But to back up a bit.... the weeks leading up to Hyrum leaving were filled with a lot of family time.  During the holidays Hyrum had two 4-day weekends in a row, and on regular work days, they weren't required to go early for PT (exercise).  That meant he was around when the kids woke up, which is always a nice treat.  Mixed in with all the family time was all the packing!  Our guest room was taken over by camouflage, and it took Hyrum a few weeks to get everything in the right bags.  Not to mention the night before he left staying up till 3 am.  Some things don't change.  I need to learn to embrace it.  (But it's so hard!  So many people are self-proclaimed procrastinators; I am just not one of them.)

On Friday morning we took a quick family picture.  Then we dropped Hyrum off at work on our way to the gym, and said our 9- (10?) month goodbyes.  They were flying out to Poland later in the afternoon.  [Except of course he forgot something at home, so we actually swung by the office again later in the day.... and said goodbye again.]  Unlike last deployment, where I cried all the way home at 4 in the morning, this was way less emotional.  Maybe because I was less tired.  But I also have a clearer picture of how things will all work out, and I know we'll be fine.

But these kids are sure going to miss having the 'fun parent' around.

 We were excited to find great cell service in Poland!  Hyrum can send/receive text messages and connect easily to Skype, so despite the 8 hour time difference, communication will be a piece of cake.  What a blessing!

Hyrum said that when they flew into the airport in Wroclaw, there was a ton of press there to greet them.  Because he was traveling in his Stetson hat, a lot of parents wanted to take pictures of their kids with his hat on.  Imagine the difference between flying into Poland with such a warm reception and flying into Baghdad or Kandahar wondering who might be shooting at you.

So more information about his deployment, part of Atlantic Resolve, from ArmyTimes:  The Army has increased its presence in Europe – sending soldiers and equipment – in an effort to reassure its allies in the region and deter against an aggressive Russia. This is the first time, however, that it is dedicating an entire armored BCT to the region for nine months at a time.

They'll be moving around a bit in Eastern Europe, but the first third of the deployment will be spent in Poland.

We visited Poland in 2014 with Tiago in tow.  We stopped in Boleslawiec, where they sell Polish pottery.  Then we visited Krakow and saw Auschwitz before driving back home.  Coincidentally, Hyrum won't be far from Boleslawiec, but I'm sure his experiences there this time around will be very different.



I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks of Poland, and just envisions a big country in Eastern Europe.... nothing else.  So I did a little research to find out more about Poland.

Famous Poles:
Marie Curie
Nicolas Capernicus
Pope John Paul II
Fryderyk Chopin

History
Poland has been around forever (it was an independent country over a milenia ago!) but in modern history has lacked independence.  In the 1700's it was taken over by Slovakia, Russia and Prussia and did not become an independent state again until after WWI.  That was short-lived; after WWII the Soviet Union instituted a communist government.  Poland finally re-gained it's Independence in 1990.

Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939 is what started WWII.  During the war, 90% of the Jewish population was killed (almost 3 million) and nearly 3 million ethnic Poles were killed.  Between the extermination of the Jews and the re-aligned boundaries, Poland went from being a diverse country to one of the most ethnically homogeneous in the world-- 96% consider themselves Poles.

Popular food includes pierogis, sausage, cabbage.  (The few meals we had there in 2014 were delicious!  Hyrum will be eating meals in the same military cafeteria as the locals, so maybe he'll have sauerkraut for breakfast... ha)

Poland is a very flat country, geographically.

There aren't many young people, and birth rates are crazy low.

Polish is a slavik language.

It's one of the most religious countries in Europe.  85% of population is Roman Catholic. Pope John Paul II (Polish) was the first non-Italian Pope in 450 years.

Making the mission even more important, Poland actually shares a northern border with Russia, through their geographically independent province Kaliningrad.  (A month ago I would have been clueless that there was a piece of Russia floating by itself over there on the Baltic sea.)  It will be an interesting mission, since they're they're training with allies.  There's way less concern this time around on my end about his safety, although stuff happens everywhere.  I'm hoping it will be less stressful for Hyrum as well.

Good luck, 3rd brigade!