New story about my favorite thing, and a bit on leaving Afghanistan · 1:05am Sep 21st, 2014
Hey folks,
First off, new story ahoy. This one's actually been in my head for over a year, and I meant to publish it back in June. But then those contests came up and I couldn't help but write something for them, so this little love story to my favorite season had to wait until the last day of Summer.
When you're a foal, the summer days last forever.
Summer is freedom. The world is more alive, it is wider and brighter, its colors deeper. Summer is running in a meadow and swimming in a pond and catching fireflies at evening's last light.
Will Apple Bloom lead her friends to the pirate's treasure, buried in the apple orchards? Will Scootaloo make it across the burning deserts and find the magical, healing spring? Will Sweetie Belle defeat the evil Changeling Rarity who grounded her for no reason?
During the summer, every day is an adventure.
This is one.
So, if you've been following me, you might notice that I've been in Afghanistan for a little over six months now. That means it's about time for me to head home.
It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that returning home from a deployment, especially one to Iraq or Afghanistan, is a pretty big deal for us. One of the biggest topics of conversation among soldiers is how much time everyone has left before they punch out. Some people start counting the moment they arrive in country; other people ignore the calendar as much as they can, and hope that the time will go by faster that way.
There's even something called the 'Donut of Misery,' (alternately, the 'Wheel of Freedom'). It's a Microsoft Excel program that tells you, down to the second, how much time you have left in country. Looks like this:
I've never used one of them. I'm more of the school that dwelling on the amount of time you have left here just makes the time go by slower. Besides, I can count the number of days left in my head.
Actually getting home is... well, weird, I guess. You go from an austere, deprived location where 90% of the people around you are young men, suddenly back to the real world where things are slower, there's more choices for everything, and you have to relate to humans on a personal level instead of just a work level. It can be overwhelming for a lot of people, which is why so many domestic problems tend to appear after redeployment.
Personally? I go shopping. I love buying all the things I missed while I was gone. In the next few weeks I'm going to get a nice pair of stylish glasses to replace these wire-frame things the military provides, maybe the new iPad Air 2 when it comes out, and of course a couple neat-looking games I missed.
I wish I had some more drama to include in this post, but coming home has gotten kind of old for me at this point. This will be my fifth deployment, and hopefully my last for a while. Wars are ending.
Welcome back, CiG!
Do you have another tour coming up?
That's quite the fridge stash! Was that some little silly thing
the whole thing is silly!meant to give ya a laugh? Or do you actually receive beers?Plus, coming home means more frequent Fimfiction visits! And maybe we'll have some personality around here again with you back in the States. Good on you for doing that for so long!
Welcome home, warrior.
Welcome back dude. Glad you're getting back okay.
. . . It's weird. I looked at that title and description, and my first thought was that it sounded Descendant-ish. And I'm not sure why. I mean, he does like to write about the experience of childhood, but if he were writing this story, it would surely be about Spike. And he's hardly got a monopoly on writing about young characters. So I'm not sure what to make of this thought. Maybe you can find something to make of it.
In any case, I look forward to reading it . . . in about three years, considering my obsessive need to maintain an orderly queue of things I intend to read. I wish I was kidding.
That story sounds like it might just dig up some nostalgia. Things were so weird back then. You fight someone, next day or two you're both rolling each other off a hill on tires or racing up trees before they tag you out.
So many different summers. So many friends that's come and gone. Yet every summer brought newer adventures and I'd not trade a single out of those youthful days.
And even if it's old hat for you, it's still a relief for friends, family, and your fans. Welcome back.
I perhaps haven't followed your blog posts as much as I should, so I'm unaware of how much peril you and your fellow soldiers face on a daily basis. Do soldiers tend to be confident that they'll eventually complete their service time and make it home? Or is there the lingering phantom in the back of their minds that reminds them that they're serving in highly volatile territory, and returning to the states is far from a guarantee?
Welcome back in advance, sir. I wish you a safe trip, and friends and family to greet you and help ease you back into the normalcy of state-side life.
! 
Make sure you buy Guardians of the Galaxy on Blu-Ray or DVD when you get back (if it's not out by the time you get back, it should be within a few weeks from then). It's an awesome movie.
"I am Groot."*
* 1906 beers, that's gotta keep an alcoholic supplied for a year.
CiG, in his first day home:
Glad to hear you'll be stateside soon, CiG.
Another story from you makes my weekend even better! (It was in the mid 70s this morning when I got up, after a whole week of unseasonably frigid days.)
You should buy some ponies.
Wars are ending?
I've got some bad news for you...
Though on the upside, at least they signed a treaty ending military action in Ukraine.
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Someone did a calculation showing that soldiers were safer than people in inner-city Detroit.
Though on the other hand, that isn't really saying much.
Really glad to hear that you are about to be on your way home.
That's good. It's nice to see a friend coming home again. I've got some friends out there that I haven't seen since high school, I hope to see them soon.
But it's nice to see you coming home Cold.
Don't worry, this is the internet. You wish you had more drama, we can provide. Just lemme... Um... Okay, I'm bad at this. Gimme a minute. Just need to start a feud with someone.
2471021
Nah, he should buy dragons instead. Crackle is best pony.
...Did I do it right?
Anyway, welcome back. Hope you enjoy settling back into the gloriously decadent consumerism of American shopping.
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i.imgur.com/JdsjNSR.jpg
Welcome home, CiG!
You earn 2 beers a day? Neat! You've earned it CiG!
Also is Ebola a topic over there? It's a fun one stateside.
Nah, they'll be around for as long as humanity inhabits this blue rock. If it's not Afghanistan, it's Iraq ans ISIS; if it's not Iraq, it'll be Europe once Putin finally makes his move. When he does, the Chinks will obliterate his east flank, and he'll push back, probably with atomic nukes.
Because war... war never changes.
So where the hell are my plasma casters, Fallout 2 style?
It'll be good to have you back, Ciggy. You've been missed.
Glad you got back fully intact. I'll cross my fingers for peace, but last night I listened to three grown women bitch for half an hour that Obama is soft on Iran and ISIS.
It's good you're back and all, yet the part that most caught my attention was:
That sounds like it would make for an interesting conversation. You, more than anyone else I know, would be qualified to give an opinion on that. But other people have already commented about that...
Ah, screw it.
Yay! Welcome home CiG!
I'm very happy for you.
I can't say I know what it's like from experience, having never really put forth that kind of sacrifice, but I hear it's pretty great getting back and your service is very appreciated.
I hope they're ending, but war is a constant unfortunately. There will almost certainly be another in the future. Hopefully it will be a long time. Not that most of what has been going was a proper war anyway..