so can i tell you how much i have missed the hot kuwait sun??? it almost feels like i am on another planet.
my how kuwait has changed since i was here last. on the bus ride to the nothern camps, i was one of the security members for the ride so I sat up front and was awake the whole ride. there are a lot of new housing developments in the suburbs and some new infrastructure projects underway. the water towers that were being built when i was out here last are now complete and surrounded by new homes. Kuwait city is a lot cleaner and the camps up north are alot more developed. most of the camps, including the one that i processed into theater from, have been closed, but there are still some open. we are in the midst of training and preparation for our movement north and are quite busy.
Ill post some more later. my time has run out.
andrew

Greetings from the sandbox

well i have officially arrived in the sandbox-
Kuwait is as dusty and sand soaked as ever, but the fun continues. we will be here for the next couple of weeks-although we know exact dates and times of our departure-loose lips sink ships...i am already excited to come home, and that wont be for a while....
i will post more later, but I have some sleep to catch up on-much love
andrew

Are you in good enough shape???

well im back on the road again after a poor first attempt. today things are running a lot smoother, I am checked in for my flight, and i have enough time to post on my blog. I stayed the night in Chicago, and that gave me an opportunity to see Leah and Brian's house all moved in and finished. the paint job that my parents helped the young's complete looked fabulous, and the Diningroom Table looked fabulous against the backdrop of the color blocking. Job well done for the Haberer design team!!
Things are going well on the Vaca-I am really excited to finally make it to colorado. I am excited to see my parents and have one last hurrah before deploying to Iraq for OIF V!!! we are halfway to the same amount of time spent in Kosovo-so all you bush haters out there cool your jets-we are still deployed to countries that Clinton sent us to.
Chicago O'hare is truly an impressive airport, there are thousands of people in this airport, but they could use a few more moving walkways. It seems to me that every plane change involves a dead sprint to the other side of the airport. Come on mayor Richard M. Daley!!!!

Ill post more later,
reporting from Chicago-
Andrew

in a world of JIT management, why are the airlines so dificult???

Just in time management is the way of the future, with product arriving just as it is needed for manufacturing, but I guess there are still areas of the world that dont grasp the concept. The Army, for one, is hell bent on keeping stocks of bleach and bulletts, for good reason. The Airline industry, on the otherhand, has found the opposite of JIT to be a cost saving venture-have any of you been just in time for a flight, just to find out that your booked seat has been given away? well, I have certainly learned my lesson...1 hour prior to all domestic flights from now on-thank goodness there are still more flights for today...TBC

reporting from terminal b, richmond international airport-

Andrew

life on the road...

life on the road really stinks...litterally. am i the only one who showers before a plane flight??? I am on my way home and sit here dumbfounded at technology-surfing the web without wires....does it get any better??? it amazes me how far technology has come since i was in highschool...I thought it was amazing that i could even have the web in my room, now i can have it anywhere...am i the only one who thinks this is cool?

anyway-reporting from richmond, VA

Andrew

life of the party-

who knows where that phase was developed...i'm serious...cause I can speak from experience, that after the party there is certainly no life left.

there's always a calm before the storm. we are just under a month out from our deployment to Iraq, and things are calm and quiet here in VA. I sometimes find myself beginning to get a little nervous. I know what is ahead for me in the next year, and I know that it is going to be difficult to cope with. I know that I will be alright.


andy

A bad day golfing...

sometimes i find that a bad day golfing beats a good day working, oh who am i kidding i would take a bad day golfing anyday. but somebody has to work to keep social security alive. so i am doing my part. plans for Iraq continue to hit peak. we are just about to get released for a block leave period at which point we will be on lockdown until our departure.

Leah and Brian are thouroughly excited for the arrival of Noah-which could be any time now. (but I dont think that they are nearly as excited as I am!!!)

Patricia the workaholic(just like her father :) ) is on a reduced work schedule and is very much pregnant, but no jello and onion cravings yet-but im still holding out....


Mom and Dad-I love you and cannot wait to see you-
Andrew

Do you ever have one of those days....

Well-there's good news and bad news, and based on the typical American response to the question, "which do you want first," I am going to give you the good news first-

I just saved a ton of money by switching to Geico!!!!

now for the bad news...

I am one of the soldiers who has been selected to join the 148th Quartermaster Company in their deployment downrange. The company was short about sixty soldiers to meet the requirements of their mission in Iraq, and were able to fill the ranks with soldiers from the 240th Quartermaster Battalion as well as elements of the 530th Combat Service Support Battalion that is in the process of building up here on Ft Lee.
so later this summer I will be headed to Iraq for my second tour there, and my third deployment of my career. We will be headed in the the Kurdish controlled northern part of the country. It will be a year long deployment, and at the conclusion of the tour I will be able to ride my time in the army without another deployment to Iraq (no guarantee on any other countries, but we have our fingers crossed ;) and hope for the best).
We are unsure of the exact mission that we will be responsible for, but, considering that Haliburton does my job of bulk petroleum distribution, we will most likely handle a convoy security mission or Forward Operation Base security. I am trained and prepared to learn from the soldiers that we replace, because they are the subject matter expert on the Battle for Iraq (one of the many battles in the war on terror. Just thought I would keep that in conversation...).

On a lighter note, I took an IQ test recently and scored a 133---so if anyone is headed to Who Wants to be a Millionaire, I will make myself available for your call a friend lifeline...


all for now,
much packing to do-

Andrew

raise your hand if you're Sure!!

Hello to all-
Long time no update. Here is all of the news from my end…things in the army continue to slowly push me towards insanity…but I continue to force myself to do the right thing. It is kind of like when I was a kid, and mom would make brussel sprouts, I would force myself to eat-wait, I just hid them under the cushions until dinner was over, now I remember. At any rate, things are going well. I received significant recognition from my battalion commander for my work, and engineering skills during the field exercise last month. I continue wait for the glorious day when this is all over.

Things are well on the home front. Leah and Patricia are getting their homes prepared for the arrival of their sons, Noah and Kyle. All is very exciting on the home front as we prepare for a Christmas holiday together for the first time in a long while.

Things on the work front are uneasy. The units deploying to Iraq are in training and their mission continues to be uncertain, and there is still a 50-70 percent chance that I could get snatched up into one of the units that deploys later this year. I am praying that I do not get sent, but I will do my duty if I am called.

All for now.
Ill keep you posted with more news later.

Andrew

the windy city???

why is it that whenever you go to a place that is everything youve ever heard about it is always the opposite???
Seattle---no rain, 5 days....whats with that??
Chicago---no wind?? thought this was the windy city?
Berlin---hangover??? well, that one was entirely my fault, I guess expectations dont always make for a liveable reality.....

Chicago was great, I was able to get some great quality time with my sister...and help her move in the process, but hanging out was more fun than anything else---well, almost anything. I did get a picture of Noah, and I fell in love :)

I was able to go to Wrigley Field and watch a Cubs game, who, by the way, have a worse curse than the Boston Red Sox....---no room for debate---

Brian and Leah's new house is Fabulous...
it is three stories in a great neighborhood. The live within 3 minutes walk of a beautiful lake, which will be a lot of fun for little Noah when he is old enough to swim, and during the three week summer;)
It was a lot of fun to help my parents, leah, and brian work through the rigors of moving in to a new home. lots of paint and crossed fingers. nervous glances were all eased away with time and the colors look fabulous and will make for a nice soothing atmosphere in the house. it should be a really nice place when all is said and done...


well all for now,
Andrew

well, another opportunity has arisen for me to add another post the the page, so here it goes...
things here in VA are more of the same-hot, humid, and muggy...typical southern weather.
I Just recently returned from Chicago, it was a wonderful trip. I helped Leah and Brian move into their new house. it was a lot of fun, and hard work---my calves are still sore-there were 3 flights of stairs, and most of the stuff went to the 2nd and 3rd floor...but it was still worth it.

I am on duty tonight, so I will be up rather late-from 1600-0900. a long shift, but followed by a day off-so its worth it.

well, I have rounds to make, so I will update more later-

I wont be reachable for a while-we have a field excersize coming up, so I wont have access to email-or any internet for that matter. :(

Andrew

technology-ain't it great

it just amazes me sometimes the abilities that we have in this day and age-GPS, biofuels, nuclear power, wireless internet...and that some people just dont appreciate these assets. I was watching CNN today, I had no choice-dont think that I have crossed over the bounds of the smart vs the liberals--it was all that they were showing at the dental clinic, and was amazed by the efforts some countries are going to eliminate an oil dependancy and that we americans are finding more ways that we can be dependant. bolivia will be completely free of oil in 7 years...wonder why our country isnt making the same leaps and bounds??
I recieved a comment from one of my friends that I met in Berlin the other day and in response to your question-yes I still do check your blog blake, and keep up the good fight-the liberals are running scared!!

For those who have not heard, there are some more travel plans for this summer-at government expense and request-I will either be headed for a training exersize in Honduras, practicing with the OPDS (Offshore petroleum discharge system) and the IPDS (inland petroleum distribution system)-or behind door number two, I will be headed back to the desert to perform two six month convoy security operations-thankfully there will be a 2 month break between the two. I will have more details in the coming months-

A couple of requests of my readers-
-If you come across any good books that you feel are worth reading, please forward the titles to me so that I can enjoy them as well-I just finished two great books, and would like to continue with that trend-for those interested they were To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane...both are well worth the time invested.
-second, continue to pray that God will continue to protect me from those that wish me harm, his blessings continue to unfold in my life and I would like to continue to see his plan for me unfold...


that is all the time that I have for now-look for more posts later this week
Andrew Haberer for President 2016

AJ

well, this weekend I will enjoy some r&r and relax on my days off monday and tuesday-then I will go to work on wednesday and be off on thursday and friday and monday of next week-then Tuesday it is back to work as usual and I assure you from what is on the calendar already you all will be getting your tax dollars worth out of me....:)
I have been anything but busy since we arrived back from pakistan and things are adjusting back to normal. it is funny how two months away from this country can really mess everything up-but not to worry, everything is back in order-all ducks in respective rows.
Gas stations here in VA are running out of everything but premium-the fuel companies say that it is due to the fact that it is time for a seasonal swap to cleaner-more expensive-fuels...those petroleum companies are just trying to get a few more dollars...makes you wonder if the oil crisis of the 70's is back???
well that is all for now-feel free to comment on the entries, would love to hear from you-leave an email address and I will write you back

And the witchdoctor says....

for those of you who dont know I have been going to a psychologist for long term issues resulting from Iraq, but the head-shrinker and I have been making some progress-it all breaks down to what my drill sergeant said in basic training-put yourself in a California state of mind....warm sandy beaches is the key to not going crazy!! who knew...
I ll post more later, stay tuned...
Andrew

Memoirs of a soldier losing his mind...

Its funny how the decisions that we make have lasting effects that we cannot foresee at the time the choice was made.
There are many things that I have done in the army that I would not have ever dreamed would happen when I singed up tree years ago. I have traveled to or through over thirteen countries, I have seen death, I have helped preserve life, and all of these things have happened because of a small choice to work a job.
Today is the official three year mark for me. 1095 days-26280hours-1576800 minutes-94608000 seconds. Three years is a long time, however it is measured. It flashed by. I can hardly remember any one specific moment. Maybe I will break it down by country-
FT Jackson, SC
The very first day of basic training. April 17, 2003
“Your mother lied to you-You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are a cookie from a cookie cutter. You are merely a number, you are nothing special. you no longer have a name, you are the last four digits of your social security number.” Drill sergeants have a way of making you feel loved and accepted.
FT Lee, VA
I have been performing well in AIT(Advanced Individual Training- for those of my readers who are in the national guard!)and there was a fight in the barracks-my drill sergeant had just finished cussing out the soldiers involved, and it was past bed checks-what was about to happen would either be a really good thing, or I would find myself in that one creek without a paddle. My best friend in the army-and battle buddy in training, and I had just returned from an off post pass, and purchased matching sunglasses-you know the kind that state troopers wear. Well a consensus had been reached that the two of us looked like maverick and goose off of Top Gun. Well, we couldn’t disappoint!! For those of you who have seen the movie, you will remember the part in the movie where they sing you’ve lost that loving feeling- the mood was right, and it was now or never. So a small band of we soldiers planned the attack and swarmed our drill sergeant, serenaded her with the song and disappeared into the halls to avoid the cannon blast that was sure to come, however, it never came…the drill sergeant called us back in and, although did her best to convince us not to quit our day jobs, said it made her day.
64th replacement company, Frankfurt Germany-
being the private that I was, I lost my packet of papers that would allow for a seamless transfer into Germany. I lost the orders that brought me over to the country and as a result I could not enter through customs. Not a good start to a two year tour.
Cyprus, turkey-or Greece(aren’t they still fighting over this island??)
this was a beautiful stop on the way to Iraq-although short, it was still nice to escape Germany and enjoy a little nice weather in February.
Camp New York, Kuwait
Never in my life have I felt like all I do is eat and sleep, but this was it. The dining facility was too small, and the First Infantry Division arrives in force-large enough that we took a DIVISION photo-they had to use a helicopter to get high enough to get the hwhole division in-butwe would wake up a 0430 to get in line for breakfast, eat around 0900, leave the chow hall and get right back in line for lunch at 0930, eat lunch at 1100leave the chow hall and get in line for dinner around 1130, eat dinner around 1800, and leave to get in line to make a phone call around 1830 then go to sleep at 2100. NOT FUN-Waking up and seeing herds of camels just crossing the desert-FUN
FOB Scunion (don’t ask, I don’t know…)
Never thought that having mortar rounds impact all around you would be so routine. Its like that scene in Apocalypse now, when they are surfing on the beach and fighting a war at the tree line…there is so much that I could write about Iraq and the effects of living in a combat zone that I will leave that for another entry-besides my mental health visit is later this week, I don’t want to be bored there!!
Austria-
The sound of music, beautiful hills…no wonder the Germans always vacation here---the beer is just as good, they accept Euro, and it is beautiful.
Ireland, England-heck the united kingdom
I Love the Pubs-‘nough said.
Madrid, Spain
It’s a shame that London beat Madrid for the Olympics bid, because spain is the place to be in Europe-the Euro is worth something-the women are beautiful, and there is a nap after lunch everyday-is this heaven on earth?
I hope that you have enjoyed my little walk down memory lane- I may write some other fun moments down.
In other news I intend to go into business for myself doing home remodeling, I need to come up with a name-any suggestions.
Until nextime…

The jetlag is the worst of it all!!!

I tell you the worst part of international travel is the Jet Lag...five countries and six states in the period of two months-my passport is full!!
The good news is that i have officially returned to the United States-all military fanfare included. the jouney was complicated and included a loit of time in airports waiting on flights, or trying to get on an earlier one. the good news is that i will not be working until wednesday-and we use that term "work" very loosely.
I have so much to write down, so many stories to tell, that I will have to post in pieces, so stay tuned...

This is the life

I am here on the other side of the world doing what every Fuel dog is trained to do...we refuel birds all day long---there are helocopters from UN, Red Cross, Pakistan Military, US Military-enough to keep us busy from sunrise to sunset. I am trilled to have an oportunity to make a difference in other people's lives-what a blessing.Andrew

The power of perception

Well ladies and gentlemen, it has been some time since my last post and for that i do appoligize...however-here we go...we have begun to take over operations here in pakistan, and we have been rather busy--it is really fun to take part in a mission that is changing the perception of the american soldier, giving hopes to many, and helping a country recover from a horrible disaster. I really would like to write more , but i do not have the time now-I will give you more of the story later---Andrew

A little more info...just a little.

well-it has been a little difficult to post lately because i have not been online since i moved to VA. But here it is-a lot is going on with me lately. I am on the verge of a promotion to SGT..hopefully within the next couple of months. I am also going to be deploying to Southwest Asia once again, this time to a non-combat situation-more humanitarian relief. Things are going well with the family-my father's business is going to start production soon, and that is a relief. Finally, Grow Anywhere will be growing somewhere...
I am not sure if there will be any resources in our base camp to contact anyone, but for sure i will update anytime that I can...
I will post some more later-
AJ