About Me and the “Key”

A little background on this blog.

In 2011, I anonymously journaled every day of my deployment blog to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The time has come again and again, I will journal anonymously. The anonymous journal was a fantastic way to stay connected with friends and family while staying true to OPSEC (Operational Security.) Names, locations and timelines will all be kept private and confidential to both protect my family and the mission.

The “key” to use in understanding my writing is as follows:

Oz: my ultimate deployed location
Yellow Brick Road: the path to and from “Oz.”
Dorothy: my bride
Tin Man: my eldest daughter
Scarecrow: my youngest daughter
Theme Parks: other locations in theater
Kansas: home

Who is “Bear”? This bear was sent to me from my girls back in 2011 when I was in Afghanistan and I promised I would take it everywhere I went and I did! It would appear in photos in my travels and was never left behind. They were 10 and 8 years old back then. This time when I was packing to leave Kansas, “Bear” appeared on top of all my things, clearly signaling it was ready to journey with me again. The rubber bracelet around it’s neck was made by Scarecrow and hidden with a note that I found about a month ago.

2011 Journal: my writings from 2011 are locked down now but individual access can be granted per person. If interested, please send me a message on the contact page and I’ll grant you direct access. My only suggestion is to read from Day 1 instead of Day 208. Otherwise, it’ll be like reading a book in reverse!