I’m in Germany for what the Navy refers to as “Third Location Decompression.” Another words back in I think somewhere around 2009, the Chief of Naval Operations mandated that all Navy service members returning from individual augmentation deployments must attend the Warrior Transition Program (WTP).
There was heavy fighting and Sailors, many of who were Navy Reservists, were coming directly home and reintegrating with their spouses, children, employers and commands – with little to know discussion or decompression time.
This “WTP” provided an early opportunity to help Sailors come down from daily fire fights in a safe space, and it helped the Navy evaluate their mental stability prior to sending them home.
Today, we go on site seeing trips and have some group discussions around resiliency, empathy and reintegration.
The chaplain leading our discussion today asked the group what some of the things were that they’d notice since arriving less than 24 hours prior.
For me it is the cleanliness – everything from the fresh, brisk and clean air to the spotless and clean smelling rooms, bathrooms, streets and living spaces. I’ve never been so grateful for fresh air.
Others mentioned the green trees. Greenery in general stands out for Sailors who’ve been deployed the last year to Iraq and Djibouti (the Horn of Africa). In Kabul, we had some trees and grass and I was grateful for that.
Almost unanimously it is nature that we all appreciate first and foremost. As we flew into Germany, I noticed the number of energy windmills and solar panel roof tops. The Chief that picked us up stressed the recycling rules. Having come from Afghanistan, it was refreshing to once again think about environmental health.
I felt guilty this morning when I opted for the Styrofoam to go container because it felt more familiar.
Yesterday we turned in the hundreds of pounds of Army equipment that was issued to us. That
included our weapons. As I was cleaning my weapons, I was surprised to find myself bitter sweetly lamenting that we couldn’t have one more time on a firing range before handing them over.
I feel light now with just one uniform, two backpacks and 6 loose padlocks. I threw away my shower shoes and took advantage of what they call here the “Chaplain’s Closet” where they have hundreds of new sweatshirts, pants, jackets, towels and fuzzy slippers ready for returning Sailors to grab if desired. Those fuzzy slippers were phenomenal.
I found myself super thirsty and with a significant shortage of free bottled water. In fact, when I asked where I could find bottled water, the poor chief shrugged and said the water in the sink was perfect and that they just didn’t have any bottled water. It will take me some getting used to filling my water bottle up in a bathroom sink after months of not even being able to brush your teeth using tap water.
I knew it was a good sign when I walked into my temporary room here and saw the previous resident had left one of my all-time favorite leadership books on the desk, “It’s Your Ship,” by Capt. D. Michael Abrashoff.
To me it meant not only had I left behind my days in Afghanistan, but I’d left the Army behind as well – Anchors Aweigh my friends.
