All were surprised to fly to war in a sweet Boeing 777. The Aircraft was large enough for everyone to stretch out. The officers occupied first-class seats able to fold into a bed. The patriotic servers were very gracious and kind. They made everyone content. We took many photos with these lovely people. It was like being at Walt Disney World, waiting in line to snap a picture of my favorite character, Goofy. I enjoyed sitting in the cockpit and speaking with the captain about various experiences. We wondered about what everyone would be like upon return from war. Will we return home from battle the same without change? I prayed that at least this fight was not our last illustrious meal and atmosphere. I plead to God we would all come home safely. The Boeing 777 was full of festivity. Traveling into the unknown is daunting, no matter how you dress it up. The flight had the best ambiance and food while traveling across the pond during my military career, flying places. They treated us as heroes.
God called Abraham to a place he did not know where he was going. We also entered a place unimaginable. There is a sense of awe attending unseen places. Our faith was in our readiness to implement the commander’s intent. For months, we prepared and developed confidence in our training. Abraham lived and fought in desert places as his calling. We landed in war in Abraham’s stomping grounds. He did not falter in his mission, nor will we. Abraham was expecting a city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God (Heb 11:10). Such faith in God sustained me and others in battle.
Abraham had a sense of readiness. He left his Boeing 777, Heron, into the unknown world. The desert is a place of change. The warrior adapts to all hostile conditions. Abraham adapted and conquered kings. He became flighty rich. There are many rewards for being a soldier in war. Acceptance on a team created pride and confidence among the troops. Some became financially stable with the tax-free salary. Other soldiers passionately sacrificed financially to serve. We made meaningful comrades for years to come. Absent from family members is the most challenging transition in battle. We grew as mature warriors. After all the combat experience, Abraham was victorious and received the blessings of God. Soldiers walk in courage and faith. We shared our hope and resilience to compel us to lean forward in the foxhole and never accept defeat.
We landed in Kuwait to wait for buses to take us to our living quarters. At this point, I regretted bringing many vices to war. My bags were heavy, and we carried everything in only one trip to the buses. They transported us to a large warehouse with rolls of bunk beds. After being assigned an area, we seized our home and bed until we received a mission. The Army believes in the concept of “hurry up and wait.” It seemed that we were stagnant there. Occupying the boring warehouse felt like forever. We were eager to begin our mission.
