The Last Journey
Article
#22 “Page
Two”
After much
traveling, I have arrived among the United States Marine Corps in Helmund province, 
somehow, I got on a flight. It was a welcomed sight. I arrived in
In
Upon arrival to
The first impressions I have are all good. The flight line folks, all Marines, were
sharp, up to speed, helpful and quite frankly down to
business at all times. I am most
familiar with ground operations in flight line services so I can tell right
away whether a place is up to speed or not.
As I expected, especially from past experiences when the Marines are in
control of their own neighborhood, everything was geared for “getting the
job done and getting
it done in prompt order”. This was
a welcomed sight after the pax terminal experiences
in Bagram. It
is not meant to say that things don't get done well in Bagram. They do get done, eventually. It is just when the Marines do their things, it seems to get done quickly, because there is much
more to do.
Crilley asked if I needed anything and then
showed me where the chow hall was. He
told me to rest up and that in the morning, I was to go over to headquarters
and the Lt and Capt would brief me on where I am ,
what's going on, and answer any questions I may have. I told Crilley
thank you for his assistance and I headed into the chow hall to grab a bite to
eat and pick up some iced tea to give me a bit of a boost. At this point, I was very tired and pretty
worn out. I basically had not slept in
nearly 40-hours but was glad I had come this far and was now almost where I
needed to be.
After I finished chow, I went around my immediate surroundings
and checked things out. This is a
“tent city” of sorts, but the tents are really nice. I have not seen tents like this before. I like this kind of tent life. Whoever designed these got it right. They have these showers that are really
amazing and they have these bathroom facilities that are also very
sufficient. I would say it 
is on the
lines of luxury type camping facilities, more or less. It is not easy, but it is quite
sufficient. The dining facility is also
a tent but it is also immaculate. Is a
matter of fact, everything here, where Marines are, is well kept and his hard
not to notice such a thing. Everybody
picks up after themselves and that type of tidy environment is just contagious
in a good way. I like keeping a clean shop.
After I had pretty much gotten everything in order, Crilley arrived at my tent and said the Lt and Capt wanted
to see me as soon as possible and that he (Crilley)
and I would be heading out that night via CH53 to my next destination. Wow...! That's great. I got up off the cot and walked over to the
command center with LCPL Crilley and met with Lt
Raney and his Captain. I knew I was
going to like this place when I saw the New York Yankees banner hanging on the
wall. Yankee fans...! This is great. My favorite team.
Lt Raney introduced me to the Captain and the Captain briefed me
on my whereabouts and destination. They
asked if I had any questions and I just wanted to know what the spread was on
the next Yankee game...! They smiled and
realized this new media guy (me) was going to be ok. The Captain left and I spent the next
20-minutes speaking with Lt. Raney. It
was time very well spent. As I talked I
just knew I had come to the right place.
I felt at home once again. It was
like my FOB Boris experience had been transplanted down here to the south, Helmund province, only they were Marines now. What I explain to people is this. I split my time between the Army and the
Marines for a reason. One son was a
Marine; the other is in the Army. I
loved both my sons. I love both the Army
and the Marines. But, now, I am in the
Marine experience. And it is a deep
experience at that. It is hard in the neck of the woods. It is why the Marines are here. It is like Anbar
province in
That night, around
During this night's wait, I met two Marines who had been wounded
and were returning to duty and heading to their location. I spent a great deal of time speaking with
these two Marines. One was 22, the other
was 20. The 20-year-old and I spoke at
length. He is from northern 
front line
experience. I wanted to take a photo of
this Marine, but I did not want the conversation to stop. I let the photo op go. It was too important to just listen to this
Marine, this young man much older than his years. This wounded warrior who going back into
battle. I have yet to meet such a
20-year old back in the states. This
again is why I come to these places. It
is extremely educational. It is fresh
and it is raw. It is not a movie. I am listening to ones that are doing what
they do because they are told to do it and they do not know failure. They only know how to accomplish a task. And the task they've been allotted is a long
row to hoe.
How is it that I have once again found exactly the right
folks?
After the notification of the flight cancellation, Crilley contacted another Marine who brought a bus and took
us back to your quarters. Before I left
I shook the hands of the two Marines I had been speaking to. I thanked them and they shook my hand and
said, “be careful”. They assured me the unit I am hooking up with
are good Marines.
I had no doubt on that. I said
good bye and gathered my gear and as I was walking to the front area the bus
pulled up. He got there fast. No one wastes time here. By now, I had been up way too long and my
body ached everywhere. But I felt good,
in such a way that I remember how I always felt good after a long distance race
in school when I was in high school. I
ached, but felt good that it was over.
I realized now that this part of my journey had already turned
to page two right before my very eyes. It is the next chapter and it is obviously
going to be filled with much. I feel
very humbled again. I am feeling that
the further I go forward, the less encumbrances I have
holding me down. This race set before me
requires much endurance. I am drawing on
reserves deep within.
Now begins the second part of this journey. It is what I am calling, “Page
Two”. I have waited a long time
for this. It has taken nearly all my
strength just to get to this point, and yet, I have one stop left to go. I will get there. I am coming to the mountain top, in the
lowest part of this country. Amazing how things turn out. Once the dust settles, I will be on my way.
Welcome to Helmund province,
Jim Spiri
mailto:jimspiri@yahoo.com?subject=The Last Journey