You probably know already that we all arrived safely at Fort Riley real early yesterday morning. On about an hour's sleep, we went right into a day of activities, without even time for lunch, but we had a nice welcome home pizza party with our Brigade Commander, his Command Sergeant Major and the Deputy Divison Commanding General last night.
With one exception, we all plan on traveling to our homes tomorrow to complete the mission. (1SG Walter has to stay a couple days to get some orders fixed.)
It has been a long year, family and friends, and it feels good to be able to report that this mission is accomplished. We are still deeply saddened by the loss of our dear comrades, but anxious to be home with you again.
My wife sent me these lyrics last October (below), right after we passed the one year mark on our mobilization. I think they are appropriate to contemplate now that we are back from spending one year (and two days) in theater. I know for many of you, you were just waiting on the news that we were out of country.
Thank you for all of your support to your Soldier and the team over the past 15 months. I know that it has not been easy for you, just as it was not easy on us to be away from you. I hope the reunions go well, but I am sure that we will have to get used to coming back to a home that has been functioning fine on its own for more than a year!
We are planning on holding a welcome home dinner for the team with family members and guests in early April. I will send you more details within the next month.
With Very Best Regards,
GEORGE M. SCHWARTZ
LTC, AR
Team Leader/Senior Mentor
1st Brigade, 201st Corps (ANA ETT)
SEASONS OF LOVE
from Rent
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
In Daylights, in sunsets, in midnights
In cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the life?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love? Measure in love
Seasons of love.
Seasons of love.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes!
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Journeys to plan.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure the life
Of a woman or a man?
In truths that she learned,
Or in times that he cried,
In bridges she burned,
Or the way that he died.
It's time now to sing out,
Tho' the story never ends
Let's celebrate
Remember a year in the life of friends
Remember the love!
Remember the love!
Remember the love
Measure in love
Seasons of love!
Seasons of love.
Oh you got to remember the love,
You know that love is a gift from up above
Share love, give love, spread love
Measure, measure your life in love.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Another Chapter Concludes
Dear Family & Friends,
We arrived safely in Manas last night, ending our year in Afghanistan.
Everyone is doing well despite the cold throughout the region. We spent most of yesterday at Kabul International outside or in a drafty tent, and then had an uneventul flight here to arrive to bitter cold. It was 0 degrees F when we arrived.
We are all in a large tent housing a couple hundred guys, but comfortable enough. The hardy Pennsylvanians are holding up well, and no one seems to be having any problems with the cold.
We expect to be here a couple more days now, and should arrive in Kansas over the weekend. Remember, we plan to be there about five days for outprocessing.
I'll write you again when we arrive there, and after that, you should be hearing from your Soldier so that he can let you know when his flight gets in.
We have been informed that there will not be group travel to Scranton, so everyone should be arriving at an airport close to their homes now.
Best to all,
GEORGE M. SCHWARTZ
LTC, AR
Team Leader/Senior Mentor
1st Brigade, 201st Corps (ANA ETT)
We arrived safely in Manas last night, ending our year in Afghanistan.
Everyone is doing well despite the cold throughout the region. We spent most of yesterday at Kabul International outside or in a drafty tent, and then had an uneventul flight here to arrive to bitter cold. It was 0 degrees F when we arrived.
We are all in a large tent housing a couple hundred guys, but comfortable enough. The hardy Pennsylvanians are holding up well, and no one seems to be having any problems with the cold.
We expect to be here a couple more days now, and should arrive in Kansas over the weekend. Remember, we plan to be there about five days for outprocessing.
I'll write you again when we arrive there, and after that, you should be hearing from your Soldier so that he can let you know when his flight gets in.
We have been informed that there will not be group travel to Scranton, so everyone should be arriving at an airport close to their homes now.
Best to all,
GEORGE M. SCHWARTZ
LTC, AR
Team Leader/Senior Mentor
1st Brigade, 201st Corps (ANA ETT)
Sunday, January 20, 2008
She Has Quite A Bold Personality
She has showed an early interest in religion, spirituality (and Katie's inheritance)...
...loves books and craft items...
...enjoys a snack once in a while...
...has perfect oral hygiene... 
..helps out around the house...But....
...Is not so fond of the wintery weather...
...hates Peach Mango Chutney and whenever Mom tries to cook...
...and did I mention that she LOVES jam?Thursday, January 17, 2008
In Search Of: Missing USB Cord to Camera!
We've been doing quite a bit of traveling over the last few weeks. In the whirlwind I seemed to have lost the USB cord to my camera. The memory card is holding all the goods...but I know there are some loved ones (*cough**cough* Eileen) that get a little snippy when they don't get a regular dose of the Sophster......
We were visiting The Farm, or the homestead that shakes hands with my parents' property and provided the fertile soil that raised the family of cooking, crafting, cat and parrot raising freaks that I hold so near and dear to my heart. During visits we cook and craft and teach stray African parrots silly phrases (well, we were working on "Would you look at that guy's head?" but much to our dismay the phrase was never repeated).
Soph got a little carried away with herself after I started into my second round of baking. First she pulled our all the pots and pans, then went for the tupperware...found enough toxic chemicals to kill all the remaining elephants on the planet and then settled into this pot.
What fun.
I think she takes after me :)
Thanks for the photo, Kate.
We were visiting The Farm, or the homestead that shakes hands with my parents' property and provided the fertile soil that raised the family of cooking, crafting, cat and parrot raising freaks that I hold so near and dear to my heart. During visits we cook and craft and teach stray African parrots silly phrases (well, we were working on "Would you look at that guy's head?" but much to our dismay the phrase was never repeated). Soph got a little carried away with herself after I started into my second round of baking. First she pulled our all the pots and pans, then went for the tupperware...found enough toxic chemicals to kill all the remaining elephants on the planet and then settled into this pot.
What fun.
I think she takes after me :)
Thanks for the photo, Kate.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Final Update from Afghanistan
Dear Family & Friends,
We are just a few days away from beginning the first step in our five steps home, and there is more good news: our first step is the move to Camp Phoenix and it looks like we will only spend a couple days there. There is even the possibility that we will skip a whole step, which would speed up the process of bringing us home.
All of the guys are in good spirits and doing a great job in preparing their replacements despite the weather. Earlier in the week, we had three straight days of snow, leaving about a foot on the ground here. In some of the mountain passes, however, it was more like three foot, and blowing winds created higher drifts. Since then, the sky has cleared, but the temperatures plummeted, so ice is a real hazard around the camp.
On the 6th, we had a visit from MG Robert Cone, who is the commander of the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan. He handed out some awards, and spent some time to get to know our unit and what we do. In a web conference later that night after the visit, he told his commanders how very impressed by our advisory team and our ANA brigade. He called the ETTs the unsung heroes of this war.
Tomorrow is pretty much the last day on the road for our guys, except for the moves that we will have to make to eventually get on our flight out of country. I am rather certain that we will be making a stop in Kyrgyzstan like we did on the way here, so the next time I'll write will be to let you all know that we are safely there.
Best Regards,
GEORGE M. SCHWARTZ
LTC, AR
Team Leader/Senior Mentor
1st Brigade, 201st Corps (ANA ETT)
We are just a few days away from beginning the first step in our five steps home, and there is more good news: our first step is the move to Camp Phoenix and it looks like we will only spend a couple days there. There is even the possibility that we will skip a whole step, which would speed up the process of bringing us home.
All of the guys are in good spirits and doing a great job in preparing their replacements despite the weather. Earlier in the week, we had three straight days of snow, leaving about a foot on the ground here. In some of the mountain passes, however, it was more like three foot, and blowing winds created higher drifts. Since then, the sky has cleared, but the temperatures plummeted, so ice is a real hazard around the camp.
On the 6th, we had a visit from MG Robert Cone, who is the commander of the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan. He handed out some awards, and spent some time to get to know our unit and what we do. In a web conference later that night after the visit, he told his commanders how very impressed by our advisory team and our ANA brigade. He called the ETTs the unsung heroes of this war.
Tomorrow is pretty much the last day on the road for our guys, except for the moves that we will have to make to eventually get on our flight out of country. I am rather certain that we will be making a stop in Kyrgyzstan like we did on the way here, so the next time I'll write will be to let you all know that we are safely there.
Best Regards,
GEORGE M. SCHWARTZ
LTC, AR
Team Leader/Senior Mentor
1st Brigade, 201st Corps (ANA ETT)
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Family and Friends Update
Happy New Year Family & Friends!
Well, I won't be writing too many more of these updates. Our replacements are now here with us and we have started the transition.
Earlier in the week, most of us who are leaving moved into some temporary quarters, and we turned over our old spots to our replacements. They have been very pleased with the reception, the fresh air here at Darulaman (Kabul is very smoggy in the winter) and the cheeseburgers in the Dining Facility. Today we put them through our own brigade mission-focused training challenge, and they performed really well.
There is a lot of energy in the air right now. The new guys bring a lot of energy and they are hustling around getting established on camp. Although our own guys have never gotten complacent, our pace had been a little more deliberate prior to their arrival (remember our motto is "It is a marathon, not a sprint"). But the guys seem to be going about their duties with a newfound energy. Overall, there is a nice atmosphere here.
So, this coming week will be more of the same. It has been cold here and we are expecting snow over the next few days though. We'll be introducing them to their ANA counterparts and taking them around to show there where everything is.
(edited)
Best New Year Regards,
GEORGE M. SCHWARTZ
LTC, AR
Team Leader/Senior Mentor
1st Brigade, 201st Corps (ANA ETT)
Well, I won't be writing too many more of these updates. Our replacements are now here with us and we have started the transition.
Earlier in the week, most of us who are leaving moved into some temporary quarters, and we turned over our old spots to our replacements. They have been very pleased with the reception, the fresh air here at Darulaman (Kabul is very smoggy in the winter) and the cheeseburgers in the Dining Facility. Today we put them through our own brigade mission-focused training challenge, and they performed really well.
There is a lot of energy in the air right now. The new guys bring a lot of energy and they are hustling around getting established on camp. Although our own guys have never gotten complacent, our pace had been a little more deliberate prior to their arrival (remember our motto is "It is a marathon, not a sprint"). But the guys seem to be going about their duties with a newfound energy. Overall, there is a nice atmosphere here.
So, this coming week will be more of the same. It has been cold here and we are expecting snow over the next few days though. We'll be introducing them to their ANA counterparts and taking them around to show there where everything is.
(edited)
Best New Year Regards,
GEORGE M. SCHWARTZ
LTC, AR
Team Leader/Senior Mentor
1st Brigade, 201st Corps (ANA ETT)
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