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I thought I would write this time about the advances of communication since past wars. Every day I am amazed and grateful for what I am able to accomplish while I am here. My job is mainly spent staring at a computer and doing research. I honestly love my job in the Army and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that I am helping out my fellow Soldiers.
With that, I think of wars past and all that the people in my MOS (military job) had to do to accomplish their missions. It is hard to imagine not having a computer, a printer, and a scanner. It is even harder to imagine not having the internet. Though it is not the best connections and a lot of sites are blocked it still enables me to do some pretty amazing things.
In my job, I do many things that include typing memos and making spreadsheets. I look up regulations and information for just about everyone that has a question. I take the information that I accumulate and put it on a centrally located storage space and at times I am required to send information back to our armory at home. It usually only takes about 12 hours or less, because of time change, to get a reply or to have someone update records. This in itself is sometimes hard to believe. Like I said, I cannot imagine what the guys had to go through in previous wars.
In my family life I can and take full advantage of text messaging. I can instantly send my wife and daughters a text to tell them that I love them or to see how their day is going. I can send my wife an email with a lengthy letter and she can check it right on her Blackberry. This is amazing! I have set up email accounts for my daughters so that I can send them instant picture updates and letters of my “adventure” as I call it. They all have a phone with a camera on it, they can send me pictures of those moments that I would otherwise miss or they would have missed because of bulky cameras.
We are starting to get wireless internet access in some points. I can get on most pages like Facebook and the Waseca County News website. I can also get on Skype. Skype has allowed us to talk for many minutes without costing us a dime. It has enabled me to see my family and see how they are growing and changing. I also love access to the other sites because it makes me feel closer to home. It is great to see what is going on around town and to see what my friends and family are up to. I have reconnected with most of my High School classmates, friends from Basic Training, and even relatives that I have not talked to in years. All of this is from a war zone.
It is hard to be away from home. It is hard to see your family grow up through photos and emails. It does make it easier though with the great technology that we have in front of us. Sometimes we can get irritated with a cell phone ring or even take it for granted. I do however appreciate that we have these things to stay connected with home.
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