Assignment pending

I apologize for not updating in a while--I haven't done any traveling because of he DoD budget woes after the first of the fiscal year. I really missed getting out to the sites and seeing folks on the point end of the 22 SOPS spear. But that's all moot now because my travels are coming to an end, a little sooner than planned.

For those of you who haven't heard, I now officially have an assignment. I'm going to Thule (pronounced too-LEE), this time to stay, to be the 821st Air Base Group deputy commander. The group operates and maintains Thule Air Base in support of missile warning and space surveillance and satellite command and control operations missions. The group provides security, communications, civil engineering, personnel, services, logistics and medical support to remote active duty units in a combined U.S., Canadian, Danish and Greenlandic environment of approximately 600 military, civilian and contractor personnel. the group operates the Department of Defense's northernmost deep-water seaport as well as a 10,000-foot runway and associated airfield. The 821st also provides logistics resupply operations support for smaller military sites both in Greenland and northern Canada, as well as support for several arctic scientific studies. For more on the base, check out http://www.thule.af.mil

Professionally, they tell me this is a good assignment. And from that perspective, even though I spent a year at a remote assignment, it's hard to argue, even though I have to leave 22 SOPS 6 months early without the chance to carry the squadron through our upcoming Operational Readiness Inspection. I'm going to be the deputy commander of 600-plus people, military and contractor alike (more than my current 375 military, civilians, and contractors), and I have a chance to learn a lot of stuff. How many space officers can say they have had responsibility for an airfield? A fire department? Cops? I get a chance to be there for a lot of new professionally-enhancing opportunities.

Personally, of course, it will be tough. But we Arnolds have done tough things before and we can do them again. I'm not going to Iraq for the third time for 15 months. Heck, I don't even have to shoot an M-9 to get my orders! But it's THE SERVICE and this is what the Air Force wants me to do so I am going to do it. I will miss everyone horribly and I know I'll be missed. But I'll be back a few times and it's not the end of the world. It's the TOP of the WORLD, but not the end.

I'll keep you updated via this website (I hope) on how things are going! Please stay in touch.

David