McMurdo - Friends and Family

I've been heinously slacking in the journal entry department and for that I apologize. Certainly a lot has happened since my last post on the 14th and it's had me on one of my regular emotional rollercoasters that both plague my life and describe and make up all that is me. Last week, one of our firefighters, a subordinate of mine and someone with whom I was becoming pretty good friends, was injured when his leg was run over by a matt-tracked vehicle. It was a hard time for a lot of us...especially thsoe that had worked with him over winfly. He was medevaced the next day and I believe by now he's bearing weight on it and is walking around. Within a week later we were medevacing another firefighter out for a serious illness. So far the more serious medevacs have been within the fire department which has taken a toll on us both mentall and administratively. On the positive side of things, I've definitely renewed my love for the place. Like I said before, when I first got here, I was inundated by a wave of relief. Not so much relief from traveling but more relief to be back home. I settled back into a normal routine of things. With Station 2 opening up on Tuesday and everyone getting up to speed and in their own routines, life is a lot less chaotic for a turn of, shockingly, organization and efficiency. I've made a lot of good friends and have rekindled old friendships. I've been thinking about my family a lot. This month mark's the one year anniversary of my uncle James Pittman passing away. This month is also my parents annivesary...the second one my mother (and I) have had to experience since he passed away in 2006. With the friends I've made here, I wouldn't have been able to stay sane and keep smiling.