Where I'll be until September

Some of you already know this, and for the rest of you I'm sorry I haven't called to explain it yet, but here's your heads up: I'll be traveling to Afghanistan on July 7 and be reporting on U.S. military operations there until Aug. 11.

Yeah, it's really wacky. I'll do anything to get out of mowing the lawn.

Every two years or so, every reporter who works at Stars and Stripes spends six weeks downrange to report on the troops (that's what we do after all) and what's going on in the combat zones. This isn't why I took the job, but I do believe it's an important part of what we do, and it's also something that I think I can help a lot of people with. Most of my reporting will simply be "life in Afghanistan" type stories about how guys are coping with the heat and being away from home, but there will also be some "how to stay safe" and "what exactly are we doing here" reports as well. Troops serving overseas deserve to read the news too.

I actually head out to Virginia for training next week then head to Germany on July 3 to pick up my computer and other equipment, and I'll spend a week in Germany after my time in Asia is up. So I'll be back in the U.S. Aug 18, jet-lagged and likely pretty dusty.

My darling wife will be looking for some kind words and friendly faces during the time I'm gone, so please please please drop her a line and see if there's anything you can do to help her out. If you can curse about the lack of a hefty Eagles RB for third-and-short situations, she might not even notice that I'm not around.

I will have e-mail while I'm overseas. Mainly it will be through the work address, but hopefully I'll also have some access to this blog to keep you kids updated, so keep checking in.

Send me some Phillies scores and say a prayer for me while I'm gone (if you need a God to pray to, it probably counts double if you pray to mine). I'll be back in plenty of time to set up the fantasy football league, so somebody keep Donovan McNabb away from motorcycles while I'm gone.

And we'll have a big Labor Day party at Fort Awesome when I get back, so mark your calendars now.