"There I was..."

  • Published
  • By Christopher King
  • 6th Communications Squadron
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  "Didn't I just give you one of these?" U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen asked, as he gave me a whole hearted slap on the shoulder.

"No sir, that was my promotion a few weeks ago," I said. "But I would be willing to take two." He was handing out end-of-tour medals to the few departing Afghanistan.

"Attention to order..." As the narrator started to read the citation, I quickly zoned out - with Allen staring directly into my eyes. I was not nervous about the face-to-face stare down with the general, but I was nervous about what I was going to say. When you are the lowest ranking person in the room, surrounded by field grade officers and generals, what should a 22-year-old E-4 say?

My entire deployment was running through my head. I initially believed my assignment would be very easy. I assumed the general would be in his office all day doing paperwork and would not get out much. I did not know that his day, from 5:30 a.m. to midnight, would consist of traveling around the area of responsibility to see the troops and coalition partners. Not only was he the United States Forces-Afghanistan commander, he was also the commander of the International Security Assistance Force, which I consider the hardest job in the military.

Allen awarded me the title of communications officer NCO, since Marine Corps E-4's are NCOs. My job entailed planning and coordinating Allen's communications needs. I sat across from his office, ready to fix any communications problem. I went to his meetings and ensured smooth presentations and operations of the advanced video teleconference equipment used to communicate with battlefield commanders. There were hiccups, so anticipating problems was the key. It was important to know what to do and who to contact to fix things.

Simply being around the strategic level of the ISAF commander was a huge eye opener for me. I saw some of the planning and thought processes that went into the decision making, and had the opportunity to witness the workings of politics and international relations while in Afghanistan.

I noticed Allen's genuine concern for the Afghan people. The amount of sincerity that went into his speeches made me a believer of this fact. During my speech I wanted to thank him for all of the good I've seen him accomplish.

I snapped back to reality as Allen said, "you have the floor."

There I was, standing in front of more than 30 people. Within an instant, all of my thoughts completely went away.

I thanked Allen for his time and said that I appreciated everyone I worked for. They treated me with dignity and respect. I also mentioned that I brag to my friends back home about how I traveled with the general to Washington, D.C., for a month to attend the congressional testimony. I would tell my friends, "I'm kind of a big deal." Allen got a kick out of that.