News
[April 21, 2009] - GOODBYE TEAM BAGRAM
It's finally time to say goodbye to our home on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. As most of you know, the majority of our Team is already in Kuwait. Meanwhile, there are a few of us stragglers still lingering around here. It has been an interesting ten months or so, and we really appreciate all the support we received from friends and family alike. Our time here has not always been smooth, or easy, but in the end we exceeded all expectations that anyone had for us. Most of us are proud of what we accomplished, but look forward to going home more than ever. In the coming weeks we will be all over the place on our long journey back to Connecticut. An update here is unlikely, but I plan to keep this page online until my account expires sometime in May. And who knows, maybe I will let it live on even a little bit longer. Sometimes I feel bad because we got a little bit slow with the updates, or newsletters just weren't being published (at least that wasn't my fault), but as long as a few people got some enjoyment out of our page, it was definitely worth it. The three newsletters appearing above will also most likely be the last ones we send out. In fact, as usual, one of them is still awaiting publication with the rest of the unit newsletter. This is Team Bagram signing off.
SSG John Kelleher, Esq.
[March 15, 2009] - A BELATED HAPPY PI DAY
Well, we've already begun shipping equipment and personal belongings home- it won't be long now! Enjoy the 16 new pictures!
[February 15, 2009] - NEWSLETTER EXTRAVAGANZA
This week we present 7 Team Bagram Newsletters. Four of them bring us up to the current issue, and the last 3 are ones that we made but never got printed. Due to a misunderstanding about the AVCRAD's plans for Valentine's Day issues, both a Valentine's Day and a replacement Presidents' Day (just to be different) issue were created for Team Bagram. Now they're useless, but maybe you'll enjoy them. Also, a second newsletter created by SSG Walbridge that focuses on an art show here on Bagram is available to be downloaded even though it too will never be part of the larger AVCRAD Newsletter.
[February 05, 2009] - HAPPY NEW YEAR UPDATE!
There are some brand new images in the "Pictures" section of our website. It has been a long time since this website has been updated. There are a variety of reasons: people going on leave, less pictures being taken, and nothing that interesting going on. As we get closer and closer to an end date, we look forward to (hopefully) more frequent updates. But as usual, no promises. Currently SSG Kelleher's PDF creation software is not working so the newsletters will be posted at a later date. Enjoy!
[December 14, 2008] - TEAM BAGRAM'S 22ND NEWSLETTER IS READY FOR YOU
I suppose the other locations are still having trouble with their networks, since it's Sunday and normally I'd be putting up next week's newsletter already. But last week's hasn't come out yet. So I'm not even sure what week this really is. Luckily, our newsletter has been void of any time pertinent stories, and instead filled with just fluff. That's our way of not confusing anybody!
[December 08, 2008] - HAPPY NEWSLETTER DAY
There have been problems at some of the other sites as far as getting their portion of the newsletter in on time. Technical issues and what not. So I haven't been posting ours as early as I used to, simply because it would come out 5 days prior to the full AVCRAD newsletter. But anyway, here is the newest one.
[November 28, 2008] - IT'S ALWAYS BLACK FRIDAY HERE
The newest, but not quite best, Team Bagram Newsletter is now available to be downloaded. Also, we have added a couple dozen new pictures which depict such exciting events as: The Urinalysis Test, Thanksgiving, and All The Other Days. Enjoy!
[November 20, 2008] - ANOTHER WEEK...ANOTHER NEWSLETTER
Sorry for the delay folks!
[November 09, 2008] - MOST RECENT NEWSLETTERS NOW AVAILABLE...PICTURES UPDATED TOO
We added another 20 pictures or so, and put our last newsletter and our newest newsletter online for you all to download if you'd like. Work has been a little boring lately so the cameras have not been flashing all that often. We'll pick up the pace towards the holidays.
[October 28, 2008] - TEAM BAGRAM NEWSLETTER UP
Our newsletter is now available online by clicking the link to the left. I know the families like to see exactly what we're doing over here, and sometimes I make something like a comic book that might not seem to be showing our day to day lives, but I assure you this is not the case. Everything in this comic book page is true, with the exception of the last panel. All those pictures are pictures of us. The work we were doing on an MH-47 is true. So there.
[October 21, 2008] - LAST TWO NEWSLETTERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
Unfortunately, we were unable to update the pictures portion of our site just yet. However, there are pictures on their way and hopefully by the end of this week there will be a proper update. Until then, enjoy the two newsletters!
[October 11, 2008] - HOLY CRAP, WE ACTUALLY UPDATED OUR PICTURES
Yes! We have added 72 new pictures to our galleries. Also, look for our newsletter on Monday as usual. It's not as good as last week's, but then again, how could it be?
[October 6, 2008] - UPDATES ON THE HORIZON, NEWSLETTER AVAILABLE
Today we are officially (barring some extenuating circumstance) rolling Aircraft 298 out of hour hangar and to somebody elses. What this means is that we are going to get a day off (our last days off were put on hold to complete this mission). Also, we might start having a little more free time until the work picks up again. As a result, we will be updating our website in the coming week. We have plenty of pictures, so stay tuned.
[September 29, 2008] - YEP, STILL BUSY
There is a light at the end of this tunnel, but it's still faint. However, one of these days I'm going to get around to updating this thing. We actually do have a couple dozen pictures to add, so stay tuned. We will of course let you know when they are available. Until then, click on the image to the left to get our newsletter.
[September 22, 2008] - TEAM BAGRAM IS BUSY! NEWSLETTER IS AVAILABLE
Well, our days are extra long recently as we work towards finishing a large project we have going on. As you can probably imagine, this cuts into our free time which cuts into my "update the website" time, and it cuts into everyone's picture taking time. So for now, all we can offer you is our newest newsletter - which you can have by clicking on the picture to the left.
[September 15, 2008] - ISSUE 10 OF THE TEAM BAGRAM NEWSLETTER IS ONLINE
Fortunately or unfortunately, we continue to move forward here in Bagram doing pretty much the same stuff we always do. While it's nice because we get into a routine and it helps the days move by more quickly, it certainly doesn't translate into a lot of "news". However, enjoy our newsletter!
[September 8, 2008] - TEAM BAGRAM NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 9, IS READY
Just click on the link to the left to see our newest newsletter. There is a slight delay coming out of Kuwait with the full AVCRAD newsletter, but as is often the case on Mondays, ours is available as a standalone. Enjoy!
[September 6, 2008] - FASHIONWINDOWS.NET "MYSTERY" SOLVED
Mari Davis, the Editor-In-Chief over at FashionWindows.net, was kind enough to write me an e-mail explaining how she came across our picture and decided to use it for her article on one small portion of Fashion Week. She also reassured me that it's real and not an "elaborate joke" (at which point I felt horrible since I didn't mean that in a BAD way).
She further explained: "Using a model to show the uniform just did not feel right for me. So, I went to the U.S. Army official site and just chose your photo from the ones being shown with the knowledge that the photo is on public domain. Why did I choose your photo? It's because among about the hundred photos I looked at, your photo stood out as showing off the military uniform the best. I'm saying that from experience. As a fashion editor I look at thousands of photos in a span of ten days during fashion week. "
Good enough for me! Thank you very much, Mari, for letting us know the process behind deciding on our picture. And we here at Team Bagram just want it known that if anyone wants to give us real studio time, we'll strike a fantastic pose in our uniforms. Onward and upward, friends.
[September 5, 2008] - "TEAM BAGRAM" CATCHING ON, WHO KNEW WE WERE SO FASHIONABLE?
So a few weeks ago we got our picture taken by a DOD Civillian photographer and were promptly put into an e-mail for the 401st Army Field Support Battalion's "Picture of the Day." It was pretty cool. Apparently, we look so good we're appearing elsewhere around the World Wide Web, in completely unrelated fields. Check out the following links:
The Official Army Website
Fashion Windows
I, forever the optimist, assumed the fashion one was an elaborate joke. And maybe it is, who knows. What we're wondering is: how did it get there? If anyone has any information surrounding this mystery, we'd love to hear from you. In the meantime, we're enjoying the celebrity of it. And by celebrity we mean the 5 or 6 random people we know who might stumble across their page.
Look for your regularly scheduled updates on Sunday and Monday. Also, if you follow the Official Army Website link above, and click on our picture, it will open a MASSIVE version of it that you can then save on your computer. Or print it out in panels and make it into a billboard. That would be pretty awesome. And if you did that, and took pictures, we promise to put them on our website.
[September 1, 2008] - BAGRAM NEWSLETTER (ISSUE 8), HAPPY LABOR DAY
Happy Labor Day everybody! If Labor Day means the same to you as it does to us, you will be laboring extra hard today. I know the updates have been averaging about once per week, with 15 pictures or so, but until things slow down (IF things slow down), that's just the way it's going to be. So until next week, enjoy the new pictures. And drink a beer for us this Labor Day.
[August 25, 2008] - BAGRAM NEWSLETTER (ISSUE 7) NOW AVAILABLE
It's monday, so you know what to do.
[August 20, 2008] - BAGRAM NEWSLETTER (ISSUE 6) NOW AVAILABLE
Sorry! I forgot to put it up here on Monday. Click on the image to get the newsletter.
[August 17, 2008] - ANOTHER WASTED YEAR TURNS ONE MONTH OLD
We are officially one month old! Oh what a long strange trip it has been. We just want to thank our friends and families for checking out the website and for their complimentary e-mails. You guys are the best! In a perfect world, there was going to be a big time "One Month" extravaganza where the addition of a videos section or the unveiling of dozens of new pictures would take place. However, we got extremely busy over here, so you all get nothing. Sorry! Enjoy the new 18 pictures!
[August 12, 2008] - BAGRAM NEWSLETTER (ISSUE 5) NOW AVAILABLE
You know the drill. Click on the image to the right to get the newsletter.
[August 8, 2008] - WE'RE BACK, AND THE TEAM BAGRAM NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 4, IS UP
First the important news: click on the image to get the newest Bagram Newsletter. Of course, issue 5 is already submitted and will more than likely be available on Monday, but until then you can check out our most controversial issue yet.
In other news: as you can see our website is back online and S2 approved. All thanks/accolades should be directed to SSG Houlberg who went out of his way to find the right people and show them all the pictures. Three of them were edited or removed to make us compliant, but otherwise it was pretty smooth sailing.
I'm just happy to have something to waste my free-time on again :)
[July 31, 2008] - MAKING THE BEST OF IT IS DEAD. UPDATES COMING SOON.
In a move that will surely devistate one person somewhere on this earth, MAKINGTHEBESTOFIT.ORG has been euthanized. Calls to the governor were unanswered and shortly after 10:14 PM, Kabul time, the once great website was no longer. In all seriousness though, so far the single biggest day here at AWY was on July 28 when we had 337 hits. That same day, our sister website received around 30. And those were probably by mistake. To make my life easier, and to save me a whopping $12 per month, I had to put her down. Look away son, Old Yeller is going to a better place. Also, it seems that after the initial shock of the name "ANOTHERWASTEDYEAR" wore off, people were fine with the name. Some loved it. Others not so much. However, after realizing that it is all very tongue-in-cheek and not meant to be at all offensive, even they have come around. It will be nice not having to do everything twice :) And yes, that's a smiley emoticon.
Next, look for some updates to this website sometime this weekend. I have new pictures to add, and there is a chance - albeit a small one - that there may be a new section popping up as well. Until then, enjoy the one new picture - that nasty camel spider that tried to attack me. I yelped like a small school-girl. SFC Lane and SGT Lenz can attest to that.
[July 28, 2008] - BAGRAM NEWSLETTER ISSUE 3 NOW AVAILABLE
Just click the image to the left to get it.
[July 27, 2008] - ANOTHER WASTED YEAR REACHES 100!
We have reached a small milestone here at Another Wasted Year (AWY) and Making The Best Of It (MTBOI): we now have 100 pictures up in our image galleries! Of course there are slightly more than that throughout the websites if you count the main page and news feed images. However, I don't count those and I, your humble narrator, make the rules around here. And what/who is in the 100th picture? Yeah that's right - me. A few more (combined) statistics about the two websites:
Number of hits (not unique): AWY: 1081, MTBOI: 161 (Ha Ha!)
Number of files making up both sites: 469
Total time spent uploading files (64kbps = $70/month here, assuming max throughput): 220 Minutes
Time devoted to creation/updating: 60+ hours
Google rank of AWY and MTBOI (using Team Bagram AVCRAD as search string): 9 and 10
Number of people on the "Updates" E-mail list: 2. That's right, 2. Thanks for the interest people!
And that just about does it! Keep visiting and tell your friends and family! Hopefully we reach 1000 pictures by the end of our time here.
[July 26, 2008] - TEAM BAGRAM WELCOMES A NEW MEMBER
On or around (OPSEC) July 25th, we welcomed our newest member: SSG Houlberg. We stole him from our larger group in Kuwait since his skills as a machinist will be put to better use here. Welcome aboard!
[July 26, 2008] - CONGRATULATIONS TO MR. AND MRS. CHRISTENSEN
Rob Christensen and his wife Genny have recently found out that they are expecting a little girl. Also, Vinnie DeMayo is going to be the Godfather to a little boy. Congratulations all around!
[July 24, 2008] - BAGRAM PORTION OF AVCRAD NEWSLETTER NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
Not everyone who visits these websites is on the AVCRAD's Weekly Newsletter e-mail list. And although I can't make the entire newsletter available here (the non-Bagram parts of it are the property of someone other than me), the Bagram section will now be available. Hopefully they will be up every Monday, which is the day they are e-mailed out as well, but no promises since work-load will dictate how much down time is available for their upload. Until then, here are weeks 1 and 2. Enjoy!
[July 20, 2008] - TEAM BAGRAM HAS COMBAT PATCH CEREMONY
This morning, in an impromptu ceremony following our morning meeting, Lt. Colonel Wolfe from the 101st Airborne Division presented Team Bagram with "Screaming Eagle" combat patches. He also briefed us on our role here in theater, and how he envisions us putting our many years of experience to work towards the greater cause. Pictures are up in the image gallery!
[July 20, 2008] - A MORE IN DEPTH DESCRIPTION OF THE BATTLE IN AFGHANISTAN'S KUNAR PROVINCE
http://www.stripes.com/articleprint.asp?section=104&article=56237
[July 19, 2008] - "MAKING THE BEST OF IT" GOES LIVE
One of the overwhelming initial reactions to "Another Wasted Year" has been the thought that it's "too dark" or "too depressing". "Why would you pick that domain name? Is this how you really feel?" The answer to these questions is of course a resounding "NO". However, not everyone enjoys my rather sarcastic outlook on life. For them I have created MAKING THE BEST OF IT. Enjoy bright colors? How about smiley emoticons in random places? Or perhaps you just like to have your senses bludgeoned by rainbows and kittens. Regardless, check that one out instead! It will be updated everytime this one is updated. They will be perfect mirrors with a few exceptions of course. Enjoy!
[July 17, 2008] - ANOTHER WASTED YEAR GOES LIVE
It took longer than I thought it would, but if you are reading this, it means I finally finished this website. The design process took nearly a week, and there were at least three design casualties left in the wake of this current incarnation. The goal was to create a simple to navigate and easy-on-the-eyes style that would be accesible for both the computer savvy and near illiterate. On this front, I feel as though we have succeeded. With the exception of the "Contact" page, this one will probably be updated the least. This is primarily because of the newsletter that gets sent out weekly to our family members, from TF AVCRAD. We have a page in that newsletter as well, so keep an eye out for it!
Future plans include a new "Videos" section, and perhaps a forum where individual members of our team will be able to communicate with audiences on a wider scale. Until then, take a look around, and feel free to e-mail me via the "Contact" link if you have any suggestions, picture submissions/requests, or any other comments.