Another Time, Another Life, Another Army

Before I came to the Sand Box I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to do some work for the Army in Bosnia and Hungary. I don't think much about it now but one of my former students came to the post today on a TDY and I spent some time with him talking about how sweet it was to be posted there at that time.

You could leave the post and go into town to get a meal, a beer, talk to other people. You could have a walk down the Corso and people watch. You could shop, even go to McDonald's. No BS, Mickey D has made it to Kaposvar, Hungary and it tastes just like it does in Long Beach or Boston.

Most of the military was gone as the situation in Bosnia had wound down and the EU was taking over. Businesses were willing to cut you a deal because the cash cow that is the US Military was packing up and heading off to a new adventure.

Hungary was an interesting place. A language like no other, interesting influences of Germany, Austria, and the Soviet Bloc. The Hungarian Air Force still uses Russian built aircraft even though they are part of NATO. I took this photo of a MiG 21 up close one day. The HUF MPs would have given me a hard time but they were busy sleeping or playing cards or whatever MPs do when they are not shaking down traffic.

It was only 3 years ago but it seems like a lifetime ago. It seems like a dream, like it was some one else's life. I want to go back to the many, many places I have been and take my son. I just hope he will have the same curious spirit that I do. I will encourage it.

I am working on sanitizing my travel website so that I can link it here. As it is I need to remove a lot of personal references and facial photos so that I can remain basically anonymous. I know my family would appreciate that.