16 days left

I fly out of Seatac on 16Sep at 1300. I'm almost done buying the stuff I need minus some pad locks and a few other items. My picture got posted on the deployment wall at Madigan, I feel very special :).  Now that my flight it booked, reality is starting to settle in. I can't believe I'm going to be away from home, away from all that is familiar to me, for 7 months.
Things I will miss: Pajamas, my robe, Panera, my couch, Percy, my back yard, Sarah, the beach, massages, doing my hair, road trips, my bed, wine, and good steak.

My address in Afghanistan

1LT Elizabeth Clapp
Bastion Hospital
FPO AE 09372

I will be at this address starting 11OCT2011

Pre-deployment

Friends and Family,

This blog will be the way I communicate to you all while on my 6 month deployment to Afghanistan. I will try to keep it updated regularly.

What I know so far that I'm allowed to tell you is I think I'll be working at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. My many patients, soldiers and locals alike, will most likely be recovering from surgery or trauma.

I've just started the pre-deployment process. The checklist is two pages long. I have to do lots of online training, go by lots of offices to check off that all my paperwork is in order, and get lots of vaccines. I have to take a physical training test next week, and must pass a 2-mile run, sit ups and push ups all in a certain time frame. Please pray that I pass!