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A Short Deployment That Changed Everything

In mid-2004, I was unexpectedly deployed to Djibouti, Africa—a decision made by a vindictive superior in retaliation for standing my ground. What I thought would be a grueling punishment turned into an eye-opening experience filled with unexpected challenges, moments of leadership, and personal growth. Over five months, I navigated intense desert heat, bureaucratic obstacles, and the unique dynamics of life on a military base. This is my story, shared from the perspective of a Marine who found resilience, camaraderie, and even redemption in the most unlikely of places.

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Arrival in Djibouti: A Punishment Turned Opportunity

Over the next year, since returning back from my deployment in Kuwait, I was having a number of issues that I didn't immediately recognize. It turned out that they eventually diagnosed me with some post-traumatic stress, but at the time I was just really confused at what was going on. There were some situations that occurred in Kuwait that I didn't really talk about, in addition to getting a month-long siege of missiles and having to basically live in the bunkers. Anyway, I had some growing underlying conditions caused by what occurred while we were out there on our deployment in the Kuwait-Iraq campaign of 2003.

So, over the first year after returning back home, I was feeling really depressed and withdrawn. I was not really feeling great about my life at that moment, and I decided to go to the Navy hospital and see a psychiatrist to figure out what was going on with me, but the top enlisted person in my office, a Master Gunnery Sergeant (I’ll refer to him as “MGySgt P.” throughout this article), at the time did not approve of that.

He did not want me to show weakness in any way, mentally or not, and decided that because I went to the Navy hospital against their recommendations I was - essentially - to be punished for that.

So, he put me on lockdown in the barracks so that I wasn't allowed to go out into town. I had to stay in the barracks for a whole month, with the exception that I was allowed to go to work, and I was allowed to walk back to the barracks from work. Anytime that I wasn't at work, I had to check in with the duty officer at the barracks every single hour and let them know that I was still there in the barracks. So, I was definitely not allowed to leave.

Anyway, my father was living not too far outside of the base at the time, about an hour away, and I was living at a house that I bought out there as well, before they locked me in the barracks, which was about 15 minutes closer to the base than my father’s place. At one point I just couldn't deal with being locked in all the time. It felt like being in prison with nothing to do and was worse on me mentally then it was before I even started going to the hospital. One thing people don't really realize is that you have to give up your freedoms to join the military, which is ironic because you're volunteering to protect everyone else's freedom, putting yourself in situations that can very literally get you killed, and being paid very little for it - but I digress.

So, one day after work - instead of walking to the barracks - I got into my car and drove out to my house instead. My dad met me over there and ordered us a pizza to share while I told him what was going on. We were just trying to enjoy our time together, but - as I hadn't reported in at the barracks - they sent an officer out to my house to collect me.

When that officer arrived, he knocked and announced himself like he was the police coming for someone who has a warrant for their arrest, so my dad told me to stay in the house while he went out “to have words” with the officer about what they were doing with me. They argued for some time, and my dad nearly got into a fight with that First Lieutenant during the conversation.

Eventually, they came to an agreement and my dad came in the house and told me, “Hey, look, you should probably go with this guy, otherwise it's going to get ugly. If you want me to, I will fight him.” His words were a little different, but you get the point.

Anyway, I decided that it wasn't worth it and went back to the base. Once there, MGySgt P. not only had me locked up in the barracks, but he also added a guard for me at that point. So, I was not allowed to leave my room without that guard walking with me to and from work to make sure I wouldn't try to run away, which was insane.

Here I am volunteering to help defend our country and they are basically imprisoning me because I'm having some issues from the war they sent me to and all I was trying to do was see a doctor. Like, that's not really what my situation was. I wasn't a danger to society or myself. I just needed to go to the hospital and see the doctor on occasion.

And once I did go and tell the doctor about it, that doctor, a Lieutenant Colonel, issued an order to MGySgt P. to desist, and stop locking me in the barracks - so I was no longer allowed to be locked into barracks.

My Marine Corps contract was going to end in May of 2005, and at this time it was somewhere around July of 2004, so I had a little less than a year left on my contract. I wasn't necessarily expecting to get deployed again, but MGySgt P. was so upset with the way that things worked out - as he wasn't allowed to lock me in my barracks at his will - that he retaliated in the way he was notoriously known to do; he sent me away somewhere he considered to be bad.

Here's the kicker, he had never used me for the role that I was actually trained to do: a very unique role regarding Defense Message Systems, as a “Certificate Authority,” to write certificates for a certain type of encryption cards - which we used for encrypted communications. Actually, at the time, there were really only a handful of Marines with this training, most with higher ranks, so I had a skill that he had never used. He never cared to even use me for Defense Message Systems either. He just had me in Network Security the whole time that I worked on the base in Camp Lejeune, NC.

However, due to this situation, he thought, ‘hey, you know what? There's this opportunity overseas where they need somebody with this training and I'm going to get him out of my hair and send him to Camp Lemonnier,’ which was part of the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) in Djibouti. So, after pulling me into his office, having me stand at attention, and yelling at me for about a half hour about how terrible I was at a volume that the rest of the office could hear, I was told to get all my stuff together because I was getting sent out to Africa and that was that. It felt very much like a punishment at the time, but I didn't really have a choice.

• America’s War in Afghanistan Is Over. But in the Horn of Africa, Its War on Terror Rages On

They gave me about a week or two to get everything together, then - just like when I was sent to Kuwait - I had to get onto a bus, and off I went to the airport. After already having been on a deployment and just wishing to be back in the U.S. the entire time, heading back out to some unknown location left an incredibly sinking feeling in my gut. I REALLY did not want to go. This time there were just a small number of people that were being sent to Djibouti, so we all used a civilian airplane, all wore civilian clothing, and none of us were carrying our weapons openly in the cabin of the airplane this time as they were checked in with the cargo. Then we were flown all the way out to Djibouti, Africa.

Arrival in Djibouti: A Punishment Turned Opportunity

Landing in Djibouti at midnight, the warmth hit me immediately. It was surprisingly warm, so much so that I blurted out, "Wow, it's hot here!" to the first person that I saw, only to be informed by that Marine that this was as cool as it gets. The temperature was just shy of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 Celsius). During my stay, the midday heat index often soared past 124 degrees Fahrenheit (51 Celsius). When sharing my experience here, I liken the wind here to the blast of hot air that you’d feel when opening an oven door – it was that intense.

Next, we were brought to the base. Typically speaking, military members will have their weapon(s) at all times during deployments. I know that I had mine during my previous deployment to the middle east. I don't remember exactly what the situation was when I arrived in Djibouti, but I do know that my command was initially told that I was not allowed to have my weapon at all because they were concerned that I was potentially suicidal just because I was going to see a psychiatrist. It was rather ridiculous, but I had to comply with it.

And that's the way that my deployment to Djibouti started.

Welcome to Djibouti: Arrive, Survive, and Thrive in the Hottest Country on Earth

I was assigned to a special job where I was responsible for making sure messages sent through secure military communication systems were protected with encryption. This involved adding digital security codes to special physical cards, that were inserted into computers, which helped keep messages private and only accessible to the recipient. I got this job because I had completed some rare, specialized training, which was one of the reasons I was sent to Djibouti. However, my training in this area was completed prior to my deployment to Kuwait, back in early 2003. I remember it well because I had some free time during the training and watched The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers on one of my weekends off.

Standing Firm: Refusing to Compromise Integrity

Even though it was now mid-way through 2004, I still remembered a decent amount of that training. The first month was a catch-up on the protocols, procedures, cards issued, and the setup of the certificate structure in Djibouti. To my surprise, I discovered that the digital security codes were not set up according to NSA guidelines, which owned and regulated the encryption machine and the encoding of certificates on the cards. I dedicated time to resolving these issues and eventually got them corrected, despite resistance from a few officers that truly did not want me to fix the issues as they provided them with the convenience of simplicity.

This was quite an experience for me as it really tested my resolve, so let me explain. At one point, a higher-ranking officer requested a duplicate encryption card so that his administrative assistant could send messages on his behalf, as though they were from him directly. This was a problem because someone before me had improperly duplicated a card for him, which was against regulations and posed a security risk. These cards are meant for individual use to ensure messages come from the exact person. I stood my ground and refused to create a second card, offering instead to make one for the assistant under their own name. This led to a complaint from the officer to my command, and a First Lieutenant in my chain of command then ordered me to make the duplicate. I refused once more. The officer questioned if I was refusing a direct order, and when I confirmed, he escorted me to the office of my Communication Officer, a Major at the time. I expected a reprimand or worse. After a discussion among the two officers and my Master Sergeant, the highest-ranking enlisted boss that I had, they called me in. The Major asked for an explanation, and I informed him that the NSA, which oversees the encryption machine, had trained me and set clear rules. Creating a duplicate would violate NSA security regulations, potentially leading to 20 years in Leavenworth prison. On the other hand, refusing the officer's order could mean demotion or a dishonorable discharge, but it wouldn't be as severe as the NSA's penalty. After further deliberation without me, the Master Sergeant and Lieutenant left, and the major instructed me to return to work. The issue was never raised again.

Moments of Growth: Corporal’s Course and Leadership Training

During this period, I was regularly seeing a chaplain on base to discuss my condition. In addition, I had frequent meetings with the base psychiatrist. To take a break from work, I enrolled in the "Corporal's Course," which is aimed at equipping Marine Corps Corporals with the necessary leadership skills to become sergeants. My training took place in the mornings and was conducted alongside members of the Djiboutian military. Notably, my class was the inaugural one to include Djiboutian military personnel. Apart from the training itself, it was also quite fun as I learned how to use the NCO Sword, a fairly iconic item for a Marine, in addition to receiving my first Marine Corps Challenge Coin after the training. It was an enriching experience where I honed my leadership abilities while managing my health issues, and I’m quite grateful for getting the opportunity to have done this course.

Life on Base: Simple Joys and Surprising Encounters

Life at the base in Djibouti was a stark contrast to my previous situation in Kuwait. Here, we enjoyed the liberty to drink up to three beers each night at the newly established cantina. It also had a makeshift theater, complete with a floor-based big screen TV – a luxury at the time – where we could catch fairly recent movie releases. For instance, I remember watching 'Troy' there; it had been out in the US for a few months but was still new to most of the service members stationed there. The base also housed a library with a billiards section and an internet cafe, where we could spend an hour online. Additionally, there was a ‘disbursing office’ for withdrawing local currency, which was helpful because we were permitted to leave the base and explore the local community on most evenings, albeit at varying times for security purposes.

I did go off base a few times with friends, but primarily it just ended up being out to a local pub where we’d have drinks. Nothing too fancy, although it did seem as though the locals were very much willing to cater to anyone’s needs around the area, looking to earn money wherever possible. It really wasn’t something I enjoyed doing, so for the most part I simply stayed on the base as it had all of the creature comforts that I enjoyed. Plus, it was hard to complain as it offered a much more relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere than Kuwait, providing the time that I needed to get myself back together after the first deployment. I even had the opportunity to take a day trip to snorkel at the Red Sea's edge, encountering whale sharks and earning a sunburn that pained me for a week – a discomforting yet unforgettable experience. I happened to enjoy snorkeling so much there that I ended up putting together a snorkeling club and learning to scuba dive a few years later while living in Dominica (in the West Indies).

After that, the command asked me how long it would take to change the base name for all of those encryption cards from “JTF Horn of Africa” to “Camp Lemonnier” - as the military base was changing their name, thus necessitating the recreation of each card. Initially, I estimated this would take a minimum of about two weeks to complete because it took a few hours to encode the encryption codes onto each card. I had no choice on how long that took because the encryption machines required that amount of time to write the encryption codes, so regardless of how quickly I could arrange the other items, that's how long it took to complete the work.

One day, the command did ask me to go ahead with changing the name on all the encryption cards, and they wanted them ready within three days. I did tell them that this was impossible, but that I would get started right away. The Sergeant, who was in charge of me at the time, required me to keep working continuously until the work was completed. However, it apparently wasn't so important that they couldn't take me off of my duty shift - a 24-hour shift that everyone on the base has to do on rotation - and thus I ended up working a total of 56 hours straight without any sleep and only getting about a third of the total work done. At that point, I told the Sergeant that I simply could not stay awake any longer and could not even focus on my job. He told me that I was going to have to keep working. I then refused and walked away, going instead to talk with the Gunnery Sergeant, who was his boss, and let him know that I was going down to the tents to sleep because I had been up for 56 hours straight. He told me that was fine and that he would see me in 12 hours. I never had a problem with the Sergeant again after that. In fact, I was commended by my command for my work on that project.

Witnessing Resilience: Sobering Encounters with Local Communities

Not too long afterward the base was looking for Marines to sign up for rifle practice at a shooting range that they had a little way off base. I signed up expecting to be declined because I wasn't permitted to have my rifle... but they approved me and sent me to the rifle range. Just outside of our base was a road lined on one side that could only be described as a long row of garbage, not too dissimilar to a city dump. However, in this garbage lived people. Many people. And they must have known what we were heading out to do. 

About 10 miles off base from Camp Lemonnier, through the sharp, rocky, Goda mountains, is a rifle range that sits at the foot of Mount Gubad. After arriving, going through the practice and shooting the targets, which took a few hours, we were told to leave the expended bullet casings on the ground - very unusual as we always have been taught to clean up those casings at other rifle ranges. We then began eating some MRE's and that's when one of the biggest life altering events of my life occurred. We noticed the people coming down from the jagged mountains, Barefoot. The same ones living in the garbage outside of our base. They were there to collect the bullet casings to bring back to town and sell as metal scraps. I was amazed that anyone would climb 10 miles over jagged sharp mountains without shoes to do this... And heartbroken that this was even a thing that was happening in this world. As they began to get closer, we were told to get everything in the trucks and that we were going to be leaving. As we were preparing to leave, I handed a cookie from my MRE to a kid that came up to the truck, but I could tell that he wanted more - even though I didn't have anything left. As more kids started to approach the vehicles we began to drive off and the kids got upset. One even threw a rock and hit the truck, but we kept moving and soon they disappeared in the distance.

The Final Chapter: Recognition and Redemption

At some point I mentioned to my command that the end of my Marine Corps contract was coming to an end early in May, so it was unlikely that I’d end up being there for the full year-long deployment that I was sent over on. The command was unaware of this oversight, but began looking into it to arrange for another person with my training to come out and have me transition them over into the role before I had to leave. I expected that transition would likely occur in the first quarter of 2005, so they had some time to arrange for that.

One day, I was ordered to go see the base Sergeant Major of the base, the highest-ranking enlisted Marine on the base (non-officer). I reported in, a bit concerned.

The Sergeant Major said "Do you know that you're due for promotion to Sergeant?"

"Yes, Sergeant Major" I replied.

He continued, "Well, I have in my hand a letter from your command back in Lejeune (North Carolina) that is recommending that you don't be promoted."

Ugh, of course, that vindictive MGySgt P. had written that letter... "I understand, Sergeant Major."

"I've heard that you've done some amazing things here on this Base" he said before ripping up the letter and throwing it in the garbage can. "Prepare for promotion, Sergeant. That is all."

With water forming in my eyes, I mustered "Aye, Sergeant Major!" and left his office walking all the way back to work crying tears of happiness.

Not long afterwards I was told that I’d be meeting my replacement and transitioning them around mid-December. I’d then be flying out on December 20th, having a day in Nairobi, Kenya, before flying up to London, onward to Washington, D.C., and then back down to Cherry Point, North Carolina by the evening of December 21st. That sounded really exciting for me at the time because I hadn’t been to any of those places before and thought it would be cool to see them, even if only briefly.

One last experience: Meeting famous people as part of a USO Tour on December 19th. As a complete surprise to us, it was announced that we were getting a special treat. After their stops in Iraq and Kuwait a few days earlier, it appeared that the 2004 USO Tour would be stopping at our military base on December 19th, and that the celebrities were John Elway, Blake Clark, Leann Tweeden, and Robin Williams! I was super excited to get to see this just the day before my departure and even have quite an experience to share regarding it. First, everyone crowded up at the cantina stage to hear Robin Williams’ comedy performance, then we all got to go around getting autographs from each of the celebrities present.

After I managed to get them all, I was hanging out to get another glimpse of Robin Williams when some of his security guards asked where they might be able to get some local currency so that they could buy Robin some water. Robin explained during his skit that he was in fact a very hairy man, which made his Planet of the Apes t-shirt a joke in itself, but that the extremely hot weather there combined with his Chewbacca-like natural sweater made him sweat profusely. I told his security guards that it would be difficult to find a place at the moment to get any local currency as the disbursing office was likely closed so that they could view the show but then handed them some local currency of my own. They tried to offer me money for it in exchange, but I declined and told them that “It’s for Robin Williams.” A few moments later, the security guards tapped me on the shoulder and there was Robin Williams himself, thanking me. He then offered me to get a photo with him, off-stage, which made me feel quite special. I’ll forever remember that experience!

On the return back home, I really wanted to go on a safari in Nairobi - but the officer who was returning back with me had the responsibility to keep me safe and he didn’t want to take any chances. Thus, we ended up spending a few hours walking around near the hotel that the military paid for and really only stopped at a few open markets as well as a local restaurant. A child came up to me with an old wooden tray that had quite a lot of little self-made items or toys that he may have found lying about, asking for a nickel. His mother, nearby, seemed as though she could use a medical check-up, so I gave the boy considerably more. The next morning we flew out to London, where the officer wouldn’t let me leave the airport, even though we were there for about 9 hours. When we arrived in Washington, D.C., the only thing that I can remember is how incredibly cold I was when one of the doors at the airport opened - I had been dressed the whole time as if I was still living in Africa! Immediately I opened up my C-bag and dug around for my sweats and put them on over my other clothes. It was late upon arriving in North Carolina, but my car was still parked at the base so I was able to drive it back home.

When I finally returned to the G-6, my command at the 2nd FSSG, on December 22nd, MGySgt P. was angered as I checked in stating the new rank in front of my name, he scolded me and said, "I want you to know that I had nothing to do with that promotion." To which I replied, "I know." He then demoted my station, from working at the G-6 to working at the S-6, something he was notorious for doing to punish people. This simply means that I was lowered from working on the “General’s Staff” down to working as part of the “Battalion’s Staff.” A separate Gunnery Sergeant who worked under MGySgt P. then confronted me after I left his office, and in front of everyone called me “Corporal”, to which I corrected him, but he replied, "You'll always be a Corporal to me!" So, I said, "I understand, Staff Sergeant." Calling a Gunnery Sergeant a Staff Sergeant is also one rank below, but clearly not an acceptable thing to do. Yes, I was a bit of a rebel and not everyone would agree with this move, but it is what I did. You could see the anger on his face as everyone heard the conversation, but there was nothing he could do as he had just done the same to me. 

I had not prepared to be home for Christmas that year, so I did not arrange any plans to go visit my family. However, my father was living in the area at the time, so I got to have a very basic Christmas with him - the only one I ever remember having with him - and sharing with him the story of my promotion. We were happy.

I spent the next 4 months working at the S-6 and making the lives of the Marines under my supervision happier while I was there, giving them a moment of peace and relaxation in their otherwise demanding career. Then I took a full month of leave before finally ending my contact with the Marine Corps and heading back to Illinois to pursue a university degree in Information Technology.

Five Months That Redefined My Perspective

My deployment to Djibouti may have started as a punishment, but it became a transformative experience. Over those five months, I faced challenges that tested my resolve, found moments of joy and camaraderie, and emerged with a deeper understanding of myself and the world around me. These stories, forged in the heat of the Djiboutian desert, remain a testament to the resilience, growth, and strength found in even the most unexpected places. It even led to my desire to help people in need and to travel the world on my own - which in turn led to this website, EatWanderExplore.com!

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