The Fifth Five-Year Plan

A relative who fell at the Battle of Okinawa? There are several who share our surname on this wall.

For those keeping track at home, I recently surpassed a career milestone: 20 years have passed since I joined the Marine Corps (the first time).

On this day, 1994: my *first* rendezvous with the famed "yellow footprints" #USMC #fb http://t.co/PhIr0xjA3V
— Gary Sampson (@gjsamps) December 27, 2014

Time to retire, right? Not so fast.

I'm actually not retirement-eligible, because of the 'broken time' that I spent outside of the military after my initial 5-year enlistment (aka, the First Five-Year Plan).

College was the Second Five-Year Plan.

The Third Five-Year Plan was the first five years that I served as a commissioned officer. I wrote about that time here. I even made some forecasts about the next 5-year period which has just come to a close. Let's do a re-cap of those predictions to see if I am ready to become certified in predicting things, like a meteorologist or Bruce Bueno de Mesquita.

1. Afghanistan: still have not been. 0% accurate.

2. Job in which I will use Chinese language / regional expertise / cultural knowledge. Hasn't officially happened yet, though I am currently in an assignment that comes close to that. 50% accurate.

3. DC. I visit there on occasion, but have not yet been assigned to that area, aside from my initial training as a Marine Corps officer. 0% accurate.

4. Training course. I did not take it after leaving Taiwan in 2011, but instead finally got it done in the summer of 2014 before moving to Japan. 50% accurate.

How did I do? Let's see...I got two completely wrong, and the other two half right. I'd say that gives me a 'batting average' of about .250, well above the Mendoza Line! I'm not ready for the Hall of Fame, but that's at least in the neighborhood of Jim Flowers or Bill Randby!

After Taiwan, we moved to Colorado, and from Colorado to Japan.

Since I got *some* of my predictions for the Fourth Five-Year Plan right, I am willing to offer some guesses on what might come during the fifth. And I will even resist the urge to put things in here that I do not want to happen, since with my 'batting average,' that may be a more realistic way to attain my goals.

First, I will become retirement-eligible during this period. What does this mean? It means I will go over 20 years of active-duty service. While it has been 20 years since I first joined the Marine Corps, with my 'broken time,' I currently have about 15.5 years of active-duty service. So in the summer of 2019, I will surpass this marker. In my view, this will be a game-changer. Will I retire from the military at that time? I'll not tip my hand here...let's just say that the urge to do so grows stronger as I get closer to the day.

Second, we'll move from Japan, probably in 2017. If I plan to retire in 2019, that means wherever we go at that time will be my so-called 'twilight tour.'

With the recently-announced news of my selection for promotion, by the time of our move in 2017 I should be wearing the gold oak leaves of a major, which will have a significant impact on where we might go. Different jobs are available for company-grade officers (which I currently am) as compared to field-grade (which I will become on the event of my promotion).

I'd like to get an assignment inside the continental United States that will put me in the classroom, but not as a student, which I have spent a considerable amount of time as while in uniform. I'd like to teach -- it's time to give back to the new generation of leaders. It could be in Annapolis or another university around the country that hosts a Naval ROTC unit.

If that's not possible, then I'll hope for something close to home -- U.S. Strategic Command, anyone?

Whatever ends up happening, the Fifth Five-Year Plan promises to be an exciting time. Check back here often for updates.

Happy New Year!

GJS

The November Post: Time for Taiwan

"The Heart of Asia...Time for Taiwan"

As I feared it might, time has gotten away from me and I am only now getting around to *last month's* post. Ugh. Apologies and all that.

My 'ride' back to Okinawa.

The month started for me in Thailand and ended in Taiwan. What fun! Readers may recall I'd already had the pleasure of traveling to Taiwan earlier this fall for work, not long after returning to the region for my new assignment. It was really only a matter of time until our whole bunch (i.e., the Sampsons in Japan) made the short trip over.

I'm on a plane...

We took advantage of the 4-day Thanksgiving day weekend to make it happen. Yes, while you gorged on turkey and football and napped it off laying comatose on the couch, we re-acquainted ourselves with the many pleasures of Formosa.

The view from inside the gorge

Our objective lay in the east - Taroko. We tried to visit the gorge a couple times while we lived in Taiwan a few years back, but it never worked out for one reason or another. The length of this weekend lent itself well toward spending a couple days there this time. It happened.

We weren't in Taiwan that long, but it was a planes, trains, and automobiles-type of affair, moving about the country.

Riding the bus

We did not find turkey and trimmings, but instead beef noodle soup.

These boys were excited to have their photo taken with the Eternal Spring Temple.

Still excited!

If you want to take a walk in the gorge, you need a helmet!

There was also a big election in Taiwan while we were there. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) had a hard time. Methinks it was probably not the outcome many observers in both Beijing and Washington were looking for.

Spending some time at the airport

Taiwan liked us so much it tried to keep us (flight delay). Alas, we eventually had to return to Japan. Never fear -- we'll be back!

I've enjoyed sampling the various unique KitKat flavors here in Japan. An article in MCCS Iwakuni's "Preview" magazine, which I saw during our layover on Patriot Express from Seattle to Okinawa, alerted me to the unique KitKat offerings available. I still haven't seen the ones pictured in the article (above).

This flavor, Beni-Imo (Purple Sweet Potato), is apparently Okinawa's contribution to the KitKat Japan repertoire. It was quite good.

What else happened in November? We made a trip to the aquarium.

I'm still not sure what that green soda is - melon something.

We went on a date.

The Marine Corps Ball.

A party with 500 of our closest friends.

I had a new publication released.

Read the whole thing here. 

Science/space night at J's school.

We decided to move L. to a new school. Kids need to play outside every day.

Most of our boxes are finally unpacked.

Luckily, we remembered to unpack this little cutie. Sometimes boxes are more fun to play with than the stuff originally packed in them!

We're preparing for visitors in December.

Okinawa Travel Ideas, November 2014 edition

In response to a previously mentioned reader request, here are the Top Eight ‘things to do in Okinawa’ for potential visitors in the Christmas timeframe.

1. Orion Brewery tour. Orion is Okinawa’s local beer. I’ve read that it accounts for something like 1% of Japan’s overall beer consumption, but that on Okinawa it is more like 50%. Fans of the Coors Brewery tour (Golden, CO) will probably like this. At the end, as long as your group has a designated driver, you get a free beer.

2. Visit Cape Hedo, Okinawa’s northernmost point. See the junction between the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea. Get misted by sea spray.

3. Between Nago, where the Orion Brewery is located, and Cape Hedo lies Okuma. There is an armed forces recreational spot there – beach bungalows and such are available for rent.

4. Churaumi Aquarium at Ocean Expo Park. Also located in the northern reaches of Okinawa, the aquarium is Okinawa’s most popular attraction. Not sure how it compares with what I would consider the standard-bearer for aquariums worldwide, the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, but if nothing else it does boast the world’s largest single pane of acrylic glass as the front of an enclosure featuring several whale sharks.

5. Tsuboya Pottery Museum. Shifting focus back to the southern part of the island, this museum and its nearby pottery street is an interesting cultural excursion. It’s a good place to find unique souvenirs.

6. Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters. Visitors can get a sense for the type of fortifications U.S. forces faced in the entrenched Japanese defenders during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.

7. Peace Memorial Park. Dedicated to the over 200,000 Japanese and more than 12,500 Americans who fell during the Battle of Okinawa.

8. Okinawa Glass Factory Village. See glassblowers at work, have the opportunity to obtain cool Okinawan glass products.

Written with StackEdit.