We've been put on notice. The unit that's replacing us is coming sometime in August. Not sure the exact date, or even the approximate date, just August, sometime. Upon the announcement tonight at a big gather-round, (Aviation doesn't really do formations very well) the Commander stood up and told us about said August date. The reaction was a little subdued while the Commander expected applause and balloons to start falling from the ceiling. Someone broke the silence with, "2008, right?" It got a pretty good laugh.
What this means is that at some point this new unit will show up (August, I'm thinking). We'll pass off the all the wisdom we've learned over the last 14 months and eventually they'll take over our missions. Then, we'll go about getting our helicopters home, either by plane or boat. Then, we'll come home. Parades and mass hysteria will ensue. I imagine it like the tarped off locker room of a team that just won the World Series. But that's just me. Anyway, with this minor piece of news (August, remember?), I've narrowed down the possible window of us leaving to about August 15th to September 15th. We'll see how close I come.
As for my R&R in June, there's now a possibility it won't happen. Or it might get moved up to May or earlier. The thought of not getting R&R and having to wait until possibly September before getting a break kind of scares me. I may go insane. Like a guy who spent a few too many days in solitary confinement. My ability to rationalize the real world may completely disappear. Or perhaps just the opposite will happen. I'll reach a state of higher Zen-like understanding. The filter through which I've always viewed society will be removed and meaning of life revealed. I'll see Blue. It'll be glorious. It's a flip of the coin, it could go either way. To me, I just hope I get R&R at some point and never find out.
