40 Days and 40 Nights of FEML

While we have certainly have enjoyed the people, places, and experiences we have had living in Japan, one drawback has been the ever-present COVID restrictions. While in the states life has regained at least some degree of normalcy, in Japan daily mask wear is still the norm and travel restrictions are still in place. That has meant that if we wanted to take leave in the continental United States (or other nations) we would have had to quarantine in Tokyo for two weeks upon our return (and on our own time and dime) prior to flying on to Okinawa. This has severely limited our ability to travel. It also meant that none of our family was able to come visit us during our time on Okinawa. Well, the military was certainly aware of all this and those in higher offices decided to help out. The military, across branches of service, authorized FEML, or Funded Environmental Morale Leave. FEML allows service members and their families to travel via military-contracted aircraft from Okinawa to Seattle, Washington at the expense of the government. Additionally, on our return to Japan we fly directly to Okinawa without the need to stop and quarantine in Tokyo. It was this program that recently allowed us to return to the United States for a visit after over a year living abroad.

Once in Seattle it was up to us to obtain commercial flights to our desired leave location. This sounds simple enough, except that about two weeks prior to our departure from Japan we got a notice that we needed to contact the airline. We went online and found out that our flight had been cancelled and that we needed to reschedule another one. We looked at available options and really couldn’t find one that we could all sit together. The best we could find was a flight that the older two kids sat by themselves and the two little kids were able to sit next to a parent. It was not ideal, but it got us to our destination. The flight was, however, a day after the military flight landed in Seattle, so we called a hotel in Seattle and made a reservation for the night for a room with two queen beds and a pull-out couch (enough for everyone to sleep comfortably). It was then the military’s turn to mess with our travel plans. We received notice about 2 days before we were supposed to leave that our military-contracted flight was delayed by 24 hours leaving Okinawa. This meant that we needed to contact the commercial airline and the hotel to adjust our reservations yet again. This time I called the airline and the most helpful agent (not sarcasm) assisted us in finding a flight that the whole family could sit together despite the website not showing any availability for that flight. Apparently the phone agents have extra magic that is not available on the website. Next we called the hotel, but the suite that we had reserved was not available for the night we now needed. We were able to wrangle a room with a single King-sized bed and a pull-out couch. Our final scare during transit came while we were sitting at the military terminal in Okinawa about 30 minutes prior to our re-scheduled departure. The overhead speakers clicked on and we heard “We are very sorry to inform you…..”. There was a collective gasp from those waiting in the terminal anticipating the worst as we had already been delayed for 24 hours once. Would they do it again?!  “We are very sorry to inform you that your flight departure has been delayed by one hour”. There was an audible sigh of relief from everyone listening. I think that was the happiest we had ever been about a 1 hour delay. The rest of the military flight went without incident.

Our next logistics hurdle came when we arrived in Seattle. Living on a island, almost all of our mail is flown in. This, however, means that certain items are restricted from delivery to include lithium batteries due to their risk of spontaneous fire. This in turn means that unless one desires to buy a Japanese cell phone it is almost impossible to upgrade one’s phone while overseas. With the recent Sprint/T-mobile merger both Heather and I needed at the least a new SIM card if not a new phone for our service to continue working. Well, the towers in Japan continued to work perfectly for us despite our “outdated equipment”, but upon landing in Seattle our iPhones were reduced to iPods. They were unable to access the cellular network at all. That meant that we had to figure out how to contact the hotel shuttle to come pick us up from the airport. Since practically every adult (and most of their kids nowadays) has a cell phone the need for payphones has all but died. That left us in a predicament at the airport as we had no cell service and there were no payphones. After some asking around, we found out from a customer service agent that there was a courtesy phone in the parking garage that would only call pre-determined hotels and cab services. It was like living in the 90s again. I don’t say all this to complain. After all, we had just been given thousands of dollars worth of airfare funded by the U.S. taxpayers. It just makes us appreciate thing we take for granted sometimes like jumping on an airplane to visit grandma with our only inconvenience of turning our devices to airplane mode while on the plane. Anyways, we were able to contact our hotel and the shuttle came to pick us up. Now, living in Japan for over a year driving on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side of the car made riding in the front passenger seat in the states feel really weird! Once at the hotel we all collapsed for a 2 hour nap before venturing out on foot for dinner and new SIM cards so our cell phones would work again.

Once we made it back to Ohio to visit family, we certainly made our rounds. We were in the states for a total of 40 days, during which we made many stops. We visited Malabar farm to interact with farm animals and enjoy the vendors that were set up for their Farm Day celebration. We enjoyed the water slides and wave pool at Cedar Point Shores water park. We felt the thrill of riding some record-breaking roller coasters at Cedar Point amusement park. We visited the many animals at the Columbus Zoo. We also got out to enjoy nature for a while by taking a hike in the woods along the shores of the Mohican dam and river. Just prior to our arrival there had been quite a wind storm in Ohio, so we also spent some time helping Heather’s family get downed trees cut up with a chainsaw and some brush burned. I also spent some time on the tractor with the bushhog getting a field mowed. While I don’t mind the city, I do enjoy working around the farm still, and this was my opportunity to help out with some tasks that had been neglected.

While we were in the states I had the opportunity to fly to Texas and spend 10 days attending Combat Casualty Care Course. This course taught and reinforced the skills needed to care for patients in a military combat setting. The class completed classroom instruction, skills stations, and field exercises that allowed us to test our new skills through practical scenarios. My classmates were a mix of not only Navy personnel, but also Army, and a few foreign military medical exchange students from Korea and Germany. If any military medical personnel are reading this and are able to attend, I would highly suggest seizing the opportunity! At the conclusion of the course I was able to meet up with a fellow Navy nurse that I had worked with in San Diego that was attending a different course of instruction in San Antonio, and the two of us roamed the San Antonio River Walk, had a beer at the oldest Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) post in Texas, and ate some true Texas barbeque before departing for our separate destinations. The longer I am in military medicine the more people I know stationed all over the world and the more I am able to take advantage of meet-ups like this one.

Luckily the return trip from Ohio to Seattle to Okinawa was without issue and went as planned. No more logistics issues were encountered enroute. We certainly were thankful for the opportunity to visit friends and family in the states, but at the same time there is just something nice about being back in our own house and sleep in our own beds. While away on this trip, I had learned that I had been selected to lead a new section at work, so I had plenty to learn and get caught up on as I settled into my new work routine and position.