A4- Gator Done

28NOV11 Camp Lemonnier (named after a French general) is a lot like a small college campus: housing area, gym, store (Navy Exchange), post office, cafeteria (galley), et cetera.

And like a campus, you have to get around. Most often that means walking. But sometimes you ride.

Driving on base is most often in a gator, a type of ATV / golf cart.

There are many styles and options in driving:

1

2

3

4 

5 

6 

From a walking perspective – for those who know my parish setup in Woodbridge, VA – it would be like living on the far side of the VRE station and walking to the chapel every day (though there is a slope, not as bad as the one on Route 1).

We have to drive fairly slow for safety reasons: the roads are dirt and gravel and no one wants gravel flying when you are walking by.

In the heat of the day, when I have to go from one end of the base to the other, a ride is definitely nicer than a hike.

Anyway, that is a snapshot into one of the details of our lives here.

Oh, in addition to living in CLUs, many people work out of them – sometimes double-stacked.

I hope everyone’s Advent has begun well. Please pray for those who serve our nation, both at home and abroad – the work is not often glamorous, but it is ultimately important.

More later as life unfolds.
FrMRD

Fr. Michael R. Duesterhaus
LCDR, CHC, USNR
Camp Lemonnier
Djibouti
AFRICOM