When Dan took the last contract it was set in stone he would be gone for 365 days. It was not until he arrived in Afghanistan that everything turned for the worse.
Let’s back up to the flight. His flights were a disaster and resulted in his luggage being lost. To make matters worse, he had a four hour delay in Dubai before catching a plane to his final destination, Afghanistan. The airline was unable to track his luggage before his next flight and he was flown into unknown territory with nothing but the clothing on his back.
As soon as I received word of the lost luggage I started calling United. I realized quickly this was going to take some time and patience that I did not have. No one at the United call center spoke enough English for me to understand. Really!?
While I was trying to track his luggage, he had his own set of issues. Apparently the company over hired for his position and failed to inform the contractors until they landed in Afghanistan. What a blow to the stomach when you realize you made a huge mistake and you’re half way around the world. To try and rectify the situation the company wanted to place Dan in a trade he knew nothing about. They offered to keep the pay the same, but needed him to do more of a “desk job”.
You see, Dan has always worked and always been a hands-on worker, so sitting at a desk 14 hours a day was not going to cut it for him. After trying to get sent to another base where he could do the job he was hired for and finding out he could not be transferred, he had no choice but to resign. At that point it was a waiting game. The company had to book flights for him and he sat for days waiting to leave.
It took four days of me calling and speaking to multiple non-English speaking individuals to finally get one on the phone I could understand and that understood me. His luggage was still in the state of NC! So, aside from the issues he was having with his job, he was stuck having to buy everything that was in his luggage. His luggage was finally delivered on day 11- the day before he left the country.
This was his third overseas contract and he’s never had any issues. He rejected two other contract offers to go with this company because the pay was about $30,000 more a year. Not only did he pass up other offers but his contract was breached by the company.
After trying to get a hold of HR to see what they were willing to do to correct this situation, we got no where. Everyone forwards calls to someone else and we’ve been unsuccessful in getting a hold of anyone in corporate HR. This leaves us no choice but to seek legal counsel.
On a good note, it’s great to have him home for now! The kids really missed him and so did I. He already has another contract offer and we are waiting on a departure date (we are thinking end of month).
On a bad note, we have to say good bye again! That is always hard. No matter how many time’s you’ve done it, it’s always hard.
For now, we will enjoy our time with him and 365 Day’s Without You will restart when he departs again.
About Tara V
I’m an army brat, so I remember well when my Dad was posted to exotic places. The longest he was gone was 6 months, but I still remember my Mom being lonely. Whenever his next contract is, I wish him and you guys a safe journey!