Marchteam Bjørnebanden: A year in retrospect ...

Navy uniform. It's dashing, innit.

A year and a few days ago, I left Maersk Line against my will in a round of layoffs collectively known as “Fit and Focused for Growth” (meh). Becoming redundant and being sent on a 6 months garden leave before finally being fired is a pretty terrible start to any year. However, I only had one workday to nurse my post-wake beer hangover, and then I was in (the dashing) Navy uniform again on 29 February 2016. Thing was, luckily, that the Danish Task Group (Søværnets Taktiske Stab) had plenty need for my services and the Information Operations Branch under Commander Michael Linden-Vørnle swept me up. For the next 8 months, I was working in the armed forces every week from 1 to 7 days a week, except for 3 weeks of holidays in July.

Ramblings continue below.

During those 8 months ...

Chemical agents inspection o/b ARK FUTURA.

I was part of international and internal planning conferences;
I sailed on HMDS ABSALON off the coasts of Scotland in exercise Joint Warrior;
I dangled my legs out of a Dutch helicopter over the Hebrides;
I entered the UK via RHIB to do the RAF 2 Day March;
I was a planner in a 2-week, land based Joint Expeditionary Force exercise in Cornwall, where I got the Best Dane Award from the Rear Admiral (I was the only Dane);
I was part of Exercise Control in Greenland Live Ex 2016, spending 2 weeks in Nuuk;
I entertained spouses as a last minute stand-in bus guide at a NATO Defense College visit in Copenhagen;
I returned to Nuuk for 2.5 months of being the Visit Coordination Officer in the Joint Arctic Command;
I boarded the ABSALON again and went ashore in Libya with a select party of the Force Commander, chemical and other experts, and a bunch of Special Operations Forces.

O/b The Sea Stallion, July 2016. Photo: K.M. Søndergaard

Not all work
Throughout all this fun, excitement, and adventure, I got together with a wonderful girlfriend and had time to attend lots of theatre shows and concerts, march in Nijmegen, play wargames, be with friends and family, and sail the Viking longboat The Sea Stallion.

New job
The year ended with being headhunted for a position in the Joint Defence Command smack middle in Copenhagen. I am now a project coordinator, administrator and none the least the PA for a retired two star general in a semi-civilian job (see this blog post).

This is work when in the Navy ...

Childhood goal
All this goodness comes from the fact that I pursued my childhood dream of undergoing training to become a reserve officer. In the spring spring of 1996 I went through the two-day acceptance test at Air Base Værløse. Out of 60-something applicants that weekend we were 2 applicants who made it through the physical, cognitive, and psychological tests. Since I made it through being a cadet as well, and here we are. Being Twice a Citizen has served me so very well.

With all this in mind, I can look back at the article introduced here with fondness, while the feeling was bittersweet when it was published: the interview was done while I worked in Maersk Line, showing how being a reserve officer can be (part of) a road to success. When the article came out, I had been fired. I still shared the link a year ago today. No regrets.

Thanks!
With a monologue as long as the one you're reading, I shouldn't forget to send out a heartfelt THANK YOU to all the many people that supported and outright helped me during that time of being in between steady jobs. You are too many to mention each and every one.

Greenland Live Ex: a bit of Greenland, a lot of Sit Room ...

Spring
Have a nice day out there – spring, after all, has to be here, the calendar says so!

Year in retrospect, the pictures

Visit Coordination Officer in Nuuk: still office job, but lots of enjoying the country as well. Here just before a day of patrolling o/b Y388 TULUGAQ.