See You Along The Way: Reflections of a Veteran Hiking The Camino de Santiago - Softcover

Meck, Colonel Tracey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1642998982 ISBN 13: 9781642998986

Publisher: Christian Faith, 2018

Synopsis

A retired Air Force officer and veteran of Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti and humanitarian deployments embarks on a journey of spiritual and self-rediscovery along the five-hundred-mile ancient pilgrimage: the Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Physically and mentally beat up and exhausted, Colonel Tracey Meck struggles to find a new identity and purpose after retiring from the only adult life she had known. As she endeavors to overcome physical pain and limitations, she is determined to redeem herself after failing to complete the trek two years earlier. Along The Way, she reflects on her Air Force career, from being a part of the seventh class with women at the Air Force Academy through four combat deployments to include a year leading interagency reconstruction and development efforts in two Afghan provinces as the Provincial Reconstruction Team Gardez Commander. Weaving through it all is her spiritual journey as she struggles with experiences that feed both spiritual growth and recurring doubts.

About this title

About the Author

Tracey Meck was born in Bozeman, Montana in 1965.  After spending her early life moving every couple of years around Montana and Minnesota, her family settled in Anchorage, Alaska in 1976.  After high school, she reported to the United States Air Force Academy.  Graduating with the Class of 1987, she earned a bachelors degree and a commission as a Second Lieutenant.  She served the majority of her career in her primary field, Security Forces (SF).  In 2006, she took a one-year career broadening deployment as the Commander of Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Gardez in Afghanistan.  For the remainder of her AF career, she rotated between SF and Stability Operations assignments at the Central Command and Pentagon levels.  Her other contingency deployments included serving as the Provost Marshal for Joint Task Force (JTF) SHINING HOPE (supporting Kosovar refugees fleeing to Albania) and JTF ATLAS RESPONSE (a flood relief operation in southern Africa); the Deputy Commander for the 455th Expeditionary Mission Support Group at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan; the Chief of Staff for the Iraqi Training and Advisory Mission to the Ministry of Interior in Baghdad, Iraq; and as the Chief Staff Officer for a Joint Special Operations Task Force in Djibouti, Africa.  She retired in 2012 at the rank of Colonel and settled on Camano Island, Washington.  

Col Meck is spending her retirement as a "professional volunteer".  She serves as a volunteer Admissions Liaison Officer for USAFA, diligently working with students from over 40 high schools in Northwest Washington.  Additionally, she is active in her local church, Camano Chapel, where she volunteers at the food bank, His Pantry, and with the His Veterans Ministry.  In early 2017, she "deployed" as a member of a short-term mission trip to Haiti.

Edition details

• Publisher: Christian Faith
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1642998982
• ISBN 13: 9781642998986
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 566