TL;DR: Got sent to Saudi by a divorcee shoe salesman but learned a lot in the process and came out a better person.

I got there to run a Comms team that wouldn't show up for another 6 months and equipment and infrastructure that wouldn't for 9 months. My orders were almost completely redacted as the work I was to be doing was classified. The orders said I was going to Pittsburgh for 90 days. When I landed, they couldn't figure out who I was working for, so the personnel guy literally leaned back in his chair and yelled down the line of other personnel people "anyone need a computer guy??"

Oh hellllll naw. I'd been ripped from my life with 48 hours notice to hop on a plane because "they had to have me." The experience, rank, time in grade, clearances, everything was very specific. I was one of probably 20 people in the entire Air Force that fit the bill and now it was "anyone need a 'computer' guy??"

"Excuse me, good sir, but I'm not JUST a computer guy and if you don't have somewhere very specific for me to be, I'll just hop right back on this plane and go home." (paraphrased).

"Ha!" a passing Army Lt Col said... "Son, you aint going nowhere... welcome to PeeSAB!" (not paraphrased)

It was 2am and they couldn't figure out where I was to go so they put me in a tent with a cot and told me to hang out. I waited two days in that tent for a reservist Army Major to come grab me and take me to Riyadh. He couldn't believe they'd moved so fast on me... he wasn't expecting me for a few more months. Apparently he'd had a bad experience getting someone before so he checked every "mission critical, urgent need, etc" box there was. And so there I was, 72 hours later, waiting on a woman's shoe salesman (real life Al Bundy) whose wife had dumped him so he decided to go full time to war for a few years.

Thankfully once I got to JTF-SWA, I had a few really cool jobs. The leadership there took me away from the Al Bundy type and in the morning I worked intel and in the afternoon, logistics. I got to see things and go places I'd never have dreamed of going and certainly wouldn't have if I were doing the original assignment.

Even though I shouldn't have been there, my time there was indeed life shaping and taught me a LOT about life and makes me enjoy the precious freedoms we all take for granted today.