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Thursday, August 02, 2007 |
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Defining moments and dividing lines |
Jeffreygenehk writes:
maybe
sometime, if it`s not too personal, would you share a bit more of what
you mean about your life being divided into pre and post afghanistan?
Sure.
Before I do anything else--anything at all--something needs to be made
perfectly clear. I am not a combat arms soldier. I`m not infantry.
I`m not (heaven forbid) SF or anything of the like. I never kicked in
doors. I never bled, aside from the nail I stepped on while building a
b-hut internal wall. We didn`t do street patrols or checkpoints. I never patched up someone else who was
bleeding. We never lost anyone on our team.
I did take fire--direct and indirect. I did return fire; I don`t know
whether I hit anyone, but they were surely keeping their heads down. We
did "find, know, and never lose the enemy," and once we did that, we
radioed reports in and our combat arms guys made bad people
into dead people--military alchemy. In that very real sense, I am
responsible for the deaths of human beings. Don`t shed any tears for
them, though--they started it.
In short, I had a relatively easy deployment to Afghanistan with a few
very terrifying moments, a rather larger number of tense ones, and many
months of tedious ones. "Normal" meant putting on my rifle (or later,
SAW) as part of my uniform, going weeks without a shower (or shave or
call home), digging holes in the shale only to discover during an enemy
attack that they really weren`t deep enough after all...
You contrast this a little with my old normal life, where a bad day was
one in which a server went down and I got a lot of annoying phone calls
during my lunch break. Or perhaps a Chief Something Officer in the
company needed something stupid on his computer, and it was my job to
explain why that couldn`t happen. Or maybe some tickets didn`t get
documented properly and I had to reinvent the wheel--the sort of thing
that I`d definitely bring up in the next staff meeting.
At home, a car breakdown is a major catastrophe. You`re stuck on the
road. Gotta call AAA, maybe get a ride from your family member.
You`ve missed the dinner party.
In Afghanistan, my humvee became stuck in the mud. This would not have
mattered so terribly much if it hadn` t been for the RPGs landing
nearby and the rest of the convoy being fully engaged in a retrograde
advance. I had enough time to contemplate trying to cross that mud on
foot with my extra armor (turret gunners being required to wear full
kit at that time and place) and SAW when a friendly Canadian LAV-III
gave us a nudge and got us moving homeward again. Their turrets were
all to the rear, providing cover fire.
[I love Canadians. They have great weapons, the will to fight, and they make excellent
coffee.]
Earlier this week, I heard a sharp THWAP while I was on the highway. A
rock put a pretty big chip in my windshield. The last time I heard a
noise like that while driving... well. I took a picture. [link]
Life on a deployment--if you can get away from the flagpole--is life
turned up to 11. Everything you do matters--everything has real
consequences. There are people out there who are trying their darndest
to kill you. If they succeed, you won`t have to start the game over or
regain the level or play the DVD over again--you`ll be dressed up
nicely and you`ll have a nice ceremony and your family will get a flag
and you`ll just be dead and that`s all. Live with that knowledge for
11 months--even a relatively easy 11 months like I had--and you`ll
understand why life is divided into "before" and "after" with a
disproportionately large dose of "during."
And in the meantime, look charitably upon those who have trouble making the jump.
Sig
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Monday, August 06, 2007 |
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Vets For Freedom |
As a veteran who supports our country’s current war against terrorism I believe it is my duty to get involved and do what I can to help out. Of course I spent two deployments overseas but I don’t feel like that is near enough. I want to see this thing through to a successful end so I believe more work on our (veterans) part is needed. Cue Vets For Freedom (link on the left side of page).
Vets For Freedom is putting together their second trip to Washington D.C. in order to meet with politicians and influence them to keep pushing forward with the battle in Iraq and Afghanistan. September 17th and 18th veterans from across the country will be converging upon D.C. in order to make their voices heard. However, not all vets will be doing so in support of the war. There is also a contingent of vets who will be protesting the war there at the same time, all the more reason for vets in support of the war to make the trip. I will be attending and ask all like-minded vets to do so as well as Vets For Freedom hopes to be able to cover the cost of everyone’s travel expenses.
Check out their website www.vetsforfreedom.org and read more about it and then spread the word to vets you may know. If you aren’t a veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan but still want to get involved there are ways to do so as well, including donating some funds in order to help vets make the trip. Please check out the website and help out in any way you can. I’ll be covering the event for what it is worth so be sure to check back early and often.
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Thursday, August 09, 2007 |
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Q&A Friday |
Okay so I know I said I was going to do a weekly question and answer session on Fridays but I have been slacking. That combined with the fact that I haven`t received that many questions has led me to post only one Q&A session so far. Well now I am back but without any real questions to answer so I figured I would answer one that is commonly asked of me and my fellow comrades. The question usually goes something like this:
"So is it really that hot over there?"
And my reply is usually something like this:
"Well I suppose it is, but it is really just relative."
After I realize that my answer is somewhat disappointing to the person I then tell a few stories of exactly how hot it really is. Allow me to indulge.
On my first deployment in 2003 I was stuck in the middle of the desert in southern Iraq. We slept in tents without any a/c or fans and when we did finally get fans in the middle of July they fell apart because it was too hot. No joke one day we read the temperature and it was 147 degrees Fahrenheit. Absolutely lovely weather.
I also spent some time during my first deployment on the port of Umm Qasr. Staying right on the water led to some even better weather as the heat was combined with some oppressive humidity. I remember for about a week in August 2003 it was so humid that I would wake every morning around 5am to water dripping from the top of the tent onto my face. If you washed your hands it took about 2 hours of not touching anything to get them to unclam. It was absolutely ridiculous but fun at the same time. No wonder Iraqis are always fighting, I would be in a constant bad mood if it was that hot every year.
My second deployment was up north in Mosul, and while we didn`t have the humidity we still had some hot weather. The best way I can describe it to someone who has never experienced it is to tell them to imagine what it would be like to walk around in the middle of the day in a sweat suit with a blow dryer on high constantly in your face. Imagine this scenario day after day after day and you get what the summers are like in Iraq.
Of course the `hot` stories could go on all day long and other soldiers could share funny stories as well but I am sure everyone has had enough already. Just remember this summer when you are facing some hot days that it could always be worse.
Send some questions my way if you have them and I`ll try to get a better Q&A post up next week.
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Tuesday, August 14, 2007 |
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A Day In The Life of Scott Beauchamp |
After recanting his famous stories published in The New Republic in an official sworn statement, Scott Beauchamp’s life must be an utter joy right now. Most coverage of the Beauchamp saga has centered around whether or not the stories he told in TNR are true, but right now that doesn’t concern me. My intention with this post is to explain, to the best of my abilities, what a day in the life of Private Beauchamp must be like right now.
On both of my deployments I was around soldiers who had gotten themselves into trouble one way or another and I watched as they were subsequently punished. On my second deployment I had the distinct pleasure of having one of the soldiers underneath me get into trouble so I had to personally watch over him as he carried out his punishment. Since Scott Beauchamp proudly wears the lowest rank in the military I am sure he has to do the same sorts of things the soldier underneath me had to do. Keep in mind that I am only speculating but I would be willing to bet that I am not far off from the truth.
When soldiers first get into trouble they usually have to answer to either a squad leader or platoon sergeant. In Beauchamp’s case, however, he most likely had to go straight to his commander who then took him to the appropriate authorities at the battalion level, who I would assume would either be the battalion command sergeant major (CSM) or battalion commander (BC). In reality though with a case this big Beauchamp probably saw both men the first day he revealed his identity as the Baghdad Diarist. Oh to be a fly on the wall for that meeting. Again speaking from experience, having to face both men at once is not fun. I would stake my life on it that Beauchamp quickly recanted his stories and was close to tears as he tried to explain his actions away.
As a result of that meeting his commander was probably ordered by the BC to take of the problem, which in civilian speak means “Mess this up and we’ll come after you.” I may be wrong with that as the CSM could have punished Beauchamp himself, but either way Beauchamp is on some sort of restriction now. Most likely Beauchamp is confined to his base where he performs some sort of extra duty whether it be filling sandbags or changing tires. What this means is that he no longer goes out on the road where he could have the pleasure of running over dogs with his Bradley or wearing the skulls of recently dead Iraqi children.
In between extra duty assignments Beauchamp goes to the chow hall with whoever is assigned to watch him that day. There is probably a rotation between the squad leaders in his platoon as to who gets to watch him and when. The fact that others have to watch Beauchamp because he is a screw-up probably helps endear him to his handlers. He is probably only allowed to go to the PX twice a week where he buys enough cigarettes and peach tea to last him through the week. For added measure he has probably already bought a pad of paper and extra pens because he is only allowed to use the internet at designated times throughout the week, and wouldn’t dare take the chance to not record everything that is happening to him right now so he can lie about it to the world later.
Long story short Beauchamp’s deployment has completely changed and will remain that way until he goes home or gets off early for good behavior, which in his case means no more publishing lies in TNR, on his blog, or over the phone to Franklin Foer.
As a private (PV2) he cannot go any lower on the totem pole so even if he gets his wish and tries to make a career out of his military service no one will ever listen to him. He will never (well at least for the next eight years) be able to go back on what he wrote in his sworn statement so until then what he wrote in TNR are lies. If he eventually recants what he swore to the military then he will be revealed to the world as an utter idiot so I suppose it is a win-win situation for him.
My advice to Scotty is to shut up for good, finish your deployment, go home and have your name legally changed. After that move to France where people like to be lied to and where no real American will dare follow. |
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Monday, August 20, 2007 |
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The Continuing Saga |
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Pajamas Media released the end all and be all articles on Scott Beauchamp today. Be sure to read this article in order to learn the truth about the complete idiot of a soldier that Beauchamp is. |
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Tuesday, August 28, 2007 |
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Thoughts |
First I should apologize for the super sparse writing. Sig and I have been busy saving the world as of late so I have been unable to dedicate the time needed to this site. Alas that must continue for another week or so but I promise I`ll be back soon enough.
I do have a couple thoughts though.
As I drove to work this morning I listened to NPR, as I always do, and heard a story about the UN`s proposal for military aid to Darfur. The story was about the lady in charge of the effort calling on "rich" nations to do more, supply more, and take more of a lead. Of course "rich" nations means the US and probably the UK. What I don`t understand is how we are supposed to solve the world`s problems all at once. If that were even possible we would assuredly not be able to do so on our own, but would have to have the help of other nations as we do in Iraq right now. For this Darfur mission to work out I believe that we need another country to take the lead while we provide monetary support. With the other skirmishes we are involved in right now I doubt we would be able to offer much more.
The main thing that rubbed me the wrong way was that the story seemed to focus around the fact that we aren`t doing enough. No one came out and specifically said anything of the sort but it was the message underlying the whole story. The genocide of the people there was disscused in a matter suggesting that the world must act and act now. While I agree that the killings should be stopped who is to say that as soon as we get involved everyone, including our own citizens, won`t start hating us for doing so? There was a genocide in Iraq and our invasion stopped that cold, but we are hated for doing so and hardly a soul mentions the genocide of the Iraqi Kurds anymore. Are genocides right and wrong to different degrees?
Darfur is just the genocide of the moment for compassionate lefties right now, as soon as we get involved they will cry foul and find some way that we were wrong for doing so all the while maintaining that they were always against our intervening in the affair.
I do believe that we should get involved in the situation in as much as we are able to do so. But at the same time I believe we should do so only after we get on videotape every politician who supports our involvement saying so, so that when the run for office in the future we can have a record of their "beliefs". |
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Tuesday, August 28, 2007 |
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On vocation |
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This is probably interesting only to me.
I have long considered myself a computer technician temporarily in uniform--a "fat computer nerd trapped in a soldier`s body." Part of this is the whole National Guard Thing that they sell you on--one weekend a month, etc. The idea when I signed up was that I could get some training, pick up a security clearance, get in shape, and Do Good, and then come home and get back to my IT career, hopefully by which time the economy would stop sucking. This was mid-2003, by the way.
But it`s time I do the math and face reality.
Computer tech career:
- 9/00 to 10/00 -- Small computer shop. Printer tech, phone guy, accounting. Laid off. (6 weeks)
- 12/00 to 9/01 -- Major corporate desktop support. Contractor. Quit right before being laid off. (10 months)
- 9/01 to 3/03 -- Small land development company. #2 in IT department (of 2). "The good job." Laid off. Can still visit for free lunch and reminisce. (18 months)
- 6/03 to 11/03 -- NMCI. Google it. Fear it. Never work for it. Fired for being right all of the time. (6 months).
- 09/05 to 10/05 -- NMCI. Everyone who knew me before was since fired or laid off. Job still ridiculous and painfully mismanaged. Quit because the war was preferable. (2 months)
Total time: 37.5 months
Regime Change Specialist career: [only full-time counted]
- 01/04 to 08/05 -- Training. Basic, language school, AIT. Came home with a security clearance and a tan. (19 months)
- 11/05 to 01/07 -- Operation Enduring Freedom. Came home with additional VA benefits, stories I can`t tell, hearing loss, and occasional nightmares. (15 months)
- 02/07 to 09/07 -- Document translation and Other Duties As Assigned. (8 months)
Total time: 42 months.
And I`m on track to stay in uniform full time for FY08. And maybe to go language school again after that. By that time, we should have invaded somewhere else.
It`s time to face it. I`m actually a soldier who used to do computer work.
It`s actually kind of cool. If I`d known that I had surpassed the time-in-IT mark this summer, I might have had an extra beer--the E-5-single-income-kids-on-the-way equivalent of a party.
Anyway, it`s deep thoughts like this one that have been going through my head lately. I note as I post this that my resolve to get SOMETHING up today was so strong that it was felt by TF Boggs, too. Wiggy.
I`ll try to do better.
Sig |
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Tuesday, August 28, 2007 |
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I might as well request the Easter Bunny`s e-mail address. |
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Is there any place where legitimate, well-intentioned, respectful, intelligent, and rational discourse about politics and military affairs can occur?
I don`t mean the narcissistic mutual admiration societies where we all sit around talking about how barking mad the other side is--I mean an actual (by which I mean virtual, online) place where you can have a reasoned debate with unlike-minded individuals and at least maintain some semblance of civil conversation.
One of the legitimate criticisms often levied against the military weblog community is that we tend to act as an echo chamber. It`s hard to know how much of that is just navel-gazing and how much is legitimate unfied concern over a major topic--particularly when it`s hard to agree what even constitutes An Important Thing. [Witness the whole Beauchamp saga.]
Comments are often full of "You are so right" and "God bless you and the troops" and "Free Viagra Prescription" (damned spambots) with the occasional "Bushitler and his thugs will all rot in hell" comment thrown in for good measure. Some of the better sites will have some respectfully dissenting opinions, but these are noteworthy for their rarity.
[Now, to be perfectly fair (which I do only when I have 3:1 odds), the military weblog community is far from the worst offender in this area. But just because other parties *coughhippies*cough* might do it doesn`t absolve us of responsibility to promote the common good.]
I guess I`m just not terribly comfortable with the journal-as-debate-forum model. One pompous blowhard (me) gets to write something, and then normal people tell him/me why he/I is/am full of crap in the comments section. It`s powerfully slanted my way, which would be a problem if I were not right all of the time.
But Sig, the argument will go, they can always open their own blog. And that`s true. But now the power relationship is reversed, and I`m leaving nasty comments about their grammar and personal hygiene and political views. In neither case is a reasonable and even-keeled discussion possible.
Maybe I`m hoping for something which can`t exist. But I recall some rousing good discussions Back In The Old Days--in my case, text-based BBS networks and moderated UseNet groups from the mid-90s. Where do people go for discussions now?
This is not a rhetorical device--I`d really like to know.
Sig |
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Thursday, August 30, 2007 |
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Milblogs at Blogworld |
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I found out today that I will be participating in military panel type discussions at Blogworld in November. I`ll be joining Uncle Jimbo and Matt from Blackfive, John Noonan from Op-For, Michael Yon live from Iraq, and several others. I am sure we will be blogging about it but if you are interested in blogs and blogging you should check the expo out for yourself. Here is the link to the story and while you are there check out the show. |
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