Vox Veterana

Hard To Ignore

TF Boggs — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:47:31

Vets For Freedom is back in D.C. again with 400 soldiers and marines and I am here to partake in the fun. We`ll see if we can`t bring a modicum of truth to our elected representatives about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If history is any guage I think we`ll have a bit of infulence as an organization with 22,000 Iraq and Afghanistan vets is hard to ignore.

My (cough) Generation

TF Boggs — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:36:51

The other day I found a box of mine that contained some souvenirs from my first deployment to Iraq. Among them was a canvas painting of Saddam that I took from the Abu Ghraib prison during the summer of 2003 (pre-prisoner “abuse” for those of you paying attention.) I showed a few friends of mine and told them I planned on having it framed. Then I told them where I got it expecting some sort of reaction i.e. gasp, laughing, or maybe disbelief. What I got in return instead was blank stares.

I thought that maybe they were just figuring out how they were going to respond, that maybe they weren’t sure if I was being serious or not. What I found out was something entirely different. It wasn’t that they didn’t know how to respond-they didn’t know that a response would have even been warranted in that situation.

(What follows is the nuts and bolts of the conversation we had after I mentioned Abu Gharib.)

Me: I got the painting at Abu Gharib.

Them: Ok, cool.

Me: Have you heard of Abu Gharib before?

Them: Nope. What is that?

Me: You know, like Abu Gharib prison…the one where the “abuse” happened.

Them: I’m not exactly following.

Me: Come on, you know. Like naked Iraqi pyramids and the like.

Them: I’m not exactly following.

Me: You mean to tell me you’ve never heard of Abu Gharib?

Them: Yep. Never heard of it. Why?

Me: Uhhh…nevermind.

Remember that dry erase board in some Marine barracks in Iraq a while back? The one that said “America isn’t at war the Marines are. America is at the mall.” Well it is true. While some of us spent years overseas fighting in a war many of our peers were listening to podcasts of “The Real World MTV.” The level of complete ignorance about the reasons for fighting and remaining in Iraq is astounding. Maybe I shouldn’t be astounded but for some reason I am. Iraq was such a big part of my life that I think people should at least know why we went there in the first place. I don’t expect complete knowledge of the situation as it is I just want there to be some type of intent on their part to be apprised of the basic info coming out of the war zones.

Perhaps I am asking too much, but I just think back to WWII when the whole country was intimately involved in the war effort. No one in the forties would have looked at another person with a blank expression on their face when asked whether or not they had ever heard of Normandy or Guadalcanal. What is going through these kid’s minds when their country is at war but all they can do is think about what color top will best bring out their fake tan they have been working on to impress the opposite sex?

Been A Few Days

TF Boggs — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:50:53

Other than a few bombings here and there Iraq hasn’t been in the media’s spotlight lately. History tells me this is a good thing for several reasons. The first is that no news tends to be good news. I tried to tell my parents that all the time during my deployments, albeit with varying degrees of success. The second reason is that due to past personal experience concerning news out of Iraq I know that it is usually blown out of proportion, if not way.

I was trying to explain to my roommate the other night how he could figure out which media outlets to trust. One way that is easier said than done is to grasp an understanding of the subjects outside of what the media tells you. If listening to stories about the economy it helps to have a basic understanding of how the economy works so you can tell whether or not the journalist has their facts right. When listening to stories about Iraq the same reasoning applies. The only thing different is that it is hard for the average person to know what life in Iraq is actually like.

Once you have a grasp on the topic at hand you have the ability to discern the truthful content of not only what was said or written but also what wasn’t said. For example I was listening to a story on the news the other day about the “Palestinian conflict”. The reporter talked about the Palestinians this, the Palestinians that, the Palestinitans this that and the other, but never was there mention of the Israeli side of the coin. Most journalists seem to side with the Palestinians thus espousing their bad attitude towards Israel to all of their listeners. In turn their listeners, who may not know the history of the “conflict”, or anyone who actually lives in the area, form biased opinions based solely on what was said on air. However, (and I do have a point in all of this) what isn’t said is the real story i.e. Kassam rockets continually being fired upon Israeli civilians.

What isn’t said in the news coverage of Iraq is the real story. The days that go by without any mention of bombs killing soldiers or civilians is a much bigger story than the bombs themselves. The days that go by with no mention of prison abuse is a much bigger story than some tired old rehashing of Abu Gharib. The kids the live daily life in Iraq with no extracurricular terrorist activities is a better story than some 14-year-old kids who took up training to die via being brain washed into blowing themselves up for their god.

Of course Iraq is always one suicide bomb away from being what the media would deem a complete failure. Knowing this is great news for the terrorists but bad for those of us in the U.S. who realize that the difference between victory and failure is more than just poorly made bombs placed in strategic locations (like on the stomach of a woman or on the lap of a handicapped person).

Lets do some John Lennon imagining for a minute and imagine what Iraq would look like with an informed media reporting daily to the world. A lot different isn’t it. So let’s all do ourselves a favor and remember the next time it is a few days between suicide bomb stories out of Iraq that the real story is the unreported calm. To do so is to reaffirm that the world isn’t really going to hell in a hand basket (or burka-clad faux woman-bomb). Now all we have to do is watch out for that damnable global warmings I’ve heard so much about on NPR.

You should be reading this guy.

SigSpace — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 09:57:30

You wouldn`t know it from the news lately, but apparently there`s some troops over in Iraq doing something or another. Despite his handicap (LT bar), this guy has some great stuff to say, and does it beautifully and eloquently. If you want to know what it`s like to wander through the valley of the shadow of death, I can`t recommend LT G highly enough.

I`d post links to my favorites, but I`ve shared a lot of them via my Reader and I`m holding a baby in one hand, so this is already a sisyphean task.

Check him out--he writes gud.

Sig

Taking credit for someone else`s work

SigSpace — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:39:47

If you can`t brag on your buddy`s site, where can you brag?

Ian Anthony joined our family around noon on the 28th. Picture is here, and an overly long and not too disgusting account of the birth is here.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled milbitching.

Sig

Afghanistan, NATO, and Bill Arkin

SigSpace — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:05:38

People who have perused my site--or talked to me for more than 3 minutes--know that I can occasionally be a little bitter about the whole state of "the other war." I didn`t go to Iraq--I went to Afghanistan. When I was preparing to go back in late 2005, a lot of people were astounded to learn that we were still there. Wasn`t that a done deal?

In a way, I`m somewhat gratified to see that it`s making a comeback in the public consciousness, though I really wish it were for a different reason.

This morning my Google News page was infested by a piece by Bill Arkin. Where have I heard that name? Oh yes. That`s the asshat that prattled on about our obscene amenities last year. Today, he`s prattling on about Afghanistan. I`ll say this for Bill: he makes his opinion clearly and unambiguously.

Afghanistan: America Wrong, Europe Right

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is again beating up on Europeans for not doing more in Afghanistan, a now familiar theme in his blame-anybody-but-us strategy.

It goes on to talk about the recurring theme in Afghanistan--a lot of troops not doing a hell of a lot of actual fighting--and then lambasts SecDef Gates for seemingly trying to apply the Iraq methodology to Afghanistan when in fact these are completely different, and what Afghanistan needs is more non-kinetic ops.

I`m reposting my reply here because I have no confidence that it will still be there later:

I spent some time with a small American detachment working on a Canadian-run FOB near Kandahar in late 2006. Under their NATO commander, the Canadians could not engage in any "offensive" operations, meaning that they sat on the FOB and watched insurgents move and transport equipment through their area.

The Americans, under a US Army captain, would do "recon by fire"--that is, finding the bad guys by driving around until we were attacked--at which time we could call for a quick reaction force. This was the only time the Canadians could do anything other than purely defensive measures. I don`t know what the commanders thought, but the joes loved us for it. They could see what was happening right in front of them.

Non-kinetic operations cannot take place in the absence of security. Security requires boots and the ground and active engagement of the Taliban remnants. You won`t build any nations in a place where people are beheaded for selling Americans cigarettes, and letters are spread promising death to entire families should anyone accept humanitarian aid.

We saw what happened early last year when NATO decided not to hold the previously-secured Musa Qah`leh. A "gentleman`s agreement" with the local Talibs resulted in the town becoming a major Taliban stronghold--from the same district center that we had occupied (and fortified) weeks earlier. Taking it back required a price paid in blood.

If Secretary Gates were advocating some other strategy, no doubt you would be castigating him for not heeding the lessons learned at such cost in Iraq.

I`ve bitched about NATO in Afghanistan before. Here, I talk about Musa Qah`leh, which had to be retaken after it was essentially given back to the Talibs. Comments posted later at Blackfive about the Dutch approach resulted in this exchange.

I am a lowly E-5. Far be it from me to advise SecDef Gates on what he should push NATO to do. But it doesn`t take a rocket scientist to see that a lot of countries are not interested in shouldering a fair share of the dirty work--not even a model rocket scientist.

Sig

Vets On The Hill

TF Boggs — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:17:41

It is once again time for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan to converge upon Washington D.C. with Vets For Freedom this upcoming April. You may remember my posts from the first trip to D.C. late last year, if not you can find them here. I had a great time and found the (free) trip to be a great learning experience. Besides getting to have breakfast at the White House I was able to visit with both senators from my state and several representatives as well. Members of VFF from the other 50 states did so as well. If we can keep the numbers up this year, and share the same positive message we did last time, I am sure we will once again influence members of congress.

I don`t pretend to believe that we will sway many votes but I know that politicians enjoy having their constituents visit them in a professional manner like we at VFF do, unlike others from such groups as Code Pink. If we can at least show them that veterans are a good group of people and care deeply about what they do it will only help us in the future.

So any rate visit the VFF site even if you aren`t a vet and support the cause.

Outta the Archives

TF Boggs — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:03:45

I was doing some aimless searching on the web and remembered that I wrote a few stories for Michael Yon`s website Frontline Forum a couple years back. I found the website and read the articles over again and took a stroll down memory lane. You can find the articles here.

What struck me about the articles was not what I wrote but what the many people who left comments said. They were very supportive and were eager to hear more stories like the ones I shared. Several of them wondered where stories like the ones I had written were to be found in the MSM.

It seems like nowadays Iraq and Afghanistan are old news. I am not complaining because I get caught up feeling the same way too. We all just wish it would be over already, and as a result tend to ignore things other than the daily body count and what politician said what about Iraq. It is nice sometimes to go back and read about the sentiments we had only just a short while ago.

One day we will be out of Iraq and Afghanistan and my hope will then be that we care more about what our soldiers did while they were there, rather than solely about how many of them never came home. I am glad we have the web to maintain the writing of so many soldiers for the next generation so that they may understand just how we felt about what we did.

Impose Sharia Already

TF Boggs — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:44:36

Considering what is going on in Berkeley, CA right now with the crazies trying to run off the Marine recruiters I have a fresh idea as to how to get the situation under control.

Impose Sharia.

Let`s get together and bring a bunch of militant Islamists to Cali and let them rule Berkeley from now on. They could make all the women wear Burkas while shutting down the practice of free speech and religion. Perhaps they could set guidelines for an appropriate diet, or maybe even proper entertainment. Of course music would be regulated as well as what kids can study in school. Hell, everything that makes life what it is in Berkeley would change.

I imagine then the crazies on the city council and those that support them like the Code Pink commies would be crying out for help from the very people that they are trying to run out of town.

What blows my mind about the whole situation is that it could even happen in the first place. Every one of the city council members should face punishment, and the former Army Captain turned mayor of Berkeley, Tom Bates, should be made to allow every Marine recruiter to kick him squarely in the nuts, or rather, what is left of his manhood.

Just when you think things have started to normalize just a bit Berkeley goes an rears its ugly head.

IRR Here I Come

TF Boggs — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:00:15

Next month I will attend my final Reserve drill weekend and I am having mixed emotions about it. On the one hand I am excited about ending the military chapter in my life and moving on to full time civilian life. I am ready to see what life is like free of restraints and commitments that will land me in jail if I don’t fulfill them.

On the other hand I am somewhat sad about finishing up with what has been the best period of my life. I have been thinking lately what my life would be like right now if I had never joined the military. Frankly it scares me to think that way. I am not sure how I would have turned out if I hadn’t had the experiences I did up until this point.

I also don’t want to think about having to watch the world change with me on the sidelines. I feel like as long as I am still in the military I am giving myself the option to hop into the arena of world events should I get the feeling to, or rather, more appropriately considering my history, should Uncle Sam get the feeling for me. Finishing up my commitment to the military doesn’t mean just freedom, it means consigning myself to making a difference in this world in some other fashion.

I have several ideas about what my future might be like, but what I have realized lately is that they are all shaped in one way or another on who I have become as a result of my military service. Now that I am relegating that service to my past in what way can I have an immediate impact for good in this world? I know some people will say things like being a teacher has a great impact upon the future leaders of our country, or that I should try mentoring others or something equally as passé but I already understand that and am choosing to aim higher.

My saving grace in all of this is the Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR). When soldiers sign up for service most contracts contain two years in the IRR after their initial enlistment time is up (for me that initial time was six years). In the IRR I am still on the books for the military but I have no real responsibilities besides having to make myself available should world war three happen (or world war five if you are a fan of Podhoretz). However, in the IRR I allow myself the choice of continued training and the possibility of more deployments should I choose to volunteer. Some soldiers even make a career out of the IRR which for me is a tempting thought.

As long as I am in the IRR I feel like I have the potential to affect change in this world. Whether I actually do is up to me. Maybe this is just my way of clinging to something that I am just not ready to let go of yet. Maybe its just a way that I continue to fool myself that I am something more than just a pawn in this world. Who knows? But what I do know is that I have two more years in the IRR in order to figure things out before I have to make my final decision.

I voted in the primary.

SigSpace — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:19:54

...via absentee ballot, about 30 seconds before my wife informed me that my candidate had dropped out that day.

So now I`m supporting Great Cthulhu for 2008. I`m tired of settling for the lesser evil. Ph`nglui mglw`nafh Cthulhu R`lyeh wgah`nagl fhtagn!

I could possibly be talked into voting for Romney or Giuliani, however.

Sig

My Endorsement

TF Boggs — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:22:55

Brace yourselves folks cause I am about to endorse the future-winning candidate for president. Now I know milbloggers usually don’t give their endorsement for their future Commander in Chief, and when they do it really doesn’t matter that much, but I am here to tell you that my endorsement pretty much guarantees that the specific candidate will win.

What does a T.F. Boggs endorsement mean for a presidential candidate? For starters it means that my legions of readers will vote the same way I will garnering the specific candidate at least 25 new votes. And at the very least it provides that candidate with all the motivation they could possibly need to offer me a spot in their cabinet come January 2009.

Seriously though I thought I might explain who I think I’ll be voting for at this juncture of the race and why. So who am I voting for, or rather, who do I hope I can vote for?

Rudy Giuliani.

Why I would like to vote for him will take a little longer.

In light of current events that I find important i.e. war on Islamofascism, leaks at every level of government, appointing new Supreme Court judges etc., I base my decision on Giuliani because I think he will be best able to handle those problems. Also unlike Bush I think he will be able to fend off the naysayers and haters at the same time- a la MSM stiffs and democratic congressmen.

Giuliani has the managerial experience needed to be president and also has the proven track record of cleaning up New York. I believe he could do with the CIA and State Department as he did with New York. To think that someone like Obama could be our next president scares the business out of me. Why people think that someone with no experience running a company, or even a state for that matter, could possibly be the biggest CEO of the greatest nation on the earth is beyond me. Rudy has proven that he can handle stress, catastrophe, the Mob, and millions of people under his care.

I am also completely unexcited about any other candidate save Romney who I would have to warm up to a bit more. Considering what I find important these days I don’t think any other candidate would handle them to my liking besides Rudy. Huckabee is a fraud, McCain isn’t a republican, Ron Paul is insane, and I don’t think Fred Thompson has a chance. As for the democrat candidates could someone please (seriously) explain to me what is different about them and any European socialist?

Of course I could go on about why I want to vote for Rudy but that would probably get boring. Also my vote is completely contingent upon his getting the nomination but I think he will eventually. Sure there are things I don’t like about Rudy i.e. his stance on abortion and gun control but I think he will do the best job of the available candidates in all the other areas I deem important.

And for those who say they could never vote for a pro-choice candidate I only have to say that if you don’t you are voting for the other guy any way so you might as well take the lesser of two evils. After all God is a forgiving God isn’t he?

The Day Has Come

TF Boggs — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 03:24:17

Ohio State- 24 LSU- 17

****UPDATE**** I now commence eating my words. Congrats LSU, enjoy it while you have it cause we`re coming back next year.

That`s What I`ve Been Saying

TF Boggs — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:46:58

Thanks goes to my father for pointing out this article on the American Thinker that echoes what I wrote the other day, and have been writing for some time now, about the MSM. If you want to know why I don`t believe half of what the media says read the article and you will.

The MSM should be ashamed at their biased coverage of the Iraq war. Imagine what our country would think if the real picture of Iraq was making the headlines. If the masses knew what soldiers on the ground now then this war would have the support of the nation. From me to you believe that.

Happy Holidays

TF Boggs — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 17:29:26

I just wanted to wish everyone a very happy whatever you celebrate. For me it is Christmas so Merry Christmas everyone. In the odd chance that there are some actual deployed troops that read my blog just remember that being away from home for the holidays sucks, but it is only a matter of time before you`ll be back home and everything will be back to normal.

I know that isn`t the most comforting thing to say but hey, I was never that good at sensitive type stuff.

So What Now?

TF Boggs — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:18:49

If you have read my blog over the past few years you already know that I am not the biggest fan of the mainstream media. For those few new readers my dislike for the MSM started when I returned home from my first tour and saw Dan Rather misrepresent the military at Abu Gharib. I had been at Abu Gharib and had many friends there and knew that the first "breaking" report about the prison was way overblown.

Moving forward three years, a friend of mine and new reader of my blog, asked me to read a portion of Anderson Cooper`s autobiography "Dispatches From The Edge". As an anchor for CNN Anderson has been pretty much everywhere and seen pretty much everything, or at least that is what the jacket cover says. Skipping all the crap that I didn`t read in order to get to the stuff that I`ll discuss let`s move to page 60.

On pages 60-62 Anderson writes about being in Iraq on a patrol where nothing happened. He was bummed but in the midst of his bummed outness he realized that he may have learned something.

-"Then I realized that there was a lesson to be learned about what gets covered, what we see about Iraq at home. Not all of Iraq had exploded that day, at least not the part of Baghdad I was in. The headline could just as easily have been `200 Gallons of Water Delivered to Neighborhood Near Baghdad Airport.` It would have been just as accurate, though arguably not as important. Perhaps the soldier I spoke to earlier was right: sometimes Iraq is not like what you see on TV."

While I agree somewhat with what Anderson wrote I think that he completely misses the point about his experience. It wasn`t that what happened on that patrol that is the story, it is the fact that the MSM doesn`t find what happened (or didn`t happen) newsworthy. The MSM only wants to put the shocking stories as headlines. What is shocking about delievering water to a neighborhood? Lots actually. The fact that the convoy didn`t get blown up. The fact that Americans brought water to a neighborhood that probably needed it badly. The fact that not everything in Iraq is bad news etc.

The MSM should try running some headlines like the ones Anderson talks about to see how people respond. Not all Americans want to hear about dead soldiers day in and day out. Some of us want to hear about the boring days, the progress being made, and the lives of the soldiers.

The MSM has a hankering for bad news. They are an entertainment based business bent on entertaining. Not exactly the people I want telling the country about what really matters. I am sure there are people like Anderson Cooper who really believe they are doing good, I just think they miss the point most of the time.

I`m not alone on this one am I?

New Links

TF Boggs — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:03:29

So some family members of mine have decided to jump into the blogging arena and I think everyone should check them out, blogroll them, and return every day with giddy anticipation of their next post.

The first comes from my father and can be found at Steve 4 Prez. I would say he gets his wittiness from me but then I came second in the timeline that is life.

The second comes from my uncle who will write about all things the he sees fit to post. Find his blog here.

Check out their sites and welcome them to the blogosphere.

Changing Minds

TF Boggs — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:07:18

My friends over at Vets For Freedom are continuing to do big things. Follow the hyperlink to read an article written by VFF director Pete Hegseth and former (apparently) anti-war stalwart Maj. General Batiste of Votevets.org. It seems if as of late Murtha isn`t the only one changing his mind about the war in Iraq.

Pay attention to these guys in the future to see what else they are up to.

Clarification

TF Boggs — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 16:28:00

I am sure that some people misunderstood my true intention with my last post about PTSD. I know that because I myself was confused as certain points upon rereading it. So with this post I hope to clear up my views and I am going to do so with one story that comes from my last deployment.

On a convoy one day a bomb went off on one of our security vehicles. The shrapnel from the bomb hit all around our gunner but he was lucky and wasn’t hurt. When we got back to base we were all joking with him and all was fine. No harm no foul. I never heard any mention of the incident much long after it happened especially because incidents like it happened to several more of the guys in my unit.

A couple months later I was hanging out with the gunner from that day and heard him mention that he was sure he would have PTSD in the future. I thought that sounded funny because there really wasn’t much traumatic stress involved in what happened to him. As I continued to think about what he said I realized just how dumb it was. PTSD isn’t something you know that you are going to get in the future. It is almost as if someone were to say “I just know I am going to be bipolar in the future.”

The reason I think this kid said something like he did is because we are inundated with warnings about PTSD in today’s society. Soldiers are expected to have mental problems upon coming home from war. Sure there are adjustment problems fitting back into society, especially for Guard and Reserve soldiers, but those aren’t the same as having PTSD. The problem is that most people don’t realize that. They think that if there is anything different about the soldier then they have been “messed up”.

While I admit that PTSD is a real disorder I also believe it to be over diagnosed. Like I said before there are guys who take advantage of government handouts at every opportunity. Saying you have PTSD is a good way to get disability so if you can convince a doctor that you have problems you’ll get a check in the mail once a month. I also believe that some guys just don’t know how to handle readjustment and try to blame their problems on something completely unrelated.

I hope no one misunderstands me as someone who couldn’t possibly relate, or just an unsympathetic punk because I don’t think that is who I am. I just think that we need to leave soldiers alone and deal with their problems only after they are recognized, not before they occur.

PTSD

TF Boggs — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 19:52:03

Over the past few weeks NPR interviewed a few soldiers about their experiences since coming back from Iraq. To cut to the chase both soldiers said they have been plagued by PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) and act differently as a result. They also found a way to blame their problems on the administration, as it was they who got us into Iraq upon faulty pretenses in the first place.

I always listen to these types of interviews with interest because I want to see if my experiences in Iraq compare to the people being interviewed. What I have realized is that they do more often than not, and when they don’t they really aren’t that far off. I say that because I wonder what causes PTSD in some and not in others.

Before I get into the reasons why I believe what I do about PTSD I’ll tell you what it is I think about the disorder to begin with. I think it is a real disorder that can afflict anyone given the right circumstances, but I believe some are more susceptible to it than others. Those who are more susceptible to the disorder seem to me to be so because of the expectations and coddling of our society upon its soldiers. Because of popular movies, literature, and B.S. stories told by past soldiers today’s soldiers are expected to come home “messed up” from war.

Both times I returned home people found ways to poke and prod me about my experiences and question me on just how the deployment had changed me. Questions like “So did you see any one get killed?”, “How many of your friends were killed?”, “What were the worst things you saw?” etc. ad infinitum. After a while I began to wonder why people wanted to know the answers to these types of questions. Were they all obsessed with morbid thoughts? Is that what they expected of returned soldiers? Who put these thoughts into their minds to begin with?

One of the NPR interviews concluded with a soldier getting “violently” sick. When asked about his sickness the soldier said it was probably because of the medicine he was taking, but his friends said it was undoubtedly because of the terrible things he saw while in Iraq. Why were his friends making excuses for him? Were they encouraging this type of behavior from their friend?

Before we even go to war we hear about PTSD at our mobilization sites. We have classes about PTSD and we discuss it at the company level. We are inundated with examples of PTSD from Hollywood. PTSD seems to be expected of all soldiers these days.

As I watched part of Ken Burns’ WWII documentary “The War” the other day I realized that those guys went through so much more than soldiers do today and yet came home and seemingly got on with life. They didn’t complain about what they had to do, they did their job and then moved on. Today it seems that most soldiers claim PTSD even though a very small number of them have even seen combat up close. Heck I have even heard Air Force guys claim it when they miles away from even leaving their base. When I think about why this is the case I can only come up with the answer that we coddle our soldiers and teach them that it is only a matter of time overseas before they are mentally screwed.

I know plenty of guys who have killed numbers of bad guys and seen their friends killed and yet returned home and got on with life. Of course they have some bad memories but they don’t let it get them down day after day. Bad things happen, people die, and life goes on. If we all let those bad things control our lives and make us violently sick every time we thought of them we would have a large section of society that was not only unproductive but needed taken care of.

While I don’t discredit PTSD altogether I believe it is way over diagnosed. All soldiers don’t get PTSD. Some soldiers claim it as an easy way to account for other problems in their lives while others claim it in order to get out of future deployments. As a society we need to quit teaching our soldiers that it is a likely result of being deployed. By doing so we would help soldiers “man up” and deal with tough experiences in ways other than discussing them with a professional in a safe and comfortable office.

Nature of Blogging

TF Boggs — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:07:36

In order to finish my Blogworld post trifecta I give you this post about the nature of blogging. I realize I have only been blogging for two years, and really don’t do it that often, but I figured something out in Vegas last week that has given me hope for the future of my site.

Last week I heard several big-name bloggers give the same advice to aspiring bloggers: “Find your niche, stick to it, and eventually people will find you and continue to come back for your expertise.” “Ahh,” I thought, “but what is my expertise?” As I pondered that question for a couple of days I met several civilian journalists and bloggers who write about military matters. Those people helped me figure out just what it is that I am an expert at.

Okay, okay, I’m not an expert at anything but I do know about some things better than others. What I know about is what army life is like in Iraq. I know what it is like to come home from Iraq. I know what it is like to go to college as a recently returned veteran. And I know a bit about the reasons why we are fighting in the Middle East. Because I know about these things, and have the desire for others to know as well, I blog.

What the civilians who write about military matters made me realize is that I have some sort of duty to report what I know as long as people want to hear what I have to say. For me to sit idly by as civilians travel overseas to find out what I experience on a daily basis is some sort of shame. Of course those people who write for a living will most undoubtedly bring you the same stories will better grammar, more clarity, and with superior prose, I’ll continue nonetheless.

The thing about blogging is that it is pretty simple. The more you do it the easier it becomes. All blogging essentially is is taking a few minutes of your time to share a thought or two with others. Of course there are people who treat it like a real job but here at Vox Veterana we try not to take ourselves too seriously. We’ll just continue to share our thoughts and stories with the occasional well researched blog in between. Well that and we’ll point you towards people who do it better than us.

I won’t make any money on this site, and if for some odd reason that I do I’ll donate it to military causes, but I still want to help others understand why I as an Iraq war veteran support our mission in the Middle East. If I can do that for someone outside the already established choir than I have met my goal for this site.

So over the weeks and months to come if you like what you read on this site by both Sig and I then tell spread the word. Get the word out about Vox Veterana and we’ll try not to disappoint.

Mark Cuban is an...

TF Boggs — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:58:14

At the Blogworld Expo last week Mark Cuban, self-made billionaire and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, gave the closing speech Friday evening. I attended the speech not because I much wanted to hear what he had to say, but rather because I was somewhat bored and needed to kill some time before dinner. He talked about blogging and doing so responsibly. I was actually pretty impressed by his speaking abilities and some of the words of wisdom he had.

Near the end of his talk he discussed how bloggers shouldn’t be quick to insult others or use harsh language on their blog because the internet will always keep a record of what they say. He mentioned how he researches everyone who applies for a job and hires based upon what he finds. He joked that if someone had a blog post where they insulted him, for example calling him an idiot, then he wouldn’t hire them. Good advice for sure.

Before he opened up the floor for questions he made a shameless plug for his new film “Redacted.” If you haven’t already heard about the film let me inform you. It is directed by Brian De Palma and is about the rape and murder of an Iraqi family by a few American soldiers. According to De Palma:

“The pictures are what will stop the war. One only hopes that these images will get the public incensed enough to motivate their Congressmen to vote against this war," he said.”

The movie was financed by a company of Cuban’s and is thus directly supported by Cuban. Cuban described the movie in his speech at Blogworld by saying “Soldiers are bored 99% of the time, this film is about what they do with the other 1%.”

That statement taken to its logical conclusion means that the only time soldiers aren’t bored is when they are raping and murdering. What a guy that Mark Cuban is, a real winner. Now I am not going to call him an idiot because it takes a lot of smarts to become a billionaire, although I will say that I think he is slightly ill informed.

As an Iraq vet who found other things to do in my free time besides rape and murder I take offense to Cuban’s remarks. What is so bad about them is a seemingly smart guy like him should be able to figure out when someone has pulled the wool over his eyes like De Palma has with this film. Something tells me that Cuban could care less as long as there is a buck to be made. Too bad he has to make money at the expense of the soldiers. As if one terrible incident, that not one American soldier would condone, describes the whole Iraq war.

Needless to say I wasn’t too impressed with the closing speech at Blogworld. So Mark if you’re reading this I’m not exactly calling you an idiot, but you sure talked like one the other night.

Blogworld Wrap-up

TF Boggs — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:15:53

So the show isn`t officially over but I suppose I have seen enough by now. Blogworld turned out great and exceeded my expectations. All kinds of blogging geeks came out for the show including several milbloggers. I finally got to meet milblogger celebrities such as Bill Roggio, Matt and Uncle J from Blackfive, TD from Acute Politics, Ward Carrol from Military.com, Chuck from From My Position...On the way!, the ladies from Spousebuzz, and Tom from Jack Army among others. We had a good time participating in panels and hanging out at the Thursday night party at the Hard Rock Hotel drinking free beer.

I would be remiss if I didn`t tell you that after several beers Uncle J admitted to me that he made up the whole story about me wearing an earring in my profile photo because I am his favorite milblogger and he was really just jealous. Go to his site and you`ll probably see the same admission in the days to come.

So what I came away with is somewhat of a renewed desire to keep blogging. After talking with some of the bigger names i.e. Weekly Standard, Townhall, and Daily Kos (okay just kidding with that last one), I came to realize that there is a lack of soldiers sharing quality writing about their experiences overseas. The fact that professional writers are traveling to Iraq and Afghanistan to cover the sorts of things that I as a soldier take for granted is a shame. So over the next few months (or whatever arbitrary amount of time I feel like typing next) I am going to make a concerted effort to write more and do so with some sort of refinement.

Stay tuned for the potentially fascinating updates. Well those and more dirt (and hopefully pics if I can get them off my phone) on your favorite bloggers.

You can find a pic of me, MKH from Townhall, and Uncle Jimbo from Blackfive over at Gateway Pundit.

Blogworld

TF Boggs — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:20:29

I`ll be traveling to Las Vegas this week for the Blogworld Expo (click ad lower right side of page to visit the blogworld site) where I`ll be speaking on a panel entitled "From the Front". I`ll be up there with fellow milbloggers and also Michael Yon live from somewhere overseas. I am looking forward to finally meeting some of the other blowhards from the milblogosphere and partying, eh hem, enjoying social gatherings as a group. For those of you who won`t be able to make it this year I`ll be sure to let everyone know how things go. A buddy of mine put the whole show together so it will be fun having an all access pass for the entire event. Unfortunately I have to take off work to go to Vegas but I`ll sacrifice for the good of everyone else. Wish me luck.

Voinovich Article

TF Boggs — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 18:50:09

I recently submitted this article to the main paper in my city and am hoping they publish it so we can continue to put pressure on our weak-kneed politicians. I`ll find out this week wether they do or not. Here it is:

"As a two-time Iraq war veteran and lifelong Columbus resident I have been closely watching how my Ohio representatives have talked and voted in regards to the wars in the Middle East. As a member of the nonpartisan nationwide veterans group Vets for Freedom (vetsforfreedom.org), I, along with several other Ohio veterans, have become involved in the political process by meeting directly with Ohio congressmen to share our first hand experiences of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Vets for Freedom openly advocates support for General Petraeus and his plans for victory in Iraq. Since the beginning of the “Surge” the numbers show that the plan has worked. The numbers of both military and civilian deaths are down, as are IEDs and car bombs and only days ago the Iraqi Interior Ministry said that violence had fallen by 70% since June. We feel that if the houses of Congress would stand firm behind General Petraeus and the military, America would show a united front that would most assuredly be devastating to our enemies operating in Iraq. They have lost the battle in Iraq, and the only battleground left is the United States Congress and for American public opinion.

Just last week I, and one other Ohio member of VFF, again had the privilege to meet with Senator Voinovich in order to explain why we believe in America’s mission in Iraq. Between the two of us we have a combined three years boots on ground time in Iraq. We performed various duties while overseas including working hand in hand with the Iraqi population. To say the least we feel that we have a much better understanding of the situation as it is on the ground in Iraq than many politicians.

Our elected leaders, however, are making rash decisions concerning our involvement in the Middle East when they are not fully apprised of all that is going on. Senator Voinovich for example has only spent one day in Iraq and has no one on his staff that has been there as part of the military. His very own military affairs liaison hasn’t even been in the military.

During the meeting we mainly discussed the senator’s co-sponsorship of a resolution drafted by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Mark Pryor (D-AK), and Ken Salazar (D-CO). It is an attempt for our congressmen to reassure themselves that they are actually doing something besides watching their approval rate drop through the basement of the Capitol building.

We told Senator Voinovich how the resolution will contribute to the deaths of American and Iraqi soldiers by emboldening the terrorists to keep fighting until we tuck tail and hightail it out of country, but he seemed to not hear the facts from Iraq that we were describing. The senator talked to us about the sacrifice that the military has had to make and how it is time to bring them home so not one more person will die. He told us how the Iraqi people need to contribute to their own security and take some responsibility for their future. While both points sound good on paper upon closer inspection they only show the complete ignorance of the senator concerning Iraq.

No one agrees more with the idea that our troops need to come home than the troops themselves. The difference with the troops, however, is that we don’t want to come home until the job is complete. That is why we have been volunteering to go back again and again as I did with my second deployment.

The senator’s contention that the Iraqis need to step up to the plate to secure their country is one that we have been addressing, and one that the Iraqis have been doing for some time. During my time in Iraq I worked intimately at times with the local population and saw firsthand how the Iraqi army and police risked their lives day in and day out to secure their country. That the senator said the Iraqis aren’t doing enough shows that he has only been in country for one day. Iraqis are fighting and dying each and every day for their country.

What the senator desperately needs to do is to think things through with more than just his heart. If he allows the daily body count from Iraq to be the deciding factor in the rightness of this war then he has abdicated his responsibility as a Senator. This is about more than body counts – this conflict is about fighting terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan, so we do not have to fight it here in Columbus. We are making slow, but steady progress in both places. Senator Voinovich knows that the men and women who continue to sacrifice so much in support of Iraq and Afghanistan have a far deeper and more complex understanding of what the United States has at stake than most Members of Congress.

Please Senator Voinovich do the right thing, listen to those who know. Give your full support to General Petraeus and show a united American front: one that doesn’t give up in the face of trouble, but rather, will stand strong as a nation to utterly defeat an enemy that has openly declared war on America. Don’t hold us back with unnecessary legislation that will only tie our hands even further than they already are."