Our profiles of milbloggers are an ongoing feature here at You Served. This week, we spoke with Bryan from ‘A Major’s Perspective‘. See what he had to say here below. Thanks for taking the time Bryan!

You Served: What made you decide to start Blogging?
A Major’s Perspective: During my first deployment overseas to Iraq I was extremely fortunate to work with reporters such as Jim McMillen (AFP), Stefan Zaklin (EP), and Michael Yon(Independent Blogger). I saw the hard work they were doing trying to tell the entire story of the American Soldier to the American People. I felt as a professional military officer it was my duty to do this also. As I returned from Iraq, though, one event led to another and before I knew it I was heading back on my second deployment to Afghanistan. When I returned this time, I was going to school at the Army’s Command and General Staff College, and had the time to reflect and write. I took advantage of that time, and launched my blog shortly afterward. As a Military Officer I believe we have a duty to explain to the American People what we are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan and to tell them all the good that is happening. Good that is being done both by the Iraqi’s and Afghans and by our troops. Every day in both of my deployments I witnessed an event that the American People should have known about, but somehow never did. If we don’t tell those stories of compassion, personal fortitude and courage, no one will.

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The media still refuses to acknowledge and cover the successes in Iraq except in passing. They continue their defeatist mantra as if their very existence depended on it. Yet, they continue to lose revenue in advertising and readership. A sane individual would see the connection. I just received this great update from Colonel John Folsom, who plays a major role in running Wounded Warrior Family Support, formerly Wounded Warriors before getting sued by the asshats at the Wounded Warrior Project (*spit*).

When I landed at Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq on July 10th to assume the duties as an assistant chief of staff for the 1st Marine Logistics Group and camp commandant, I found myself in a much different environment than I remembered from over three years ago.

Throughout much of 2005 Camp Al Taqaddum (”TQ”) was frequently targeted with indirect fire as were many of the camps in the Al Anbar province.

“TQ” hasn’t had a rocket fired at it in over a year.

Three years ago in the daily operations-intelligence briefings at II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), we heard a recap of the previous day’s indirect fire attacks, reports of improvised explosive device (IEDs, as you all know) and small arms fire engagements.

The IED incidents briefed in our morning ops-intel briefs are far fewer in number and are more likely directed at Iraqi security forces than U.S. personnel. In the six weeks that I have been here I can recall only one incident of a deliberate attack on one of our outposts.

In October of 2005 I was sent to the edge of Al Anbar, near the Syrian and Jordanian borders, as the Air Boss at Camp Korean Village. Requests for urgent MEDEVACs were frequent. We often heard the detonation of IEDs and sometimes could see the smoke from a burning vehicle that had been hit. We were rocketed once in awhile for good measure.

A few moments ago I reread the Omaha World Herald article from October 11, 2005. There are a few audio links and I heard myself talk about the fight then and about my thoughts for an Iraq in the future. It took me back to a different time and place.

Although we have challenges, what we don’t have is the violence that once rocked and marked Al Anbar as a truly dangerous place. We have killed or captured many of those who precipitated the violence. Others just quit. The Iraqi people, too, have taken a stand against the viciousness that hurt their families. The Iraqi military and police forces are more capable and better equipped than they were three years ago.

On the trip from Camp Pendleton to “TQ” I met a young first lieutenant from the 11th Marines, one of our four artillery regiments in our Corps. This was his first deployment and, as you would expect, was quite excited.

He and I talked for awhile. I told him that I hoped that he did not ever fire a single round in a fire mission. He looked at me in a way that I would have to describe as a combination of disbelief and disappointment. I explained that if he were to have a fire mission that means something bad has happened to us: we were hit with indirect fire or a unit was in contact.

Thank goodness that the Marines at the Personnel Recovery Platoon, whose service is the very valuable and sublime care of our dead, have had far fewer casualties than they had a few years ago. Likewise, the Navy’s medical personnel of the shock trauma platoon are treating patients, but not many for wounds sustained in combat operations.

That isn’t to tell you that there’s not combat operations in Al Anbar or that young Marines are no longer being wounded or killed. It’s that the level of violence is down considerably and is so because of the service and sacrifice of those who were here on previous deployments.

Our Marines, Sailors. Soldiers and Airmen are doing legendary work at “TQ” to support Operation “Iraqi Freedom”. I am especially proud to support them as their camp commandant.

Semper Fidelis!

Colonel John D. Folsom, USMCR

You Served got an email from Pat Chance over the weekend we thought we’d pass along . . .

Dear You Served,

My name is Pat Chance. I submitted Steve Stephens name for the American Hero Award. I simply wanted to let you know that he has organized a 9/11 remembrance walk in Washington D.C. I was wondering if there is a way that VA MortgageCenter.com could have a link to the website about this?

The link is: http://daytheeaglecried.com/index.html

I finally got a chance to meet Steve and his new wife, Angie in Annapolis, MD.! He seems like such a wonderful person and is so committed to helping others!

He will be going overseas for a few weeks with the military in the near future. He already has funds together so that when he finds out the needs of the locals over there, items needed can be immediately sent. I will e-mail you with details when he completes the project. He is someone that makes a positive difference wherever he goes!

Sincerely,
Pat Chance

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,402622,00.html

Not that this is new news, or surprising but it does highlight the fact that it is a challenge and I am not sure there is an easy answer. Living a year on natural juice (adrenalin) is an awesome experience. I have talked about it many times in my blog and what a powerful drug adrenaline can be. I have also talked about how “boring” life is after first getting back from combat because of the lack of a thrill in every day, mundane life.
This is the reason soldiers come back and take on high-risk activities like extreme sports, motorcycles, and even drinking and driving. As of Aug 15th 43 soldiers have been killed in the Army on motorcycles alone. This is a huge jump over last year (37 in all of FY2007 and we still have 2 months left in this FY) and is a problem recognized by the Army, including the highest levels. SMA Preston has sent out several All-Army messages talking about motorcycle safety, etc.

As much as there is a rush of adrenaline that must be weaned out of the system, there is also physical and emotional pain, memories, and other thoughts that need to be dealt with or suppressed in some cases. It is these issues that are sometimes dealt with by consuming large amount of alcohol or even legal or illegal drugs.

Now all of this is an issue with any soldier coming back that has experienced ‘real’ combat first hand, but it is even worse among reserve component (Reserves and National Guard) soldiers. This article highlights something I have been saying in military circles since 2004, while most of my company was in Iraq. Having gone to war before while on Active Duty I recognized that there was really no mobilization (pronounces mobe) or de-mob time. No mob time is fine as Active Duty soldiers are training all the time since that is their full time job. No de-mob time outside of a mandatory 14 day block leave was fine too, because as soon as we got back from leave, we were all still around each other. We could talk about our experiences, the things we saw, the smells, the feelings, etc. We de-mobed within the unit and with each other. We recognized issues with certain guys and we either handled it ourselves or referred them to professional help if we thought they needed it.

While my company was in Iraq in 2004, I realized that they would not have that time. Originally the Army was calling for a 1-3 month demob time where the soldiers would stay on active duty, go through extensive medical and mental de-mobing and even do some training to ensure they were still at the level of soldiering needed to perform as a National Guard soldier. However not long after they left, we got word that because of the op-tempo of units the de-mob time would be cut down to one week, if that (another problem of the one year and go deployment doctrine). Of course after being gone for a year away from family and friends, that was fine with the guys. They were ready to get away from war and even the military for a few months. It was while they were gone that I started raising this issue with higher command, with the veteran counselors and even with the families themselves (during FRG meetings). It was clear to me that reserve component soldiers aren’t afforded the same “natural” de-mob time that active duty soldiers are afforded.

As soon as a National Guard soldier is released from Active Duty, they are without income. Because of the laws on the books protecting reserve component soldier’s jobs, they are not required to return to work for 90 days after being mobilized for 180 days or more. However, most cannot afford to take 90 days off without pay. So they usually take 2-3 weeks off and then they are back to the work place. Typically 4 weeks after walking out of a combat zone and being armed to the teeth where people are trying to kill them, they are back working in a cube, driving a UPS truck, selling clothes in the Gap, or whatever they did. They are back among civilians who have no idea what that person gone through and cannot even relate if they tried. They are back among a country that is so great and powerful, it has not really sacrificed at all while that soldier has sacrificed every friggen day for the last year. A county at the mall, while that soldier has been at war.

So the soldier is on his/her own, trying to cope, trying to deal with a severely drastic re-adjustment back into civilian life, trying to live every day like status quo. The soldier wants to get home, and they will take the fastest track to do that. This means saying they have no medical issues and they are fine, that emotionally and mentally they are fine and they can be handed back over to society. While this is great for the soldier and the people close to the soldier in the short term, it is not always good in the long term. The demons will start to come out of the shadows around the 30-45 day mark. The honeymoon will be over, reality will set in that they are not going back, that this is not R&R leave and that they must face life of a-hole drivers, oil changes, paying bills, and nagging significant others (wives, girlfriends or even parents).

This is why I know we have the problems highlighted in this article and other problems that are known in the military community, but not necessarily known by the civilian populous. I am not sure of the correct answer or way to fix this, and I am not sure anyone else is either. I think the right answer would be to get back on the path that the military initially promised of 90 days of continual active duty in order to help soldiers naturally de-compress amongst each other. However almost nobody, including me when I got back, would like that. We want to just go home and spend time at home, not going to formations, or reporting into the armory every day.

The New York National Guard has instituted 30, 60, 90 day reintegration program but from what I have seen of it, it is primarily focused on married soldiers. However I think there is some attempt to aim it towards soldiers with fiancés, girlfriends/boyfriends, and parents. I don’t think it has really been tested yet, and it has just recently been introduced so I think it will be a while before we can see any metrics or results on it. Who knows if it will help, but at least they are trying.

I’ve been fighting to get the truth out to the public about as long as I’ve been back from Iraq. I’ve tired greatly from the “Bush Lied, People Died” crap that seems to have taken a chokehold on the anti-war mantra! The problem is that Bush didn’t lie about anything and definitely didn’t kill Soldiers. Those Soldiers were killed by terrorists, insurgents, and the Iraqi Army under Saddam Hussein.

Randall Hoven has a great article on the American Thinker called Who Lied About Iraq? He dispels a lot of the myths that I’ve been combatting for a few years myself. It’s good to know that I’m in good company. So, in the spirit of Obama’s “Fight The Smears” website, I offer you Hoven’s words:

The False Story

“The United States invaded Iraq based on false premises. The administration orchestrated a public relations drive to prove that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and connections to the 9/11 terrorists - both proved false.” USA Today

While these two sentences came from USA Today, they describe the words behind the music of the “Bush lied, people died” meme echoing throughout the media chambers since at least 2004. The lies in just these two sentences are almost Shakespearian in their layered texture. The statement even lays out a false premise in accusing the Bush administration of using false premises. If lying is an art, our media have mastered it.

The Premise

Our invasion of Iraq was not based on a public relations drive; it was based on Public Law 107-243, otherwise known as the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq, passed by the 107th Congress in October of 2002 . (Herein referred to as the “Authorization”.) It passed the House with a vote of 296 to 133 (by 69%) and the Senate with a vote of 77 to 23 (by 77%), including 58% of Senate Democrats. In short, it was overwhelming; it was bipartisan; and it was law.

Did the Authorization try to “prove that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction”? Was that proved false?

No and no.

Did the Authorization try to “prove that Iraq had connections to the 911 terrorists”? Was that proved false?

Again, no and no.

What are some of those “other things” that made Iraq in “materiel and unacceptable breach of its international obligations”?

* Iraq agreed to a cease-fire when it surrendered in Desert Storm in 1991. It was in “direct and flagrant violation of the cease-fire.”
* Iraq agreed to eliminate its WMD programs in 1991. It was later caught continuing those programs, concealing them and thwarting weapons inspectors to the point of kicking them out of the country.
* Iraq agreed to “end its support for international terrorism” in 1991. It continued to “aid and harbor” international terrorist organizations, including those “that threaten the lives and safety of United States citizens.”
* Iraq “engaged in brutal repression of its civilian population.”
* Iraq refused “to release, repatriate, or account for non-Iraqi citizens wrongfully detained by Iraq, including an American serviceman.”
* Iraq failed “to return property wrongfully seized by Iraq from Kuwait.”
* Iraq attempted “to assassinate former President Bush.”
* Iraq fired “on many thousands of occasions on United States and Coalition Armed Forces engaged in enforcing the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.”
* Iraq persisted in violating multiple United Nations resolutions. Congress authorized the President “to use United States Armed Forces pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 678 (1990) in order to achieve implementation of Security Council Resolution 660, 661, 662, 664, 665, 666, 667, 669, 674, and 677.”

If Saddam’s Iraq was not an “outlaw regime,” then there is no such thing.

I’ve only provided some excerpts here, so you’ll have to read his article to get the whole story. I guarantee you’ll be educated.

Well a decision has finally been made, and it looks like the Army leadership listened to some of the feedback. The Army Service Uniform is official, and on Monday a website dedicated to it will go live. The Jump Boots will stay, combat stripes and other accouterments from the Dress Greens will be rolled over to the uniform once known as the Dress Blues. You can read about the official decision at http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,174185,00.html

All this talk about whether the surge has worked is just that…talk. Allow me to put all the talk into a graphic that is easy to understand.

What am I talking about? The US Military isn’t involved in the Olympics. No, but Afghanistan has four athletes competing in the 2008 Summer Olympics. And today, Rohullah Nikpai won the Bronze Medal for Men’s -58kg weight class Tae Kwon Do. This is the first time EVER that Afghanistan has won ANY medal. I think our Soldiers who made their participation possible deserve some of the credit for this feat! So, congratulations to Rohullah Nikpai AND the US Military.

“I Hope This Will Send A Message Of Peace To My Country After 30 Years Of War,” Nikpai said after winning the medal.

Soldiers are forced to buy 300 minute calling cards that last…50 minutes!! That and more in David Bellavia’s report from Iraq.

This is from an email sent to a good friend that I think is worthy of passing along:

I haven’t had the opportunity to write to you since we chatted back and forth about my blog in Iraq, 365 and a Wakeup, so I hope this doesn’t strike you as inopportune. Please know that if this wasn’t an issue I felt deeply about I wouldn’t clutter your inbox with this email.

More then two years have passed since those fire bright days in Iraq, but several Soldiers I served alongside still struggle to recover from the physical and psychological wounds of our deployment. Within the last year the Veterans Administration (VA) has started to implement a new recreational therapy program to help my Soldiers, and others like them, begin to become whole again. The program utilizes cycling to help injured Soldiers regain a sense of normalcy and accomplishment during their recovery process. Cycling is a low impact activity that combines the health benefits of physical activity with the psychological benefits of being outdoors, and it has been shown to reduce depression and accompanying issues.

The Fitness Challenge Foundation and the VA would like to expand this program to allow more Veterans to take advantage of this important program, and I am committed to helping them meet this challenge. On September 28 of this year I will take part in the Road 2 Recovery, a charity ride from the San Francisco VA facility to the West Los Angeles VA facility to help fund the expansion of this program. 100% of the funds raised from this ride will be used to expand the cycling trauma recovery program to other Soldiers in need.

You can help expand this important program, and help build a therapeutic path that injured Soldiers can use to reconnect with their community by making a tax deductible donation to the Road 2 Recovery. Making a donation takes only a moment, but it will have a profound impact on those most in need of help. To make a donation simply navigate to: http://www.r2rriders.com/sponsor/, annotate Danjel Bout as the rider you are sponsoring, and make your donation.

America’s heroes didn’t hesitate to sacrifice their very lives in the defense of this nation, please don’t hesitate to help me support them in their time of need.

Thank you for caring,
Danjel

The events occurring in Georgia between the country and Russia have required the Georgian Army assisting with the security and stabilization of Iraq to return to their homeland. With those Soldiers no longer patrolling the streets in Iraq, who is picking up the slack?

Most in this country think that we American Soldiers are having to pick up the slack. If you’re one of those, you’d be wrong.

Iraqi Security Forces will partner with the 41st Fires Brigade and occupy several checkpoints and patrol bases previously manned by the 1st Georgian Brigade.

“We want to train and work with the U.S. Army,” said Sergeant Namel Watak, 32nd Iraqi Army Infantry Brigade.

Namel is with a contingent of soldiers from the 32nd IA Infantry Bde., who are working together with soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment at checkpoints in Wasit to keep the province stable and secure.

“We like our job here of running the traffic control point and providing security at the entrance of the patrol base,” he said.

The plan is to have a complete partnership with the Iraqi Soldiers, said 2nd Lt. Charles Hines, with the 2-20 FA Regt., and the IA liaison at the patrol base.

“Right now, the Iraqi soldiers have taken over the responsibility of the traffic control point, but we are going to train them to be able to take over the entire patrol base, go and do presence patrols and set-up temporary traffic control points in our area,” he said.

The 41st Fires Bde. established a very good working relationship with both the Iraqi Police and the IA, said Col. Richard M. Francey, Jr., 41st Fires Bde commander.

“We are integrating with the ISF to make us a better fighting force,” he said. “They have stepped up to the plate, and their partnership is why we are able to take over the mission that the Georgians had to leave behind, with no change in the security and safety of the Iraqi people.”

For Namel, working with the Americans is a chance to get better training, and learn as much from the U.S. Soldiers as he can. “I want to fight fiercely alongside the U.S. Army,” he said. By working with the Americans, “I get more training to be able to do the job.”