I posted this earlier at KDH and wanted to share it here at You Served. It’s really a wonderful rendition of God Bless America and the story behind the children is just amazing. I thought it would be a great addition to your Friday today.
LINK to video
This is a continuation of my post where I address a few key items that some new military families may have. These are all from an Army perspective, so if you need more branch specific information I always suggest contacting your soldier’s recruiter or a local recruiter. They are usually a good source of information and they are good resource brokers!
AIT stands for Advanced Individual Training and it’s training that is specific to your soldier’s Military Occupation Specialty (MOS). All soldiers go through Basic Combat Training. Even if they have a job that is not combat related they must go through a basic level of training for obvious purposes. After BCT your soldier will go on to AIT. I believe in most instances this usually happens immediately following BCT.
Some MOS’s will have a joint BCT/AIT. Infantry, for example, offers this combination. When BCT ends the Company may offer a family day where you can visit with your soldier over a weekend. He may or may not be allowed to leave base or get an overnight pass. It all depends on the chain of command and any restrictions put on your soldier for various reasons. This will not be his graduation. When BCT and AIT are combined the graduation happens at the very end of the AIT cycle.
The time spent in AIT is dependent on the MOS. Listed below are the various AIT schools. Spouses may or may not PCS with their sodlier to AIT depending on his orders. If he will be at the station for more than 20-weeks then you qualify for PCS unless there is an exception for another reason (and if you are new to the Army you need to know one thing… never count on anything until it’s in your hand and you have a death grip on it… and even then it will more than likely change.)
This list is taken from Goarmy.com
Learn the skills needed to help support our Soldiers’ well-being as a human resource specialist.
Learn the high-tech missile systems that help defend our troops on the battlefield.
Learn about the latest armor systems that make our heavy forces decisive and effective.
Learn to keep Army helicopters in top operating condition and ready for action.
Learn how to detect and defend against nuclear, biological and chemical agents.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FIRE ACADEMY
Learn fire protection fundamentals: fire behavior, fire alarm communications, fire prevention, emergency medical care and more.
From building bridges to conducting graphic analysis, learn the unique skills of being an Engineer Soldier in the Army.
Get inside field artillery systems and learn electronics, communications platforms, weapons and more.
Learn how to provide accurate finance and accounting support to Soldiers.
Learn to become part of the foundation of the Army. Infantry Soldiers are experts in combat and are always ready.
Learn to become the eyes and ears of the Army by gathering intelligence from various sources.
Learn law-enforcement skills for war, peace, stability and support operations as a Military Police Soldier.
ORDNANCE MECHANICAL MAINTENANCE SCHOOL
Learn how to maintain Army weapon systems and equipment.
ORDNANCE MUNITIONS AND ELECTRONICS MAINTENANCE SCHOOL
Learn the specialized skills for handling, storing and disposal of hazardous devices to protect our troops.
Help ensure mission success by supplying Soldiers with food, water, petroleum, repair parts, ammunition and other field services.
Get an in-depth look at the school that teaches communications technology.
Keep the Army moving and learn how to operate and maintain Army trucks, material handling equipment and watercraft.
Our next topic is “What if my soldier is injured in training.” This is s topic I am painfully familiar with but we will explore all options and flesh it out a little.
This post is contributed by Dr. Diane Hassan, author of “Angels Among Us Even in Iraq”, who is currently participating in “On Loan at You Served” as a guest blogger.
As the days went by, we started having a routine. We actually became use to the planes coming every night at 9 pm on the dot. One night the planes did not come and I actually felt disappointed.
Early one morning around 2 am, I was listening to the voice of America, the planes were over head dropping missiles all around, I heard President George H. Bush say three words that I will never forget,”Okay cease fire.” Planes were still over head dropping missiles, I thought okay fellas, our President said cease fire you can quit now. They continued to hit our area until dawn and then we had silence.
Around 8 am we heard gun shots all around us, we heard continuous sounds of gun fire. We did not know where it was coming from. My nephew who was only 8 years old at the time, Ali, was listening to the radio and told us the people in Basrah are fighting the government.
The soldiers that were returning from Kuwait on the highway of death, when they made it back to Basrah one of the Iraqi tanks fired on a Statue of Saddam. Nothing happened, people were watching. It was their clue that it is time to rise up against Saddam, America is near by, they will help.
Every town, and village in Iraq rose up against Saddam. Men, women and children began the fight for freedom. We heard shooting day and night for days.
We stayed in our home, away from the windows and prayed for all the brave Iraqies that were fighting for freedom. They were willing to die in order to bring Saddam down. I was listening to the voice of America, while gun fire was all around us. I felt safe as long as I heard English being spoken. I heard President George H. Bush say, “We do not interfere in internal affairs.” Tears started coming down my checks, I felt hopeless, I knew how every one of my patients felt when I had to tell them they had a terminal illness. Iraq had a terminal illness, Saddam.
Iraq was destroyed, the Iraqis were fighting a hopeless battle, help was not coming. I knew what would happen next. Saddam was allowed to fly his helicopters and he and his Revolutionary guards killed in the South of Iraq 300,000 Shites who were fighting for freedom. The revolution was squashed, Saddam ordered everyone to return to work and business as usual in a destroyed Iraq. That was the Iraq of yesterday. The people were persecuted ten times more because they rose up against Saddam.
We left Iraq in 1993. The people left behind suffered so much. They lost their hope for Freedom. They were willing to pay the price, but they needed help. They were almost to Baghdad, the government had fallen and Saddam was allowed to fly those horrible black helicopters…
7:08:58 PM: Talking with Jennifer MackInday who wrote “Friends for Life”
7:10:44 PM: You can find her book at http://bit.ly/7Qp7M
7:13:19 PM: Jennifer has a military family history back to the Revolutionary War
7:20:11 PM: Jennifer is talking about the issues plaguing our soldiers
7:23:30 PM: Jennifer’s brother was in the mess hall attack of Mosul
7:26:47 PM: Jennifer’s brother is dealing with severe TBI, to include a swollen brain
7:39:47 PM: http://friendsforlifebook.weebly.com/ is Jennifer’s book website
7:49:27 PM: Listening to MJ’s Thriller on You Served Radio
7:55:46 PM: Talking with Tom Neely from Bridge of Sighs
7:59:20 PM: Bridge of Sighs is going back to Gitmo in November and will have Turkey Day with the troops
8:01:30 PM: Tom is talking about Bridge of Sighs second trip to Gitmo
8:05:26 PM: On 2nd trip to Gitmo, no news agencies wanted to cover them unless there was a negative coverage
8:22:46 PM: The band Bridge of Sighs is donating all profits from the sale of their CD that is sold on the website, http://bosband.com/buycd.cfm
8:31:17 PM: Tom and the Bridge of Sighs crew may have an open seat to Gitmo this fall. Job req’ment is lift stuff and keep the band boozed
8:31:17 PM: Tom and the Bridge of Sighs crew may have an open seat to Gitmo this fall. Job req’ment is lift stuff and keep the band boozed
8:36:00 PM: Listening to Bridge of Sigh’s Freedom Stain
8:42:01 PM: We are talking to Dr. Diane Hassan, who is a native of Dothan, AL but lived many years in Iraq with her Iraqi husband
8:42:50 PM: You can buy DIane’s book at http://bit.ly/sJ53
8:44:41 PM: Diane was in Iraq during Desert Storm
8:45:48 PM: Dr. Hassan’s family dramatically escaped after an attempted assassination of her husband during Saddam’s purge following Desert Storm
8:51:08 PM: Dr. Hassan said she even spoke Arabic with a southern Alabama accent, which really stuck out
8:52:55 PM: Dr. Hassan wrote her book by hand
8:57:55 PM: Dr. Hassan “The media is acting just like Sadaam did, telling the people what they want the people to hear”
9:06:00 PM: Listen to Episode #44 – Jennifer MackInday & Bridge of S… on You Served anytime on BlogTalkRadio. http://tobtr.com/s/545448 #BlogTalkRadio
This post is contributed by Dr. Diane Hassan, author of “Angels Among Us Even in Iraq”, who is currently participating in “On Loan at You Served” as a guest blogger.
The first night of missiles being dropped all over Iraq was over. We made it thru the first night. When the sun came up planes left. The planes came to our area only at night.
I remembered the Iran war, missiles were launched into Baghdad, but they never hit their targets. Usually the missile would fall on neighborhoods and innocent people were killed. America was precise in only hitting military targets.
As, I watch the news today and see the unrest in Iran, I feel like I am back in 1979, when the Shaw left Iran, and there was so much violence going on in Iran, like I am seeing today. The Iranians are like the Iraqies were during Desert Storm, the people are tired and they want change. I feel I am back in 1979, when I see Iran today.
After our first night of bombing during Desert Storm, the people of Iraq knew what is was like to be at war with a super power. The Iraqies were not afraid as long as America was overhead. The farmers in our area bragged on America and were excited about how they only hit military targets, not civilians, I heard about the soldiers that went in to the South of Iraq, they bragged on how they didn’t even step on the tomato plants.
After the first week we no longer had food or water. We would save water in barrels outside when the government did turn on the water. We bathed every two weeks, water was scarce, and fuel to heat the water was scarce.
The farmers in the area knew what grew naturally that we could eat. They made sure they shared their bread with us and what food they had. We were tired, hungry, cold and scared, but that was okay, that was the price we knew we had to pay for freedom…freedom is not free
Twitter has been an amazing source of information out of Iran since the presidential election in that country. Tensions are boiling over and reports of violence are flowing out faster than news organizations can keep up with them. These events have lead to a lot of speculation amongst the people I work with on a day to day basis. We all agree the situation in Iran is too much to stomach, but what can America do?
At this point, our government hasn’t taken the tough stance that I would have hoped we would. The position of President Obama is hardening, but it is far from the outrage that we should be expressing. The Iranian regime is guilty of oppressing their citizen’s, barbaric violence, and possibly outright election fraud. The Iranian people are standing up for what they believe in, and that is a good thing. Their protest must continue if they want to have real change in their government. They must not rule out physical action and retaliation against the regime if their will continues to be oppressed.
Direct military action against Iran has been a topic of discussion for some time. Right now we can’t fight that battle. Our military is already fighting in a two front war and adding a third could be catastrophic. As forces continue to draw down in Iraq over the next several years, they will be needed in Afghanistan to fight the battle there.
Iran’s aggressive rhetoric and nuclear ambitions will eventually become too much. Israel is routinely the target of rhetoric and would very likely be the target of a nuclear warhead should Iran be allowed to build one. Israel has been known in the past to take aggressive action against weapons manufacturing that would be used against them, and that day is coming in regards to Iran. If that day comes while the current administration is in office, will we stand by our ally or condemn their actions?
Iran will continue to be a thorn in the side of America until their nuclear programs are halted for good and they outcast the extremists amongst them. I hope that happens soon.
This post is contributed by Dr. Diane Hassan, author of “Angels Among Us Even in Iraq”, who is currently participating in “On Loan at You Served” as a guest blogger.
I turned the t.v.off and tried to sleep. In the distance I heard gunfire. I went to the window and pulled the curtain covering the glass back, the street light was on, surely if there were an air raid they would close the electricity.
I woke Hashmia up and we both stared out the window into the night. I don’t know what we thought we might see. The gun fire became closer and more intense. I turned the small radio on to the voice of America and I heard President George H . Bush say The Liberation of Kuwait has begun. I knew every Iraqi was saying the liberation of Iraq has begun. I told Hasmia the war started, they are bombing Baghdad.
We woke the boys up and we all all got out our blankets. Hashmia and I decided the safest place was under the stairs. Hashmia, her two boys, Mohammed and I all hid under the staircase. I was shaking so hard. I don’t know if it were from the cold or from fright. We were settled under the stair case, waiting for the planes. No one spoke.
Then we heard the sounds of the engines, it felt like the sky was filled with planes. Missiles were being dropped all around us. The floors moved, the walls shook, windows blew open, I want to say I was proud to be an American. The greatest military force in the world was over head. I knew if we died that night, we would die at the hands of the best.
Missiles were being dropped continuously until around 4 am and it was like the planes left as quick as they came. It was so quite, the most beautiful quietness I ever experienced. When we could move, I ask if everyone was okay. Every body was okay, just shaken a little. Then I realized there were cases of Pepsi behind us, I decided we would have a Pepsi break.
Mohammed ran to the kitchen to get the opener. I opened all of us a bottle of cold Pepsi. While we sat there and had a Pepsi break, we heard the engines again, my little nephew whispered to me, Doctora, I guess the Pepsi break is over…..
As many of you have heard, Ed McMahon passed away today. Many of us remember him from his years on The Tonight Show and Star Search, but what many do not realize is he served in the United States Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Reserve. He retired from the Reserves in 1966 at the rank of Colonel.
When the United States began gearing up for World War II, McMahon wanted to become a Marine fighter pilot. Since the Navy’s V-5 program required two years of college, he enrolled in Boston College. When the Navy relaxed the two-year requirement, McMahon dropped out of school and signed up. In early 1943, he first went to a civilian-run Wartime Training School in Texarkana where the Navy evaluated cadets’ potential by checking them out in a Piper Cub. Then came the three-month Preflight School at Athens, Georgia. McMahon received primary training at Dallas and intermediate training at Pensacola. McMahon received the single engine carrier syllabus and was assigned to the Marines. After receiving his commission and wings in early 1945, McMahon was sent to the Corsair Operational Training Unit at Lee Field, Green Cove Springs, Florida. Upon completion of training, he was “plowed back” and became an instructor in the same unit. On the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, McMahon received orders to join the Marine carrier program on the West Coast. His orders were cancelled and he returned to civilian life.
After McMahon graduated from Catholic University, he got a job in television in Philadelphia. In two years, he had become Philadelphia’s top TV personality. In 1952, McMahon got his big break when he was offered a job in New York with CBS; however, he was recalled into the Marine Corps due to the Korean War. After several months of training at Miami and El Toro, McMahon arrived in Korea in February 1953. He flew 85 artillery-spotting missions in the Cessna OE Bird Dog before returning home in September 1953.
Andrea Shea King interviewed Ed on 30 November 2007 about his time in the Marines and his life on television. The interview isn’t too long, but it is a good listen for more on his time in the Marines.
Farewell, Colonel McMahon, and Semper Fi.
Image via MilitaryMuseum.org
This post is contributed by Dr. Diane Hassan, author of “Angels Among Us Even in Iraq”, who is currently participating in “On Loan at You Served” as a guest blogger.
Saddam sent all the male doctors to the front with the soldiers and all the females had to go to the village or the bomb shelters. I was preparing to leave Baghdad and go to my sister-in-law’s home. She lived in Yethrub, which was a small village about five minutes from the largest airport in the Middle East Every military installation in Iraq surrounded her home.
My husband wanted me and Mohammed to leave Baghdad, he did not know what would happen. Everyone felt a coup against Saddam would occur, after all America was near by to help. Hashim felt if I were in Yethrub, I would be close to the Turkish border. I could escape to Turkey and the Americans would help me. Everyone wanted to leave Baghdad, because they were afraid Saddam would use gas on the Iraqi people and say America did it.
I was packing a few things to take with me. I did not know if I would ever see my home again. How could I decide what to take with me, something that I did not want to loose in case my home were hit. I decided on my microwave oven that I had just bought in the Duty free shop. There were very few, maybe four or five microwave ovens in Iraq. My microwave was a symbol of my life in America, a symbol of an easy life, a reminder of Freedom.
My husband took me, Mohammed and my microwave to Yethrub. My neighbors came out to say good bye, they wanted me to remain in Baghdad with them, they felt if I were near by they were safe after all it would be my relatives in the sky and relatives don’t kill relatives.
As Hashim turned on to the main street, I saw numerous cars with all their household goods on the roof, people filled the street going to the market on the main street where we lived. We passed gas stations that had long lines of cars waiting. Due to the mass number of people leaving Baghdad, we moved slowly, until we reached the highway to Yethrub.
We arrived at Hashmia’s ,Hashim’s sister’s home about 7 p.m. She was preparing for us. She had one room with mats on the floor and the one window in the room was sealed with tape. She hope this would be sufficient if Saddam threw chemicals over our area. Hashim said good bye and returned to Baghdad. He stayed in Baghdad and would come to Yethrub from time to time to check on us.
We were alone now, me, my son Mohammed, my sister-in-law, Hashima, her two small sons, Amar, Mohammed’s age and Ali who was eight years old…We had our dinner, everyone had their mats, Mohammed had a sleeping bag, we settled in for the night . Everyone slept, but me. I remained awake watching a Glen Ford Movie, and praying the planes would not come.
Nothing could prepare me for what was about to happen….
I posted this at KDH, but wanted to share it in many places. I really hope they can make some advances in this area. I just wish we could come up with a way to study the brain in deeper detail before death.
NYTimes.com has published a very interesting article about concussive brain injury, soldiers, and football players. The article starts out a little morbid, but it’s a necessary morbidity. Apparently a handful of Service Members with this type of brain injury have chosen to donate their brain to science when they pass away. The types of injuries scientists need to study can not be seen on MRI or CAT scans.
I have friends whose husbands have come home from Iraq and are unable to even drive themselves to work each day. To look at them you would have no clue that they are so severely injured.
Unless you know them personally you will never see the impact such a wound has on a soldier, his family, and those who love him. It’s hard having no visible signs, or “proof” of your injury, and yet being so disabled you forget some of the most simple information such as your home address or how to operate a vehicle.
I also know a couple of car accident victims who have had concussive brain injury who still struggle with short term memory loss. There may be additional population for the study.
An Excerpt from the article:
Mr. McQuigg, 32, is one of 20 active and retired members of the military who recently agreed to donate their brain tissue upon death so that the effects of blast injuries — which, unlike most concussions, do not involve any direct contact with the head — can be better understood and treated.
The research will be conducted by the Sports Legacy Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Waltham, Mass., and by the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, whose recent examination of the brains of deceased football players has found damage linked to cognitive decline and depression.
Whether single, non-impact blasts in battle can cause the same damage as the years of repetitive head bashing seen in football is of particular interest to researchers. The damage, primarily toxic protein deposits and tangled brain fibers, cannot be detected through noninvasive procedures like M.R.I.’s and CT scans.
“We don’t know much about the medium- or long-term effects of head trauma experienced by our military,” said Robert Stern, co-director of the Boston University center as well as its Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical and Research Program. “We know that there are some immediate effects in terms of blast injury on cognition and behavior. But we do not yet know whether there are any long-term effects.”
“Does that single blow result in something that doesn’t go away,” he added, “or perhaps sets off a cascade of events that leads to a progressive degenerative brain disease?”
Mr. McQuigg may be finding out the cruelest way. In February 2006, he was on combat patrol when his Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb, knocking him unconscious, shattering his jaw and damaging his right eye. His helmet could not protect him from a severe concussion that doctors told him was caused solely by the bomb’s force waves, not direct impact.
Now he is experiencing headaches, short-term memory problems and trouble with balance that have only worsened.
“With prosthetics, you can replace an arm or a leg and can still throw a football with your kid,” said Mr. McQuigg, who works at Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego. “If you have a severe brain injury, you might not be able to live on your own.” READ MORE
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