Archive for the ‘Life in the Military’ Category
July 11, 2008 By Troy
Posted in Life in the Military
Go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7415315.stm and read this story. It is a prime example of how the Taliban and Al-Queda are trying to keep the people of Afghanistan back in the stone ages. I know the Ghazni province well as I spent many weeks during my tour in 2006-2007. Many of the blog entries I wrote during my tour were based on my time in Ghazni.
This is a place where I went into villages and was the first American they had ever seen, much less met. Even though we had been there for 5-6 years already, Afghanistan is so rural and spread out that the US forces had not gotten everywhere. In fact I am sure there are still places that US soldiers have not ventured into yet. There were even villages where they had never even seen a Afghan Army soldier or police officer before.
The only way that a country which I commonly say is “a week and a half out of the stone age” is going to move forward is to educate its people. Beheading teachers, burning schools, killing kids will certainly deter anyone from even trying to get an education. At one time when I was there, the Taliban typically only did this to schools that allowed girls to attend. Now it appears that the Taliban is afraid of anyone getting an education and is going after all schools.
The place is too big, and too spread out. We need a lot more soldiers there, we need to earn the trust of the people that we will protect them, the Afghan forces need to continue to grow and become more of a leading force and the people need to stand up for themselves as they have done here, http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=2922. This last story is a great one in the fact that it shows local afghans starting to stand up for themselves and fight for the rights they want and dream of. The right to raise their family in peace and lead productive lives. It has to start somewhere, and education seems like the right place.
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July 9, 2008 By CJ
Posted in Blogroll, Life in the Military
For most American, the 4th of July means BBQ, fireworks, vacation, and long weekends. It’s a time for catching up on “honey-do” lists, relaxing, and shooting bottle rockets at your neighbors. But, for some patriotic Americans, the 4th of July is a time to honor and welcome home troops returning from combat. Paulette is one of those patriots.
I know for myself this 4th of July was different from years past. I usually have my family over for a cookout and we have fireworks. This year though it didn’t happen. I’m not sure why, but it didn’t. I remember grumbling because it just “didn’t seem like the 4th.” It was a little disappointing. Even though I had 3 of my soldiers, my friend John, my kids and my husband with me..it just didn’t seem like the 4th.I’m not sure how I managed to do it, but I overlooked what I had been doing July 1st, 2nd and 3rd. It had slipped my mind that over those three days I had brought home several HUNDRED soldiers from Iraq. I had helped reunite all these families, yet it hadn’t occurred to me. It wasn’t until the night of the 6th that it all hit me. I, along with my other volunteers are standing on the tarmac waiting for a plane to come in. It’s about 10 PM and as clear a night as you could ask for. I can see the lights of the plane..here it comes. As if on cue, just as the planes wheels touch the ground off in the distance, miles away, someone is setting off fireworks. But they hadn’t been until the plane came. What an awesome coincidence!! A plane with 250 plus soldiers coming home from war and fireworks going off in the background. I was in awe.
Read the rest over at Paulette’s Rambling Mind. Please leave her a comment of appreciation.
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July 6, 2008 By CJ
Posted in Life in the Military, Top Posts
This is a story written by my higher command about They Have Names. I’ve edited out some identifying data that I don’t want some of the psychos that lurk here to know about me and Sue. The story was written by Tina Miles, PAO for my unit.
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July 4, 2008 By CJ
Posted in Life in the Military
With the weekend, halfway through, I can’t help but think about what’s different about this Independence Day. Normally, we visit family for our annual vacation and spend the 4th of July watching parades, sitting beneath large fireworks displays, and enjoying the company of brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers. This year it wasn’t so. I’m probably not alone.
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By CJ
Posted in Life in the Military
I’m going to keep this generic, but I think it’s a story that needs to be told. As I type this, I’m returning from a trip to one of my offices. As you may know, my company is spread out among about 11 offices in eight states. So, I do a lot of travel. Out of privacy concerns, I won’t say where this trip took me.
One of the civilians that I work with has terminal cancer. The doctors have given him six months to live at the most. But, he could live longer or he could be gone tomorrow. This gentleman is a Vietnam Veteran retired from the Army and now working for the Army as a civilian. He’s got more than 30 years of service to this country under his belt. He’s a highly intelligent man who has done so much for this country than it will ever know (or until it’s declassified). He has played a MAJOR role in keeping this country safe from terrorist attacks.
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June 27, 2008 By Troy
Posted in Life in the Military
“The Soldier above all others prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest scars of war.” - General Douglas MacArthur
That quote is what I have at the bottom of all of my emails. I have it there for a reason, and unfortunately one of those times is now.
We have suffered a terrible loss in the New York National Guard over the last few days. On Saturday morning, three soldiers from the New York National Guard were killed along with a Lieutenant Colonel from Active Duty when their Humvee was the target of a complex ambush that involved an IED initially and then small arms and RPG fire. I have known of this the last several days, but had to stay silent until the Army has a chance to do the proper notification. This spawned my one question on Monday with COL McGrath in the Blogger’s Roundtable, when I asked how his soldiers were doing despite the significant loss of lives in his area of operation. He actually talked about this attack specifically in the interview. If you did not hear that interview session, you can click HERE and listen to it.
Anyway, one of those soldiers, SGT Rodriguez, was one of mine once. I was his First Sergeant from the time he came into the National Guard until I deployed in 2006. I remember him well, and will now remember him always. He was a hard working soldier, that did what he was told, never complained and never made a fuss. He was very quiet, but at the same time was outgoing when he needed to be. I was fortunate enough to see him while I was down at Ft. Bragg right before the 27th BCT shipped out of the US. I spent time talking to him, his fellow soldiers and some of thier leaders, all of whom used to work for me when I was their First Sergeant.
The Buffalo News has a small article in the paper today that you can read if you would like, right here; http://www.buffalonews.com/180/story/377814.html, http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/378762.html or http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/06/revere_soldier_killed_in_afghanistan_ambush.html
The other two NY National Guardsmen has stories written about them also
SGT Seabrooks
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-lisold0626,0,3803486.story
SPC Mangano
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-limang0626,0,6372114.story
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June 24, 2008 By CJ
Posted in Life in the Military
The military is very concerned with our impact on the environment. As long as I’ve been in the military, I’ve had to follow very stringent guidelines when it comes to any possible environmental impact as it relates to fuel, animals, waste, recycling, etc.
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June 22, 2008 By CJ
Posted in Life in the Military, Top Posts, Top Posts - My Post, Top Posts - Shared
by Michael Marks
The sun beat like a hammer, not a cloud was in the sky.
The mid-day air ran thick with dust, my throat was parched and dry.
With microphone clutched tight in hand and cameraman in tow,
I ducked beneath a fallen roof, surprised to hear “stay low.”
My eyes blinked several times before in shadow I could see,
the figure stretched across the rubble, steps away from me.
He wore a cloak of burlap strips, all shades of grey and brown,
that hung in tatters till he seemed to melt into the ground.
He never turned his head or took his eye from off the scope
but pointed through the broken wall and down the rocky slope.
“About eight hundred yards,” he said, his whispered words concise,
“beneath the baggy jacket he is wearing a device.”
A chill ran up my spine despite the swelter of the heat,
“You think he’s gonna set it off along the crowded street?”
The sniper gave a weary sigh and said “I wouldn’t doubt it,”
“unless there’s something this old gun and I can do about it.”
A thunderclap, a tongue of flame, the still abruptly shattered;
while citizens that walked the street were just as quickly scattered.
Till only one remained, a body crumpled on the ground,
The threat to oh so many ended by a single round.
And yet the sniper had no cheer, no hint of any gloat,
instead he pulled a logbook out and quietly he wrote.
“Hey, I could put you on TV, that shot was quite a story!”
But he surprised me once again — “I got no wish for glory.”
“Are you for real?” I asked in awe, “You don’t want fame or credit?”
He looked at me with saddened eyes and said “you just don’t get it.”
“You see that shot-up length of wall, the one without a door?
Before a mortar hit, it used to be a grocery store.”
“But don’t go thinking that to bomb a store is all that cruel,
the rubble just across the street — it used to be a school.
The little kids played soccer in the field out by the road,”
His head hung low, “They never thought a car would just explode.”
“As bad as all this is though, it could be a whole lot worse,”
He swallowed hard, the words came from his mouth just like a curse.
“Today the fight’s on foreign land, on streets that aren’t my own,
I’m here today ’cause if I fail, the next fight’s back at home.”
“And I won’t let my Safeway burn, my neighbors dead inside,
don’t wanna get a call from school that says my daughter died;
I pray that not a one of them will know the things I see,
nor have the work of terrorists etched in their memory.”
“So you can keep your trophies and your fleeting bit of fame,
I don’t care if I make the news, or if they speak my name.”
He glanced toward the camera and his brow began to knot,
“If you’re looking for a story, why not give this one a shot.”
“Just tell the truth of what you see, without the slant or spin;
that most of us are OK and we’re coming home again.
And why not tell our folks back home about the good we’ve done,
how when they see Americans, the kids come at a run.”
You tell ‘em what it means to folks here just to speak their mind,
without the fear that tyranny is just a step behind;
Describe the desert miles they walk in their first chance to vote,
or ask a soldier if he’s proud, I’m sure you’ll get a quote.”
He turned and slid the rifle in a drag bag thickly padded,
then looked again with eyes of steel as quietly he added;
“And maybe just remind the few, if ill of us they speak,
that we are all that stands between the monsters and the weak.”
Michael Marks January 25, 2006
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June 19, 2008 By CJ
Posted in Life in the Military, News
Obviously, Mohammed Jawad, an Afghan detainee charged with attempted murder at Guantanamo, doesn’t have any kids. The poor guy is complaining that Soldiers at GITMO won’t let him sleep. I say, “you’ll sleep when you’re dead.”
“Day and night, they were shifting me from one room to another,” Jawad said.
Here ya go, Jawad. Play me a sad, sad song:
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June 13, 2008 By Troy
Posted in Life in the Military
Well tomorrow is a very important day in our country, but if course because Hallmark doesn’t make a big stink about it and because the patriotism that used to be alive in this country continues to dwindle, it isn’t recognized like it should be. It is actually a very important day for two reasons. One is that it is Flag Day, and the other is because it is the birthday of the US Army. Two important events on one day, and you barely see mention of it.
No doubt it is important to me and my family as it is to millions of others across the country, but just not everyone. The importance to my family was demonstrated this morning as I attended a Flag Day ceremony at my youngest (6 year old) son’s school. This is the elementary school that my 15 year old also attended and where my wife helps out tutoring, supervises recess, etc. So this morning my youngest son, Hunter, was adamant that he has to wear his ACU camouflage pants and shirt. He knew I was attending in uniform today so he wanted to be in “uniform”.
After I put him on the bus, I came inside to get dressed on don the ACUs for this morning event. When we walked into the school I was glad to see another Dad there in uniform. He is in the Navy Reserves and also came in uniform at the request of the school. The ceremony was very nice and a lot longer with more content then I remember in the past when my 15 year old went to school there. At one point in the middle of the ceremony the principal called anyone forward that is in uniform or is a vet. So I and the other dad went up the front and were recognized, which was good for the kids I guess. I know Hunter loved it as I had to say who my child was and he loved being pointed out like that. As I was talking, I looked over at him and he was ear to ear with a smile. After I walked back to where I was standing, Christine leaned over to another parent and said “if he knew they were going to call him up like that, he would not have worn a uniform”. Oh my wife knows me way too well.
As the ceremony was drawing to a close the principal was saying some last words when I noticed from the corner of my eye that Hunter was up and talking to his teacher. I then saw them walking up to the center where the principal was standing. Christine was filming and did not see them yet, so when I saw that Hunter was carrying a picture of his brother Jon, who is currently deployed to Afghanistan too I knew it was about to be a tissue alert moment. I asked Christine to hand me the camera as I would film, and I think she was thankful for me to do it so she could watch what was left of the ceremony. I don’t think she had seen Hunter yet since she was watching through the viewfinder of the camera with its limited scope of view. As I took the camera from her, she saw Hunter with the picture and so did every other parent and teacher in the gym. The tears started flowing at this moment and many teachers and parents came up afterwards to give Christine and hug and shake my hand.
Since my 15 year old son, Jordan went to 1-5th grades here we know many of the teachers personally and they know about our family history. Jon never went to school here but many of them know him or of him. As Hunter and his teacher approached the principal, she looked puzzled and leaned over to listen to what Hunter’s teacher had to say. The principal then announced that we had one more special person to recognize. With Hunter standing up in front dressed in all ACU camouflage, one of the teachers held of Jon’s photo as high as she could and showed Jon’s picture to the entire gym full of people. The principal then said something to the effect of “well you all just met Hunter’s dad who is in the Army, but Hunter wanted you to also know about his brother who is also in the Army and currently in Afghanistan.” The entire gymnasium of kids, parents, teachers and administrators erupted in applause for Hunter’s brother Jon in Afghanistan. It was a special moment for a little boy who has put up with so much missing out of his life over the last 2+ years with his Dad deployed and now his big brother.
As his Dad it also made me proud to see my six year old son with so much pride and patriotism not only for his Dad and brother, but also for his country. He knows all about the flag, draws flags all the time and always gives them the utmost respect. So regardless of how anyone else in the country feels I know in my household Flag Day will always be remembered and recognized as will the birthday of the US Army.
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