Since I am officially enjoying a DONSA (Day Of No Scheduled Activity....I love the Army and its acronyms) I figured I would write one or two thoughts that popped up in my head. Other than returning from the Dutch FOB, the biggest thing that happened this past week was the USO tour that came through on Thursday night. The trip featured CNNSI writer Peter King (you can read his account of the trip here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/03/04/uso-trip/index.html and here is a separate link to his notes about Kandahar: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/03/07/uso.trip.friday/index.html take note of the section where he talks about asking trivia questions in Kandahar and the question about Chargers defensive tackle Luis Castillo's college town and team nickname. Yeah, thats right, I got the question right and won a DVD player. How bout them apples?!), the aforementioned Luis Castillo of the San Diego Chargers, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tommie Harris of the Chicago Bears, and defensive end Mike Rucker of the Carolina Panthers. It wasn't much more than a meet and greet. Mr. King asked the players (who by the way, would scare the living shit out of any Taliban they would meet. Take note professional athletes, join the war effort and we could be outta here in about 3 years. These guys were massive.) about what they thought about playing against the recently retired Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre. The best one came from Mike Rucker who told us about a Monday Night Football game in which Rucker set the Carolina franchise sack record by bringing down Favre. When he did, Rucker leaned into Favre and asked him if afterwards, he would sing his jersey. Favre smiled and obliged. Great stuff. He also asked the players where their favorites places to play were. As a proud Kansas City Chiefs fan, I perked up when two of the three said Arrowhead Stadium (Land of the Free, home of the CHIEFS!)
Instead of taking one of the mini footballs that the USO was handing out, I used my "green" book to secure the autographs of the players and Mr. King. Mr. King was intrigued by this because he saw everyone carrying one around and wanted to know what we used it for. Just notes and what not, but it seemed like he got a kick out of hearing about it. A very genuine and cool sportswriter. Inspiration, perhaps? As I was walking out of there, it got me thinking about how appreciative all the guests had been about what we are doing over there. I think they have an understanding on how difficult our jobs can be sometimes. I would go through and reiterate what some of them said, but thats what the links are for (hint, hint). My thoughts also drifted back to what the Dutch and British troops said when I was working with them. They don't get this type of support. Maybe it is because their countries didn't receive the initial blow in the War on Terror, but Great Britain certainly has been a target since.
Perhaps it is a cultural difference. Read the history books and you can understand why the British aren't exactly thrilled to be in this part of the world. Take a trip through Holland and you can see why the Dutch aren't overly enthusiastic supporters of the war. I told them about the reception I got in Dallas when I came home on leave. They weren't awestruck, but I got the sense that they missed be able to have that experience. It makes sense, though. You come over here for anywhere from 4 months (the Dutch) to 15 months (yours truly) and when you get back, you would appreciate a little gratitude. Not much, but a thanx is always nice to hear. Again, its just nice to have some well known people take time out of their life to come over here and see what we are doing. To us, we are just doing our jobs. We know what we signed up for and the risks that come with it. To hear other people say "We risk a knee when we go out on the playing field. You risk your life. You're the heroes" gives you that little reaffirmation that what we are doing the right thing. I also think that its interesting that the United States is the only country that organizes these little moral boosting trips. You don't see any other countries doing this. Just food for thought.
My take on some current and world events. Way to go, Prince Harry. Yes, you got pulled out of Afghanistan, but you still went. That says loads about your character. By the way, if the Taliban had tried to pull anything and attack the base he was at, it would have been the dumbest move they ever could have made. There would have been so many aircraft in the area it would have looked like O'Hare at Christmas. The U.S. election runups......I'm not even going to comment on it. Just get the damn thing sorted out. What is with the rash of shooting concerning colleges? I have only been out of college for a little under two years, but what is going on?! Whatever happened to the good ol' days of if you had a problem you went to the bar, had a few drinks, and then shake some light poles on campus until the plastic globe on top fell off and then wake up the next morning and go to class? Listen, if you have all that pent up energy, join the Army. Shoot the Taliban, not your fellow students and professors. Spring Training has started and the season is only a month away. I am very optimistic about the Cubs this year. Anybody can have a bad century. Now the next 100 years are going to be filled with Wrigley Field dominance. Finally, I turn 24 next month. That is two birthdays I have spent over here. I think it is time to go home.
All the Way.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The End is Near
Okay, I broke my promise to write more. My only defense is that since I last wrote, I have been very very busy. I will try and bring you all up to speed on what has happened since then. Once I got back from leave, I found out I was moving to 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment down in Kandahar. I was very excited about the move because it got me out of Brigade and a chance to actually do my job instead of just being a desk jockey. It took me a couple days to get down there, but once I did, it was straight into training and getting used to the battle rhythm down here.
My time in Kandahar (or KAF, Kandahar Air Field) was short lived because in the middle of February I headed out to the Uruzgan Province and to FOB Hadrian to act as a liaison to the Dutch battle group that would be supporting a battalion mission near the Helmand River. I got there on Valentine’s Day and just got back last night. Hence the reason for the lack of blogs lately.
Okay, my time at Hadrian. It was definitely an excellent time working with the Dutch. Perhaps it was because I am Dutch (a fact that took the Dutch soldiers about 5 minutes to pick up) or that my job consisted of constantly being on the radio, something that made me feel like I was actually contributing to something. The hospitality at the FOB was amazing. We immediately had living quarters as soon as we arrived and at no time during my stay were there any frustrating cultural moments. The best thing about my time there was the fact that I got to hang out and work with a great group of guys. I think they had more fun teaching me Dutch phrases and then having me trying it out on some of the ladies on the FOB. I also learned some very good insults, but I promise I will not use them when I come home J.
It was interesting to have conversations with some of the Dutch people just because of some of those aforementioned cultural differences. They were absolutely astonished that we put up with 15 month deployments (not like we really have a choice). They usually do 4 months and then have a year or so at home. The 82nd used to do something like that. Maybe once we get a new president we can go back to that (wishful thinking). A lot of the conversations ended up discussing American politics and things of the sort. I am so incredibly relieved to have spent 6 months in Europe a few years ago because I feel like I was able to give a far more informed and wide view perspective when it came to answering those questions. I was able to understand where the Dutch where coming from when they gave their opinions. Talking with them also made me appreciate being in the U.S. Army because when they come home from a deployment there are no people greeting them at the airport. Its like they just returned from a vacation. Needless to say, the war is viewed a little differently over there.
I also worked with three gentlemen from the British Royal Air Force. I was thrilled when one of them said he was from Wales because I was finally able to have a proper rugby conversation again. All three were very good guys and I was able to go out to the range with a couple of them and do a “weapons exchange program” where I taught them how to fire my rifle and they did the same thing. I got some good pictures from that.
The end of this mission also signaled the last time that this battalion is going out for this deployment. Hearing all the stories made me wish that I had been assigned here when I first got to the 82nd. You would be hard pressed to find anybody here that wouldn’t say we are more than likely the most lethal Army unit in the world right now. The unit’s mission has been to be the Theater Tactical Force in Afghanistan, so wherever there was trouble, they were sent there. Needless to say, the Taliban have taken some major blows from this battalion. I am very proud to say I have been a part of it, even if it has only for a month so far.
I’m trying not to make this too long, but I feel like I owe some opinions. The end of my deployment is probably the biggest thing on my mind right now. As I am sure you have figured out, it has been somewhat of a frustrating experience for me. I’ll try not to get too wound up, but I have found myself waking up some days just been very bitter at the hand I have been dealt. I’ll start thinking that I didn’t enlist just to sit behind a desk and work on the computer. If I wanted that, I could have stayed home, with better hours and pay. I’ll do my best to not think about it that way and that I’ll get my chance to actually contribute some time, but anyone who knows me understands that I am not a very patient person and I get frustrated easily.
On a more interesting note, I have started drinking coffee. The Dutch talked me into it and now it is one cream, one sugar for me. I’ll be such a different person when I get home J. I’ve kinda sputtered out here, so I’ll wrap this up. I promise that I will try and give a little bit more insight in the coming days.
All the Way.
My time in Kandahar (or KAF, Kandahar Air Field) was short lived because in the middle of February I headed out to the Uruzgan Province and to FOB Hadrian to act as a liaison to the Dutch battle group that would be supporting a battalion mission near the Helmand River. I got there on Valentine’s Day and just got back last night. Hence the reason for the lack of blogs lately.
Okay, my time at Hadrian. It was definitely an excellent time working with the Dutch. Perhaps it was because I am Dutch (a fact that took the Dutch soldiers about 5 minutes to pick up) or that my job consisted of constantly being on the radio, something that made me feel like I was actually contributing to something. The hospitality at the FOB was amazing. We immediately had living quarters as soon as we arrived and at no time during my stay were there any frustrating cultural moments. The best thing about my time there was the fact that I got to hang out and work with a great group of guys. I think they had more fun teaching me Dutch phrases and then having me trying it out on some of the ladies on the FOB. I also learned some very good insults, but I promise I will not use them when I come home J.
It was interesting to have conversations with some of the Dutch people just because of some of those aforementioned cultural differences. They were absolutely astonished that we put up with 15 month deployments (not like we really have a choice). They usually do 4 months and then have a year or so at home. The 82nd used to do something like that. Maybe once we get a new president we can go back to that (wishful thinking). A lot of the conversations ended up discussing American politics and things of the sort. I am so incredibly relieved to have spent 6 months in Europe a few years ago because I feel like I was able to give a far more informed and wide view perspective when it came to answering those questions. I was able to understand where the Dutch where coming from when they gave their opinions. Talking with them also made me appreciate being in the U.S. Army because when they come home from a deployment there are no people greeting them at the airport. Its like they just returned from a vacation. Needless to say, the war is viewed a little differently over there.
I also worked with three gentlemen from the British Royal Air Force. I was thrilled when one of them said he was from Wales because I was finally able to have a proper rugby conversation again. All three were very good guys and I was able to go out to the range with a couple of them and do a “weapons exchange program” where I taught them how to fire my rifle and they did the same thing. I got some good pictures from that.
The end of this mission also signaled the last time that this battalion is going out for this deployment. Hearing all the stories made me wish that I had been assigned here when I first got to the 82nd. You would be hard pressed to find anybody here that wouldn’t say we are more than likely the most lethal Army unit in the world right now. The unit’s mission has been to be the Theater Tactical Force in Afghanistan, so wherever there was trouble, they were sent there. Needless to say, the Taliban have taken some major blows from this battalion. I am very proud to say I have been a part of it, even if it has only for a month so far.
I’m trying not to make this too long, but I feel like I owe some opinions. The end of my deployment is probably the biggest thing on my mind right now. As I am sure you have figured out, it has been somewhat of a frustrating experience for me. I’ll try not to get too wound up, but I have found myself waking up some days just been very bitter at the hand I have been dealt. I’ll start thinking that I didn’t enlist just to sit behind a desk and work on the computer. If I wanted that, I could have stayed home, with better hours and pay. I’ll do my best to not think about it that way and that I’ll get my chance to actually contribute some time, but anyone who knows me understands that I am not a very patient person and I get frustrated easily.
On a more interesting note, I have started drinking coffee. The Dutch talked me into it and now it is one cream, one sugar for me. I’ll be such a different person when I get home J. I’ve kinda sputtered out here, so I’ll wrap this up. I promise that I will try and give a little bit more insight in the coming days.
All the Way.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Stumbling out of the Gates
First off, I need to apologize to all of those who have regularly kept up with my blog over the past year. I haven’t posted much since August and I regret that. I just need to be inspired to write and I haven’t found much inspiration since then. The next few months will be full of so many transitions and interesting occurrences that I should be able to provide some interesting fodder for everyone.
So, 2008 has started off as kind of a mixed bag. On the glass half full side, I was able to spend the first week and a half at home and have some much needed relaxation time from Afghanistan. I discovered a new favorite drink (whiskey, preferably Jameson’s, and coke). I actually shouldn’t say that I discovered it. I knew what it was before. You could say I embraced it more than anything. That and I finally figured out that a night of drinking mass quantities of beer not only got me stumbling drunk (no, literally, stumbling) but left me with a wicked nasty hangover in the morning. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the brews, but if I am out and having a good time, a double shot o’ whiskey and coke is my drink of choice. I’m much more alert, so to speak, and I don’t slur my words as much.
All of my relatives are probably shaking their heads at that last paragraph, but at this point, you pretty much know that I enjoy drinking so just embrace and celebrate that fact. I already learned my lesson a few years ago about the consequences of drinking and driving so we don’t need to worry about that. Back to the good things about the new year. There are so many to list that I could write for another few pages, but the highlights were definitely getting a chance to reconnect with my family and go out and have a really good time with some friends I hadn’t seen in awhile. All of that on top of enjoying some truly excellent food (this is the official shout out to the Sunday Night Dinner Crew at the Links' house).
With the good, however, comes the bad. And in these past three weeks, I have already had my share of frustrating and depressing moments. First off, my aunt is getting treated for breast cancer. I knew about that before I came on leave, but sitting there and talking about it with her just made it hit home all that much. Get better, Kim. To go with that, I found out my grandpa Harry discovered a cancerous lump in his jaw and is getting it treated now. Get better, Grandpa. I know that death is an inevitability in all things, but it still is a kick to the gut to have two very close family members deal with this.
It only gets better. Right before I left, I found out that a guy that was two years behind me in college and who lived in my town house during my senior year committed suicide. Knowing this guy, he is the last person that I would have expected to do something like this, but I imagine that most people say that about the deceased who chose that path. It's incredibly sad because he was one of those people that everybody knew and liked and I can’t imagine how hard it is for the Central College community right now.
The last instance has hit home the most. A buddy of mine, Sgt. David Drakulich, was killed by an IED in Southern Afghanistan on January 9. Drak had been in my section back at Bragg and had been at Salerno until the end of March, when he moved to our Special Troops Battalion and later to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Kandahar. Drak was one of the first guys I met when I came to the 82nd and from the stories and my interactions with him, it was hard not to like the guy. It is hard to describe the guy, but his ambition (when we talked about it once or twice) after the Army was to go to school and eventually teach philosophy or anthropology or to come back to Afghanistan and work with some sort of Afghan outreach program. He actually would be one of the last people in the world you would expect to join the Army, but he went the whole way and was in Ranger Regiment before he came to the 82nd. His stories about his experiences were stuff of legend. Partly because he was such a good story teller (he didn’t over exaggerate but just gave a very vivid picture of the situation and told it from a perspective that you could really understand) but because of the sheer ridiculousness of the instances he told us about. A typical weekend for Drak, much to the chagrin of my NCOs, would be to try and hitchhike a ride to some remote spot in North Carolina and camp for the weekend, living off what he found in the woods and then make his way back. What made Drak great was that he always attempted to put humor into a situation (most of the time it was unintentionally; he would just make a random comment that would make everybody laugh).
I’ve dealt with death quite a bit before, but for some reason I’m still trying to get my head wrapped around all of this. Maybe it is because this is somebody who I could always count on to have an interesting conversation with or maybe because there is a story and personality behind the picture that hangs up on our wall of fallen paratroopers. Perhaps another reason is because it has forced me to come face to face with my own mortality. When you are 23 and in the Army and jump out of airplanes for a living, you always think about it but you don’t dwell on it. Dwelling on it makes it worse and can cause you to get sloppy and then you will get hurt. What the real twist on all this is that I am going to down to Kandahar to 1/508 to essentially fill the position that he left. Talk about a weird situation.
Sorry to put a macabre tone on the last few paragraphs. Just had to get it out there and put in it writing. On the bright side, I only have about two months left in country and then it is back to lovely Ft. Bragg, NC for who knows how long. I’m still working on trying to get reassigned to the Ranger Regiment, but that is kind of on hold right now with the impending move. Oh, my new years resolutions, get in really, really, super good, Ironman tri-athlete shape for the Rangers and post more of my musings.
All the Way.
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