One Guardsman's Spiel

The First Mission

2009-09-01T04:31:00.001+03:00

After having my soldiers taken away from me and completing all of the training that is required of us, it was finally time to start work. What happens is when a new unit gets to Iraq and is replacing another unit, they have to go out with the old unit to get validated. The first mission you go out on, you are mostly observing. The second mission you’re in charge and the old unit is there to make sure you don’t royally screw things up. The only thing that confused me is that even though I was a soldierless leader I still had to get validated. But who would I go out on mission with? That question was soon answered when I was told I would go out with another CET from my platoon; SSG J’s CET. SSG J had already gone on his first mission, so he would be in charge on this mission and I would be observing him.

SSG J’s CET is a pretty tight nit group of guys and gals and work together very well. I was glad I was able to go on the road with them as SSG J has trained them well. SSG J and the soldier validating him walked me through the pre-planning phase that takes place before each mission. There is a lot of stuff to do, and ends with a Pre-Combat Inspection by the commander and 1SG. After the PCI we had all of our gear ready to go and everything checked out, we were ready to go on mission.

The next morning I woke up like any other morning. I thought it weird that I was going to Iraq in just a few hours, but I ate breakfast like everything was normal. Eventually we grabbed whatever we needed that was not already in the truck and headed to the staging lanes to meet the convoy that we were in charge of securing. After a brief meeting with them we were ready to head to the border to start the mission. Our drive to the border was interesting. This was the first time I’d not been in the back of a bus while driving through Kuwait. Apparently traffic laws in Kuwait are optional for most people. They pretty much drive as fast as the car will go, and drive wherever they want. More than once I’ve expected to see a head-on collision, but seen disaster averted at the last minute each time. I can’t say that I’m not a little disappointed when they don’t crash. Not that i want people to die, its just… I don’t know why i want to see that. Maybe its just because I’m a guy and like to see things destroyed….

Arriving at the border we had to mount our weapons and do any final checks before crossing into Iraq. Every soldier worked very hard and quickly to get everything done in a timely fashion. By the time that was completed it was time to have the Convoy Commander’s safety briefing. Once that was completed we all stuck around for a quick prayer then dawned our gear for our trip across the border.

This trip was to be a short mission. Drive to a base in Southern Iraq, spend the night, and then drive back. The mission ended up being as simple as it sounded. When the truck I was in actually crossed the border I was surprised that I did not feel any fear or anxiety. I didn’t really feel anything really. It was just like any other hummer ride I’ve ever been in, except this time we had live ammo. Since we only drive at night I couldn’t see much, just glimpses of wide open desert as the gunner used her light to scan the area for IEDs and possible ambushes. I was kind of bored in the back but learned as much as I could from SSG J and the validator. Things finally got interesting when we had to make a turn off of one highway and onto another. We actually blocked the entire freeway in both directions to allow the entire convoy to go through. It was pretty interesting sitting there and stopping all the traffic. It dawned on me that American forces have been doing this type of thing since 2003 so the Iraq people are used to this sort of thing. They see the road block, stop and turn off their headlights, and wait for the convoy to go through. What was really strange to me was the fact that all the traffic we stopped in the north bound lane that ended up behind us; they passed us… in the south bound lane! I was sure I was going to see a head-on collision this time. But again, they’ve been doing this for a while and there were no accidents.

Things were boring again until we got to the road leading to the base we were going to. Intelligence reports said to expect people throwing trash in the road to try and stop the convoy and then people running from the bushes and stealing stuff off of the non-military semi trucks in the convoy. Sure as shit, that is exactly what they did! Once the trash in the street was cleared we were roving around the convoy looking for anybody hiding in the bushes. Eventually we heard on the radio that some LNs (Local Nationals) were on one of the “White Trucks'” (the non-military vehicles in the convoy) stealing things! We were lucky that our validator was behind the wheel of the hummvee because that man drove that vehicle like I never thought possible! There was a time or two where I actually feared for my safety because of his driving! But he kept all 4 tires on the ground and we quickly got to where the Iraqis were stealing stuff off the white trucks. We were able to scare them away and recover anything they tried taking. After that they left us alone and we got the entire convoy into the base without further incident.

At the base we really don’t have much to do. We unload our gear from the vehicles into the tents we’re assigned. Drivers clean the vehicles and make sure nothing is broken from the trip. And then gunners clean their weapons. After that, we basically eat, shower, sleep, then wait till we’re supposed to leave again. Some people go to the gym, others find the MWR and use the internet, and others just watch movies. Eventually within the next 24 hours, we went back on the road again to go back “home”.

The trip back was not nearly as exciting as the trip up, which obviously only had about 10 exciting minutes out of the several hours we were on the road. The only thing that we saw on the way back were a couple of kids that live at this construction site. I felt very sorry for these two kids for a couple of reasons. First, they lived in a construction site that I thought was nothing more than a pile of trash; apparently that was their home. Second, they live in the middle of the desert! Honestly there must not be anything within 50 miles of them. Third they were obviously very poor and just wanted some water that we could spare. We stopped at their location and gave them whatever we could. Both boys, around 12 years old, seemed very happy that we gave them some water and even a Gatorade. When we were giving them water and Gatorade I felt even more sorry for one of the kids as his right eye was almost swollen shut! The best we can figure is that somebody “tossed” a bottle of water at him as they drove by… at 30+mph. Taking a bottle of water traveling at that speed to the face probably doesn’t feel very good.

Eventually the sun came up and I finally got to see a bit of the Iraqi countryside. I’ll tell you that in some of the places we travel, its exactly what you expect it to be. A vast expanse of sand… nothing more. How some people can live here is absolutely beyond me. Eventually we crossed back over the border and completed the mission. As quickly as it all began, it was all over. I honestly believe that we spent more time getting ready for the mission than the mission actually lasted. Since the mission was complete, SSG J was now validated and he was to validate me on our next mission… but that’s a story for next time…

-Guardsman

The First 30 Days

2009-08-20T20:36:00.002+03:00

The first 30 days is past us now, and so much has gone on I don’t really know where to start. The also don’t know what exactly I can and cannot tell you. Some things I can’t tell you because of operational security. There are things that cannot be published on the internet because I don’t know who exactly is reading this blog. There are other things that I will not say because I don’t know who is reading this blog that actually knows me. Sometimes I want to write what I really feel, but decide not to because I know there could be repercussions. Being so restricted in my writing is really frustrating, but such is the world we live in…

After we arrived in Kuwait the training started immediately. We met with the Hawaiian unit that we were replacing and started learning the ways they’ve done things for the last year or so. The first thing I remember doing is re-zeroing our weapons. I was kind of worried what it would be like, shooting our weapons with all our gear on during the day. We ended up getting up VERY early and started shooting at first light. We were done with the range before it got very hot out. The range they have here was very interesting – imagine driving out into the desert and then suddenly there are some targets in front of a mound of sand in the middle of nowhere. That's pretty much what the range was like. After that it was more IED training, more TTP (tactics, techniques, and procedures) and lane training, and more equipment training. The coolest training was the MRAP rollover simulator. They have the shell of an actual MRAP that you get inside and it rolls over! As crazy as that sounds, it was actually really fun. After a few weeks of training it was time to get ready for missions. Unfortunately things would take a different turn for me.

While we were at our pre-mobilization training at North Fort Hood there were several CETs (Convoy Escort Team), including mine, that were short people. Most of the CETs were missing just a single person or two. One CET was missing 5 people and mine was missing 1. We constantly bugged our command about the significant lack of personnel but were always told that we’d get the rest of our people when we arrived in Kuwait. We arrived in Kuwait and were told that our new soldiers were on the way. Time went on and we were getting ready to start missions and were told that we would get them in days. Eventually Brigade came down and told us that the people we had were all the personnel we were going to get. No new soldiers would be given to any units. One would think that they would look at which CET was short the most people and cannibalize that CET. That would make the most sense right? Apparently somebody saw things in a different way. Since I was the most junior CET Leader they decided to tear apart my CET and spread them throughout the rest of the company. My soldiers and I had been training together from the beginning, almost 4 months. We knew each other well and worked well together. As a matter of fact, when we did some of the convoy security training the Hawaiian units required us to go through they told us we were the best CET (and last CET) to go through their lanes. Apparently all that didn’t matter. I had my CET torn from me and my fate was still up in the air. As I write this I am not afraid to say that the whole situation sucked and made me terribly upset. Any leader who has ever lost command of his soldiers, no matter the situation, knows how this makes you feel. I would be lying if I said my attitude didn’t change. I would be lying if I said I had the same amount of motivation after losing my soldiers.

The command decided that I would be a good addition to the TOC (Tactical Operations Center) as an Operations NCO. My duties there were to monitor the progress and status of all the CETs out on mission throughout Iraq. Additionally I was to submit reports on any activities that happened out on the road. They also decided that they were going to somehow fill my CET… eventually. They told me I was still a CET Leader, I just happened to only have 4 out of 12 soldiers and worked in the TOC until I had a full CET again. After a few shifts I had accepted my new fate and thought it would be a good opportunity to continue my education. While I wasn’t exactly happy with my situation I knew there was nothing I could do about it; so off to work I went every day.

As we started our missions, all the CET Leaders and TCs (Truck Commanders) needed to be validated by the unit we’re replacing to make sure every leader at every level has the skills and knowledge required to accomplish this mission. One of the other CET Leaders had already been validated so it was my turn to borrow his CET and become validated, for when they eventually filled my CET. But that’s another story…

Now that these first 30 days have passed it is sometimes weird to look back on them. It seems like we’ve been here so long, yet I count how many days we have left and know that we haven’t been here all that long. All in all I’m doing pretty good here… all things considered. It was tough to get used to the heat, but eventually I did. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to having sand get EVERYWHERE. Although I don’t always realize how much sand I have up my nose and in my mouth… There is one thing I didn’t think I’d struggle with that I do find myself struggling with.

When I'm on mission it's stressful because I'm directly responsible for the performance of 12 other people. All together I'm responsible for the safety of 40+ people. You never know if the road is going to explode around the next bend or if some little bastard is going to throw rocks at you... or worse shoot at you. I have been fortunate enough not to have anything serious happen, but there have been some close calls. Yet I long to be out there. When I'm not on mission I find myself sitting on Facebook for hours on end and talking to everyone I miss so badly. I look through pictures of my sisters wedding that I missed, of my nieces, my son, my mother, my friends... The more I look, the more I want to talk with them and the more I want to hear their voice... The more I look, the more I chat online, and the more I talk... the more I miss them. I miss them more and more until I have to force myself to close the laptop, put down the phone, or put down the iPod touch and finally go to sleep long after I should have. And as I lay in the darkness with thoughts of loved ones on my mind I think "I need to get back on the road... Things are just so much... easier out there."

On the road I don't think about home; I don’t think I have time. On the road it's just me and my soldiers (or somebody else’s as the case has been). On the road I think about things like "did they all clean their weapons properly?" "Do the gunners have enough flares?" "Does anybody need more batteries for their night vision?" "Did the driver check out the vehicle to make sure it won't break?" "Will these tires last the next leg of the trip?" "What's this thing on the side of the road?" "What is that car doing?" "Why are those men standing there looking at us?" "That thing didn't blow up and doesn't have wires coming out of it, don't worry about it." "The driver of that car just sucks at driving like the rest of the people here, don't worry about it." "Lets drive over to those men and flash our cop lights at them to scare them away" "Those men walked away, don't worry about them." and a million other things, usually at the same time. Yet, I'd rather be on the road because that somehow seems easier than thoughts about home. I think it's because the thoughts I have on the road don't hurt. I've been away from home before and felt the pain and emptiness one feels from being so far away. I have not felt anything like this though... The pain I sometimes feel seems to go right down into my very soul. That is something I don't think I could ever have prepare myself for.

-Guardsman

P.S. Want to see what Kuwait looks like?

Yes, that is a camel in the picture.

A Trip to the Desert

2009-08-08T02:09:00.001+03:00

It took me a while to actually get internet access where I’m at. Now that I finally had it, I found that I’ve had a severe case of writer’s block. While much has happened in the last 30 days I figure I can tell you about our trip over here…

Our 4-day pass completed, we waited with anticipation to leave the place we’ve all grown tired of and get on with the mission. As much as many of us didn’t want to leave our families, we all knew that the sooner we got to Kuwait, the sooner we’d be home with our loved ones once again. Little did we know, getting to Kuwait wasn’t as easy of a process as we had hoped it would be.

We packed up our bags and tied up all the loose ends. After that it all we had to do was wait till the date and time we were told we were leaving. Eventually that date and time arrived and we loaded all of our bags onto the trucks that would bring everything to the airport. The funny thing was though, we didn’t have any idea we would not be leaving that day. So we unloaded our bags and waited another day. The next day they at least told us we weren’t leaving before we loaded the bags. Again, we waited another day. Then another… and another. It seemed like we were never going to get there! Eventually we were able to leave. Our bags were once again loaded and we jumped on the bus for the hour ride to the airport. I wasn’t sure what emotional state I expected myself to be in, but I was surprised I rode the bus full of excitement. Maybe it was because I wanted to get the mission started. Maybe it was because I was happy to finally be doing SOMETHING instead of sitting around and waiting to be told to get on the bus. Maybe it was because I wanted to leave the hell that is North Fort Hood. Whatever the reason, I felt my pulse quicken as we pulled into the airport and saw our home for the next 18 hours… the plane.

Getting off the bus I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew there’d be some sort of process we’d go through, but didn’t know what it was. I should have known it was more waiting in line. What would the Army be like if we didn’t have to wait in line? Wait in line to get your ID card swiped. Wait in line to get a seat for the briefings we’d do. Wait in line to get some food. Wait in line to go to the bathroom. Finally wait for the briefings. The briefings were pretty standard stuff, but we did get a nice chat from the “hug lady” and she sure loved to hug! When the time finally came for us to actually get on the plane, she made sure to hug each and every one of us as we exited the building and stepped on the tarmac.

The plane wasn’t nearly as nice as I’d hoped. It was a 747 that was built in the 1960s…. and you could tell. The seats were old and worn, the air conditioning hardly worked, and the decorating hadn’t been updated since it was built. I laughed when they said they had movies to play as the projector they used was older than I was. From my seat I could hardly see the projector because it was so washed out. Luckily I had my iPod touch filled with music and movies, batteries enough for the trip, and 2 batteries for my laptop to keep me occupied. I also had a magazine and a book to read! Ready for the 18-hour journey, I was set for take off. I thought to myself that this was going to be unlike any plane ride I’d ever been on. And for the most part I was right. Maybe it was because I had my 9mm hand gun and my M4 in my seat with me?

The first leg of our trip took us from Fort Hood to Maine. Landing there we had a short layover. Enough to stretch your legs and grab a bite to eat. As we exited the terminal I began to hear clapping. Clapping became cheers. Cheers became hooting and hollering. As I turned the final corner I saw the Maine Troop Greeters, a group of patriotic citizens who come to the airport to greet Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen as they travel to and from Iraq. To be honest, it was a little overwhelming. At first I felt like a celebrity. How else would you feel if you had a crowd of people clapping and cheering, all wanting to shake your hand? At the same time, this was a group of strangers. Strangers who are taking time out of their day to come see you off and wish you safe travel. While I sincerely appreciate what they did, it was a lot to take in at the moment.

During the layover everybody did something a little different. Some called home for the last time on their cell phones. Others went and enjoyed a last smoke for several hours while others chatted about what to expect in the hours, days, and months to come. I treated a few of my soldiers to one last meal in the United States. After the meal I did make a final phone call home. As I was finishing up the phone call, a man named Chuck snapped a picture and I had to re-board the plane.

The plane ride was long, uncomfortable and boring. I don’t know how else to describe it. I was able to watch a few movies. I was also able to read half my book. What I was unable to do, however, was sleep. Everybody around me slept most of the trip. I didn’t…. I couldn’t. Its not that I was nervous or any thing. I think its just because I don’t sleep on planes. Never have and probably never will. One thing that I was able to do though was watch the sunrise in the air. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in my life. My camera had died and I had somehow managed to lose the charger for it, so all I had was my cell phone. I doubt this picture does any justice to what I actually saw, but it may give you an idea. When I took this picture I didn’t realize that it would be the first of many sunrises I’d watch in a foreign land.

We were expecting to go to Germany to refuel and switch out the flight crew. I was pleasantly surprised that we stopped in the green lands of Ireland instead. Ireland is a place that I’ve wanted to visit most of my life, ever since I met a friend named Mark over 10 years ago when he came to live at the cabin with my extended family. Since then it has only been a dream to visit such a beautiful place. The landscape was just as I’d imagined it; just as Mark and his fiancé Denise described it. The people I met there were some of the most friendly people I’ve met in my life, even though most of us had trouble understanding them. My only regret was that I didn’t get to see my friends while I was there and I never got to leave the grounds of the airport. Maybe someday, hopefully soon, I’ll get to visit Ireland once again and spend some time with my friends from the Emerald Isle.

After our stop in Ireland we re-re-boarded the plane for the final leg of our journey. Final stop: Kuwait City. This leg of the plane ride was about exciting as the first. The difference this time was that I was able to watch the sun set and then I did eventually fall into a restless sleep. I suppose an 18-hour plane ride will do that to you. I was startled awake by a very rude flight attendant practically yelling at me to put my laptop away as we were getting ready to land. She acted as if somehow I should have known in my sleep that we were about to land and I should put my laptop away. We landed in Kuwait and I had to wait in line again. This time it was to get off the plane. Man, were we all ready to get off that plane! I remember standing near the exit of the plane waiting for the blast of desert heat to hit me, but thinking “man this isn’t so hot”. I still remember how horribly wrong that thought was. When I actually stepped off the plane the heat was so intense I thought the exhaust from one of the jet engines must be hitting me. I then realized that the engines were BEHIND me! Even at the late hour we arrived, it was stifling hot outside. As uncomfortable as the heat made me, I knew I needed to get used to it as it would be with me for the next several months.

We got off the plane and instantly got onto a bus to travel to the base we would call home for a while. I don’t remember much of the bus ride. I do know a few things. First, it seemed shorter than it actually was. Second, I know that the speed of that bus would be highly illegal in the United States! Apparently, the posted speed limits in this country are a suggestion for most everybody.

After we arrived to our base we had to, you guessed it, wait in line. Several more briefings later we were able to get into our barracks and bed down for the night. The accommodations we have are actually much nicer than I anticipated them to be. I’m fortunate enough to have only 2 roommates in our 6 man rooms. Obviously we have air conditioning as it is a MUST over here. Its taken us a while but now that we have a refrigerator, TV, Xbox 360, and internet, its starting to feel a little like home.

It is different adjusting to the changes though. Its weird calling home when everybody is 8 hours behind you. Sometimes I call home and forget about the time difference, feeling bad waking some people up. The heat is tough to get used to as well. Back home you don’t think that 95 is all that much hotter than 90. I’ll tell you now that 120 is a hell of a lot hotter than 115! The wind here is different as well. The wind never stops blowing during the day. Its as if somebody is constantly pointing a blow dryer at your face, if you can imagine a blow dryer that not only blows hot air but also fine grains of sand as well. Most of us were excited to get here and start the mission. Unfortunately mission had to wait because there was even more training to do before we could get to work. As I write this all the training is over and we have gone to work…. but I’ll write more on that later.

Now that I’ve been here a month, I’m starting to figure out what is normal for me. Obviously it would have been harder without support from home. I try and call as often as I can but its hard not to miss my parents and siblings, Nate, and the rest of my family and friends. The new normal is waiting until midnight to call home and hope people didn’t have to work late. Another new normal is going to Ops every day to pick up the mail for my soldiers and getting giddy when I get letters and packages (a special shout-out goes to the Moe’s for their AWESOME support). Back home when I go get the mail its usually full of bills and other crap I don’t really want. I’ve never been so excited for mail in my life! The last new normal in my life is the fact that I have to walk a block every time I go pee… I sure miss indoor plumbing!

I have a lot more to write about but I figure I’ve written enough for now, hopefully soon I’ll be able to tell you about some of the exciting things that have happened. Before I go, will tell you that I’m constantly amazed how much you take for granted until you’ve seen things in a different light. I will also tell you that I am amazed at how far America’s reach is…. I’ve found out that Subway, Burger King, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Baskin Robin’s, Starbucks, and Green Bean all taste exactly the same here….

Until Next Time,
Guardsman

Thoughts While Waiting

2009-07-02T02:16:00.000+03:00

Sometimes it is hard to believe that a month has gone by so quickly. I look back at the last time I posted and think it feels like yesterday. In all honesty I really don't have all that much to report about my time here at North Fort Hood. Everything that we did seemed to all drag into 1 long day. Of course there was always waiting in line, the Army will always have a lot of that going on. But we did do some really good training. As we've gone from range-to-range they've been making the training more realistic and integrating the training we've had before to better prepare us for our mission over in Iraq. Some of the ranges are boring - like the IED defeat range as it was very repetitive. Other ranges were exciting - such as the Urban Operations range where we have to practice fighting in close quarters in city streets. Eventually ranges turned into exercises that help to prepare us for what we'll be doing over there. The mission that I think I had the most fun with was the mission I was in charge of.

The scenario was that there was a helicopter crash and we had to go rescue the pilots and recover the black box. I received my briefings and looked at the intelligence reports to know what to expect and briefed the platoon to prepare them for the task ahead and explain my plan to them. We set out to find the crash site and save the pilots. Finding the crash site was easy (they actually had something burning so we could just drive to the smoke) and we quickly secured the crash site. I had a team run to recover the black box and a team of medics looking for the pilots as soon as the site was secure. One of the issues was that the media had showed up and were getting in the way of myself and the other soldiers doing their jobs. I had to work with the Kuwaiti police that were on scene and get them to detain the media crew so we could work. Things seemed to be going good until the medics told me there were no pilots at the crash site! I started asking the police officer if he knew what happened to the pilots and he informed me that some local villagers had seen the crash and come to the aid of the pilots. In helping them, the villagers brought them to their villi age. The police officer gave me directions to the village and I thanked him for his help. I had my platoon load back up and drive over to the village to find the pilots, leaving two gun trucks at the crash site to continue to secure it.

Once we arrived at the village I dismounted with some other soldiers for security so I could talk to the village elder and find out any information about the pilots. I was greeted by a woman who spoke English and she volunteered to be my translator. I asked her to bring me to the village elder and she said that the sheik would be happy to see me and she would bring me to his home. I was surprised that the sheik was actually speaking Arabic since this was training after all - this made it all the more realistic. When I greeted the sheik he started yelling at me! Apparently what I thought was a parking lot was actually the village's fields and we'd just ruined a lot of their crops. After much apologizing and rushing to get the vehicles moved the sheik agreed to meet with me. He explained that the pilots were there but before he would let me see them, he wanted to talk about how the United States could help his village. He explained that his village was very short on medical supplies and he was becoming frustrated why his friends, the United States, wouldn't help him. I promised that if he gave me a list of supplies he needs I would give it to my superiors so they could see what they could do for him. This was good enough for the shek and he took me to the pilots. After that the medics did their job, and I had two gun trucks rush the pilots back to the FOB for medical treatment. Thanking the sheik, and apologizing again for destroying their crops, we departed the village to finish recovering the downed chopper. While the intel reports said everything was safe, we all kept our heads on a swivel just in case something happened. Fortunately nothing did actually happen and we were soon within the safety of our FOB and done with the mission. All-in-all it was really good training and a lot of fun. Talking to the villagers through the translator was different but a very good experience.

Shortly after that exercise I was given the opportunity to do some classified training that only 3 people per company get to do. I can't go into details, it was classified after all, but it was probably the best training I had here. About all I can tell you is that I was training on a weapons system that is installed on every HMMWV and MRAP in country. This weapons system isn't a weapon that kills people, but a weapon that saves lives. It is cutting edge technology so it was really interesting training for me.

In the end the days were filled with more ranges, more waiting in line, more shots, and more paperwork. It mostly seemed to all drag into 1 long day with the exception of 2 weeks where I was at a school with no internet access (hence, the month since I have last posted). The time just flew by quickly. But that is what I see when I look at what I've been doing in the last month. Looking at what's gone on back home brings a different view however.

Eventually we had finished all the ranges and exercises except one - the MRE or Mobilization Readiness Exercise. This is the mother of all exercises where they simulate for 2 weeks everything everybody in the entire Brigade will be doing over in Iraq or Kuwait. We were lucky enough to get a few days of down-time before we started the MRE. While all the training was going on, my unit had been trying to get me to a school so I can get promoted but had told me a few days before the start of the course that they couldn't get me in. Well.... at 9pm my 1SG came to me and informed me that I would be going to the school, at 6:30am the next morning. So while all my fellow soldiers were getting ready for a much needed trip to the lake the next day, I was packing to go to Warrior Leader Course. I won't go into the details about the course because it was pretty much a waste of my time but I'm glad I got that done and over with. Why am I glad? Because now I can FINALLY get promoted for real!!! I have no idea when I'll actually get promoted but its only a matter of time.

Just a few days ago we were given a 4 day pass to go home or wherever with our families. I was fortunate enough to have most of my family come down to Texas to visit me. I could have gone home but I figured that it'd be better to have them take time off from work to meet me down here rather then spend 2 of my 4 days traveling. My parents, my oldest brother with his girlfriend, my sister-in-law and my nieces, and my "son" all came down to see me. While they were traveling I was getting things packed and getting my rental car so I could drive to see them. I had to temporally give Hertz my manhood because all they had was a Toyota Prius, but a car was a car and nothing was going to stop me from seeing them. The reunion was such a huge relief for me and it felt so good to see them, and hold all my loved ones in my arms again. We went to San Antonio for the 4 days and stayed fairly busy; I won't go into detail because some memories I just need to keep to myself. Maybe after a while I'll go into more detail and post some pictures. It was so good to see them I wished it would never end, but eventually it had to come to an end and after saying goodbye, I had to drive alone back to Fort Hood.

After we got back we actually had very few things to do. Most of it was pack and clean (and get screened for Swine Flu oddly enough) so we have had a lot of down-time since then. I think the main problem is that right now is that I have far too much time on my hands to think.I start to think and I look back at the last month, there isn't much that I have done. Like I said, everything seemed to drag into 1 long day. But now that I have the time I can look at what's going on back home. It has only been 2 and a half months since I've left home yet so much has gone on in such a short period of time. Summer has started and my family has started the "family-cabin-Sunday" ritual, my oldest brother has started a family with the baby due in January, my cousin got married, my sister and her fiancee have had their respective parties and the wedding is around the corner, my godson has started walking, and finally my "son" has turned 15, got his permit, finished a year of school, started and finished an entire season of Lacrosse, and started his first job! When I think about all that has gone on since I left it seems like I've been gone forever. As I think about this I think about all the things I'm going to miss over the next 10 months as I'm in Iraq and Kuwait. Thinking about it all it makes me miss my family even though I just saw them a few short days ago.

While waiting to be told to get on the plane I have been trying to keep myself busy though. I've watched a few movies and even filled up an entire 500gb external hard drive with them! Quickly people figured out that I am very good with computers and a lot of people were having me help them with various issues they were having. Some people's computers were full of viruses, others just couldn't play the movies they've acquired. It appeared that EVERYBODY went out and bought an iPod of some sort and were having issues getting music and movies on there so I get it all working for them. We've also been lucky enough to get to go off post to get to Best Buy, Walmart and various places and just find things to keep us busy.

As I write this my bags are packed and I still sit here waiting. Waiting to get on the plane, waiting to just actually do something. Eventually they will come in and tell us to grab our bags as it's time to go and I will start the 18-hour journey across the globe. Until then I'll just watch some movies and try to keep my mind off home. The next time I write to all three of the people who read this blog, I'll be in Kuwait, sweating my balls off. Until then... take care and thank you to everyone for your support, especially the Moe's

-Guardsman

A Different Kind of Memorial Day

2009-05-25T18:00:00.000+03:00

Memorial Day usually means a lot of things to a lot of different people. For many in our neck of the woods, Memorial Day weekend is the beginning of the summer. It is the weekend where we all go and open up our cabins for the first time of the summer. We gripe and complain at how cold the water is when we get in to put our dock in. We relish the feel of the fresh wind blowing across our face as our boat or jet ski skips across the water for the first time in almost a year. For others it is a weekend of barbecues, backyard sports, and spending time with friends and family. A few patriotic citizens will go downtown and enjoy a Memorial Day parade, while others will take things more to heart and attend a Memorial Day service at the local cemetery. Most will never take a chance to think about what Memorial Day really means.

Growing up my parents usually took me to a parade on Memorial Day, and then spent the rest of the day at the family cabin. My parents tried to teach me what Memorial Day was all about but it never quite took. As I grew older I began to participate in the parades with my high school marching band, never really fully understanding who or what I was honoring. Even when I joined the Guard and began to march in the parades with my unit I still didn't fully understand what Memorial Day was all about. Now, as sit in the barracks thousands of miles away from home reflecting on the last several years of my life, I think I finally understand.

I sit here writing this and realize how truly lucky I am to be an American. I know how fortunate I am to have had the privilege to grow up within these borders. You do not know the sacrifices the country has been built upon until you have lived them and experienced them. I have finally seen first hand the freedoms those in uniform give up to protect those we love. I haven't watched TV in god knows how long. I never get to choose what or when I will eat. I don't get to see or talk to my family whenever I want. I will not complete college on time. I live in a room with 30 other men, sharing 3 urinals, 4 toilets, 6 sinks, and 6 showers. I wake up early in the morning and work till too late into the night. Computers and video games are all memories of what almost seems like a past life. All the comforts of home I have taken for granted of for so long are a thing of the past. I tell you this not to complain. I am happy to sacrifice so those that love and ensure that they live free, that they themselves do not have to sacrifice. I tell you this because I think of all that I have sacrificed since being deployed and can only imagine how bad my brothers-in-arms before me had it. I cannot fathom being away from my family for 4 years fighting in lands halfway across the world. This, I now know, is only part of what Memorial Day is all about.

This morning I was doing PT and started thinking about how in a few hours my family will be arriving at the cabin to spend the day together. I thought about all the volleyball games I will miss with all my cousins. I thought about all the great food I won't be eating (especially Auntie Debby's cheese dip). I thought about not being able to play with my nieces and all the other kids in the freezing cold water. These thoughts stayed with me as I washed the sweat off my body and began preparing for today's training. Suddenly I found myself staring at the dog tag I keep tucked in the laces of my right boot. Staring at that dog tag I thought about my friend CW3 Phil Windorski. Phil made the ultimate sacrifice for our country on January 26th, 2009 when his OH-58D Kiowa was shot down over Iraq. I reached to hand a fellow soldier some papers and noticed, for the first time, the black bracelet on his right wrist. Inscribed on the bracelet were the names of 3 soldiers he served with who lost their lives when an IED exploded. I sat down at another fellow soldier's computer and stared at the picture of his cousin who gave his life in Afghanistan. It was then that the full picture came to me. I thought about how Phil and thousands of other soldiers will never again see their families again. I thought about the unknown number of children who will never have their father or mother around. I thought about countless wives and husbands who will always have an empty bed greeting the at the end of a long day. I thought about the parents who had to live through the pain of having outlived their children. It was then that I knew what Memorial Day was all about.

Memorial Day is more than a long weekend at the beginning of summer. It is more than opening the cabin and having a barbecue. It is about the sacrifice that millions of American have made to build this country up from nothing. It is about the time away from home, the freedoms they willingly give up, and about the lives they have given for us all. Memorial Day is about remembering and honoring those that have served this greatest of nations. Memorial Day is about honoring and recognizing those who continue to serve her today.

Celebrating Memorial Day doesn't have to change. We all will still go and gather at our respective places to have a barbecue. We will all still play backyard games with our friends and families. Many will still attend Memorial Day parades. Too few will attend a Memorial Day service. No matter how you celebrate Memorial Day, never forget why you're celebrating. Never forget the soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and coast guardsmen who have made all this possible. Take a moment or two to silently give thanks.

For me, this Memorial Day is different. I will not be at the cabin with my family. Instead I will be training to go to war and defend this country I love so much. While they gather around the picnic tables for lunch, I'll be sitting in a hot HMMWV focusing not on where I want to be, but the task at hand. And while I prepare for this daunting task ahead, I will never forget those who have served before me, nor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. And while I remember, I also pray that my soldiers and my comrades don't have to make the sacrifice as well.

-Guardsman

A Month Gone

2009-05-22T21:03:00.000+03:00

I can't believe that its been a month since I have written on my blog! It is very surprising that we have been gone for over a month.

Most of what we've been doing is training, training, and more training. This is what I was expecting when we arrived on Fort Hood. For a while, all we did was range after range. I never thought I would get sick of ranges, but I actually have. I guess the problem is that with the way they were doing these ranges, you're out there for about 24 hours on each range. In all, it was great to be able to fire so many different weapons. The most interesting night was the night I was the NCOIC of the .50 cal range for our company. It is amazing how many things can go wrong in such a short period of time! It is also amazing how quickly I was able to get things fixed!

Some of the other training we've been doing is more interesting things like Reflexive Fire and Room clearing to get us ready for our Urban Operations training. For the last several days we've been doing a lot of IED training and really focusing on how to spot and react to IEDs. In all, I believe this is probably the most important training we have had so far. The best part of the IED training, for me, was when we had to hook up with some Iraqi Army guys, pick up an interpreter, and walk to an Iraqi village to talk to the local sheik. We drove into the Iraqi Army area and found out we had to walk into the village. I was surprised that the guys from the Iraqi Army were actually from Iraq! When we arrived in the village, about 85% of the villagers were also Iraqi. It was a strange feeling to hear all these people speaking Arabic. I kept damning myself for not taking the Rosetta Stone course on Arabic so I could understand them. I was charged with pulling security with the Iraqi Army guys while our NCOIC talked to the sheik. I couldn't speak much Arabic so I really needed the Iraqi Army guys to help me keep these people away! Eventually I thought I spotted somebody with a suicide vest on so I was investigating that with an IA soldier. Turns out that guy was the decoy, while I was figuring things out with him, the real suicide bomber was getting ready. I shot the suicide bomber a few times but he was still able to blow us all up..... I died. Actually I died 3 times that day, but its a long story. I really had a lot of fun, and I'm glad I was able to have that experience.

Yesterday, after I got back from running around in all my gear all day I was told I had to go to an emergency meeting. I was told that if I wanted to re-enlist, that I had to do so within an hour and a half. To top it off I had to take a PT test before I could re-enlist! I was sore and tired, hadn't eaten in over 10 hours, and it was 90+ degrees out! I didn't want to do it, but if I didn't re-enlist right then, I would have lost $15,000.... so I took a PT test. I passed but felt like dying in the process.

That's all there is to report right now, I think I would get into more details about things if I wouldn't wait a month between posts... but we get busy and I tend to forget about things.

Talk to you all soon

-Guardsman

Waiting in Line

2009-04-28T16:56:00.000+03:00

My first week here at our MOB site can be summed up with simply "Waiting in Line". That's all we've really done so far. We arrived, stepped off the plane, and got in line to get checked into Ft. Hood. After that we got in line to take our seats for a briefing. After the briefing we got in another line to pee in a cup (gotta love piss tests!). After that we boarded some buses and then got in another line to get our teeth looked at. Finally, after being cleared from the dentist, we were brought to our barracks and allowed to start unpacking.

The next week was a series of more lines. First we had to go to the SRP where you stand in line after line and see medical people, the ID card people, and people who deal with pay. The longest part of SRP is the medical floor. At medical you have to make sure all your shots are up to date, including anthrax, typhoid, and smallpox. After they stick several needles in your skin you're sore but off to complete the rest of the SRP. Other days we stood in line to get different equipment. The best piece of equipment we received has got to be the Improved Outer Tactical Vest or IOTV. This is the replacement for the IBA. Instead of a big, clunky, uncomfortable piece of body armor, we get to wear the new, smaller, lighter, more comfortable vest!

There are always lines to wait in. Wait in line for chow, wait in line for the showers, wait in line to draw weapons. That's about all we do most days is wait in line. Several people have asked me what its like and I ask them to think about the longest line they've ever stood in... then do that all day every day. Soon we're going to start to go to more ranges and what not so hopefully things get a little more exciting. The only thing is that when you're at the ranges, there's always more lines to stand in...

Today, I am a SGT again. I didn't do anything wrong, they just pulled the gun on my promotion a little to early, soon I'll be a SSG again.... I'll let you know when that happens.

-Guardsman

The Journey Begins

2009-04-21T00:47:00.001+03:00

Last night was my last night of "freedom" for the next year or so. Having already said goodbye to my family, I spent the night alone. I made sure my stuff was packed and that I wasn't forgetting anything. I watched some TV. I did a lot of thinking about the next year and how I'm going to take care of my soldiers. Finally I watched a bit of TV, the last TV I'll watch for about a year, while I chatted with some friends on Facebook. Eventually I drifted off into a restless sleep knowing that the next day was going to be long.

In the morning I woke up and arrived at the Armory early so I could make sure all my soldiers had everything they needed and talk to their families. I talked briefly with a few families but they obviously wanted to spend more time with their loved one in the last few minutes they had. I watched husbands kiss their wives. I saw sons say goodbye to their mothers while trying desperately to hold back the tears and be strong for her. I watched children cling to the legs of parents, begging them not to go. Mom or Dad had to be the strong one and look their child in the eye as they kissed them one more time and handed the crying child to another relative. This was the most emotional setting I've ever seen in my life and it allowed me to see more clearly the sacrifices we all make to serve this Greatest of Nations. It made me think of my mom, and think about the day I left for basic training and how much she cried then. It made me think of Nate and how badly I feel that I won't be there for Lacrosse, or Football , or anything else in this next year. It made me think of my beautiful nieces and how much they're going to change when I'm gone. It made me think of all the Cabin Sundays I'm going to miss this summer and how I won't be there to play volleyball with my siblings and cousins or watch the kids play in the water. It was the first time that the whole deployment seemed real.

We had formation, said one last quick goodbye, and boarded the buses for our journey to our MOB site. As we walked out of the Armory we were greeted by the Patriot Guard Riders lining the stairs and sidewalks going to the buses. As we pulled out, the families lined the parking lot waiving hundreds of American Flags, crying as the buses pulled onto the road and disappeared out of view. As we were escorted though town, hundreds of citizens lined the route to see us off, getting a glimpse of us as our police and fire escort zipped us through town all the way to the state line.

As we drove along I looked out the window with sadness at the rolling Minnesota countryside, knowing it will be a long time before I would step foot on this soil again. The wide open spaces of the farmland were far different from the hilly forest I am accustomed to up north, but it was still Minnesota soil so it really didn't matter. As I sat alone on the bus I began to think about my life back home and how much I am going to miss. I knew it was far to early to get homesick but I soon found myself listening to songs from American Idol I downloaded from iTunes. I imagined I was sitting in the Plex watching Idol with Troy, Joe, Tony, and Al. I replayed in my mind the thousands of times I'd listened to Tony and Joe make fun of whoever was singing and then arguing whether they were safe this week or not. I pictured Troy imitating the blind guy's face making Chelsea laugh uncontrollably. I laughed when I thought about the hundreds of times one of us asked Al about one of the girl's tits and imitated him in my head one of his canned responses.

As we drove further along I started to find things that would remind me more and more of home along the road. As the land got flatter, the memories started to fade. Desperately, I grasped each memory I could before the faded. I remembered all the times I'd driven up to Grand Rapids to pickup Nate and remembered all the good times we've had together. It made me sad that I wouldn't be able to see him for the next year, so in my memory I drove him home and went to the VFW to see my friends there. I constantly hit the next button on my iPod thinking of each one of them as I did so. Eventually my mind closed the VFW down and I thought about the long conversations in the car before I had to go home; but eventually did go home. As my mind drove me back home I pictured that intersection where a left and 7 miles brings me to another friend's house. Somehow my mind drove me there as well until I slowly drifted asleep. I awoke later to only see endless miles of farm land that in no way could remind me of home, but did bring back memories of driving to Iowa to see my sister at college and I wondered how her leg is feeling now. Slowly, all these things I was thinking about faded and I came back to reality.

Eventually we arrived at the airport and I was able to put my memories behind me and focus on the tasks that lie ahead of me. We boarded our plane to Texas and I ensured that all my soldiers were onboard and took my seat in first class next to a friend. As the plane took off we discussed various things about the deployment and what we should expect until he started to fall asleep. I was restless so I pulled out a school book and began to read it, starting on page 1. I had no idea how long we were flying for, but I can tell you it took 239 pages of my book to get to Texas. I can tell you it was different to land on the tarmac and be greeted by other soldiers ready to get us started on our training. The next several days will be nothing but briefings and shots and visits to the doctor and even picking up new equipment. It is kind of frustrating because I was looking forward to the training we're about to receive but I will have to wait a little longer to get my soldiers prepared for combat.

As I sit in my bunk at the MOB site I can tell you that I am even more excited for this deployment than I was before. I am looking forward to the new responsibility my new rank has given me. I can't wait to get to know my troops and see what they are capable of. I know without a doubt that each and every one of them will amaze me in one way or another. They are bright and ready to tackle any challenge that lies ahead of them. Those challenges.... well, I can't wait to tackle them either.

-Guardsman

The Start of a New Year

2009-04-17T20:28:00.000+03:00

Yesterday started a new year for me, and an exciting chapter in my life. Yesterday was the first of many days of active duty for deployment.

So far things aren't very exciting, just a lot of mandatory briefings. It was nice that I got to meet my soldiers and start to get to know them. I look forward to getting to know them better and working with them over the next year.

One exciting thing was that I got promoted! I'm now a SSG and a squad leader in my platoon. This is a big step in my career and I look forward to the opportunity to lead these soldiers in combat.

Thats about it for now, as I said things aren't very exciting. I'll be back later to write more.

Guardsman

The Final Days

2009-04-10T06:11:00.000+03:00

This is my last weekend at home before the deployment. I'm kind of having a lot of mixed feelings about a lot of things. On one hand I feel like I should be spending time with my family. On the other hand I feel like I should be just doing whatever I want. Its kind of weird.

I can say that I'm getting pretty excited to deploy. For the last 2 months I've been eating pretty much whatever I want and havn't touched the gym... the cost to that? About 20 pounds!!!!! I am DISCUSTINGLY fat right now. I can't wait to deploy, start wearing that body armor that I'm going to hate so much, and start working out! I want to look like a completely different person when I get home!

Thats it for now... I'll be back on here in a couple of days when I actually MOB next week.

Guardsman

A Resurrection

2009-03-30T23:03:00.000+03:00

Just a quick note to let you all know that I'm resurrecting this blog!!!

I am deploying VERY soon in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and will use this blog to keep in touch with my friends and family as well as tell my story.

Stay Tuned........

A Year in Review

2007-09-24T08:10:00.000+03:00

First off, I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted. It's amazing how fast time flies isn't it?

Since I last wrote the end of our fiscal year has come and gone and the new year started. I'm excited to start a new year but I'd also like to take a look at the last fiscal year.

I started off last fiscal year on a very high note. I made mission (of course) and even over produced - doing my part in ensuring my recruiting team was the #1 team in our state. Since we were the #1 team n our state we were rewarded with a training trip to Hawaii. After that we started the year out slow - some of it was my laziness and some of it was out of my control. I had some people get DQed at MEPS and learned that I hate MEPS and DTS. I had some downs, but there were some things that inspired me to keep going. I had real promising interviews but for a while things just didn't seem to pan out. I went on my training trip to Hawaii behind mission - something I didn't want to do. November was rough (besides going to Hawaii) and I needed to write 4 in December. I developed a plan and hoped it would work. I kept chugging along in January and by the mid month I was seeing some improvement - even with my brother and the 1/34th BCT being extended in Iraq. By the end of the month I had made some huge improvement and was back at mission and completed February's mission by the 9th. It was hard work but worth it even with the bronchitis it gave me. I had some time to myself in February which was well needed. I was really watching the media and took great interest in a story of recruiters under fire. I also had a little message to the media myself. Minnesota got hit with a major snow storm that we really needed - but I was at MEPS when it happened. My kid was underweight at MEPS and old man winter kicked my ass with his storm! The next few months were slow. I made my mission plus some and trained in my replacement - who didn't work out so I had to train another replacement. On May 15th I was free from Recruiting and on leave for the summer. While I was on leave all summer I had to hold the hand of my latest replacement. If I wasn't such a nice guy I would have told him that I was on leave and to go fly a kite.... but I AM a nice guy so I let him call me 5 or 6 times a day and tell him how to do his job. I thought I had taught him everything about recruiting while I was still recruiting but I realize now that he just didn't listen. I eventually cut the umbilical cord and it turned out he wasn't cut for this job. While on leave I still couldn't get recruiting out of my system. In addition to helping my replacement I was still providing leads to my team. In August I started my new job and enjoyed the new job till the end of the year. Oddly enough I took my 3rd replacement to all my old schools to ensure his success.

It was a hard fought year for my team. But through a lot of hard work from EVERYBODY we came out on top once again! My team, for the second year in a row was the #1 team in my state! As far as we know this is the first time in this state's history that a team has won 2 years in a row. So... we'll be doing more training in Hawaii again this year!

I'm really looking forward to this new year. I'll be starting college next semester (I couldn't go this semester because I missed registration) and doing my new job as an Automation NCO. I've learned A LOT about this job in the last 2 months. There is MUCH more to this job than I thought possible. To make matters worse, the guy I'm replacing has been doing this job for 9 years so I have some big shoes to fill. To make matters worse there are some bigger events on the horizon for SGT Guardsman but I can't reveal them quite yet because of OPSEC.

Sorry for the lack of posting lately - obviously I've been busy with the new job and all. I'll try and write more to all 8 of my readers.

-SGT Guardsman

I'm Alive!!!

2007-08-23T06:38:00.000+03:00

It's been over a month since my last post. I bet nobody even reads this anymore but I'm going ot continue blogging anyway.

In my last post I talked about all the changes I'm going through in my life right now. Well, there have been even more changes since that last post.

I was on vacation the entire summer and greatly enjoyed my time off. Seriously, I REALLY enjoyed it! In the last 2 weeks of my vacation I decided to make another huge chance in course of my life. Instead of going back to being a 1-weekend-a-month soldier and going to school full time, I decided to take another AGR position. I am now an Automation NCO for the Recruiting & Retention Command here in Minnesota. I've now moved across the state to the Twin Cities to start my new job and this new chapter of my life. The nice thing is that my command is encouraging me to attend college in addition to my daily duties.

Moving to the Twin Cities has been an adventure so far. I obviously drove down here all the time to go to MEPS, but I have learned a lot more about the cities during the 3 weeks I've actually lived down here.

One thing I've been wondering is how do people make it to places on time every day? My first day of my new job I left my sister's house (my tempory residence) an hour before I needed to be at work and arrived 25 minutes early. The next day I left only 40 minutes before I needed to be at work and arrived 5 minutes late. The next day I left 50 minutes before and arrived 5 minutes late. The next day I left an hour before and arrived 10 minutes early. The NEXT day I left an hour before and arrived right on time! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!

How do you factor in the traffic?

Does everybody just arrive early to everything?

Doesn't anybody want that extra 10 or 15 minutes of sleep?

Well, it's late and I have to work tomorrow (and have to leave the house an hour before I have to be there!) so I'm going to go to bed. This new job has opened up a whole new part of the Army that I never knew existed so these next few months should be interesting while I learn the ropes.

A Tragedy and a New Chapter

2007-07-10T07:16:00.000+03:00

Since my last post a brave soldier Adam Sheda, returned home, spent a week with his family, and then was murdered in my home town. You can read the full story here. My brother also has some comments about everything here.

I am deeply saddened by such a senseless crime. I am sad that this brave soldier lost his life, and I feel for his family. There are many more things I want to say about this tragedy - but most have already been said and the others probably aren't appropriate.

I usually don't read my local newspaper or watch the local news because there isn't much that's newsworthy that goes on in my town (in my opinion). I didn't find out about Adam's death until the Monday after it happened. The unit he deployed with is the unit I used to support as a recruiter. I've known Adam for a while though. What makes me mad is that I can still remember welcoming him home and shaking his hand just a week before he was murdered! His unit full-timers called and told me about his death and asked if I would be part of the funeral detail. Without hesitating I said yes.

Funeral detail is probably one of the greatest honors a soldier can ever do. Being there and laying down a fallen brother properly - to be part of that is simply amazing. Since I graduated AIT I have done every funeral any body's ever asked me to do.... the number of them is somewhere between 60 and 70, most of them being WWII and Vietnam veterans.

Of all the funerals I've ever been a part of, I've only personally known 2 of the soldiers who passed. Out of all of them, this was by far the hardest one to be a part of. Out of all of them this is the only one I've ever actually cried at.

The service was a good service. At the end of the service friends and family were invited to go to the podium and say a few words about Adam or their favorite memory of him. I can tell you that Adam was truly loved and Adam truly lived while he was with us. After that we carried Adam out of the church. As we carried Adam down the steps of the church I started to get choked up. When we placed him on the truck (not a real truck, the holder for the coffin is called a truck) everybody gathered around us. His parents were just to my rear left. We raised the flag off the coffin, and the 21 gun salute started. When Taps started I could feel the tears welling up as his parents sobbed behind me. After Taps I started folding the flag making sure every detail was right. At about the third fold the dam broke and I could feel the tears flowing down my face. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see the other soldiers of my detail were crying too. When I was done folding the flag, I handed it off so I could inspect it. With some final adjustments the flag was handed off and presented to the parents. After the funeral his friends and family hung around for a while and talked about Adam and ate lunch.

I've had over a week to think about everything and hope and pray that I never have to experience losing a child. The pain a parent is unimaginable. The pain Adam's parents must feel is probably 10 times worse. Adam spent 16 months in Iraq and came home without a scratch. His parents were able to see him and hold him in their arms - they were able to thank God their boy was alive and well. A week later that relief, that happiness was torn away by some low-life thug. No parent deserves to have that happen to them. Nobody deserves to be murdered, especially after serving his country for so long away from his family.

My thoughts and prayers are with Adam and his family. Their pain will never go away, but with His will they will get through this.

This last weekend marked the end of a chapter in my life and the beginning of a new one. This weekend was my last weekend as the NCOIC of the RSP White Phase - the "Jump Suit Jockeys". We had a lot of fun, the company even had a family BBQ for us on Saturday. It was nice to talk to all my soldiers, wish them luck at Basic Training, and meet their families. Some of my soldiers even bought me a cake to thank me! That was a nice thought.

Sunday was a day full of SINCGARS (radio) training and then some unexpected "remedial training". I didn't really plan it - but I guess it wouldn't have been right to leave these young soldiers without smoking them one last time!!!

I hope I was a positive influence on these young soldiers and that I was able to prepare them for BCT while they were in my platoon. I am really glad that I had the opportunity to train these guys. When I got involved in RSP I was expecting to be a squad leader and have just a few soldiers underneath me. Being thrown into the NCOIC/Platoon Sergeant position was unexpected and worried me at first. I actually went from never having soldiers to lead (I became a recruiter days after getting my E-5), to being in charge of training and taking care of almost 80 soldiers all by myself. It was a lot of on-the-job training - but I think everybody benefited from it in the end. While I really enjoyed training these soldiers, I am ready to move onto a regular unit. Next month I will have my first drill with my new company and I am really excited!

Looking back at this chapter of my life I realize that I have changed and grown so much. I started recruiting almost 4 years ago a young inexperienced 22-year-old kid. I see now how much I've grown as a person, as a soldier, and as an NCO. I see that these last few years have made changes in me that will last the rest of my life. As I end this chapter of my life, I look forward to the new chapter - A new company, college, and much, much more awaits me.

My RSP Platoon

A Video for the Children

2007-06-27T11:20:00.000+03:00

Over the last few months, between recruiting, ETSing, moving, and starting a new chapter of my life, I have been working on a new video. It is finally ready and I'm ready to share it with you all.

The inspiration for this video comes from the Family Support Group for the unit I supported while I was a recruiter. I finally saw first hand how it isn't only the soldier who sacrifices for this country. I saw how sometimes the world forgets how much the children of our Armed Service Members really sacrifice.

This video is for the kids... it's for every concert or soccer game their parent miss. It's for every band or choir concert their parents watch on video thousands of miles away. This video is for how much we really love our kids - and why sometimes mommy and daddy have to be away. Its because we don't leave because we don't love our kids - it's because we leave BECAUSE we love our kids.

Any comments are welcome.

-SGT Guardsman

Recruiters Under Fire Home Edition

2007-06-09T06:26:00.000+03:00

This latest edition of "Recruiters Under Fire" hits close to home - real close. As usual, I'll give you the article and go point by point. You can find the full article here. When you click the link click "cancel" when it tries to print - it's the only way to give you the full article for free. Anyway, here's the story.

Three brothers... all AWOL
After enlisting in the Minnesota Army National
Guard, the Kamunens had second thoughts and didn't return to basic training after Christmas.
By Randy Furst, Star Tribune
Last update: June 03, 2007 – 11:01 PM
CARLTON, MINN. -- Luke Kamunen began to wonder if he'd made a
mistake the moment he arrived for basic training. He was still in the airport at
Fort Jackson, S.C., with other members of his Minnesota National Guard unit,
when an officer reprimanded him publicly for leaving a paper cup on his seat in
the airport.
"I was thinking, is this what it's going to be like the whole
time?" Luke said. "I'm not even on the bus yet."

Shouldn't his mother have reprimanded him publicly for leaving his crap laying around the airport? That's not humiliation - that's just manners and common courtesy.

His twin brother, Leif, started having doubts within weeks when a drill sergeant indicated they were probably headed to Iraq. Leif said that possibility had been downplayed by the recruiter who signed him up in Duluth.

Raise your hand if you're prior service and your recruiter did the same thing when you were at basic...

Just as I thought - all of you are raising your hands. For me it was Yemen when the USS Cole was bombed. (Yep - I'm young!)

What the drill sergeant was doing was starting the process of teaching the young soldiers how to operate under stress. The drill sergeant, not the recruiter, was lying in this instance - nobody is going to go to Iraq straight from Basic Combat Training. The drill sergeant tells the soldiers a little white lie to stress them out and then counsels them on how to deal with it. Pretty standard stuff - it's part of basic training.

For a soldier to deploy to Iraq at the very minimum a soldier must complete Advanced Individual Training (AIT - your job training) before being deployed. Then they would have to go to their home unit, then deploy. Lets not forget to mention that Leif (at this point I must point out the fact this kid's name is Leif - Who in the world names their kid LEIF?!) is National Guard - he belongs to the Active Army for Initial Entry Training only. After completion of training he has to go back to his home unit before deployments - his drill sergeant would know nothing about his unit from Minnesota deploying.

On Jan. 2, the twins, age 21, and their brother Leo, 20, went AWOL from the Army. All three failed to return to basic training after Christmas break in northern Minnesota. Five months later, Luke has been released from the military, while Leif and Leo remain absent without leave. They say they plan to turn themselves in soon.

Soon? They've been AWOL for 6 months! What's the hold up?

The Kamunen brothers are an example of a growing problem -- Army desertions have risen 35 percent in the past two years, according to Defense Department figures. The number rose from 2,450 in 2004 to 3,301 in 2006.
There are many more who go AWOL -- tens of thousands who leave without permission for anywhere from 24 hours to 30 days.

Lets not forget that there are more people in the Army (Active, Reserve, and National Guard) than a few years ago.

Moving on....

"In any large group of military, you are always going to have some people change their minds," said Dennis Schulstad, a retired Air Force brigadier general and a former Minneapolis City Council member. Soldiers who desert are only a fraction of the 2.5 million in the military.

Good point General.

But Ronald Krebs, a political science professor at the University of Minnesota, blames the sharp rise on the "unfathomable pressure" that recruiters are now under. He says that forces them to lower standards and recruit people who might be less stable.
"Lower-quality recruits desert at much higher rates than higher-quality recruits," said Krebs, author of "Fighting for Rights: Military Service and the Politics of Citizenship," published last year by Cornell University Press.

Here we go - the old "lowering standards" issue. Please refer to my original "Recruiters Under Fire" Post, SFC B's posts here and here, and this Heritage Foundation Report to cover this issue.

Bottom line - the standards are NOT being lowered. But I would imagine that lower-quality recruits do in fact desert at a higher rate than higher-quality recruits.

There are a couple of things I would like to say about Mr. Krebs' statements. First, recruiters do NOT set the standards for enlistment. Congress actually does that. Second, recruiters are NOT moral compasses. Their jobs are to determine qualifications and process qualified individuals. Pressure or no pressure we don't decide if somebody is going to be a "good" recruit or not.

The Kamunens are typical of young recruits who go AWOL, said Sam Diener of the GI Rights Hotline, a national organization that counsels soldiers. "The recruits are disproportionately rural, mostly high school graduates who aren't sure what to do next," he said.

Sam Diener is wrong on this one - please see the Heritage Foundation report I mentioned earlier.

Still, the Kamunens' situation is unusual, simply because there are three of them. "I've talked to thousands and thousands of AWOLs," said the GI Hotline's Bill Galvin. "And I don't think I've ever heard of two brothers going AWOL at the same time."

I don't think I've ever heard of it either. You know what else the press never mentions? The THOUSANDS of brothers who have served and continue to serve HONORABLY.

A subdued reaction up north
The brothers' decision to walk away has made barely a ripple in this northern Minnesota county.

Does this mean that nobody cares?

"I hadn't heard of it," said Robert Langenbrunner, commander of the Cloquet American Legion post. Recruits pledge to serve their country, he said. "I'm dead set against" anyone going AWOL "unless there's something traumatic, like a death in the family."
Bruce Ahlgren, mayor of Cloquet, noted that a couple of years ago, three soldiers from the area died in Iraq. "It hit our area very hard," he said. "I think young kids have a tough situation when it comes to war."

Wouldn't those soldier's deaths be reason for kids not to join instead of go AWOL?

Ahlgren doesn't know the Kamunens. "They signed up for a reason, and for whatever reason they changed their minds and will have to suffer the consequences," he said. "But I am certainly not going to condemn them for it."
Carlton County's jobless rate is more than 6 percent. "It's really hard to find a job that's going to pay what you're worth," Luke said. "You either work for McDonald's or as a janitor."

So apparently Luke at least saw the Guard as a better opportunity.

Their father, Leo, suggested Luke join the Guard because he believed the military would help him pay for college. "It sounded really good," Leo said. "I encouraged him as much as I could."

I like Leo Sr., he seems like a smart man. Apparently the kids thought their dad had some good advice...

In March 2006, Luke walked into the National Guard recruiting office in Duluth. The recruiter, Sgt. Chris Beron, told him about a $20,000 signing bonus and, according to Luke, said that deployment was unlikely.
"He told me that it's really a rare occurrence that I was going to war," Luke said. And if he did go to Iraq, "he told me I would be sitting in the barracks somewhere fixing a vehicle."

Of all my friends in Iraq, including my brother, everybody has told me that 63Bs (the MOS Luke enlisted in) don't go on patrols or raids or anything like that.

SFC Chris Beron is a good friend of mine, I know him well as I've worked with him for over 4 years. This man is no lier. This man is no crook. This man is one of the most honest recruiters I've ever known.

Beron denies that. "I tell them that we are in a war, you are in a branch of the military. ... I tell them that in 13 years, I have never been deployed ... anywhere. I spend a lot of time telling them there is a possibility, but I can't guarantee it one way or the other."

Having seen Chris do many interviews over the years I will tell you that his statements are EXACTLY what he tells his applicants. He doesn't downplay the possibility of deployments. Nor does he lie. It is true that he has not deployed in 13 years. And it is also true that nobody can guarantee somebody that they won't deploy or that they WILL deploy. I have enlisted prior service guys who want to deploy right away and are still drilling 1 weekend a month 3 years later never having deployed.

Leif was next to sign up. He had done telemarketing, worked construction, stocked grocery shelves and washed dishes. "I didn't know what direction I wanted to go," he said.
Beron "was telling us all the benefits and what we would be doing," Leif said. "He made it seem too good to be true. All the money, we would be together through our career. He said there was always a chance [of Iraq], but he kind of minimized it."

I guess I'm confused about how saying "you might deploy, you might not deploy" comes off as "minimizing" the chances.

Also, how can explaining the benefits of the Guard make it seem too good to be true? All the benefits are right there on paper!

Over the summer, younger brother Leo signed up too. "I was sick of this town," he said.
The recollections of the brothers and Beron diverge on another issue. Luke said Beron told them not to disclose any medical problems or juvenile records that might bar them from enlistment. Beron denies it.
Luke said Beron told him to conceal his scar from surgery to insert a rod in an ankle and even sent someone to Wal-Mart to buy a fake tattoo to cover it. Beron denies that vehemently. "I knew nothing about this," he said.

Here we go, recruiters telling kids to lie....

As I said, I know SFC Beron personally, I consider him a friend of mine. I don't believe for a second that Chris told these kids to lie about medical problems or juvenile records.

After reading this article, I decided to do a little "investigative reporting" of my own. Turns out that the 3 brothers went to the Active Army prior to walking into SFC Beron's office. The boys talked to the active duty recruiter and Luke did tell them about the rod in his ankle. The active duty recruiter told me that he told Luke that he would be ineligible for enlistment because it. He said he told Luke something like, "If I bring you to MEPS and they know about the surgery and rod in your ankle, they'll disqualify you for sure." After being disqualified by the Active Army recruiter Luke went on to the National Guard, knowing his ankle would disqualify him - is it not possible, if not probable, that Luke himself concealed the surgery and rod from SFC Beron?

After an investigation by my former command, SFC Beron was found not to have committed any wrong doing.

On the note of concealing juvenile records I have a couple of things to say. The old adage about your juvenile record being "sealed" is not true. If you have EVER been fingerprinted in your life, it will show up. Prior to somebody enlisting recruiters are required to do a police records check in every county the person has lived in. If the person tells us that they have something on their record we have to do a records check with the agency that arrested them and have all supporting documents including a final disposition. When they're at MEPS they have to do a "Pre-Enlistment Interview" where they go through a security interview and then are fingerprinted. Their fingerprints then are run through an FBI database where if they've ever been fingerprinted before, even as a juvenile, it will show up. If something does come up from the FBI check the recruit is processed for discharge under an erroneous enlistment.

I have personally seen the police records check SFC Beron did on the three brothers - none of them had anything but minor things on their records. Nothing came up from the FBI check either.

My opinion as a former recruiter is that the conversations where SFC Beron told them to lie never happened.

Second thoughts
Once at basic training, Luke said he hated the way drill sergeants yelled at recruits. And then he started hearing rumors about deployment to Iraq.

Umm.... it's basic training. Nobody LIKES getting yelled at, but it's something we all have to go through. Was he not expecting this? I'm supposed to believe that nobody told him what happens at BCT? Nobody in his Recruit Sustainment Program explained to him what BCT is like? Hell, we even have a DVD about BCT to give to new recruits! I'm going to choose to not feel sorry for Luke getting yelled at - he's no more special than the rest of us. Besides, he went to Fort Jackson - he can't expect me to believe that he had it "hard" there. Good 'ole "Relaxin' Jackson"...

He thought, "You can't do nothing now. You're in the Army, you're screwed." He also learned that his unit, which was supposed to be fixing Army vehicles, would carry weapons. He was trained to use M-16s and grenade launchers.

Again, was he not expecting to learn how to fire weapons? This is, after all, the Army...

The drill sergeant told them, "Don't think you are not going to war," Luke said.

Well.... that is one of the duties of the Army.... apparently he didn't know this.

Maybe this shouldn't have been a surprise, he conceded. But, "I have been living in a small town, trying to get a job," he said. "I don't know what's going on."

So Luke expects us to believe that since he comes from a small town of about couple thousand people he didn't know what the Army does and that we happen to be at war?

What I find funny about all this is that all three brothers talk earlier in the story about how SFC Beron "minimalized" the prospects of going to war. Obviously Luke knew enough about the war when he was talking to SFC Beron to ask about it - but suddenly he goes to basic training and has never heard of it?

I'm calling "Shenanigans" on the whole "I didn't know nothin' about nothin'" excuse.

Meanwhile, the week before Leif left for Fort Jackson, his girlfriend gave birth to their daughter. "Halfway through basic training, I didn't want to be there anymore," he said.

Understandable, I guess.... but the thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who have left their children behind to fight for our countries overseas probably don't want to leave their children behind either. It's the sacrifices we make for our country Leif - it's not easy but we all gladly do it to protect our children. You know what, I don't feel sorry for Leif either - he's no more special than the rest of us either.

At home over Christmas, Leo started dating a local woman. "I decided there was no way I could be apart from her for long periods of time when I didn't feel so strongly about fighting for George Bush's war," he said.

Man I love puppy love.... in 10 days Leo Jr. meets and falls so madly in love with a woman that he just can't bear the thought of leaving her to go back and finish his training or deploy in "George Bush's war" (more on that later). Guess what Leo, none of us LIKE to leave the ones we love behind when we go off to defend America. But we do it BECAUSE we love them. I don't feel sorry for Leo Jr. either - he too is no more special than the rest of us.

Leo and the reporter just couldn't resist putting in the "George Bush's war" comment in there, could they?

The fact is, that soldiers don't serve for a certain president. I have served under 2 different ones, my brother 3, and some people I know 4. We serve to protect America, to defend freedom, and to protect the Constitution - it doesn't matter who the president is - there will always be a new one just around the corner.... America will always be here.

On Jan. 2, Luke slept in and missed the plane back to his military base. Leif missed the flight, too. So did Leo.

They "slept in" like it was an accident.... "Oops! I missed my plane.. I don't think I'll ever go back!"

Right......

"We saw each other a couple days later," Luke said, "and we're saying, 'What, you didn't go back, either?' "

All THREE of them went AWOL and never discussed it with each other?! YEAH RIGHT!

I'm not buying that story for a minute. Those kids sat around the table over Christmas and discussed it. I mean seriously - SFC Beron has enlisted almost 200 people and has NEVER had any of them go AWOL. Then suddenly 3 of his enlistments go AWOL and they just HAPPEN to be brothers! WHAT A COINCIDENCE! They planned it plain and simple.....

The sad thing is that they almost make it sound like going AWOL was an accident.

Months passed, and the brothers began getting calls from military officers, demanding they return. About a month ago, Luke was spotted by a police officer, who told him he had a military warrant for his arrest. He was jailed in Carlton County for a week and then flown to Fort Knox, Ky., where he was given an "other than honorable discharge."

The brothers never got calls from military officers "demanding" they return - those "demands" are called ORDERS....

Luke was never "spotted" by a police officer. It's not like a person goes AWOL and the cops start going door to door looking for him. Luke was actually pulled over for a traffic violation - the cop ran his license and saw he had a federal warrant - the rest is self explanatory.

Luke's "other than honorable discharge" could have been a lot worse... he should consider himself lucky - he should be glad they were so lenient with him.

Leif and Leo remain AWOL. "I realized I made a mistake, and I am sorry about wasting their time and money," Leo said. He wants to move to the Twin Cities and get a job. Leif is looking for work. Luke enrolled last week in Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet. None got their $20,000 bonus; recruits get half after finishing training and half after four years, Beron said.

If Leo was really sorry, he would have gone back to BCT like a man and faced his punishment. The Guard could have provided so many opportunities - now that they're out it seems like Luke is the only one making something of him self.... good for him I guess. It's sad that these guys don't know what they let go.

The repercussions
It is not unusual for the military to be slow about catching AWOL soldiers. Galvin, of the GI Rights Hotline, said the Army has few people tracking them down. After 30 days, officials can get a desertion warrant. He said the military figures that most of them will eventually be picked up during traffic stops, as with Luke. Or the AWOL soldier will get tired of looking over the shoulder and surrender.
If AWOL soldiers are still in training, such as the Kamunens, a common penalty is an "other than honorable discharge." Diener, the counselor for the GI Hotline, said people with that kind of discharge can have a difficult time getting a job with police, government or major corporations.
"For smaller companies, it does not make as much difference," he said.

A lot of people don't realize how these things will affect them for the rest of their lives. I know when I did all the hiring for my local Best Buy I wouldn't hire a person with non-favorable discharges. I wonder if these guys weighed that out before going AWOL?

Department of Defense statistics show that while the number of AWOL Army soldiers climbed by 35 percent over two years, desertions dropped in the Navy, Marines and Air Force. Overall, AWOL numbers were up slightly, from 5,259 in
2004 to 5,361 in 2006.
Schulstad, the retired brigadier general, said it's understandable why the Army's numbers were up. "They are the guys on the ground fighting the war," he said.
Don Olson of Minneapolis is an anti-war activist who has counseled hundreds of soldiers, going back to the Vietnam War. He also counseled Luke Kamunen.
"Luke was recruited on the basis he'd be a mechanic for the Guard in Duluth," said Olson. "He told me he really didn't want to kill people."

I don't know of anybody who WANTS to kill people. Taking the life of another human being is something I've never had to do, nor do I ever WANT to. But if the situation calls for it - I will do what I have to to stay alive and protect my country.....

But Beron is perplexed by the brothers. He said he has recruited nearly 200 people over seven years, and the Kamunens are the first to go AWOL.
"I don't understand it," he said. "The reason the three brothers joined was for the educational benefit. Their goal was to try and do something with their lives."
He said the brothers made it sound as though their lives had pretty much stalled. "I accommodated them. I provided them the opportunity to serve their country."
Staff researcher Roberta Hovde contributed to this article. Randy Furst •
612-673-7382 • rfurst@startribune.com

In the end I must say I am pretty happy with how Randy Furst wrote this article. He did seem to be fairly balenced through out it - aside from my comments about it.

As a former recruiter, I see a lot more in the article than the average person does - I guess it doesn't hurt to know the recruiter very well. What I see is a couple of guys who wanted the benefits, nothing else. They didn't care about the country, they didn't care about freedom. They cared about $20,000 and a free education. The problem is that they didn't expect to have to do anything to get those benefits. Sounds typical of American society doesn't it?

These are 3 guys, the twins 21 and Leo 20, who made an ADULT decision. Things didn't go the way THEY wanted and they quit like scared little boys. Now they don't understand why the adult world is catching up with them.

The thing I dislike most about this article is the fact that it's written so that I'm supposed to feel sorry for them. I'm supposed to feel that they're just 3 dumb kids from some hick town who didn't know what they got themselves into - that the recruiter took advantage of them. The reality is that these were 3 grown adults who made a decision and can't live up to their obligations. I don't feel sorry for them at all. I think their story and excuses are all bullshit. In the end, I guess I'm kind of glad they're not in the Guard - I wouldn't want their kind serving along side me anyway.

Just Chillin'

2007-06-01T07:14:00.000+03:00

For those of you who don't know, while I'm done with recruiting I'm not done with the Army. I am going back to be a 1 weekend a month soldier and going back to college to be a teacher (any "You're going to brainwash them with your right-wing ideology" comments are welcome). Before I do that, however, I have to use up all my leave - 78 days of it. Basically, I'm on leave until school starts!!!!

So what have I been doing with my time? Not much really. I've spent some quality time with my family. I've spent some fun times with my friends. I've relaxed.... a lot! I know I really needed these last 2 weeks to unwind. I have no plans for the summer really, except to enjoy the sun while listening to the waves lap against the shore a the cabin I'm living in for the summer. I honestly can't complain about much.... and that's the problem.

Right now my brother, many friends, and my brothers and sisters in arms are in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places fighting for our country. They're doing a tough job and doing it well. They're over there shedding blood, sweat, and tears for our country while I'm doing nothing. When they wake up they think about the most stressful part of their day - that moment when they leave the gates of their FOB and wonder "Is today going to be the day?". The most stressful part of my day is when I wake up and figure out what I'm going to wear (Do you have any idea how long it has been since I've worn civilian clothes every day?). Hell, the most stressful part of my week is mowing the lawn every Friday!

It all just seems...... unfair. Doesn't it?

The thing I love most about soldiers is their ability to make light of almost any situation. It seems as though no matter what is going on there is always a soldier who will make you smile or even laugh a little bit. Our brave men and women of the military are over there doing their duty - you and I both know they'd probably rather be somewhere else but they do their duty anyway. All of them deal with it differently, but some of them deal with it through humor... they make light of the situation. My brother sent this video to me and it is a prime example of that.

Not too much else going on... I'm just chillin'. The only problem is that the boredom is starting to kick in already..... what the hell am I going to do with my time?

On a side note - I realized the other day that all the songs on my MP3 player are NOT suited for working out. I really want a new play list for working out but I'm horrible at picking that kind of music since I listen to mostly country and jazz. Anybody have any ideas for songs? If so, leave any suggestions in the comments. In my next post, I'll put up which songs I picked for "SGT Guardsman's Ultimate Workout Play list".

-SGT Guardsman

Free At Last

2007-05-16T08:43:00.000+03:00

free at last - Thank God Almighty I'm free at last!

I'm done recruiting - I am on leave for the time being and will enjoy these next 3 months greatly.

I'm in the middle of moving so I won't be posting for a little bit - don't worry as I'm enjoying myself!

Reuters Needs Help

2007-05-07T10:20:00.000+03:00

I was looking a picture slide show of the "celebrations" after the French elections today and came across a picture with a.... well.... strange caption:

Click on the image to enlarge
"Damaged?" I think that car is a little bit more than "damaged"! And to think that people actually trust Reuters to give them fair coverage on world events. And to think that some of my friends think I'm crazy to hate the MSM.... or I might just be a crazy right-wing-wacko... either way, what do you think?

Congress is...

2007-04-14T10:09:00.000+03:00

... going to kill the military. Secretary Gates was right, if the Defense Authorization Act for FY07 isn't passed soon the entire military, and our families, will suffer.

How did I come to this conclusion? Simple - the 2007 Strength Maintenance Conference.

Every year the National Guard has the Strength Maintenance Conference where all the big-wigs get together and discuss recruiting issues. They have each state's Recruiting Commander come, the SGMs, the team commanders, and many of the team NCOICs. They also invite a select number of recruiters and their spouses. They make a big hoop-tee-doo about it and it's apparently a pretty good time.

This year they invited 1500 recruiters and their spouses. Yours truly was invited but for some reason they wouldn't book a plane ticket for my blow-up doll I lovingly call my wife.

This year's conference is going to be in St. Louis. I've never been to St. Louis so I was pretty excited. Some of my recruiting buddies were also invited so it was sure to be a good time. They were going to have a BBQ for us, an auction, an event for us and our spouses (nobody said what they were going to do with the single soldiers), and many other activities.

This year turned out to be different though.

This year they canceled pretty much the whole thing due to lack of funding.

Secretary Gates warned that if the budget wasn't approved soon, the military would start to suffer. It is now apparent that the military is running out of money. How long is it until the suffering begins?

I've never understood why, with our fiscal years starting on 1 October, that we didn't get our budget approved around.... well.... 1 October. But hey, that's the way it's always been I guess, we get it a little late.

Last year it was approved in January if I remember correctly.

It's now April.

I wonder what changed from last year to this year?

Oh yeah, Congress

So Congress has decided to micro-manage the war - surely not in their job description (at least it wasn't in the Constitution the last time I checked). They're doing it the only way they know they can - control the money.

The President warned months ago that if Congress passed the budget with a stipulation for pulling out of Iraq he would veto it. He told them to not even debate the bill if it called for a pull out. He said just approve the budget and debate the war later - too many troops lives were at stake.

Congress didn't listen - they debated the bill, but didn't have enough votes to pass it. What did they do next? They filled it with pork and bought enough votes to pass the bill - but not enough for a veto.

The President vetoed it and said take out the Iraq retreat and he'll pass it.

Congress refused.

No Congress and the President are in a stand-off - and every Soldier, Sailor, Marine, and Airman's life hangs in the balance.

The Democrats want the war to end, sooner rather than later - no matter the consequences

The Republicans want to win the war - no matter the cost.

The Democrats are going to hold off for as long as possible on this one. They are going to wait until the President MUST sign their bill because the DoD is that broke. They're going to wait until we don't get our paychecks and then blame it all on the President.

The cancellation of the Strength Maintenance Conference made me realize something: If they're canceling this conference - what else is going to be canceled? That next shipment of .50 cal ammo? That new HMMWV that is replacing the one that got hit by an IED last week? That new SAPPI plate to replace the one that took a round from an insurgent yesterday? More IV Bags that all the heat casualties use? That new shipment of plasma for the medics to use? That new supply of blood to keep our wounded soldiers alive?

Once the money is gone - where will the suffering begin?

I think Congress has a lot of explaining to do - and fast! We might work for them - but we vote their asses into office......

I guess I would hate to have to explain that somebody's father, or brother, or son died because Nanci Pelosi had to prove she has a bigger dick than the President.

Anybody else feel the same way?

The Muse is Broken

2007-04-08T21:23:00.000+03:00

I am still alive and kicking - my muse has been very broken for a while now....

Not much new to report - except I have about a month before my terminal leave starts!!!! I'm pretty excited about that. I was also invited to the 2007 Army National Guard Strength Maintenance Conference so I'll be going to St. Louis in May - I wonder if SGT Lori is going????

The picture included in this post is of what I was treated to last week. The week before was 70deg and sunny. It melted all the snow from the last several months. Spring was in the air and everyone was excited. Apparently Old Man Winter has a sick sense of humor! We went from NO snow on the ground..... to 10 INCHES!!!! Apparently Old Man Winter got the last laugh

JACK ARMY’s "A Day in the Life” of My FOB

2007-03-17T17:47:00.000+03:00

A chaptered story told on many blogs starts here and continues here:

Chapter Nine: The Gym

Our gym used to be a chapel. There was a sign on the door that said, “Welcome to the Church of Pain!” Funny.

Recently, we upgraded the gym by purchasing new equipment and replacing the wornout and torn floor mats with new ones. There are a few machines to get a workout on, several benches and lots of freeweights. It’s a good place to really break a sweat and it get used at all hours of the day. In fact, not that I do this often, I recall going in there at 2 am one morning when I couldn’t sleep and there were two guys in there working out with the music blaring.

I typically use the gym in the mornings. I like to go run out to the airfield, do a lap or two (it’s not a big airfield) and then grab a bottle of water and head to the gym. Some days I’ll do my push-up and sit-up improvement routine. There’s the strength-training workouts and there’s the endurance workouts, too.

And some days there’s the “I know I should work out but I feel like crap” workout that is more of a wander around the gym in a daze and wonder why I feel so bad. More of those days than I’d like.

And when I’m feeling really froggy, there’s the double-the-workout workout followed by a few sprints up the side of a bunker or something crazy like that.

As you can guess, I don’t feel froggy all that often.

Recruiters Under Fire Redux

2007-03-14T06:20:00.000+03:00

Andy Rooney must have forgot to take his meds the other day - I mean WOW that crusty old bastard is off his rocker!

On this week's edition of "60 Minutes" Andy Rooney talks about Military Recruiting and the state of our current military. This man needs to be put in a home...

There have been stories recently about the problem the Pentagon is having
recruiting enough soldiers to do the fighting that we're committed to do in
Iraq.

In an attempt to get the soldiers they need, recruiters have reduced the
standards for getting into the Army or Navy.

More

There are so many things I can say about this - it all goes back to my truth in reporting...... So instead of going on one big tirade I'll just go point by point.

In an attempt to get the soldiers they need, recruiters have reduced the
standards for getting into the Army or Navy.

Recruiters have reduced the standards? I WISH!!! Fact of the matter, Mr. Rooney, is that recruiters have NOTHING to do with the enlistment standards. The standards are created by the United States Congress. After Congress creates the standards, they're passed off to the Department of Defense. The Department of Defense takes those standards and creates the regulations and passes them on to each service. Each service is allowed to do slight adjustments to the standards as they see fit. With that said, they can only make the standard more strict - not more lenient. So, Mr. Rooney, recruiters have nothing to do with the reduction of standards at all. (we still have to PROVE that the standards have been reduced)

They have reduced the educational standards, for example, so that they're
getting more soldiers who didn't go to high school, let alone graduate from high
school.

I honestly have no idea where Mr. Rooney is getting this. Enlisting Soldiers who didn't go to high school? You have to have a high school diploma or a GED PRIOR to shipping to AIT. He MAY be talking about the Army's GED+ program. The GED+ program allows a high school drop-out to enlist without a high school diploma or GED given the following conditions: 1. He/She has completed at least the 9th Grade. 2. They are at least 18 years old. 3. No moral waivers are required for enlistment. 4. They score at least a 31 or higher on the ASVAB (AFQT depends on service) 5. They get their GED prior to shipping to basic training. As you can see the soldier must have SOME high school education prior to enlisting. They still have to pass the ASVAB just like everybody else. AND they have to pass their GED prior to shipping. Mr. Rooney is clearly lying when he says that we're enlisting soldiers with no education. I guess one could argue that since they changed the standards for home schooled kids that we are enlisting kids who have never been to high school - but they're educated none-the-less. Mr. Rooney is still a lier in this case.

Recruiters are granting thousands of what they call "moral waivers". A "moral waiver" it turns out means they'll take someone who has committed a crime or even someone who has been in prison. Last year, a total of 8,129 "moral waivers" were given to men who volunteered for the Army.

I've talked in length about moral waivers in another post. There are so many different kinds of moral waivers and they all act like every moral waiver is for being a rapist or ax-murderer! I'm working a kid right now who broke his hand at Basic Training and was discharged for it. Since he didn't get a medical discharge, it was a "failure to meet medical procurement standards". That discharge requires a moral waiver. This young man wants nothing more than to serve his country. He has no criminal record and is a PT stud. He scored a 84 on his ASVAB and has his high school diploma. Surely we're "lowering the standards" for this one. The truth is that moral waivers are a fact of this job that have been going on since the beginning of the all volunteer Army. Moral waivers are used for so many things from petty misdemeanors, traffic tickets, all the way up to some felonies. There is a process waivers go through prior to being approved and many checks and balances along the way to ensure only the highest quality recruits are enlisted. Do some fall through the cracks? Sure they do - nobody is perfect.

Are these the people we want representing us? As American soldiers, they're going to give the people they meet around the world the impression that they are what all Americans are like and if they have been taken from the bottom of the barrel, they are not what we're all like.

And what's wrong with these people exactly Mr. Rooney? I urge you, Mr. Rooney or anybody else for that matter, to pick any platoon in any unit on any post. Go to this platoon and talk to the soldiers there - and tell me which ones needed moral waivers and which ones didn't. I can guarantee you that you, nor anybody else, will be able to tell the difference between the "good" and the "bad" soldiers. I can guarantee you that any soldier you find will be immensely better than any McDonald's employee you find - do you really want a pimply-faced burger flipper representing us? Oh yeah - McD's is already all over the world.

[For yours and my sake, I'll skip the part where Rooney talks about how much he hates the Army]

In 1942 we were at war with Germany and it wasn't long before drafted college
students and high school graduates dominated our military. It changed the United
States Army for the better and in two years made it the best fighting force
there has ever been. The Army and Navy were no longer made up of losers.
Now comes the part of this I never thought I'd hear myself say: Whenever we,
as a nation, decide to fight a war – in Iraq or anywhere else – it should be
fought by average Americans who are drafted.

So that's what it all comes down to, huh Mr. Rooney? That we're all losers? I know you didn't outright say it - but we can all tell that's what you meant. This Army is the most educated Army this world has ever seen. Were there more college educated service members in WWII? Yes there was. This is probably due to the fact that there were 11,000,000 serving then vs. our 2,000,000 now. But I will tell you that the average soldier today is twice as educated as the average soldier then. I know soldiers with Associates Degrees, Bachelor's Degrees, multiple degrees, Master's Degrees, and even a few PHDs. I will also point out that all of these soldiers are enlisted. Hell, just look at my recruiting team. My office partner has his BS. The next office east of us has 2 recruiters. One with his BS and the other with two BS degrees and an AS. The next office east of that has 3 recruiters. One has three BS degrees, another has 2 BS degrees, and the other has his AA. The next recruiting station south of that has 2 recruiters. One has his AA, the other has his BA and speaks 3 languages. The next office south of that has 2 recruiters. 1 has his BA and the other just finished his Master's. As a matter of fact, I'm the least educated member of my recruiting team - I've been going to college off and on for 7 years but keep changing my major so I don't have a degree yet..... What's my point in all this? Surely we are an Army full of losers.......

Everybody can claim that the standards are being lowered. They can whine about it and say that the war is failing so the Army is having trouble meeting it's mission. With the trouble of the mission they can claim that the Army is enlisting more "criminals". Were there more moral waivers granted in FY 2006? Yes. Has the Army and Army National Guard been increasing it's end strength since 2003? Yes. Are all moral waivers for "hardened criminals"? No. Moral waivers have always been here, and always will be here - they indicate nothing on the current state of our military and the President's handling of the war.

Old Man Winter's Aftermath

2007-03-04T10:27:00.000+03:00

Old Man Winter left a pretty bad aftermath after his full-on assault on the mid west! Pictured here is my car on Friday morning - (mostly) buried under about a foot of snow!

Thursday was pretty uneventful - I just got to know my applicant REALLY well! He's a great kid and is really excited to join the Guard in 3 weeks after he's gained some weight (how often to you hear recruiters saying their applicants need to GAIN weight?). The Back to the Future marathon was about the most exciting thing we did (he slept through most of it).

Friday morning I woke up and checked the Doppler weather radar and, after looking out my window, confirmed that Old Man Winter was still attacking the Midwest. I spent the morning aimlessly watching TV and watching the weather radar hoping that I wouldn't be trapped for another night. Eventually I saw a break in the storm was coming - I estimated it would break in half an hour so we packed our crap and headed down to breakfast to await the break so we could hit the road. We ate breakfast and watched as Old Man Winter's assault fizzled out - FINALLY we'd be getting outta there so I went and started the car (and took the picture). By the time I checked out my car was completely dug out with all the windows scraped of all ice. The maintenance man at the hotel saw me start my car and did all that for me! That's what I love about small towns - you'd never see somebody do something so nice in a big city!

My applicant and I hit the road at the beginning of the break and the roads weren't too bad - again, that wasn't going to last long. The roads quickly got worse and I just focused on keeping the car on the road. From where we stayed it normally would take us about 2 and a half to 3 hours to get home. It took us 5 and a half hours to get home! My applicant shared our different tastes of music via MP3 players and XM radio and generally tried to make the trip more enjoyable along the way. Eventually I got him home safely and had to go back home to pack up for Winterfest.

Winterfest is my command's yearly conference where we all bring our families to a resort of some sort where we have team building parties, training with our spouses (sucks being single!), and a formal dinner and awards ceremony. Most people have mixed feelings about Winterfest. Me, I didn't want to go, but in the end I was indifferent about it. I saw it as a time where I'd be forced to hang out with a bunch of people I don't really want to hang out with - oh yeah, everybody gets drunk as hell so they're more obnoxious than usual. In the end it wasn't so bad and it was cool to spend time with my buddies before I ETS.

Anyway, back to Old Man Winter's assault.

I packed all my stuff into my POV because it has 4-wheel-drive and my command authorized the use of POVs due to the weather. I looked at Google Maps and estimated that it should take 3 and a half hours to get there under normal circumstances. The drive turned out better than I thought - Phase 3 of Old Man Winter's attack missed us. The problem was that it was really windy and the back-road highways I had to take were really icy. It took me about 5 and a half hours to get to Winterfest! I was REALLY late so I missed a lot of the festivities but I'm not complaining.

All-in-all, Old Man Winter really kicked some but - but I realize now it will really help the local economy of my home town with the tourism it will bring via snowmobilers. As much pain and agony it caused me, maybe it was a good thing?

I feel really bad for all my family in Duluth as they got hit HARD! My Uncle has some really great pictures here.

Tomorrow I'm going to get myself a message at the resort. I hope I get a young hot girl but my luck I'll get some old fat lady with warts! After that I have to go back to the cities for a team meeting on Monday. I've got some great pictures of the hotel that we paid for. I'd like to show what your tax dollars paid for but the connection here is really slow. I'll show you all soon though.

Old Man Winter's Assult Continues

2007-03-01T23:55:00.000+03:00

Phase 1 of old man winter's assault has been completed. He took a break early this morning before starting phase 2. Phase 2 is twice as bad as phase 1!!! The worst part is that intel says he's got a phase 3 planned as well!

I woke this morning to see the end of phase 1 but quickly went back to sleep. An hour later I was wakened by my phone ringing at 0800.... and it was MEPS calling. Every recruiter knows that it's never a good thing when MEPS calls that early. NEVER! turns out my guy is 6lbs UNDERWEIGHT!!!! Why do these things happen to me? After I got off the phone I started getting ready to go pick him up and head home - hoping the break in Old Man Winter's assault would hold and allow me to get home. I was wrong.

After checking out I walked out of my hotel and took this picture. Phase 2 had begun and apparently Old Man Winter had unleashed a full-on assault giving us all he's got. The normal 15 minute drive to MEPS took almost 45 minutes. I picked up my kid and had to stop by my headquaters for some errunds. HQ took a little longer than anticipated but we were finally on the road.

The trip didn't start out to bad - but it quickly got bad, and then even worse. We had been driving for 2 and a half hours and I realized we were in a town that normally took an hour! We had been going 30mph and there were lots of cars in the ditch - I decided that it wasn't safe to continue.

Here I am, stuck in a hotel wishing I could be home. My applicant crashed on his bed long ago so now I'm watching a "Back to the Future" marathon...... wish me luck.

Old Man Winter's Punishment

2007-03-01T08:06:00.000+03:00

And it starts......

Old Man Winter has started his punishment on Minnesota tonight. The best part? I'm at MEPS and have to drive home tomorrow in the storm!!! By Friday, most of Minnesota could be buried in up to 15 to 24 inches of snow!!! Why did this whole thing have to start while I'm at MEPS. I've got enough to worry about with the MEPS doctors and all..... but now I snow storm? One part of me says that if the roads are too bad, that I should just stay in the cities another night with my applicant because I'd like to make the 4 hour drive alive! Another part of me says to tough it out and get home as safely as possible. Right now I'm not sure what I want to do.

On one hand, I don't want ot die.... so I should just take the safest route and stay in a hotel for another night. On the other hand I'm looking at my weekend and I really just want to make it home.

This weekend we have our yearly conference called "Winterfest". I have to admit that I really don't like going to winterfest. Why don't I like winterfest? Let me tell you!

Winterfest is a time for everyone in my command to get together, get drunk, kiss some command ass, and stroke their egos. In the end it's a weekend where I'm forced to hang out with a bunch of people that I don't want to hang out with! A lot of these people spend the entire weekend drunk as hell, making me not want to hang with them even more. I'll will admit that there are other recruiters who I really consider my friends - but if I want to hang out with them I will. The other recruiters I just want to work with - I don't necessarily want to spend an entire weekend with them. The one nice thing about winterfest is that it is a time that the command issues out awards - and since we never recieved any awards for being the top team in the state last year I'm hoping to actually get some awards for once.

Let me get back to why I just want to tough out the storm.

If I stay in the cities another night I will have to drive 4 hours back to my office on Friday morning, then turn around and drive back to the cities to attend Winterfest. It's safer, but damn will all that drive time on Friday suck!

If I tough out the storm on the road and go back tomorrow, Thursday, I'll get to sleep in my own bed. Then I'll only have 4 hours to drive on Friday, instead of 8.

I think I'll see what the roads are like tomorrow - I'll take some pictures tomorrow morning to show you the aftermath of phase 1 of Old Man Winter's assault.

Message to the Media

2007-02-24T08:49:00.000+03:00

I was going to continue my piece about Recruiters being under fire but SFC B has done a much better job than I can. Follow his story over at his blog.

What I wanted to write about today is 11 things that I would like to say to the collective MSM:

1. Nobody cares about Anna Nichole Smith!
Every morning I wake up, I know that she's still dead - you don't have to keep reminding me. I don't care about the fact that she died. It's sad, but it happens every day. My neighbor died the other day of a suspected overdose and not one television cameras showed up - what makes Anna Nichole Smith so much more important than this guy to have her death all over every network for the last 2 weeks? I don't care what they do with her body, I don't care what happens to her fortune, and I don't care who gets custody of her daughter as long as she's taken care of. Frankly, none of this is ANYBODY's business other than the families. Maybe if you leave these people alone they wouldn't OD on drugs all the time!

2. I don't care about Britney Spears.
I don't care how many times she's been in and out of rehab. I don't care if she shaves her head. I don't care if she doesn't wear panties when out at the clubs - although it does turn me on a little. I don't care if K-Fed gets the kids - and frankly, none of this is ANYBODY'S business other than hers, K-Fed's, and their families. Again, this crap doesn't need to be on every network 24/7.

3. I don't care about mountain climbers who get stuck on a mountain.
These people made the decision to go up on that mountain, knowing the risks. They should take responsibility for their actions and I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't feel sorry for them nor am I the only one who's sick of the news telling me I should feel sorry for them. If they're stuck, go rescue them because we're the only country in the world who helps idiots like these but keep this crap off the TV. There's much more important things going on in the world besides some morons who want to go mountain climbing for "the thrill" just to cry like babies when things go wrong. It is sad when these mountain climbers never make it off the mountain but we shouldn't feel sorry for them when they knowingly took the risk to get "the thrill".

4. Hollywood celebs and recording artists are not military experts.
Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Jane Fonda, The Dixie Chicks, John Mellencamp, and the rest of the "stars" who oppose the war are NOT military experts so they should not be be on the TV saying what we should do in Iraq. Just because Martin Sheen played the President on TV does not mean he is qualified to be the REAL Commander-In-Chief. Just because Mike Farrell played BJ Hunnicut on M.A.S.H. doesn't mean he really knows how to be a commander at war. These people need to leave military decisions to the real experts who have the proper training and knowledge to make such decisions. If General Pace tried to give these moonbats advice on how to shoot a movie or produce an album they would laugh in his face. Yet they think they're "elite" enough that they can tell General Pace how to do his job. If they're against the war, that's fine, let them say they're against it - but leave the military planning to the people who's jobs it is to do so.

5. People who do suicide attacks in Israel are not "freedom fighters"
As a matter of fact the proper term is actually Terrorists. If these Islamic extremists were only attacking valid Israeli military targets I might agree that maybe they're "freedom fighters". But when these psychopathic sickos cross the boarder and blow up school buses filled with children they show that they aren't for freedom at all - they're terrorists plain and simple. Calling them anything else is an insult to our intelligence and only boosts the terrorists' morale.

6. If I wanted to know about the Oscars I would watch them on Sunday.
I. Don't. Care. About. The. Oscars. If I REALLY wanted to hear about them I would actually turn the friggin channel and watch them. There's much more important things going on in the world than the stupid Oscars. I don't understand how the Oscars get more coverage than the 13-year-old boy who was kidnapped at gunpoint and escaped unharmed - the latter story is MUCH more newsworthy. Keep all the Oscar crap for shows like Entertainment Tonight.

7. Every time you reveal classified information or operations you hurt America.
This is a pretty serious issue. Every time you release classified information or classified operations you hurt America, your own country. These actions are morally wrong and borderline treasonous. Don't you realize that you are potentially putting lives at risk here? Even if there aren't lives at risk, you are ruining our tools to actually WIN the Global War on Terror. If you actually WANT us to lose this war, keep doing business as usual. If you actually WANT us to WIN this war, then you'd better get your head out of your asses and stop selling out your own country for a story and a buck.

8. Stop the one-sided coverage of Iraq.
There are actually GOOD things happening in Iraq - your constant refusal to report anything but the bad things shows you for the traitors you probably are. You don't really have to look very hard to find these stories. CENTCOM has done a lot of the homework for you. Hell, my brother and a guy named Jim have done some of the homework for you as well. I'm not saying don't report the bad things - there ARE bad things happening in Iraq and it SHOULD be reported. What I'm saying is lets have a little balance here. What you are doing by only reporting the bad things is furthering your agenda of America losing the war in Iraq - that isn't your job. Your job is to report the facts and not try to sway the public opinion.

9. There are 2 sides to the global warming story.
Stop reporting just the democratic talking points on the issue. Sean Hannity shouldn't be the only one in the world actually reporting that many scientists don't believe the global warming hype. Besides, 15 years ago you told me we were heading into the next ice age - now the world is warming up? Maybe we should do a little more research before we scream "fire" in a crowded movie theatre.

10. Lets have a little TRUTH in reporting shall we?
Finally, you all need to tell the TRUTH in your stories, both on the air and in print. Every time I watch the news or read something in the paper I constantly find things that are either half-truths or down right lies and it's getting out of control. We have a free press in this country because our four-fathers believed you can't trust the government to tell the truth. Now we can't even trust our free press to tell the truth any more! If we can't trust the government to tell the truth (and I don't) and we can't trust the media to tell the truth (which I don't either) than who can we trust? The odd thing is that I find myself believing the government more than the media even though the government has more to gain by lying! I think I speak for more than just myself when I say we're sick and tired of lies in the media. You can't say Saddam NEVER had WMDs when he used them to kill hundreds of thousands. As SFC B said Chris Dugan was never a recruiter. U.S. Soldiers never flushed Korans down the toilet at Gitmo to antagonize prisoners. The scary part is that you don't realize the kind of damage you can and have done with your false reporting. Take a look at the case of the Times report of U.S. soldiers flushing Korans down the toilet at Gitmo to antagonize prisoners. That story caused riots across the Muslim world and several soldiers DIED because of the riots that story caused. The VERY NEXT WEEK the Times printed admitted that the only incidents of Korans being flushed was done by the prisoners themselves to try and clog up the toilets to piss off the guards! Who took responsibility for those soldiers who lost their lives because of your false reporting? Frankly, it needs to stop for every one's sake.

11. The election is too far away - lets hold off for now.
The election is over a year and a half away. Hell, the primaries are a year away! Can we please get this off the TV. At the rate you're going now, EVERYBODY is going to be sick and tired of the election and our horribly low voting rate will drop even lower.

I'm glad I got all that off my chest. Feel free to comment even if you think I'm a right-wing crack-pot.

I finished this month's mission (HAHA!!! I go off a calendar month - suck it USAREC recruiters!) back on the 9th and haven't done much actual recruiting the rest of the month. Frankly, after enlisting 6 soldiers into the Army National Guard in 34 days I think I deserved a little break. I think it's time to get back to work, don't you?

Finally, I have a couple of big announcements to make - and these are huge.
#1. With my ETS (End of Term of Service) fast approaching I have decided to NOT extend my tour in Recruiting. This job has been by far the best job I've ever had. At the same time this has been by far the worst job I've ever had. I'm glad I've had this opportunity to do this job, but in the end I believe it is time to move on. I will have a crazy amount of leave to burn up before I ETS so I will be ending my recruiting tour much earlier than expected. As of the information I have right now, I will out process from my BN on the morning of May 15th and start my terminal leave at 1200hrs of that same day. There's lots to do before that time so the two and a half months I have till I'm done will be busy - but a welcomed busy.

#2. I WILL BE ON VACATION ALL SUMMER!!!!!! I just wish my brother would be home to enjoy it with me.

#3. I only have SIX enlistments left! My replacement is already in my office and I've begun wrapping up my recruiting life. If all goes well, I'll have my 6 enlistments sooner rather than later and be able to have a very easy transition to the non-recruiting world.

#4. I'm going to go back to college full time next fall to FINALLY get my degree. I'll be majoring in Secondary Education with a focus in Broad field Social Studies. Troy, if you don't have your Masters by the time I graduate, I will never stop teasing you. By the way, you're 8 and a half years older than me so you should have your masters before I have my bachelors.....

I've included a poll at the bottom of this post that I encourage you all to participate in.

Take the poll

Free Poll by Blog Flux

Recruiters Under Fire

2007-02-16T08:42:00.000+03:00

In the last 2 days we've seen a lot of stuff about recruiting mostly focusing on the Army. Some of what is being put out by the media and lefty blogs is a lot of half truths, misleading information, and false information and I just can't not talk about it.

First up on the docket is Military Accepting More Ex-Cons:

Here's the cold hard facts: Did the Army grant more waivers in FY 2006 than it did in FY 2003? Yes, they did.

Some may argue that this is due to an increase in the missions from 2003 to 2006, but the increase in mission cannot account for the increase in waivers as the difference is only about 10,000 soldiers. It's just a simple fact that they granted more waivers than they did in the past.

Where I get confused is where they start to only mention moral waivers without even mentioning what kind of moral waivers they're talking about. Anybody who has been involved in recruiting for more than an hour would understand that there are many kinds of moral waivers. Lets say that you have a prior service guy who got a little overweight while on Active Duty and was kicked out of the Army because of it. After a while he gets in shape, loses the weight, and wants to enlist. Since his DD214 has a RE-3 he requires.... you guessed it a MORAL WAIVER. If you have a kid who has a tattoo on his hand, during FY 2006 he would have required a MORAL WAIVER. Lets say you have a kid who admits to smoking pot on more than one occasion, or "recreational use", he's going to require a MORAL WAIVER. Surely these hardened criminals should not be in this kinder-gentler Army right?

I also have a problem with what some of the people quoted in the article are saying:

"The fact that the military has allowed more than 100,000 people with such troubled pasts to join its ranks over the past three years illustrates the problem we're having meeting our military needs in this time of war," said Aaron Belkin, director of the center.

100,000?! HOLY CRAP!

How exactly did he get these numbers I wonder? From earlier in the story:

The number of felony waivers granted by the Army grew from 411 in 2003 to 901 in 2006, according to the Pentagon, or about one in 10 of the moral waivers approved that year. Other misdemeanors - from petty theft or writing a bad check to some assaults - jumped from about 2,700 to more than 6,000 in 2006, representing more than three-quarters of moral waivers granted by the Army.

Lets do math!

Lets say that there has been a steady increase in waivers each year starting in 2003 (I'm too lazy to look up the exact numbers but an estimation should do fine for our little fact finding mission). So for felony waivers we had 411 in 2003, 520 in 2004, 745, in 2005 and 901 in 2006. So in the last 4 years we've had 2,577 people enlist with a felony on their record.

For misdemeanor waivers we had 2700 in 2003, 3600 in 2004, 4900 in 2005 and 6000 in 2006. So that means in the last 4 years we've had 17,200 people enlist with a misdemeanor on their record.

If you add those numbers up, you've got 19,777 people who required moral waivers for law violations who've enlisted in the last 4 years. Lets just round my random numbers up to 20,000 to make things easier.

Where in the WORLD did Aaron Belkin from the California-based Michael D. Palm Center come up with 100,000?! Sorry, but when you put out a number that is 5 TIMES HIGHER than the actual (estimated) numbers that is not an "error in reporting", that is an OUTRIGHT LIE!

Noticed how he said it's 100,000 people with "such troubled pasts"? The story even admits that you need a waiver for writing a bad check - surely these are very troubled people. What if the person has a lead foot and requires a waiver for 4 or more speeding tickets - again, we should let people with "such troubled pasts" into our military......

What's worse is that the lefty bloggers are having a field day with this.

One blogger had this to say:

The waiver removes the standard measure of "morality" for people who have been convicted of such crimes as aggravated assault (including rape), burglary, robbery, and vehicular homicide.

Including rape? Wow, that's news to me - I was unaware that rape was a waivable offense.

Let me just look that one up in the ECM...... wow, says here that rape is a non-waivable felony.....

Aggravated assault? That one is a little tougher since the military classifies things differently. But let me look that one up too..... wow, here's the definition:

Assault, Aggravated (such as assault with dangerous weapon,
assault intentionally inflicting great bodily harm, or assault with
intent to commit a felony)

And you guessed it, non-waivable.

I'll give him burglary, as that is a felony waivor.

What about robbery? If it was armed robbery than that's non-waivable, but robbery without a weapon is waivable.

What's more interesting is he had this to say:

This policy was instituted gradually beginning around 2003, because the
recruiters' source pool, inner city youth and hapless rural youth,... wisely
withheld their hands from the contracts. And they were the ones without the
records.

Instituted gradually beginning in 2003? That's strange, when my brother was a recruiter in 1999 I remember helping him with some waivers when I worked ADSW. Maybe my brother was ahead of the curve, knowing we'd be stuck in this "quagmire."

Frankly, these bloggers need to stop lying about things they know nothing about. The scary thing is that every one of their ilk that reads this filth is going to believe it as the gospel.

You know what I find most hypocritical about this who thing? The left's talking points.

The left is the first group of people to talk about rehabilitation of our criminals and giving them a second chance - yet when the military does what they want and they're up in arms about it!Robbie at UrbanGrounds said it much better than I can.

That's all I'm going to write tonite - watch this weekend for the next thing on my docket - Undercover reporters catching recruiters lying.

Once Helluva Month

2007-02-12T06:55:00.000+03:00

This last month has been absolutely crazy! I didn't really believe it myself when I looked, but it's true. In the last 34 days I've enlisted 6 new people into the National Guard! How crazy is that? Very crazy indeed.

It's crazy how much work enlisting 6 people in a month's time is - it seemed like time just flew by.

You want to know what all that hard work got me? A lot really. It got me back at missing for the month of January. It finished my mission for February (We go off a calendar month, not that crazy USAREC "month") in only 9 days. And best of all - it got me bronchitis!

Man! Am I a lucky guy or what?!

Since my last post there have been some things to change when it comes to drill. Back in December my NCOIC told me that I would be at least a Squad Leader in a platoon of the Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP). I thought "this is interesting - they usually don't like us to become part of a drilling unit" so I asked what brought this on. Turned out it was being command directed because they believed that it would make the RSP more successful as well as provide great leadership opportunities for the recruiters. Sounded like a win-win so I was all for it. January drill was fast approaching when I was told by my NCOIC that I would not be a Squad Leader - I was now going to be a Platoon Sergeant for the white phase soldiers! This should be fun..... an E-5 thrown into this position. I knew I'd make it work though.

January drill came up and I apparently did a good job - my NCOIC and the Commander and 1SG for the supporting unit had nothing but good things to say about my performance. In the end they told me I would be the PLT SGT for white phase for the remainder of the training year. Sounded great to me - I love training troops and I appreciated the opportunity. Little did I know things would soon change again.

As January was coming to an end I received another phone call from my NCOIC telling me that February would be the last month I would be the white phase PLT SGT. I was very surprised by this and asked why. It seemed that many recruiters who were behind mission were blaming RSP on their mission failure so the command took away the scapegoat because it "was not beneficial to either RSP or the recruiters." That sucked so I decided to do something about it. I worked my way up the chain to fight to stay with RSP. Eventually I won the battle just before February drill.

While I was working my ass off to enlist 6 people I also had a lot of prep work to do before drill. I suffered a nasty cold the week before drill, so I suffered through 3 days of Career Direction at one of my high schools, taught 3 other classes at 3 other of my high schools, went to MEPS with 2 new recruits all while being sick as a dog. Then after getting back from MEPS real late Friday night, staying up till 0230 working on stuff for drill I had to be at the Armory at 0630 to start drill. What at start!

Drill was AWESOME. Lots of good training for the soldiers and lots of fun. I finished Saturday exhausted but happy and went to spend some time with the family (my parents live in the town we travel to drill for). I enjoyed my time with my family and went to bed early, excited to get the next day started.

When I woke up Sunday morning I felt a little funny but didn't think anything of it. I started coughing and hawked up a bunch of flem but when I spit it into the sink I saw it was filled with bright red blood! Exciting. I didn't have time to dilly dally so I continued getting ready while coughing up blood so I could get to drill on time. I got to the armory and figured I'd see if the state surgeon would be in this weekend (he lives in the area), at which he wasn't. The medic asked me why but I really didn't want to talk to him about it - but he kept pressing on. Eventually I said "I've been coughing up bloody mucus all morning, it's no big deal, don't worry about it." The medic told me I should go to the hospital and I told him I would after drill - I've got to much to do for drill. If I was gone there would be no NCO to train my soldiers so I could not miss. He insisted that I go to the hospital and I said something to the order of "Look private, I'm a big boy and I'll go after drill when I get back to my home unit. I've got too much shit going on to leave drill." I figured it would be over with that, but apparently not.

The little bastard had to brief the commander on medical issues, which includes how many people had come to see the medics and why. As I was the only one who had seen the medics he told them that I was coughing up blood. When asked what was done he told them he told me to go to the hospital - at which I "refused" because I had to much going on at drill to leave. Apparently the commander thought coughing up blood was a bad thing.

Next thing I know, another recruiter is taking my platoon for me and I'm on the way to the hospital. I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter. The doctor told me I have bronchitis, gave me my prescription, told me to take a couple of days off, and sent me on the way.

When I got to drill I was told to go home - which would be great if I didn't have to drive all my enlistees back home an hour and a half away. So stay at drill I did - which was great even though I felt like walking death by the end of the day.

The funniest thing that happened at drill? I asked my plt to figure out a plt name. There were many different suggestions, some appropriate, some not, some funny, some not, and some just plain weird. The winning name? The Jump Suit Jockeys!

You're probably wondering why we'd choose such a weird name, but anybody who has seen the "RSP Uniform" would understand.

Seems some months back, somebody at the National Guard Bureau had this great idea to create a special uniform for the RSP soldiers - you know, to give RSP that "espri de corps" feeling. I'm sure that somebody worked long and hard to design such an impressive uniform. Needless to say I have my reservations about this - these kids joined the Army National Guard, not the RSP - give them a set of ACUs for Pete's sake! As we were issuing the uniforms out nobody really knew what to call them. Some people started to call them the RSP PT uniform. That didn't work since they weren't just for PT. Some people started to call them the RSP Track Suit. That still didn't work since the soldiers are doing more than just running in them. At one point the 1SG heard me call it the "RSP Jump Suit" and he picked up the phrase - after that point it stuck. Everybody hates them, seems like a waste of money to most of us when the kids should have been issued ACUs.

Anyway, when we were trying to figure out the PLT name somebody suggested "The Jump Suit Jockeys" and we all loved it. You should have heard the supporting unit laugh when I stood in front of the PLT and screamed "Jump Suit Jockeys.... Attention!"

Overdue Update

2007-01-22T09:23:00.000+03:00

It's almost 12:30am and I am sitting here thinking about the fact that I have to be up in 5 hours - and about the fact that I have not updated my blog in a very long time. Sure I've had some simple posts, but nothing really of an update. Trying (and failing) to figure out how to hack the new-blogger has taken most of my blogging time, but I figured now would be a good time to give you all an update.

Where to begin..... These last few months have been a whirlwind affair and time has passed by so quickly. There have been some ups, and some downs, but in the end all is well. I guess I'll start with the downs so I can end on a higher note....

Anybody that knows me should probably know by now that my brother Troy has had his tour in Iraq extended by up to 125 days. That was unexpected news to say the least! I can't say I wasn't disappointed when I heard the news because I was. I've been asked a million times how I feel about this and the only answer I can come up with is "I understand it". The reason I say I understand it is because I understand how important this war is for America and our freedom-loving allies across the globe. Without getting into a huge debate I'll just say that losing in Iraq now means America and Freedom will lose for a very long time to come. If my brother and many, many friends have to stay over there longer to accomplish this mission, then I understand that it must be done. I can't say that I wasn't looking forward to going to my brother's softball games this summer, and spending time at the cabin with him and the family all summer. I WAS looking forward to all that - but I'm sure I'll get by somehow. And just like Keely and Auntie Debby said in the comments, maybe we'll just have to extend cabin Sunday's for a while. By the way Uncle Danny - I don't think my parents will have room for me when I move back this summer and through the fall when I'm in college......

Mission has been a constant struggle to be completely honest with you all. I have to admit that the extension was a set-back. I had 3 people ready to go, then *poof* they were gone - all citing the extension as the reason. I honestly don't understand how Minnesota troops extending now affects you when you're not eligible for deployments for 2 years or more but hey - I don't know everything. So I've been making up ground everywhere I can. I'm back on track with one down at MEPS as of this writing and a few more testing on Tuesday. Recruiting Gods (hat-tip SFC B) willing I will "box" this months mission to quote my active duty and reserve friends.

I have to make even more changes to my blog because I am now a Master Badge recruiter. I finally accomplished that feat and I can now sleep better at night.

I've taken a little more time to spend time with my family back home lately. I really have to say that it's been quite enjoyable (not that spending time with my family isn't enjoyable). My niece Macava is the cutest thing in the world. When I'm visiting her at my parents house she always wants to play with me and give me things. We play tea quite a lot. That usually involves me watching TV with my dad and my brother Travis with her constantly bringing me little tiny cups filled with imaginary tea. It's really funny. She even wants to play tea with me while I sleep. Often times there aren't enough beds at my parents house when I visit so I am stuck with the couch (albit a very comfortable couch, Mom) at which I really don't mind. One morning I awoke to find 2 little tiny cups of said imaginary tea perfectly placed on my chest. And God bless her little soul, as soon as I was awake, she brought me another one. It's been almost a month since Christmas time and she still takes the time to tell me every time I see her how much she doesn't like Santa and "the moose" (long story). It's really cute! And last but not least I have to mention the scary Dora doll that I got her for Christmas/her birthday. My sister-in-law Lindsay commented that the doll was kind of scary and freaked her (Lindsay) out. Macava LOVES that doll apparently - maybe her love for her uncle overshadows the scariness of the doll?

Finally, I'll end with an even higher note. I have become a member of a mentoring program now. It was a shaky start - it seemed every kid they tried to match me with was either suddenly moving, had a grandfather who didn't like me because of my young age, or was in juvie. But finally after a month they've matched me with a great kid. He's 12 and in 7th grade and just a great kid. His mom has done an amazing job of raising him and his 2 older brothers and I really consider myself fortunate to be able to mentor him. I've only spent 2 days with him so far but we've had a great time. The first day was just introductions with me, him, his mom, and the head of the mentoring program. The second day was a lot of fun. I took him over to the Armory and showed him a tank, HMMWV, and an M113 - which he LOVED. The we went out for lunch and then to a movie, Night at the Museum. We both loved the movie and I recommend everyone go see it (that means Troy, Joe, and Bret will probably never see it). After that we went to my house and I introduced him to the greatness that is Battlefield 2 on PC. He loved the game and can't wait to play it again. Troy, when you get back we might have another member of the "PLEX". Bret, we're going to have to start playing a little more. We had a great time playing video games, then his Mom invited me over for dinner and we had a nice time. I can't wait till I do something with him again.

Well, I think that's about it for now. Sorry for the delay in posts (that happens a lot doesn't it), it's just I've been so busy with everything these last few months that I haven't had time to blog (that's a good thing right?)

-Guardsman

Chuging Along

2007-01-08T11:59:00.000+03:00

Well, I am just chugging along at work for now - nothing too exciting to report except MEPS has screwed me a few times and I'm STILL behind mission - but that's a long story that I don't have time for.

I'm still working on the change-over from old blogger to new blogger - there's still lots of work to do but I have a lot of "tinkering" to do since I don't know how all the custom code I had before will play with new blogger - and some of the stuff I want to add. At least it looks slightly back to normal......

Merry Christmas & New Changes

2006-12-25T05:48:00.000+03:00

Merry Christmas to all!!!!

In light of the new year, I've decided to upgrade my account to the new version of Blogger, now run by Google. If things are messed up, I'm sorry but please bear with me for the change over. I use a lot of custom code so I don't know how it will play with the new version of blogger.

-SGT Guardsman

What is wrong

2006-12-11T06:35:00.000+03:00

with people? Lately I have been noticing something going in in the military that is really pissing me off and I just need to get this off my chest.

I am sick and tired of soldiers doing stupid, wrong things and NOBODY says a damn thing about it until it's too late.

I'm not only talking about the huge ones like Abu Gharib, and Greene who raped a girl and murdered her entire family, or the things that the hippies use to call us all rapists, murderers, baby killers, and all the other names they call us. I'm also talking about the little things.

I'm talking about the little things like the video of a bunch of male soldiers taping a female soldier to a pole and tickling her when she obviously didn't want to be in that situation. It's not only disturbing that these soldiers did it and laughed about it, it's also disturbing that nobody said anything to stop it. People walked by and just thought "those aren't my soldiers, who cares, I won't get in trouble." 2 guys had the right idea, they walked into the situation and realized it was wrong, then saw a camera and booked not wanting to be apart of it. Why didn't those 2 soldiers DO anything about it. They obviously knew it was wrong!

Then there is this video of an NCO in the turret of his HMMWV teasing a bunch of Iraqi children with a bottle of water. One of the kids runs at full sprint for a long time and never even gets the water. The NCO and the soldier filming it (probably a PVT) laughing about it the whole time. Are they TRYING to make more insurgents? How do they expect to win the hearts and minds of the people when they're doing stupid shit that makes those children believe that all Americans are assholes. A freaking NCO should know better than to do stuff like that. That's the stuff that PVTs do that we as NCOs teach them not to.

Then there is this video of a couple of soldiers who wait for one of their "buddies" to go into the port-a-potty then two of them run and jump on it, tipping it over with their buddy inside. I happen to find this funny in some sick sort of way but it is still wrong. The fact that 3 soldiers were involved and not one of them thought "gee, maybe this is a bad idea" disturbs me. Didn't they think they were destructing property that isn't theirs? Didn't they think that their friend could become very sick from being exposed to all that raw sewage?

There's also this picture(warning, she's nude), one of many, of a female SPC (now PVT?) in Iraq posing nude. While I find these pictures highly erotic (I'm a guy, give me a break), I also recognise how wrong they are since she's doing them in uniform. In the end it makes us all look bad. Obviously she wasn't alone when she was taking the pictures - and you know she told some of her friends about them before they started getting around (girls gotta have something to talk about when they go to the bathroom in mass numbers). Some how nobody thought "gee, this is wrong. We shouldn't do this. We could get in trouble for this."

Frankly I'm sick and tired of it. I strive every day to live by the Army Values. I know I'm not perfect, but I know I wouldn't do the stupid shit these people have done. When I was younger I might have done those things but as an NCO I strive every day to be an example for my subordinates and my applicants/enlistees alike. Every time one of these people do stupid shit like this it brings us all down another rung on the ladder.

What the hell is wrong with these people?!

As all of this has been coming to a head I've decided that I'm going to do something about it. I don't care who it is, what their rank is or who that soldier belongs to - if I see them doing something stupid I am going to do something about it. I'm going to say something, I'm going to do something, I'm going to make sure it stops. If I can stop one soldier from doing something that would have otherwise ended up on the evening news making us all look stupid I feel like I've accomplished something.

The only question I have is who's with me?

**UPDATE 12/15** Check out this video of soldiers teaching kids how to speak english for the first time..... I can't believe that nobody, especially the NCOs, didn't say anything. I can see how it's kind of funny, but oh so wrong.

So mission is going pretty good actually. I came into the month -4 and I knew I'd have my work cut out for me. I have spent the last week pulling 12+ hour days making sure I make mission. Last week I enlisted 2 new soldiers into the Army National Guard leaving me with 2 left to go. I can do this - 2 in the first week and 5 solid interviews done I know I'm on the right track to get back on track. This week wasn't without set-backs though.

I interviewed a kid on Monday and everything seemed good to go. He scored a 73 on the practice ASVAB and had no law violations.... or so I thought. Turns out he's got a possession of cocaine on his record so he's gone for good. I had a kid no-show me on Tuesday only to apologize and reschedule when I called him - he no-showed me again on Saturday. I had another girl call me - SHE called ME - and then she no-showed me on Saturday after I drove an hour to meet her. But I've got some good things going so as long as I don't stop working and I keep my head up high, I'll get through this just fine.

-Guardsman

A Long December

2006-11-30T07:41:00.000+03:00

October and November have turned out to be very bad for me. Both months I managed to only enlist 1 person - so 2 total. Looking at going into December 2 behind makes me wonder how this could have happened. Well.... how could it?

October should have been an awesome month for me as it was actually a 6 week month for me - the last 2 weeks in September counted towards October. I started out the month thinking I had all the time in the world and didn't have to work very hard because I had a few people lined up. That turned out to be a huge mistake. I obviously didn't make as many phone calls as I needed to, so I didn't do as many interviews as I should have. I had all the time in the world is how I justified it all to myself. I had one person enlist on October 27th making me go into November 1 behind mission.

November's mission went from 2 to 3. 3 in November? I figured I'd have my work cut out for me but knew I could do it. I did a couple of interviews before I left for Hawaii and told them I'd contact them when I got back. Only one of those people turned into an enlistment, but not until the 22nd. 1 down, 2 to go should have been easy because I had started doing a lot more interviews. I had 2 ready to go before the Thanksgiving weekend.

I don't know if any of the other recruiters have experienced this or not but you usually lose a lot of people over Thanksgiving weekend because some ultra-leftist aunt or uncle tells them how horrible the military is and how they'll be in Iraq 6 months after they enlist and that all recruiters are liars. This proved to be true this year for me.

I had one guy who I had been working for a month and had scheduled him to go to MEPS before Thanksgiving - but his Grandfather died so we rescheduled for Monday for Tuesday after Thanksgiving. I picked him up and drove him to MEPS and all was well. He called me from the hotel telling me he scored a 51 on the ASVAB. I congratulated him and started telling him what to expect the next day again. Then he started saying how he wasn't sure of all this. I told him to meet me in the parking lot of his hotel in 15 minutes..... We talked for 2 hours and in the end he could only tell me that his gut was telling him that he was making the wrong decision. The weird thing was that he could clearly see all the benefits to joining the Guard and how it would better his life - but he still wouldn't process the next day. Eventually I figured out that talking to him any longer was pointless so I told him to go to his hotel room and go to MEPS in the morning and tell them that he refuses to process. He wanted me to bring him home that night - home is about 4 hours away! SCREW THAT! He was pissy about it until I explained to him that I have no obligation to bring him home so I'm really doing it out of the goodness of my heart. The next day the GCs at MEPS talked to him and couldn't get him to process either. Maybe he'll enlist later, but I've already wasted enough of my time on him so I'm just going to move on.

The other person who was going to process was actually a walk-in. Now I've never actually had a walk-in before in my area - in 3 years. Everything seemed great and we were going to process before Thanksgiving but then she couldn't get off of work so we planned it after Thanksgiving. While she was at Thanksgiving she talked with her cousin who's in the Air Guard - needless to say she's now planning on joining them.

I worked harder in November than I did in December, but in the end I know I didn't work hard enough. I did a lot of interviews in November but got a lot of people who don't want to join. Some people would like to blame the war on this whole thing but I made mission just fine last year and the war was obviously going on back then so I don't think that's it. Maybe I've changed something in my interview that makes them not want to join? Maybe my close just sucks? I have become concerned that I'm over-selling them - talking so much about the Guard that they get confused and lose interest. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I have to change something. Back to the basics I guess.

I'm coming into December 2 behind mission - that means I have to write a 4 in December or things get really bad. I've already been told that I'm now on mandatory hours so I'll now be working from 9am to 9pm every day. Nothing has been said about weekends but I'm already planning on working weekends anyway.... in the end I have got to come up with a plan on how I'm going to get myself back at mission - without a plan I won't get anywhere. December is always a bad month for me - last December I only wrote 1 contract to give you an idea what I'm up against.

The first part of my plan is contacts. Obviously I need to make contacts in order to setup interviews. Most people will say that they want to make X amount of contacts per day. That's all fine and dandy but what if you make your X amount of contacts but you didn't schedule any interviews? How did that help you accomplish anything? It doesn't. My plan is to make enough contacts to setup 2 interviews a day. If I make 2 phone calls and setup 2 interviews I know I've met my goal for the day. If I need to make 50 contacts to schedule 2 interviews in a day than that's what I need to do. Obviously if I make 2 phone calls and setup 2 interviews then I'm going to keep trying for more.....

The second part of my plan is interviews. If you didn't guess from what I wrote above my goal is to conduct 2 interviews a day - more if possible. So my goal is to conduct 14 interviews per week. Some of you might think that this goal is a little unrealistic - I realize that it probably kind of is. But I figure I should set my goals high to be the most successful. I realize that some will no-show me like all of my interviews today did, and I might have to reschedule some if I have to suddenly run off to MEPS, but that's my goal.

The third part of my plan is lead generation. I need to generate as many leads as possible these next 30 days. There are actually 2 parts to this plan. Step one is school programs - I already have 2 school programs scheduled, one of them will be with the entire junior class of one of my schools. The other one is just one class but hopefully some people will be interested. I need to schedule more this month. Usually I talk to my counselors to schedule stuff but I'm going to take a different approach and talk directly to the teachers. I have a class on Iraq that is simply amazing so I'm going to talk to all my social studies teachers to see if I can do it with them. Step 2 is referrals from my previous enlistments. I don't know why I haven't gotten more referrals this year but I've got to change that. One thing that I'll never understand is the unsuccessfulness of the GRAP program. If you were going to get paid $2,000 for each friend that you enlist wouldn't you be talking to everyone you know about the Guard? I know I would but for some reason my kids don't. So for some reason $2,000 doesn't do a thing, but there is one thing that I've seen do wonders - a drill weekend off with pay. I don't know why a weekend off with pay motivates people so much but it does for some reason. So I'm going to see all of my enlistments this weekend and I am going to tell them if they get 1 person to enlist in the month of December they can have a drill weekend of their choice off with pay. If that doesn't work do you guys think smoking the shit out of them would? I know one recruiter who does "Bring a lead or bring a canteen" every month and it's very successful - for some reason that just seems wrong to me.....

The fourth part of my plan is face-to-face. I need to meet as many people face-to-face as I possibly can in the next 30 days. I only have a few ideas of how to accomplish this. I plan on doing lunchroom visits at all of my schools during this month - and as soon as possible. I normally hate doing lunchroom visits because it seems like the only people who come talk to me are ones who want free stuff and the ones who want to debate the war like I had something to do with the decision to go to war. As counter-productive as I believe this is I'm still going to do it because I need to do everything in my power to get enlistments. I am also going to be a chaperone for one of my school's dances. What better of an opportunity to meet kids than to throw on my dress blues and hang out with them for 4 hours? Plus it's good community service so it kills 2 birds with one stone. Finally I plan to talk to everyone I meet about the Guard. Every cashier, every gas station attendant, every burger-flipper at every fast food restaurant, every pizza delivery boy, every punk at the local teen club, every bum walking around the mall, every kid working at Walmart (especially the one who has to go grab all the carts now that it's getting cold), every single person I see I will talk to about the Guard.

So that's my plan. I think it's a good plan and I hope and pray that it works out for me. Any of you other recruiters want to drop some advice?

Anyway, it's going to be a very long December.......

-SGT Guardsman

Jinxed in time for the Holiday

2006-11-23T12:42:00.000+03:00

Remember that post I did about the "greatest interview ever"? Remember how I said I probably just jinxed it? I was right.

This kid told me that he was pretty sure he was going to join, he just needed to talk to his real mom about it before he did it - which was good because I needed her to sign the PC anyway. So he goes down to see his mom for the weekend and calls me back. I ask him when he wants to go to MEPS and he tells me never. I ask why not and he replies, "Well..... I was talking with my step dad this weekend...... and he helped me realize that if I joined the military I'd be in Iraq in 6 months so I'd better not..."

"Um...... you understand that you can't deploy till you're fully trained right?"

"Yeah."

"And you understand that you can't become fully trained until you have your high school diploma right?"

"Yeah."

"And you understand that you're a high school junior right?"

"Yeah."

"So you understand that you won't graduate for almost 2 years, then you still have to finish your training, so you won't even be ELIGIBLE to deploy till 2 to 2 and a half years from now right?"

"Yep."

"So you ready to go to MEPS then?"

"Well...... my step dad helped me realize that I'd be in Iraq in 6 months so.... no."

"Did you not listen to what I just said?"

"Yeah, I was listening."

"So why are you concerned that you'll be in Iraq in 6 months if I just explained to you how that's impossible?"

"Because everybody gets sent to Iraq 6 months after they join."

"Hmm.... weird - ask the 27 people I enlisted last year if they've deployed. Every one of them will tell you they haven't deployed - actually 2 of them go to high school with you. So you understand that your fears of going to Iraq in 6 months don't really have any real basis right?"

"Yeah........ but I just don't want to go to Iraq in 6 months"

"Seriously, are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah."

"Are you calling me a lier then?"

"Well..... I... uh..."

"I assure you I told you the 100% truth about everything - I've never lied to an applicant and never will"

"But my step dad."

"Was your step dad in the military?"

"No"

"Does he know anybody that is in the military?"

"No"

"Don't you think that MAYBE I might know a little more about what we're talking about than your step dad? I mean I'm sure he's a smart guy and all but he's never served and he doesn't know anybody who's serving so I don't think we can consider him an expert or anything."

"I'm just not interested."

"OK, do you have any friends that you think might be interested?"

"You've enlisted them already."

"You only have 2 friends?"

"No, I have lots of friends."

"So do you have friends outside of your high school?"

"Not really...."

"So since all your friends go to your school, and I've only enlisted 2 people from your school, I'd say you have lots of other friends that would be interested."

"Um....... not really.... none of them would be interested."

"Did you ask them?"

"Well.... no."

"Well if you had to guess which one of your friends was interested, which 2 would you say would be?"

At this point I'm kind of messing with the kid - I'm actually surprised he didn't just hang up on me!

Surprisingly he gave me 2 names! He probably did it to get off the phone - but oh well, maybe something will come out of it...... In the end I thanked him for his time and told him to give me a call if he ever changes his mind. I was still really pissed off in the end though.

To make up for it I did have a guy go down to MEPS today. He ended up being color blind so I had to find him a new job but he enlisted today ending my 32 day nut! I've got another one lined up for Tuesday and hopefully a couple more next week too. This all doesn't stop my NCOIC from requiring me to work the day after Thanksgiving!!!! I tried to put in a leave slip and he told me no so I'm just going to work from the office near my parent's house - it'll work out because the girls will be shopping anyway.

The funny thing is that if 6-month guy would have enlisted I'd be spending time with my family on Friday, not working......

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving - for my friends that don't celebrate this American Holiday (I'm talking to you Mark and Denise), sit down and say a quick prayer thanking God for everything you're lucky enough to have, and realize that no matter how bad things seem to get, they could be worse. For my American friends - don't forget to think about those brave men and women serving all over the world in our defense. Pray that they come home safely to see their family that they missed this Thanksgiving. Finally, thank your creator that these brave men and women stand ready to do violence on our behalf so we may sleep peaceably in our beds at night.

-SGT Guardsman

Hawaii's Funnest Day

2006-11-08T12:09:00.000+03:00

My most fun day started off with a required breakfast with the entire team and the team leadership. My team commander recently left us so we presented her with a parting gift - a plate that I've still never even seen. As a matter of fact, I didn't know what we got her until she opened the box and exclaimed "It's a beautiful plate!"

After breakfast we were allowed to have a free day. Most of the guys wanted to go snorkeling at some bay I can't spell or pronounce - but I'd been there 3 times before so I pretty much wanted to do my own thing. And in all reality I also didn't want to go hang out with the people I work with if I didn't have to. Don't get me wrong, I consider some of the guys I work with my close personal friends; but I had all week to spend with them. I thought about it and I wanted to go hiking in the mountains and find a waterfall - something I've never done in Hawaii before. So I acquired a vehicle and set off to find my waterfall. SGT Lief and his wife wanted to go kayaking or something so he and his wife asked if I could give them a ride somewhere.

They had me drive them to some other bay that I can't spell or pronounce on the other side of the island. I was happy to drive them because it would give me a chance to see some other parts of the island as we were driving through the mountain range. It was really cool but unfortunately it's kind of impossible to take pictures while driving......

Eventually we were at a stop light where I saw this sign:

Um.... yeah - I don't get it either....

So I dropped them off at their bay and set off to find my waterfall - but I didn't know where a waterfall was on the island.....

I some how found an information center where some old lady told me there "might" be a waterfall on this hiking trail with a name I won't even try to pronounce. I asked her for directions and I'm still not sure if she gave them to me in English. Eventually I stopped at a gas station to ask for directions. As I'm looking for directions 3 local 19-year-old girls said "you're looking for Miklikiiliikaulaukillai Hiking Trail? Just follow us, we're going there too!" Who am I to argue with 3 hot 19-year-old Hawaiian girls?

We arrived and the hike was pretty cool going through the mountains.

The trail WAS pretty nice, but it was very muddy from the storms that came through here recently - it was horrible picking up hot Hawaiian girls out of the mud the whole way up the mountain.

Going up the view was awesome!

Eventually we started seeing the stream so I was getting excited about the waterfall....

But I would soon find out we still had mountain to climb...

And then some more mountain...

We saw some more water motivating me to continue onto the waterfall....

Where I saw a sign....

But we had more mountain to climb.... at least we were getting higher!

As we got up there the view was awesome!

Yes, that is my ugly mug on the mountain....so I looked down the mountain and it was steep....

The pictures don't do it justice if you didn't notice.

Eventually we made our way down into a valley and I heard the exciting sounds of the waterfall....

The picture doesn't do it justice here either - it was really amazing. I found a spot to hide my stuff and jumped in the pool to find a place to jump. The water was friggin cold!!! But after hiking up the mountain for an hour and a half then down the valley for half an hour, it was very welcomed. As soon as I got to the other side of the pool I jumped in from the lowest spot - it was mildly fun. There was some cocky 14-year-old named Dillon who pointed up to the high spots and said "You wanna jump from there?" I started himming and hawing about it and he said "What! Are you scared?"

I couldn't let this 14-year-old punk me out in front of my Hawaiian Hotties so of course I said "HELL NO! Show me the way big guy..." That was when my adventure went from hiking to rock climbing. This little bastard was like a friggin spider monkey climbing the cliffs up there - it was everything I could to do keep up with him. Eventually I looked down and started to realize what I had gotten myself into. The kid brought me to the highest spot, which I'm told is 100 feet. When we got up there I realized it was at least 100ft if not more... I asked the kid where I wanted to land so as not to hurt myself and he said "Just watch me" and leapt off the cliff. He didn't even think about it - he just jumped. Cocky bastard.

I peered over the edge and was about to jump - but then a thought suddenly popped into my head. If I got hurt, like broke my leg or something, my NCOIC MSG Love or my Sergeant Major would KILL ME! I started to think this wasn't a good idea and was about to chicken out when another thought popped into my head. I had just scaled a 30 foot cliff and could have died on my climb to this jumping spot - there is no going back down that thing. I was pretty committed at this point....

I decided to jump - I had done things like this as a kid so I knew it would be fun. I jumped and had a blast on the way down - but then the water wasn't where I expected it to be. It was still WAY below me! I was pretty freaked out, but there wasn't much I could do except to continue falling. I hit the water and received the biggest enema of my life - I don't think I'll have to wipe my ass for a month!

If you look at this picture you can't see the spot I jumped from. The spot was above the top of the frame!!!!

I popped out of the water and was ecstatic! That was the best thing I'd done on the island so far! I got a lot of high fives from the other guys at the waterfall and also a few "Dude! You're crazy" comments. The hike down was not nearly as hard of work as the hike up - obviously - but it was hot out so I was glad to have a bottle of water in the AC inside the car.

Eventually I picked up SGT Lief and went back to the hotel where I prepped myself for dinner with MSG Love.

For dinner MSG Love, his wife, and I went to Dukes for dinner:

If you ever go to Hawaii you NEED to go to this restaurant. The food is awesome and the desert they gave us was AMAZING - it's even been featured on the Food Network.

The even had live music for us!

After dinner we walked the streets of Honolulu to see the local street performers and some interesting "side shows".

The first street performer we saw was "The ONLY Live Statue":

Then we saw another "Live Statue"

So much for him being the ONLY one huh? Later down the street it appeared that these two weren't the only ones...

We saw some really strange Egyptian robot type thing.

Next to him was one of the most interesting drummers I've ever seen.

The "Phantom of the Drumming"?

Then we saw a guy playing a tree branch

I didn't think this was possible.... He actually had it hooked up to an amp too.

Then we saw another drummer.

Then actual local drummer

Then the really weird guy playing the banjo.

We ran into a local guy who was playing the "wind pipes".... or at least that's what I called them.

He played a song, then started the same song over - eventually we passed him again and he was playing the same song again! When a lady tried to sell me his CD I declined.

There were quite a few guys playing the guitar like this guy.

And this guy

During all this time there were a lot of side shows. Take this transvesitte for example.

This isn't a very good picture but I couldn't get another. He....er... she.... it? Whatever it is didn't want me to take another one - and I didn't want to explain how I got into a fight with a transvestite to my Sergeant Major.

There was also this guy.

Here's what I don't know: What injustice is he fighting against? Here's what I do know: This guy ain't blind! He's been sitting there, in the same exact spot, since the day I got to Hawaii. He's there every night all night - he just sits there. I can't prove it at the moment but I know he's not blind.

So that's my best day in Hawaii. We did other things like go to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. We went to a Luau. I went to the north shore to do some more cliff jumping and catch a sunset - but it was overcast and nothing has high as the waterfall...

All in all, it was a good trip. But by Friday night when we left I was really ready to go home - going on vacation with a bunch of people you work with isn't most people's idea of fun... Like I said, there are a few guys on my team that I really consider my friends but the others.... I'd rather just work with them.

-SGT Guardsman

$10 Internet Part 2

2006-11-07T14:26:00.000+03:00

I paid for internet again today so here I am doing another post....

Today I just spent time with some fell RRNCOs lounging around the pool at the Hale Koa where we're staying for most of the day. I went around and did my own thing for a while, like finishing my book on the beach - but most of the day was spent with them.

Eventually the rest of our team arrived and we had a required meeting to go over the itinary and have dinner togeather. Eventaually it was decided I was going out with "the boys". I was a little worried how things would go with me being the only sober one - I was pretty much told I would be baby sitting them as they got messed up. I decided I can walk home whenever I want so I'd just play it by ear.

Our first stop was Moose McGillychubby's bar:

All I have to say is SAUSAGE FEST! The only women there were the bartenders and chicks with their boyfriends. This wasn't a too bad of time until SGT TP started humping my leg in an attempt to be funny. I guess it was kind of funny, but I didn't really enjoy him humping my leg! The most interesting thing that almost happened involved a large Somoen(sp?) man and a bet of $150. I won't give too many details of this bet, but just know if it would have been carried out it would have resulted in somebody's severe injury and the cops interviening. I was glad SGT Holyman didn't take the bet.....

Realizing this was a total sausage fest we decided to leave and go to Bobby G's Spot:

This bar was slightly better but there was a local Regge band playing so the place was packed with military guys and pot-heads. The pot-heads weren't so bad - but I just don't like hanging out with other military guys very much.

Most people who aren't in the military probably wouldn't understand this but those of you who are in know what I'm talking about. Military guys are usually, mostly, "Alpha Male" type guys. Always trying to dominate one another and getting pissed off about the littlest things to appear to be the "better man". When I'm off duty I really just want to chill. I work hard every day and I really don't have the want or need or energy to constantly battle these guys. I think it stems from being a totally different person out of uniform than I am in uniform. Just the way all these guys want to "prove" how much better they are than every other guy just gets on my nerves. I would rather just chill out and meet some nice people and have a generally good time. Another reason I don't like to hang out with other military guys is that I hang out with military guys every day - why would I want to do that on my time off? I have found, however, that I like to hang out with older, married, military guys because they're more mature and have nothing to prove - nor do they try to steal away the girl you're dancing with!

Anyway, tomorrow is an early day with a required breakfast and then some training - I'll leave you with a daytime picture of the view from my hotel room:

-SGT Guardsman

Making Use of $10 Internet

2006-11-06T14:31:00.000+03:00

Well I paid for the internet again today so I figured I'd do another post to get my $10 worth......

So today I slept in for a while for the first time in a while. I only slept in till 10am. The weird thing is that all of my team mates were basically appaled that I had slept in so long. I'm on VACATION!!! Why shouldn't I sleep in? I did and I enjoyed it so if they have a problem with it I really don't care.

After I woke up we all rallied in the lobby and set out to do some shopping with the wives. I'm sure I could have done something else but seriously, walking the beach alone wouldn't have been very fun. We walked through the business district and looked at all the shops including the expansive ones that wouldn't let us in because we weren't in suits and ties. Bastards!

One thing that was interesting is that there is an ABC Store on just about every block. Now I've been to places with a Starbucks everywhere you turn, but I seriously don't know how ABC Stores stay open as they're litterally on EVERY block.

After a while one part of our group got sick and tired of looking at EVERY shop so they moved on while a group of us stayed back and took our time. I stayed with the "slow" group for 2 reasons. #1 because I don't really have anything else to do so I might as well just relax and take my time. #2 because I just get along with the people that were in the "slow" group much better than the other group.

While we were taking our time stopping at every shop we stopped at a mall and quickly realized we couldn't afford a single thing in this place so we decided to leave. As we were leaving SGT Redeye's wife (I should do a battle roster one of these days huh?) said she needed to use the bathroom. She took about 10 steps, look at her husband and said, "I don't feel very good...", then nelt down and puked all over the floor of that mall!

Deep inside I was kind of smiling since some of those shops looked at us like we were peseants as they asked us to leave - the deserved to have their floor puked on.

In all reality I felt really bad about Mrs. Redeye and how she was feeling. But man did she puke everywhere!

Eventually she finished puking and SGT Redeye grabbed a cab to take her back to the hotel. So SFC Blunt, his wife, and I went on to:

We walked around the International Market Place for a while and I quickly discovered that SGT Blunt's wife is a very bad influence. I am now the proud owner of a bunch of Hawaiin Shirts that I'll probably never wear again after this week. They're nice shirts though. The one thing that I wanted to pick up was a new pair of sunglasses. I found a shop with some name-brand sunglasses for really cheep but nothing that popped out at me so I dropped $10 on a pair I thought looked nice but would soon replace. Eventaully we came upon a Oakley store and SGT Blunt's wife suggested we go "peak" inside.

I found an AWESOME pair of sunglasses with interchangable lenses that I really liked. SGT Blunt's wife eventually talked me into the glasses and we watched for a half hour while 2 different sales people tried to figure out how the lenses actually fit into the glasses! If somebody from Oakley is reading this you really need to train your people better. We were about to leave when SGT Blunt's wife said we should look at the sandals that they had there. Both SGT Blunt and I left with brand new Oakley sandals - and that bastard claimed the pair that I wanted first. I couldn't copy him so I went with my second choice.

Did I mention that SGT Blunt's is a bad influence? About a $350 bad influence.

After that SGT Blunt and his wife went back to the hotel for a "nap" and left me on my own. I didn't know what I wanted to do so I went to my hotel room to read Saddam's Secrets. I read about a page and realized I'm in friggin HAWAII sitting in my hotel room reading - so I took the book to the beach. I read another 3 chapters and realized that the sun was setting:

After sunset I called a team mate and hooked up with the "fast" group for dinner - at the hotel restaurant where we ate dinner LAST NIGHT! I hate eating at the same place twice in a row. I talked with them for a while and then they all went to spend some time with their wives - it sucks being one of the only single guy here. So I decided to take a night time walk along the beach and then retired to my hotel room and watched a movie.

So, that's my Hawaii trip so far - hope you enjoy reading what your tax dollars are paying for but "training" starts tomorrow so I'm going to bed. If I pay another $10 for internet tomorrow I'll probably do another post.

-SGT Guardsman

P.S. Eye reely dount liek Jon Carry sow eye reely waunt two use hiz speel cewker bwat eye culd nawt dew an entier powst uswing it. SGT Lori and eye are werking on sumthing two stik it two teh bastard. Stay tuneed......

12 Hours Later

2006-11-05T10:51:00.000+03:00

Well, it was 12 hours of travel time, but let me show you what I see out my hotel balcony:

That's Waikiki beach right out there. It's night so you can't really see it, but it is nice to see that beach once again!

I suppose I should tell you all why I am in Hawaii right now since I haven't exactly explained it to you....

Last year my recruiting team worked really hard if you didn't see my post about the new fiscal year. I enlisted 27 people, getting credit for 24 of those contracts. As a team we worked really hard and came out as the top team in the entire state of Minnesota. It was a lot of work and surely a team effort and we achieved what everyone said was impossible. Because of demographics usually one of the teams out of the Twin Cities takes top team status simply because they have a MUCH larger pool of applicants. But apparently they were no match for my team last year. For our efforts, we are being rewarded with a training trip to Hawaii! So here I am sitting at a hotel in Waikiki.

The next 2 days are pretty much my own, I can do whatever I want. After that they have a lot of team building activities planned for us - including a Recruiting version of "The Newly Wed Game". I'm sure excited about that since I came alone and pretty much everybody else has brought their spouses..... I figure maybe I should go out and find some really beautiful Hawaiin girl to fill in the position of my wife, then "divorce" her when I leave on Friday. Just kidding!

The trip here was really, really boring. 2 different planes and 12 hours later after lay-overs I finally arrived - 8 of those hours were spent in the air from Minneapolis to Hawaii. I did watch a movie, but the battery on my laptop only lasts for about 1 movie. I listened to a lot of music because, luckily, my MP3 player lasts for 20 hours on a single charge. What I did with the rest of my time surprised even myself.

I will admit to you I have never, ever, even once, read a complete novel in my entire life. I cheated my way through high school and did the bare minimum of reading during my days in college. I knew I would have a lot of time on my hands so I figured I'd pick up a book and try to read it. The book I picked up was "Saddam's Secrets" by former Iraqi General Georges Sada. I am already over half way through the book and can't wait to pick it up again - something I've never done before. If you haven't read this book yet, you need to. It is the most amazing book I've ever picked up. It talks a lot about the history of Iraq and what went on inside the government though the years beginning with before the Baath party took power. There is even a part where he lays out what happened to the WMDs - I haven't read that part yet so I can't tell you much about it.

So I'm in Hawaii, paying $10/day for my internet access just so I can keep checking my email while I'm gone. You all know that a recruiter never stops working, even when you're thousands of miles away. I'm behind mission so that explains why I can't let the job go. If I was ahead of mission I would like to think that it would be different but I doubt it would be. So since I'm paying twice as much for internet than I do back home for 1/4th the time I'm going to make the most of it. There will be some new posts over at my brother's blog, JusticeSoldier.com, soon so if you're a regular reader of his blog make sure you check it out.

-SGT Guardsman

Jon Carry & Trip

2006-11-03T04:32:00.000+03:00

In case you haven't been watching the news recently, there have been some interesting comments being made by "Jon Carry". Listen to what the liberal from Mass. had to say:(Hat tip SFC B)

So apparently all soldiers are dumb huh? Some soldiers from my home state happened to think this was pretty funny so they decided to make a little sign that you may have seen on the news:

Click on the picture to enlarge

I found this pretty dang funny - and then even funnier when I figured out it was soldiers that I have served with. Who knows if they'll be in trouble or not. I hope not, but I suppose they could be. Anyway, but you've probably noticed many other bloggers commenting on this. My opinion? It's brilliant

I wasn't that pissed off about Jon Carry's comment, I knew he was showing his true colors again and pretty much laughed it off. What does piss me off, however, is his "apology".

As a combat veteran, I want to make it clear to anyone in uniform and to their loved ones: my poorly stated joke at a rally was not about, and never intended to refer to any troop. I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended.

It is clear the Republican Party would rather talk about anything but their failed security policy. I don’t want my verbal slip to be a diversion from the real issues. I will continue to fight for a change of course to provide real security for our country, and a winning strategy for our troops.

"Misinterpreted"? I'm sorry Jon Carry, yor werds wer preittie cleer kut! Maybee bekuse I'am knot edukated eye missinterprettedd whut u saided.

Whoops! I accidentally had SFC B's and Station Commando's "Jon Carry Spell Checker" activated.

So now it's pretty clear cut about how the democrats think of us soldiers.... and they wonder why we vote GOP.

This next week will be low on the posting as I will be in Hawaii for work. Rough duty I know, but hopefully I'll have some pictures for you all! Aloha!

**UPDATE** Watch this video (video on right top of page) from WCCO in Minnesota. It confirms that Jon Carry actually CANCELED a planned trip to Minnesota because of the picture! I really like Gov Pawlenty's quote from the video.....

Shirt Destruction & Greatest Interview Ever

2006-10-28T11:36:00.000+03:00

Shirt Destruction

You're going to wonder what the following story has to do with a shirt. It does but you have to bear with me. I was going to write about this a while ago but forgot about it until some moonbat posted about this guy today:

Darrell Anderson deserted the Army a while ago after his first 7 month tour in Iraq. He finally surrendered himself earlier this month. From Military.com:

RADCLIFF, Ky. - An Army Soldier who fled to Canada rather than redeploy to Iraq surrendered Tuesday to military officials after asking for leniency.
Spc. Darrell Anderson, 24, said he deserted the Army last year because he could no longer fight in what he believes is an illegal war.
"I feel that by resisting I made up for the things I did in Iraq," Anderson said during a press briefing shortly before he turned himself in at nearby Fort Knox. "I feel I made up for the sins I committed in this war."
Anderson, of Lexington, returned to the United States from Canada on Saturday. He could face a charge of desertion.
Attorney Jim Fennerty of Chicago said Anderson will be interviewed by military investigators, given a uniform and assigned to a barracks while his case is processed. In three to five days, he will be given a discharge of other than honorable. At that point, he should be free from his military commitment and face no other charges, Fennerty said.

Did the lawyer just say "discharge of other than honorable"? That's just great. I'm sure every veteran will be rolling in their grave after this happens. What ever happened to Duty, Honor, Loyalty, and Integrity? I believe that in WWII he would have been shot for this wouldn't he?

"He's not a criminal," Fennerty said.

Sorry Jim, under UCMJ he IS a criminal - it's the law, you're a lawyer, you should know that.

As Anderson left the news conference, World War II veteran Les Powers confronted, and shouted: "They should have shot you."

God bless Les Powers! Les, if you ever happen to read this - thank YOU for your honorable service and the sacrifice you and the Greatest Generation made for us all.

Powers said Anderson abandoned his military commitment and should face a court martial, not receive a deal that lets him out of the Army.
"He's a deserter. He's a coward," Powers said after Anderson was gone. "He should be given a dishonorable discharge."....

I couldn't agree more with Les on this one.

.... Anderson's mother, Anita Dennis, said the military failed in its responsibility to take care of her son after he returned from war. "They treated his physical wounds, but they left his emotional wounds untreated," Dennis said through tears.

I'm sorry ma'am, but I have to ask if he even went to an Army psychiatrist? How about the VA?

Anderson said he suffered from nightmares and was unable to get the treatment he needed by the time he was ordered to redeploy. He said he was able to get some treatment for emotional distress while in Canada.

So he apparently waited until he was in Canada to take care of that. Was it on his "to-do" list prior to his second deployment that he just never got to before deserting?

Anderson's Canadian wife, Gail Greer, said she supports her husband's decision.
"I'm really anxious and nervous, but he's definitely doing the right thing," Greer said. "I just hope people listen to what he has to say."

Did that really just say "Anderson's Canadian wife"? Yep it did. Is there a difference between a "Canadian Wife" and an "American Wife"? Does he have an American wife who left him for being a pussy but they never got divorced so now he's got 2 wives? If they're married, why didn't she take his name? Is the name Anderson too "American" for her? Just a few questions I have - I'm calling "Shenanigans" on the whole wife thing.

Anyway, that's the story that has to do with a shirt. I saw the picture of Anderson wearing that shirt and realized that I have that VERY SAME SHIRT!!! As a matter of fact, my big sister picked it out for me!

No here's where the story gets really weird....

About 3 days before this story broke in the news I brought that shirt along with a pair of ACUs and other clothes to the laundry mat. I might as well admit that I don't do my own laundry - the laundry mat does it for me and I wouldn't have it any other way. So they did my load of laundry and I apparently forgot to take a pen out of the pocket of my ACUs - I mean seriously, after 7 years of putting a pen on my chest by the top BDU button, how can I be expected to check my friggin sleeve? Anyway it exploded in the wash. There were only 2 things that got ink on them - a few, hardly noticeable, spots on my ACU pants AND that shirt got it ALL OVER! On a side note, I don't understand how the ACU top didn't get any ink on it but it didn't.

I think there are some cosmic forces at play here. How weird is it that that shirt - one of my favorite up to that point - got totally ruined 3 days before a deserter is photographed wearing it and the photo is spread all over the world?!

Somebody was telling me I shouldn't wear this shirt..... so I burned it in the parking lot of the Armory! I felt it needed to be burned in order to cleanse myself of the evil leftist forces it contained. Damn that felt good.

Greatest Interview Ever

Today I honestly had the greatest interview ever. Let me tell you how I came to this interview:

I did a post-prom party at one of my high schools last year and this kid filled out a survey requesting more information. I tried to contact him but he didn't leave a phone number! I looked in every school list I had but I couldn't find him. He or anyone with his last name wasn't in the phone book and my usual places on the internet to find people didn't list him either. I had all given up on this kid until a local Guardsmember called me up and wanted to enlist this same kid through the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program, GRAP for short. I asked if he pre-qualled him and he said yes and he had taken the ASVAB through the school last year but didn't know his score - low and behold he scored a 53 - excellent! He ended up calling me and scheduling the interview on Friday at 1800.

Now on to the interview:

I had to drive about 40 minutes to this kid's house which was very surprisingly easy to find given he was out in the sticks. For once the maps on Google Maps were accurate for my area!

I get there and the kid's dad is doing some yard work and greets me and SGT D who is GRAPing him (I make all my RAs go to the interviews with me) with a hearty hand shake and a big smile. He invites us in out of the cold and offers us coffee. He tells us that his kid called and said that he was running late and asked if we could wait for him - of course we could.

We BSed with Mom and Dad for a while waiting for him to get there. Mom and Dad were really great people. Stark republican from what I could tell and very pro-military - I liked them already. I found out their other son is in the Navy but they were curious what the National Guard had to offer because they didn't know much about it.

The kid finally gets there (only 15 min late, can't complain about that too much) and I BS with him for a little bit. Eventually I start my presentation and all 3 of them listen to my every word with great interest. All 3 of them would wait till I asked if they had any questions and ask very good questions dealing with what I just talked about instead of going off subject. At the end I asked if they had any more questions that we didn't cover and they had a few - again all very good questions. These people had obviously done their research!

I asked them what they though and the kid says "Man, that sounds good!" and his dad chips in, "Man, that does sound good. If I were young enough I'd do it! What is the maximum age anyway?"

"42 years old. You just have to ship to basic training before your 43rd birthday."

"Wow" he replies, "I turn 42 tomorrow!"

I wish you could have seen me smile on the inside.

"There ya go! You're eligible too!"

"I might have to seriously think about this here... "

"But Dad, you'll have to cut your hair!" says the kid. We all laughed at that one.

Then the Dad, says something amazing, "It's only one small sacrifice for my country..."

Then there was a long silence where everyone pondered what he just said. I won't call it an "odd" silence, just a silence of pondering.

"So you said your brother is in Iraq. Tell me about that." the mom said.

And for the next hour and a half we just chatted about my brother in Iraq, SGT D's experience in Afghanistan, and the Global War on Terror in general.

It was by far the greatest conversation I've had with a group of people in the last 2 months. What was really interesting is that they told me they can't stand to watch the news any more. They explained that all they hear about as far as war coverage is all negative and they know that it's not the truth about what's going on over there. They spent a lot of that hour and a half picking my brain about what's going on with our troops and giving me their opinion - one of which was only of support for the troops and support of their mission. Like I said, a great conversation. I really like this kid and his folks. They're just your typical American family trying their best to live the American Dream.

Eventually SGT D went out for a smoke with mom and I realized it was time we get going as it was almost 2100. As I was leaving the kid and his dad walked me to the door and gave a heartfelt thanks for our time. I thanked them in return. They told us to call back on Sunday to see if he's ready to join or not, they just wanted a day or 2 to think about it. Right before I walked out the door the dad said he was serious about him thinking about joining too. I told him that's great and if he does it'll be a decision he wouldn't regret.

SGT D got in the car with me and I asked what he and the mom talked about.

"You'll never believe this! She said that somebody would be stupid to not join if they could - including her. She's not 42 yet and the idea sounds better by the minute!"

So here I am, still giddy after the greatest interview I've ever had with thought of being the guy who enlisted a kid and his parents all at the same time. I bet it'd be cool to bring them all to MEPS at the same time!

I'm sure I'm jinxing myself at this point and none of them will end up enlisting - but I can dream can't I?

-SGT Guardsman

Must Buy Footballs!

2006-10-26T07:04:00.000+03:00

I found this picture not that long ago and every time I look at it I get a strange urge to get more footballs from MissionZone.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

-SGT Guardsman

Enlistment & Alcohol

2006-10-23T09:14:00.000+03:00

Mark up another victory for SGT Guardsman vs. MEPS! As I said before, the waiver for my girl who went down earlier this month was approved and she finally enlisted on Friday! She was very excited when she enlisted and can't wait for next drill. It is always amazing to see this transformation every recruit goes through.

When they go down to MEPS they're all really nervous, and rightly so! They are making a HUGE step in life and there is a lot of unknown that they're about to go through. I feel as though I brief my applicants very well on what happens at MEPS. However it doesn't matter how much I explain it because it is an experience that they've never had before so they're still nervous about what to expect. On the car ride down there every applicant acts different - some are quiet and closed off, others nervously talk my ear off about anything and everything. But no matter how they act on the way down, the second they go through that swear-in ceremony they act completely differently. They're ecstatic! They can't wait till their first drill, they want their first uniform right that second, and they can't wait to go home and tell everyone they know they just enlisted in the Army National Guard! That change and their attitude puts a good feeling in my heart every time.....

SFC B recently talked about Draggin and how depressing recruiting can become. All I can say is that I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I too have felt the loneliness that is recruiting. I too have felt that my life is nothing but recruiting. I think it is something that every recruiter goes through - and it's amazing the things we find ourselves doing. At one point I had to go see a chiropractor (which TriCare doesn't pay for) and I chose one solely because his son wanted to join the Guard and his parents wouldn't sign the PC. At times it seems there is no light at the end of the tunnel. But getting past this is something every recruiter has to do because it will end up destroying you.

I've seen recruiter's marriages go bad because of the job. I've seen recruiter's health go bad because of the hours they work. I've seen seasoned veterans break down and cry because of the pressure of this job. And, worst of all, I've seen recruiter's lives go down the drain because they "nurtured" themselves through all this with the bottle. I realize now that at one point I fell victim to that game.

Many people who know me will be surprised about what I'm about to write - sorry if something is shocking but I feel I should exercise theses demons.

When I became a recruiter I moved to a pretty small town in northwestern Minnesota. I moved up here with no family and no friends ready to do my part in building the greatest fighting force this world has ever known. Having nothing else to do, I worked. Days became weeks, weeks became months, and it started to wear on me. I lived and breathed recruiting 24 hours a day. I tried to help myself by going and visiting my family more often. Surprisingly this only made me more depressed. It made me depressed because I saw everyone's lives moving on while mine was stuck in the stalemate of recruiting. They would talk about their friends, the latest funny thing that their kids did, the vacation they just took, last week's softball games (I'm talking about you Troy), the movie they went to with their other half, and all the other every day things people talk about. I, on the other hand, had only work to talk about. By July 2005, not even 1 full year into my initial tour, I had been driven to the breaking point. I hated my life, my command was driving me insane, and could tell it was only getting worse.

I submitted my resignation letter, wanting to go back to being a one-weekend-a-month soldier and go back to college. I was ahead of mission at the time so this really through my command through a loop. I had many meetings with the powers that be and was told that my resignation would be accepted. On almost my 1 year anniversary I met with my battalion commander and was told I could not resign. We talked a lot about some of the problems I was having. Some advice was given, some promises were made, and I was ordered to go talk to the Chaplin. Talk to the Chaplin I did, but that did not seem to help much either. Since nothing else I started to drink heavily to help with my sorrows.

I tried to be a responsible person and be very professional every day and quickly settled into a routine with my drinking. Monday through Friday was work time. That's what I focused on from 8am Monday to about 5pm Friday. I knew I needed to have my "A game" every day and couldn't do that trying to sober up every morning. The weekends and MEPS trips were a different story however.

When I went to MEPS that was my time to not worry about the pressures of recruiting. I had done the hard part already and now the fate of the applicant was out of my hands and in the hands of the MEPS doctor. That was my time to party and forget about recruiting for several hours. And boy did I party! There are many MEPS trips where I don't remember anything after checking into my hotel to the time I checked out of my hotel. There were the times down there where I completely embarrassed myself and disgraced the service I've dedicated my life to. There were the times where I couldn't believe the things I did (Hell... I've got time for that - a joke only my family would understand. Not my proudest moment I might ad). I still remember the times when I had to pick something up at my HQ, trying to sneak in and out without talking to my team commander or sergeant major so they wouldn't smell the booze on me. I still remember not going into MEPS till I had to so the MEPS guidance counselors wouldn't smell me either. All that so I could have a night of "fun" only to feel even worse the next morning.

The weekends were very similar to my MEPS trips at this point. I would go out every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights to have more time to swallow my sorrows away. Sometimes I'd be smart and walk home, sometimes I wouldn't. As with the MEPS trips I still remember all the times I embarrassed myself after finding out what I did the night before. I still remember not going to drill till noon so I would be sober and not smell of booze and cigarettes. This was all a never ending cycle till one fateful night.

December 18th, 2005 I was at the VFW as I usually am on Sunday nights. I was having a good time with the few acquaintances I'd made in my town when the bar closed down. I thought I was good to drive and started the 4 block journey home. As I pulled in my driveway I saw the cherries light up behind me. The state trooper asked me how much I had to drink and I told him I thought I only had 4 drinks since 9:30pm (It was now about 2am on December 19th). He asked me to step out of my vehicle and did some field sobriety tests. Next came the breathalyzer. .082% is what he told me I blew - the legal limit is .08%. Thinking back to that night I can still feel my heart skip a beat as I heard him say those words. I told him it was my fault and was ready to go to jail for the night. He told me that since I was already home he'd give me a break this time - but it better not happen again. As lucky as I was, that night changed my life forever.

I literally did not sleep for the next 2 days, nor did I do much of anything else. I turned off the cell phone and laid in bed thinking - for at least 48 hours straight. I didn't eat, I didn't sleep. I cried a lot and beat myself up a lot. I looked at what drinking had brought me - nothing but embarrassment and sorrow. I looked at what drinking could have cost me - everything.

I knew that if I had gotten that DWI I would have lost my job as I would have lost my license. If I had lost my job, I would have been discharged - ruining me financially and making college all but impossible. I knew that if I had gotten that DWI I could have never looked my family in the face again. After all the preaching I had done in years past about alcohol, going and getting a DWI would have been so hypocritical and I didn't think my family would ever respect me again. In my eyes, I would have been the family disgrace, the black sheep that nobody wants to admit that they're related to, the one that destroyed the family name.

I decided at that point that I needed to stop drinking except the rare special occasion like weddings or family reunions. I've made some major changes in my life, allowing for a lot more "me" time and cutting down on some of the "work" time. I learned that this job will eat you alive if you let it. It's important that you do something for you every day, however so small. At the same time I see that it is important for you to do something with your wife or girlfriend every day lest you want the relationship to go sour. I haven't been without my falls either.

The first time I drank since December 19th, 2005 was May 3rd, 2006. That was the worst night I've ever had in my life - the night alcohol made me crazy. That was the night I told a few of my team mates that I wanted to sell my soul to the devil because God has done nothing for me and probably hates me - and I hated him back. That was the night I told my NCOIC that I was a shitty NCO and didn't deserve to be in the Army. That was the night that I told my SGM that he should do the Army a favor and reach across the table and choke me to death. That was the night that I told my SGM that I am worried I will kill myself. That was the night I got kicked out of 4 bars in a town of nothing but bars because I was too drunk. That was the night my team mates lost me and my SGM had to call the local detox centers and jails to see if I was there the next morning. The next morning was the morning that my team commander told me I looked "like walking death" - I'm always the guy who always has the best looking uniform and had the shiniest boots and that is always reflected on my NCOERs. That next morning was the most embarrassing morning in my life after I had found out all the things I had said and done the night before. The day after that was the day that I had to explain to my NCOIC and my SGM that I wasn't going to kill myself and was not sure where all this had come from, I had to explain that I was seriously temporarily crazy. The day after that was the day the BN Chaplin called and wanted to talk about me wanting to sell my soul and my apparent hatred for God. That was the day I first realized that maybe I just shouldn't drink at all.

I fell off the wagon once more at my family reunion and embarrassed myself even more - all but putting the final nail in the coffin of my drinking. The next and last time I ever drank after that was the one beer I had at my cousin's wedding in September - I felt like crap after I had that beer and haven't ever drank after that.

It was a rough road to go down but I'm glad I've come to this point in my life. The hardest part is my friends back home and other people who just don't understand that I don't drink any more. Why people can't accept this I don't know. I really don't want to hear "Come on.... just one won't hurt you" or "This isn't the SGT Guardsman I know, just have one drink with me" anymore. I'm to the point where I can comfortably go to the bar and drink pop and not feel the need to have a drink any more.

Looking back, I realize that I was pretty much an alcoholic. Not something I'm proud of, but hopefully somebody can learn from my mistakes and make better life choices than I did. Through all of this I've learned a lot about myself and a lot about life. I obviously learned that drinking will not solve any problems in the long run, it'll only make your problems worse. In the end, I think I'm a better soldier and NCO because of all this. And, most importantly, I think I'm a better person because of all this. Finally, while writing this I realized something that I can honestly say that I AM proud of is my sobriety.

-SGT Guardsman

Rednecks, Lebanon, and Geography

2006-10-17T06:51:00.000+03:00

Sorry for the delay in new posts, I've just been busy trying to find SOMEBODY to join the Guard. Apparently MEPS still can't hold me down because my girl that was DQed had her waiver approved today! I was very excited when I heard that. She'll be going to MEPS on Friday - now I just have to find 2 more people to enlist....

Rednecks

Over the weekend I went out with a few of my friends in town, one who is a DJ. He had a gig in a bar that is out in the middle of nowhere but told me I'd have a great time. I drove out there expecting to have a good time with my friends - I was never prepared for what awaited me when I walked into the bar on that fateful night.....

Rednecks, lots and lots of rednecks. Seriously, I was the ONLY one in the bar, with the exception of my DJ friend, who wasn't wearing some form of hunting camouflage. There was this really annoying guy who couldn't dance wearing some weird cammo pants and a bright blue shirt with it! When you looked at their clothes, then you looked at my clothes, it was very easy to tell that I was NOT one of them. They apparently noticed too.

After I said hi to my friend, I decided to go get myself a 'Dew from the bar. I walked up there and suddenly there were 4 kids aged 12 to 15 blocking my way. First I thought it was weird that these kids were in the bar in the first place. I mean seriously, it's 10 at night, you shouldn't be in a bar! So these kids are blocking my way and I politely say "Excuse me boys". All they did was simultaneously put their spitters to their mouths and sloppily spit into them and gave me a look of "Who do you think you are.... City Boy!" (Say that in your best redneck accent). These kids, I swear, had about half a tin of chew in their mouths EACH! They didn't move and I was seriously concerned that these kids were going to start some trouble - then one of their Dad's stepped in.

It was funny actually. He slapped one in the back of the head and said, "Damn-it boys! Get out of this gentleman's way!" (again, with the accent). I thanked him and got my 'Dew. The father of the boys asked me why I didn't get a "real drink". I explained that I didn't drink and he said, "Never trust a man who doesn't drink, that's what my daddy always told me." Then he turned his back to me. I was a little disappointed because I was hoping that he'd be my ambassador to the other rednecks in the place.

Needless to say, I felt a little out of place the whole night, but in the end had a good time. After they all got a few good drinks in them, they didn't seem to mind. The only other time I thought there was going to be trouble was when I was dancing with some girls, and some guys sporting the usual Carhart jackets stepped in and totally pushed me away from the girls. I got the point and sat down. There were a few fights that night - every time one started somebody grabbed them and pushed them outside - eventually both of them would come limping back in and get even more drunk....

Lebanon

I was going through my traffic reports the other day and was curious to see where the people who visit my blog live. Take a look of this screen shot:

The 38 people from England kind of surprised me, but then again I talked a lot about the foiled terror plot over there so that made sense after all.

Why the 3 people from Alberta Canada have been visiting me I don't know, maybe it's because of my LTC White video.....

1 person from Australia! That was kind of cool to see - no idea why they're visiting but I'll pretend it's one of the Australian soldiers I trained with in Hawaii one year.

Now the weird one - Beyrouth LEBANON!!!!! Is Hezbollah looking at my blog trying to gain intel?! Did I talk about a relative of theirs when I talked about foiled terror plots or the 11 Egyptian students who went missing a few months ago? Am I an inspiration to the Lebanese - showing them the true value of Freedom, Democracy, and Freedom of Speech? Or am I helping fuel the flames of international jihad? Maybe they're looking at my blog saying "Look, they hate us because we're Middle Eastern. We must kill them before they kill us...."

What's my point in all this? This I am trying to show all the other Milbloggers out there that the enemy IS looking at your blog. Any opsec you put into your blog WILL fall into enemy hands. I know you want your mom to know what's going on - but you have to be careful of what you put on the internet. Everybody else can see it and that means the terrorists too! You must know that the lives of your brothers and sisters in arms lies in YOUR words - do you want to live the rest of your life knowing that somebody died because of something you put on a blog???

On a side note, I looked at my traffic today and noticed some new countries looking at my blog. 1st I noticed that I've had two hits from Ireland. I can only assume that it is my good friend Mark and his girlfriend Denise - Welcome to my blog!!! 2nd I noticed somebody from Greece visited my blog. Welcome to you too! And 3rd, I noticed that one of my visitors from Alberta Canada returned - I apparently I have a few more readers now..... Is my count up to 7?

Geography

Not to long ago I was driving to the northern part of my area to deliver school supplies when I passed something that I didn't know about. I passed the Laurentian Divide. I had no idea what this thing was so I knew I would do some research on it when I got home. I learned that this is the place in Minnesota where the rivers start flowing north! I remembered something about this from when I was in grade school - but this couldn't be so close to home could it?

A week later I had some privates making up drill and we were just BSing when I brought up the Laurentian Divide - they had no idea what I was talking about. I didn't think it was possible for somebody to live this close to an amazing piece of geography and not know what it was, let alone never visit it. So I did what anyone would do - I grabbed 4 MREs, put them in the car and took a trip up there for lunch.

It was kind of neat for me, but at the same time disappointing. It was neat for me because I'm a nerd and was amazed that this was abut 30-45 min away from my office. Who knew that so much great American geography is so close - I mean the Mississippi River is all but a few blocks from my office, and the Laurentian Divide is not much further away. It was disappointing in the fact that there are no rivers at the Laurentian Divide! Basically it's what's left of a 16,000-year-old mountain range - anything water that falls on the north side flows to the north to Hudson Bay, anything that falls on the south side flows to the south to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi.

Here's what I found on the web about it:

Glaciers - mammoth, moving, prehistoric sheets of ice one mile thick - crossed through what is now Minnesota at least four times. A huge sheet of ice known as the Wisconsin Glacier covered much of Minnesota 16,000 years ago. What was once a mountain range eroded, creating hills and thousands of waterways.
On the north side of this site, the divide directs the waters to empty into Hudson Bay and on to the Arctic Ocean. On the south, water flows into the Mississippi River and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. In other words, two drops of rain, each one falling to opposite sides, will end up on opposite sides of the North American continent.

A few pictures for you:
This one is from the web

This one I took with my cell phone - I really need to buy a digital camera!

In the end it was a really good trip in my opinion. I thought it was neat to see the divide and it was a really good opportunity to talk with my soldiers and catch up with what's going on in their lives - that is something I wish I had the opportunity to do a little more.

Well, that's it for now - I would also like to welcome my Mom to my blog - HI MOM! She and many other family members have probably seen my blog by the time I've written this... Welcome all - sorry for a lot of the swearing in my posts, I'll try and swear less from now on now that I know my mom is reading....

-Guardsman

Kids Say the Darnedest Things

2006-10-07T08:18:00.000+03:00

The other day I was in Wal-Mart buying Thank You For Smoking on DVD as well as a couple of other movies when this family walked past me. After they were past me this little girl, probably about 4 years old, stops, points at me and says extremely loudly "Look Mommy! He's still in his pajamas!" We all had a good laugh at that one - I've never heard that one before. I walked over to her as her mom was apologizing to me, crouched down and said "These aren't my pajamas! This is my uniform. It's the uniform of an American Soldier." and her mom responded "He and many other men work hard every day to keep you, and your brothers and sisters safe from really bad people". Suddenly the little girl's face went to a deeply concerned look - then very quickly turned to a very happy face. I was still crouching when she lunged forward at me and gave me a great big hug and said "Thank you very much mister!" I hugged her back and said your welcome and stood up stunned. Her mom politely said "I'm sorry about that." The only thing I could reply with was, "No, no need to apologize. Your daughter just made my day - probably my whole week too. Thank YOU!"

-Guardsman

The Bane of My Existence

2006-10-07T07:51:00.000+03:00

There are two things that are going to drive me to the loony bin. #1 is MEPS. #2 is Defense Travel System.

#1. Back in late June, one of my soldiers told me to come to the school as he had a girl who was interested in the Guard and he wanted to GRAP (Guard Recruiting Assistance Program) her. I went there and interviewed her to find that she was ready to join right now, but only 16. I told her I'd call her around her 17th birthday but to talk to her parents about it in the mean time. Her 17th birthday came and went and I could not seem to get a hold of her. Finally my soldier gets back from Basic Training and starts school again and finds that she's still interested. I FINALLY get to meet her parents and they sign the PC and we're ready to go to MEPS. The only thing I was worried about was her weight - she was about 3 pounds heavy than her max allowed weight. I held MEPS off a week and told her to work out and watch what she eats. She did, she went and ran on a treadmill at the school before school started every day for that week. Before leaving for MEPS I threw her on the scale and she remained the exact same weight. I figured she'd make body fat so out the door we went....

Permanently disqualified - recommend waiver. Wouldn't you guess it she made weight, but she's DQed for friggin "excessive scaring" in her ear - from Tubes when she was a child. Can she hear just fine? Yep, that checked out OK. Why the fuck does some scaring from tubes in her ears from 10 years ago matter?!

I used to be the lucky guy when it comes to MEPS. But out of my last 3 applicants, 2 have been DQed at MEPS! And all for STUPID reasons!

Why does MEPS have to be like this?!

Oh well, I'll submit the waiver to NGB next week when her drug test results come back and she'll enlist by the end of the month - hopefully.

#2. Defense Travel System is the new online system where you request travel orders and submit travel vouchers. It's all done online now, not on paper. Anybody who has used this website will agree with me that it's the most worthless POS ever created. First off, it's slower than old people fucking. When I say it's slow, I mean it's slow - like 14kbps modem slow! So when you FINALLY get it to load you have to stumble your way through requesting travel orders. Again, it takes forever to do this as well because there's 100 different pages to go through and each one takes forever to load. About every three pages you'll click the "Next" button and you'll get a nice screen saying "page cannot be displayed" - so you have to go back and start that page all over. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if it weren't so damn confusing! Nothing is in the right order and it was made by somebody with intimate knowledge of travel orders but no common sense. To give you all an idea of how "user friendly" this website is, check out SC's post on AKO.

So I still need 3 to finish Oct and I have nothing. I don't even really have anything solid right now. I've got a couple of PS people ready for next month, but that doesn't help me! I need shit THIS month. With some hard work and riding my soldiers for leads, I'm sure it will pan out. Hell, I've got them ALL WEEKEND this weekend - I'm sure they'll give me someone.

-Guardsman

New Year Changes

2006-09-27T09:05:00.000+03:00

Well, last week I saw the end of FY06 and the beginning of FY07.

Some important lessons were learned and milestones were set in FY06:
#1. I completed mission for the 2nd year in a row - something the previous 4 recruiters were unable to accomplish for even one year.

#2. I somehow managed to enlist 27 non-prior-service applicants. At the same time I managed to not enlist 1 prior service applicant. The top recruiter in our state enlisted like 12 PS.

#3. I learned that if I stay above mission my NCOIC will finally stay off my back and bother the other team members who are behind mission - Something that he did not do last year.

#4. Out of all my 27 enlistments, 3 were temporarily disqualified at MEPS and enlisted a week later. I did not have one applicant permanently disqualified at MEPS in FY06 - Please call the Guinness Book of World Records.

#5. I watched my brother's old office partner enlist 52 people in less than one year making him the top recruiter in the state.

#6. My recruiting team somehow managed to be the top recruiting team in the entire state of Minnesota - how this happened I'll never know. Honestly, I think it kind of fell in our laps - through a lot of hard work. We are now going to a "training" conference in Hawaii

#7. I learned that GED babies that the other services can't enlist can be my best friend. I would like to thank the Marines for 2 enlistments, and the Army and Navy for 1 each.

#8. I learned that the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (G-Rap) isn't God's gift to recruiting problems like it was made out to be. It does, however, make my job much easier.

#9. I learned that the Rookie of the Year earns an Army NCO Sword while the top recruiter, who beat him by 22 enlistments, only earns himself a hunting knife.

#10. I learned that there are no limits on how stupid people can be. I never thought I'd see a guy pretest a 4 - but after giving him two other pretests he only proved to be the dumbest man I'll ever meet. After randomly guessing on the computer pretest and scoring a 21 myself, I used to think you had to be smart to get a 4 - i.e. knowing the correct answer and picking the wrong one on purpose - but this kid proved me wrong.

#11. I learned that hitting a raccoon at 70mph will totally shatter your front bumper.

#12. I learned that I'd rather keep my '04 Stratus than take a brand new POS Malibu after driving it for 3 hours - sorry to rub it in SFC B.

#13. For some weird reason, the school I got the most enlistments out of never let me in the classroom once.

#14. For an equally weird reason, the school that lets me in the classroom as if I'm a substitute teacher didn't pan out any enlistments.

#15. Finally, I learned that paperless packets aren't really paperless - especially when it comes to prior service.

So the new recruiting year has now begun. What's nice is that technically FY06 doesn't end till 9/30, but everything I get now, counts towards FY07. So October is kind of like a 6 week month for me.

FY07 brings about some changes, but before I get to that let me tell you how things used to be and why the other services hate me so much.

Recruiting for the National Guard is a lot easier than it is for the other services. An enlistment is an enlistment either way - Non-prior-service, prior-service, Glossary-non-prior-service, it doesn't matter. If I wanted to enlist 24 PS in a year, that'd be OK. So the other services hate me since it doesn't matter who I enlist. I don't have a quota of 20 NPS and 4 PS or anything weird like that - I just enlist 'em as they come.

I also don't have to worry about education like they do. I can enlist HS Juniors, the only other service that can say that is the Army Reserve - but I believe that the applicant must score a 50 or higher on the ASVAB. For me I only care that they score a 31 or higher. I can enlist as many homeschoolers and GED babies as I want - and it doesn't matter what their AFQT is. Sure they have to take the AIMS test, but I've never seen anybody fail that - if you can even fail it.

I also don't have to worry about a DEP program - my unit takes care of that through the Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP). If a kid gets ants in his pants and doesn't ship - no worries on my end! I don't lose credit.

My state also blows every other service out of the water when it comes to educational benefits. I have Federal Tuition Assistance paying 50% of tuition. On top of that I have State Tuition Reimbursement paying 100% of total tuition COST, not what the soldier paid - for a total of 150% of your tuition paid for while in college. ON TOP OF THAT, I have the Reserve Component Montgomery G.I. Bil at $297 per month, tax free. If an applicant scores a 50 or higher on the ASVAB I can give them another $200 a month on top of the G.I. Bill. If an applicant is a senior or grad I can give them $350 a month instead of $200 on top of the G.I. Bill AND guarantee them they won't deploy for 2 years AFTER they complete training - the "College First" program. I can offer them free ACT, SAT, GED, and CLEP testing.

If the above paragraph weren't enough, I can give them $2000 for enlisting a friend and give them rank, AND free health care for a year. If they don't want to enlist a friend for health care, I can give them TriCare Reserve Select - full TriCare for a decently low monthly price.

Can you see why SFC B and Station Commando hate my kind?

The only thing to change this year is, unfortunately, training-pipeline-losses - what SFC B and SC call a "DEP Loss". If an enlistment of mine doesn't ship to BCT I do lose credit - maybe. Our state is one of the first states to start doing this for the National Guard and the way their doing it is kind of nice. If I do everything in my power, everything I'm supposed to do to ensure a kid ships, but still doesn't ship - not my fault, I keep credit. Even if a girl gets pregnant, or a kid gets in legal trouble - not my fault, I keep credit.

I'm not really worried about it, my ship rate was 90% and the 2 kids that didn't ship were out of my control.....

FY07 has been off to a weird start for me. I interviewed a kid the other day and when I was there I realized he might not be the brightest bulb on the branch. I sent him off to take the pretest and his father and I talked. Turns out he has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome! When I talked to the kid I asked him if he has ANY medical problems, he said "no." I talked to both mom and dad and neither of them mentioned that he has FAS! The even crazier part, his dad is PS and ADMITTED to me that he knows his son can't enlist! WHY DID YOU WASTE MY TIME?! To top it off - his son is already on SSI.......

Another weird, but very funny thing happened on Sunday at the local VFW. I was sitting with my normal group of "friends" and thought somebody brought their grandmother. "Judy" was sitting at our table and it turned out she was the sister of one of my older friends - she was 73-years-young. I don't know how the subject got brought up but Judy started talking about her son who is friends with an Army recruiter. She looked at me and said, "I asked my son, aren't you ashamed to be friends with him?" "huh?!" "I said to him, aren't you ashamed to be friends with somebody like that, some vulture out to prey on kids to send them to die for the antichrist and his cronies?!" Needless to say I was speechless - so I let her go on her tantrum. After a while she looked at me and asked, "What do you do for a living anyway?" I smiled deep inside as I replied, "Well, funny you should ask, I'm a recruiter for the Army National Guard."

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! AREN'T YOU ASHAMED AT WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING?!"

The look on her face was priceless!

One of my favorite past times is debating anti-war folk so I decided to take this little old lady on. It sounds sick, I know, but she was asking for it. Remember that we're in the friggin' VFW! I tried to debate her, I really did try. But I couldn't get a word in. Every time I tried to counter her argument or present mine she would reply, "Oh shut up little boy, you've been brainwashed by the antichrist!" (Evidentally both Bush and Cheney are the antichrist - I thought the bible said it was only one man but maybe I'm wrong) I even told her I'm a college educated man, that I couldn't be brainwashed, but she wouldn't have none of it. Eventually she got really mean.

It was karaoke night at the V - OK, I'll admit it, I like to sing karaoke and am apparently a good singer - and when I went up to sing after our "conversation" she waited till I got on stage to stand and yell - "BUSH LOVER GET OFF THE STAGE!" What was even more funny is that I was singing American by God's Amazing Grace by Luke Stricklin and when I was done I got a standing ovation and a huge round of high fives which completely drowned out the next singer (she wasn't very good anyway). Several rounds of beer were offered by other patrons, but I don't drink so I had to respectfully decline.

Wow, this post has been going on for a long time now. I guess my muse is working good tonight!

Before I go, I have to thank the person who nominated my video on Digg.com - my traffic rose 5x since you did that! I went from 4 readers, to about 20 readers! But I suppose those 16 people will become bored with my blog and leave me forever, but who knows, maybe I'll attract a few new readers!

-Guardsman

For Your Viewing Pleasure

2006-09-19T10:16:00.000+03:00

sgWell ladies and gentlemen, a huge part of what I've been working on is FINALLY finished. I suppose I should give you an idea of what you're about to view....... Well, you've all heard the song American Soldier by Toby Keith and I hope you have all heard the inspiring speech from LTC R. White. I've taken the two and combined them with clips from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Without further adieu:

There is one part of the video that I was actually present for - can you tell me which part it was?

Share as you'd like via traffic only. Please do not link to this video as I pay for my bandwidth. I will post to Military.com and other sites soon enough.

-Guardsman

UPDATE: I noticed an error in the compiling of the video - will have it fixed soon.

UPDATE: 9/22 - Video fixed. Video uploaded to YouTube. Watch for a higher quality version uploaded to Google Video soon. Video submitted to Military.com "Shock & Awe". If you have other suggestions of places to submit the video please email or say so in comments.

UPDATE: 9/22 - Video uploaded to Google Video

9/11 and Mission Complete

2006-09-15T06:41:00.000+03:00

I wasn't able to do a post on 9/11 as I had planned to because I was at MEPS. Now that it's 3 days later I feel almost foolish and silly talking about it - but better late than never.

There isn't much I can't say about 9/11 that somebody hasn't already said, probably much better than I could. But like everybody else I remember 9/11 like it was yesterday....

I had been in the Guards since 1999, my senior year in High School (I just made a lot of people feel old didn't I?) and was getting ready for my first State Active Duty Mission. I had missed last floods in Fargo/Moorehead because I was still at training. I received my orders to report to Camp Ripley at 1800hrs on 9/11/01 for pre-deployment training. I was in college at the time and decided to skip all my classes that day so I didn't have to worry about getting to post late - so I was sleeping in. While I was sleeping I heard my cell phone ring - I ignored it wanting to get some much needed sleep. Suddenly it rang again - this time I sent them straight to voice mail; I figured if they really wanted to talk to me they'd leave a message. Not 10 seconds later my cell phone rings again, this time I figured it must be important. Groggily I answer the phone hearing my mom on the other end telling me to turn on Fox News (she knows I watch nothing else). I'm still pretty sleepy at this point so I have no idea what she's talking about. She tells me to turn on the TV and I ask her why. "Because we're getting attacked at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon! That's why!" I turn it on and tell her what the TV is saying. She tells me to watch it and she'll call me back in a little bit for more details because they don't get much information at work. I'm watching the TV trying to figure out what the hell is going on, not knowing that America knew just about as much as I did at the time. As I'm watching, I see the camera zoom in on a plane flying fast over the NYC skyline - then the terrible happens. I watch the plane crash into the 2nd tower.......

Anybody who knows me will know that the first words out of my mouth were "What the FUCK?!"

Right away I knew something was wrong - America was under attach and now we're at WAR. I picked up the phone and called the Armory to find tell them I'm there in 18 min if the call comes. Some may think this is a weird reaction, but it was the only one I had at the time. The way my mind saw it, I joined the Army National Guard to serve my Community, State, and Country - all 3 were under attack in my eyes and I was ready to go.

Unfortunately that call never came - the only call that came was my unit telling me that the pre-deployment training was still on.

I watched the news as much as possible, but then eventually it came time for me to finish packing and leave. I put on my uniform and stepped out the door only to be hounded by every neighbor on my block. I don't blame them, they're watching America get attacked on live TV, then they see a guy in BDUs throw duffel bags in his car. I could see the desperation in their eyes. They needed answers, and they needed them now. Some had family in NYC, some just felt insecure. I didn't have an answer for them, so I politely explained that I know as much as they did and that I have to go.

The next few days were a whirl-wind of training and watching the news - at every meal the chow-hall was dead silent as everyone stared at the TV. All I knew is that I had to go fight whoever did this. I knew that it was my duty to go over and avenge this horrid attack. Unfortunately that chance never came up either because it wasn't much after that, that I had a hernia and was un-deployable.

I know I was young back then - 19-years-old to be exact - but I was mature enough to see how much America had changed because of that fateful day. I saw an America that I had not seen in my life. I saw a united America - an America PROUD to be American! I saw the America that Ronald Regan had built but I had only read about in history books.

Looking back on that time 5 years ago I am saddened to see that the America that emerged after 9/11/01 is no longer here. It has been buried by partisan politics and a hateful media. America is once again a divided America. This division, in my point of view, is what is causing America to be less safe - not Operation Iraqi Freedom. While we're busy fighting and bickering amongst ourselves about things that don't really matter, the terrorists are still plotting how to hit us once again. And while we all look at the left and look at the right, most Americans aren't realizing that the enemy is sneaking up behind us about to slit our throat.

In the end, it doesn't matter if you're a liberal or conservative, democrat or republican, rich or poor - the terrorists want us all dead. If people only paid attention they would realize that the message the terrorists are sending is, "Convert or die". If the media only reported it people would know that there is no easy way to deal with this and that if we let our guard down for just one minute, they will attack again without regard to your political affiliation.

We must not ever forget that day 5 years ago. It was a day that so many innocents needlessly lost their lives. It was a day that brought to head a war that had been waged under most people's radar for years. It was a day that brought America together to appreciate how great America really is. It was a day people realized that freedom isn't free. As we remember that day, lets not forget the lessons that came alone with it or the brave men and women who lost their lives that day.

So 9/11/06 was a little different for me - I spent most of it in the car driving here and there for my schools and getting source documents for my applicant, then finally driving to the cities for MEPS. Luckily I have XM radio in the car and was able to listen to much of the coverage of the day. After I got to the hotel I had really had too much of it - I needed to turn it off and let my brain settle down from all the emotional and informational overload it had suffered throughout the day. I ended up hanging out with my NCOIC the whole night and we never even brought it up - I think we both realized that as much as we need to remember that day, we also need to move forward.

The next day my guy enlisted making 24 contracts for the year in my database - 27 contracts actually written but because of some drug deals that were made in years past I only get credit for 24. I have finished my yearly mission (finally). Our fiscal year doesn't technically end till 30 Sept but our command has it ending on the 18th for various reasons. I'm kind of happy because anything after the 18th counts towards next FY. I am now trying to find 1 or 2 people to go down Sunday for Monday because I want to be +1 for the year, but I'm doubting it'll happen.

Anyway, yay for me, I finished my yearly mission. Only one more year left..... "Too easy!"

-Guardsman

Guardsman is Victorious!

2006-09-09T08:19:00.000+03:00

MEPS just could not keep me down!

So my guy last Tuesday got and open in the eyes for refraction - MEPS wanted to schedule his consult for September 14th! I had other plans. I talked to my Senior MEPS GC and got the right paperwork to send to his eye doctor. Submitted said paperwork to MEPS on this Tuesday waiting for the Doc to DQ him, also figuring I wouldn't get an answer till next week. Well apparently the doctor likes me now because he read the consult on Wednesday and cleared him for processing enlist only!

SWEET!

So I called my guy on Wednesday and got him ready to process on Thursday - life just couldn't get any better, could it?

Yes it could!

I had a guy that I needed to do some records checks on - they came back clean and told him to come to my office. He comes in, signs the pre-screen and 680 and says he wants to go to MEPS ASAP. "How's about Thursday for Friday?" He tells me he couldn't leave till 6pm on Thursday, thus making it impossible for him to night test.... So I call MEPS and see if there is an SDP (Same day processor for you readers that somehow found my blog other than my 5 actual readers) and turns out nobody had reserved the SDP for Friday! Could this get any better?!

Thursday I wake up knowing it's going to be a good day - the sun is shining, my brother called to tell me I'm going to be an uncle again, all my split-option trainers are back to school getting me leads, and I've got 2 guys going to MEPS to finish my yearly mission.

Life was good.....

So the SDP kid is supposed to call me when he gets in town to meet me to go to MEPS. He's supposed to call no later than 6pm. Cool, I can putz around for a while.....

Then, to quote SFC B, the recruiting Gods decided to punish me......

6pm comes and goes, no word from him. At 6:30 I call his house and get an answering machine, I leave a message.

7pm, answering machine again.....

7:30pm, Mom answers! Mom has no idea where he is, but is glad I called because she's got a few questions. I answer them and she says it sounds like a good idea.

8pm, Dad answers, no idea where he is.

8:30pm, Dad answers again and says he's in the bathroom - Dad assures me he'll have him call me as soon as he gets out of the bathroom....

8:35pm, I call and cancel his hotel reservation

9pm, brother answers and he's apparently gone to the gas station for a min (so much for calling me when he's done taking a shit huh?) Knowing all is lost I just go home. My only hope is that something came up and we leave at 1am.

10pm, kid calls me! Now we're getting some where.... or not.
Me: Hey man! Did you forget about me today?
Him: No.... um... I couldn't call because the phone was unavailable till about 10 min ago
Me: Really, that's weird, I talked to your Mom at 7:30, she said you weren't home.
Him: Well... um.... ah....
Me: Dude, seriously, do you wanna do this or what?
Him: Please don't be mad....
Me: Honestly, I won't be mad if you're not going to join, I'll find somebody else; I'm confidant of that. What I AM mad about is that you told me you'd call me or come to the Armory at 6 and you didn't call or anything. At least give me the common courtisy of a phone call - at least respect me enough and be man enough to call me and tell me you're not going to do it.
Him: Well.... ah....
Me: I mean I know I don't have the most active social life in the world, but I DO have a life. I have better things to do than sit at the Armory waiting for you to not show up.
Him: Well I told you, the phone wasn't available....
Me: Man, at least have enough respect for me to NOT lie to me.
Him: I'm not lying!
Me: Yes you are, you were at the skate park(I'm bluffing)
Him: How'd you know that?!
Me: I told you, I own this town. Nothing goes down without me knowing about it. (Pretty much true, I'm really good at making relationships in the community so I do find out about everything)
Him: Oh..... well, yeah, I, um....... decided that...... I'm not going to do it.
Me: Was that hard?
Him: No
Me: So what's going on? What changed your mind from yesterday?
Him: Nothing.
Me: Huh?!
Him: I was just rushing into the decision.
Me: So you want to think about it and then call me back in day or two?
Him: I'm just not interested.
Me: Alright man. That's all you had to say. Got any friends that might be interested?
Him: No.
Me: OK, take it easy then......
Him: Later [Click]

NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well now I have to wake up at 3am to pick up my other guy so I go to bed

3am comes and I'm in the shower, getting ready to enlist ONE person. On the way to his house, 2 and a half hours down the road from me, he texts me. The conversation goes like this:

Him: Will they do a breathalizer on me when we get down there?
Me: Why?
Him: Because I don't think I'll pass one
Me: Are you totally blitzed or just over the legal limit?
Him: You'll probably get drunk being around me?
Me in the car: SHIT! + lots of other swear words
Me in text: Are you serious?
Him: No
Me: What?!
Him: I love fucking with you
Me: I hate you, be at your house in 10 min.

I pick him up, drop him off at MEPS at 10 to 8 and the GCs say he's good to go - don't worry about it. I've heard that before, but they tell me to go run the numerious errands I always have when I'm down there. I have to go to clothing and sales so I leave MEPS. My phone rings, it's my NCOIC. He tells me I have to go to the ROC (Recruiting Operations Center, our HQ) for a conference call. These are usually not fun. This one, was actually pretty good - I didn't even get yelled at for losing SDP kid. All my SGM said was "Shit happens.... find another one".

Anyway, my guy enlisted, so now I've only got 1 left to complete mission. I've got 1 guy who I'm getting parental concent (PC) signed on Sunday and another one in the funnel.

It's drill weekend, and I've got to get up early so I'm going to try to end this soon....... but it was a kind of productive last 2 days, but extremely stressful! Thank god I have a wedding to go to this weekend - I don't care about the wedding, I just want to party it up at the reception!

If you didn't notice, SGT Lori is shutting down her blog so make sure you swing by and give her a fond farewell.

-Guardsman

Fallen Soldier

2006-09-02T06:53:00.000+03:00

Today I found out a Minnesota Army National Guard soldier, SSG Josh Hanson, died on Wednesday in Iraq. I already did a post about it on my brother's blog, you can find that here: JusticeSoldier.com - Honoring the Fallen

-Guardsman

Screwed for the Month

2006-08-31T09:28:00.000+03:00

So I worked my butt off all of August to find some people to enlist in the Army National Guard. Thought I had some things going, thought I could take things easy - the contracts will land in my lap like my last 6 did, right? Wrong.

Coming into the last week of the month I had only one processor - and need 2 to finish my yearly mission that ends in September. I need at least 1 to stay at mission. I'm assuming that all 5 of my readers read SFC B's and Station Commando's blogs so I won't be explaining any terms for now. Anyway I am really good at pre-screening my applicants and haven't lost an applicant at MEPS in well over a year. While I haven't totally lost the applicant, I'm not very happy with the MEPS Doc right now.

My kid had to work Monday night so he couldn't go down that night like normal. So, being the good recruiter that I am, I left my office at 1am on Tuesday morning to pick my guy up and drive him to MEPS by 5:30am. Got there at 5, made sure he knew what to expect and figured I'd be ready for another enlistment. When I'm at MEPS I try to help out our Guidance Counselors as much as possible, so I did some paperwork to help out the Senior Guidance Counselor as much as I could. I needed to get some sleep so I could survive the ride home so I went to our day room at MEPS to sleep on the couch for a couple of hours.

At noon my cell phone wakes me up and it's one of my recruiting team mates asking my why my guy isn't off the floor. I go down to our office at MEPS to find out what's going on. I'm told there is something wrong with my guy's eyes and that he'll probably need a consult - so I tell them I'll drive him myself and leave to grab him and bring him to the consult. Suddenly my guy is nowhere to be found. The front desk doesn't know where he is and medical doesn't seem to know either. Finally at 2pm - TWO HOURS LATER - he walks off the floor. At this point I know I'm not going to get an enlistment today because the doctor leaves at 2:30pm so all consults must be back by then. My only hope is that his consult is in the next day or so. Apparently MEPS realized that they haven't screwed me in a while so they made sure I wouldn't make mission this month - my guy's consult is scheduled for SEPTEMBER 14th! Over half a month away! What the hell? To make matters worse the sheet you get describing the disqualification doesn't even say what exactly is wrong with him. His physical shows that his vision corrects to 20/20 but it says he needs an Ophthalmology consult none-the-less. We're still trying to find out what the deal is from Medical so I can bring him to a civilian eye doctor instead of waiting till Sept 14.

SFC B recently complained about MEPS Guidance Counselors and I have to admit I don't have any problems like him. The GCs at my MEPS are nothing but some of the finest and most helpful soldiers I've ever had the opportunity to work with. These guys will bend over backwards to make sure that you get an enlistment. If you screw up, you'll get a nice stern talking to, but in the end they make sure your guy can process. I've honestly never had a problem with my MEPS GCs. What I do have problems with is the MEPS Doc and the rest of the medical staff. It seems that when you need an enlistment the most, they find the dumbest reason to disqualify an applicant. Kind of like the time I had an applicant temporarily disqualified because he MIGHT have an ear infection. His DQ sheet actually said that. It didn't say that he DID have an ear infection, but that he MIGHT. I kind of thought that if you have your PHD in medicine, that you'd know if a person had an ear infection or not. The funny thing is that when my NCOIC called me to yell at me about it he actually said, "Didn't you look at his ears before you left for MEPS?" My response was, "I'm sorry MSG, I guess when I went to recruiting school they forgot to issue me my PHD." I think he realized how dumb of a question that was after I gave my sarcastic comment.

So now I'm going into September 1 behind mission. I'm told I need to have my mission finished by the 15th of September. I am confidant that I can pull this off, assuming my guy isn't permanently disqualified. That means I need to find 1 more, 2 to be +1 for the year. We'll see what happens.....

School starts next week so on top of trying to process qualified applicants, I've got to go to all 7 of my schools and deliver all the school supplies. Should make for an interesting month.

-Guardsman

MSM Spin

2006-08-26T04:35:00.000+03:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I have been busy with work (no enlistments for the last month! I'm such a winner) and I have been busy working on a little something for every one's enjoyment. It's not nearly done yet, but hopefully you will all like it. In the mean time I'd like to comment on some news.

I happened upon this story today and was absolutely amazed at how the main stream media can spin things. From Yahoo News:

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont (Reuters) - Some have appeared naked in a downtown parking lot. Others rode their bicycles or simply strolled the streets in the nude.

Teenagers in the quaint Vermont town of Brattleboro are raising eyebrows this summer with brazen displays of nudity. So far they haven't been arrested or ticketed: public nudity isn't illegal in the town of 13,000 people, unless it's done to arouse sexual gratification. Vermont has a live-and-let-live tradition, allowing skinny-dipping and nude sunbathing....

More....

..."We have a nuclear power plant a few miles away and a ridiculous war in the Middle East, countries getting bombed," said Ian Bigelow, a 23-year-old who had gathered with some of his friends outside a bookstore. "So why's it such a big problem if we chose to get nude?"

This article had seemingly nothing to do with Operation Iraqi Freedom, but SOMEHOW they managed to sneak it in there! How do they think of this stuff? Is some newspaper editor looking at the story going, "Hmm..... nude teenagers in Vermont, huh? Any way to connect this with the war?" So the reporter goes out and pays some kid to say it on the record?

That's got to be what happened in my opinion. I refuse to believe that a bunch of teenagers were sitting around one day and suddenly one of them says, "I don't like the war in Iraq - I'm going to go around nude for a while all because of the war.... and nuclear power.... and Israel bombing Lebanon. Yeah! That's why I'm going nude! It's lawful anyway, anyone want to join me?"

Anyway, I don't think that Ian Bigelow practices the "live-and-let-live" attitude that allows his nudity law. If he did, he wouldn't really care about a nuclear power plant or any wars would he?

-Guardsman

World Trade Center

2006-08-15T10:10:00.000+03:00

Having seenUnited 93 and been very happy with the movie, I figured I'd give World Trade Center a try. I went to the movie theatre with a lady friend of mine (no, she's not my new girlfriend), paid $13 for the two tickets (yeah, I know, you people in NYC are paying $13 per ticket) and sat down not quite knowing what to expect.

To tell you the truth, I figured since Oliver Stone created it, it would be full of his usual anti-America political mumbo-jumbo. I knew going into the movie that I would either really like it, or want to kick Oliver Stone's ass! I watched the movie ready to nit-pick everything about it but was pleasently suprised there was no political twist on the movie at all. The movie is not really about the attack itself - but about the way it has changed all our lives. I'm going to stop talking about the movie because I actually recommend that all three of you reading this (or is it 4 if Gordy is still reading my blog?) go out and see it if you haven't already.

I will end with an example of the movie's message. Carlos Mencia really said it best in his pre-Mind of Mencia days:

True, isn't it?

-Guardsman

NEWS FLASH - Missing Egyptian Students NOT Terrorists.

2006-08-11T10:38:00.000+03:00

By now every one of my 2 readers (Hey fellow recruiters!)(Hat tip: SFC B) have seen the news about the thwarted terror attack in London.

You both probably saw yesterday's post (if not just scroll down) about the missing Egyptian students. I found an interesting AP video that really got me thinking in relation to the recent attack in London. Watch the video then come back to me.

So Mrs. Shannon Mahoney says that the students are on "vacation" and would rather party in New York City then go to classes in Montana. Surely there is no need for concern.

Cathy Conover says she's "relieved that those students are safe" - Wait a minute Cathy, aren't 5 of them still at large??? But she still says there is "no indication that there is any security concern." After all, they're just out to have a good time while breaking many U.S. and international laws - no harm no fowel right?

One student even said he was glad the FBI is investigating this, but is concerned that they're doing it only because of their national origin.

Well Billy, lets think about this for a second.

Lets look at the names of those 11 students who went missing:

El Sayed Ahmed Elsayed Ibrahim, 20
Eslam Ibrahim Mohamed El Dessouki, 21
Alaa Abd El Fattah Ali El Bahnasawi, 20
Mohamed Ragab Mohamed Abd Alla, 22
Ahmed Refaat Saad El Moghazi El Laket, 19
Ahmed Mohamed Mohamed Abou El Ela, 21
Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed El Moghazy, 20
Ebrahim Mabrouk Moustafa Abdou, 22
Moustafa Wagdy Moustafa El Gafary, 18
Mohamed Saleh Ahmed Maray, 20
Mohamed Ibrahim Fouaad El Shenawy, 17

Now, just for fun, lets look at the list of the 19 terrorists in london:

Umir Hussain, 24
Muhammed Usman Saddique, 24
Waheed Zaman, 22
Assan Abdullah Khan, 22
Waseem Kayani, 28
Waheed Arafat Khan, 24
Cossor Ali,24
Tayib Rauf, 21
Ibrahim Savant, 26
Osman Adam Khatib, 20
Shamin Mohammed Uddin, 36
Amin Asmin Tariq, 23
Shazad Khuram Ali, 27
Tanvir Hussain, 24
Umar Islam, 28, (born Brian Young)
Assad Sarwar, 25
Abdullah Ali, 26
Abdul Muneem Patel, 17
Nabeel Hussain, 21

Am I the only one who notices something strikingly similar?

Hmm.... could it be that they're all MUSLIM MEN?!

But hey, lets not jump to conclusions here. These students are just going out and having a good time in NYC just like they did back in the old days when they went to Jihadist University. Right?

And to that unnamed student in Montana, I HOPE the FBI is investigating this because of their "national origin" - they have every reason to.

But then again, maybe I'm just a right-wing-crack-pot.

-Guardsman

What is wrong with the FBI?

2006-08-10T08:10:00.000+03:00

I was going to do a post on how wonderful my girlfriend is - but she dumped me today so I figured I'd do a post on something that really pissed me off today.

The FBI is either naive or just trying to hard to be politically correct. Lets start with the story that started this thought of mine:

Yahoo News
MINNEAPOLIS - Three Egyptian students who were being sought for failing to turn
up for an exchange program at Montana State University were taken into custody
Wednesday, more than a week after they arrived in the United States.
One student was arrested in Minnesota, and two others surrendered to authorities in New Jersey. They were among 11 students being sought by law enforcement after they failed to attend a month long program on the English language and U.S. history and culture in Bozeman, Mont., the FBI said.
Eslam Ibrahim Mohamed El-Dessouki, 21, was taken into custody in Minneapolis on an immigration violation. Two other students — Mohamed Ragab Mohamed Abd Alla and Ebrahim Mabrouk Moustafa Abdou, both 22 — surrendered to police in Manville, N.J., after hearing media reports that they were wanted, FBI spokesman Steven Siegal said. Eight students remain at large. They arrived in New York on July 29 as part of a group of 17 students. Six students reported to Bozeman on time.
The missing students pose no terrorism threat, the FBI said.

Let me say that again - "The missing students pose no terrorism threat, the FBI said."

What is WRONG with this? Lets look back at September 11th, shall we? Oh yeah - one of the hijackers entered this country ON A STUDENT VISA! 2 others were approved on student visas AFTER entering the United States! Maybe, just maybe, we should start watching people with student visas from Muslim countries a little closer?!

Am I the only one who's appalled by this?

And don't start giving me that "It'll violate their constitutional rights" bullshit - Why does the constitution apply to people who aren't even citizens of this country?!

Well, that's my 2 cents - let the flames begin.

-Guardsman

Why

2006-08-09T08:23:00.000+03:00

Well, it's been a while since my last post. You wouldn't believe how busy I've been. I've enlisted 3 new people since then, had a family reunion, took a week off to spend time with a friend from Ireland, worked a county fair, and found time to spend with my girlfriend! I planned to do a new post, but there was a lot of changes I wanted to make to my blog before I did another post. I'm not done yet, but I think it looks damn good!

I figured I'd do my second post as to why I blog.

I decided to blog for many reasons. It just seemed like a good way to get things off my chest for one. This is a way that I can talk about anything I want and leave it out there for anyone to comment. I haven't done that yet, I know, but eventually I'll be blogging more regularly. I'm kind of new to this blogging thing, but I'm not a complete newb. I run another blog for my brother in all actuality. He does most of the posting, I just do the graphics and all that jazz. You can find his blog here. Now you're going to look at his blog and say "Wow, that looks nice - why does yours look so crappy?!" Well his blog is featured on military.com and gets lots of traffic so I spend a lot of time making it look nice. My blog has no readers right now, so you lucky few who have some how stumbled upon my blog aren't so lucky to view a crappy looking blog. Maybe when my brother gets back from deployment, or if I get a lot of readers I'll start making it look better.

I get my inspiration from many places. I read a lot of blogs. The one who really got me interested is Military Recruiter. It's unfortunate that he had to shut his down, but he had his reasons. Who knows, maybe we'll see him again some day. Other bloggers that got me interested, and I read often, are Station Commando and SFC B. SFC B you can now claim that you have 7 readers. Jack Army, Blackfive, and others are places I get inspiration from as well.

I don't get my inspiration from just other bloggers however. I am a man who has dedicated his life to defending freedom, democracy, and the American way. I see that America is under attack from psychopathic sickos who kill in the name of Allah. I just wish more of America can see the same thing! I also see that America is under attack from within it's own borders. I'm not only talking about terrorist cells or the huge illegal immigration problem - I'm talking about politics. I sit at home and watch every day as America is crumbling from the inside out because of the liberal left and the main stream media. They are destroying America for what they call "freedom" and "political correctness". Basically, I see this as my way of doing my part to defend my country from their preferred form of government - socialism. Hence I blog in hopes that somebody will be educated by my writings in between my rants of why I love and hate my job, what's going on in my life, and anything else I find interesting enough to post about.

By the way, if you haven't guessed it by now, yes, I'm a conservative. (And damn proud of it)

-Guardsman

Welcome to My Blog

2006-07-18T08:03:00.000+03:00

Well, this is my first actual post of my blog. So, I guess I should welcome you to my blog. I'm kind of new to this blog thing so you'll probably see many changes coming soon. I'll start off my blog with a little about me:

I'm just your average guy serving this greatest of nations in the Army National Guard. I started my military career as a 31C (now 25C) Single Channel Radio Operator/Maintainer in an Air Defence Artillery unit. After a while I cross trained as a 14M (Stinger Missile Operator) and enjoyed my time there. I have been many places due to the Army National Guard, unfortunetally none of them has been to a combat zone in Iraq or Afghanistan. Currently I'm a 79T Recruiting & Retention NCO in northern Minnesota. That's me in a nutshell I guess....

This blog will be about many things. It'll surely be my daily banterings about how much I love, and hate, my job. It will also be my rants and raves about all things, political things being at the top of my list. That's it for now.....