Thoughts

I don’t really have anything specific to write about; I just want to write because I have not had a chance to in quite some time. I like to sit down and reflect what has been going on through words. Not sure why, but it is refreshing.

Something that just popped into my head; the level of loyalty one has to his leader in the army is amazing. If a sergeant says do something, by God there is a private ready and willing to jump off a cliff if so instructed. I feel the same loyalty, mostly to fellow enlisted leaders and those appointed over me. Soldiers definitely look out for one another around here, which is one of the main responsibilities of an NCO. As the saying goes, “respect the rank, not the man.” Which means, even if you don’t like the guy, you respect the rank that has been placed upon him. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Things have been going ok around here. I know we’ve been attacked since the last time I’ve written, but I don’t know how many times. Not too many surprisingly. We swept the area afterwards but found nothing. Last week was the week of the full moon, and it was so light at night we hardly needed flashlights to work. They could have aimed their munitions with ease; guess they didn’t like the fact that we could see them, too. Unfortunately, during the day sometime, a group of Afghani police were out in the middle of nowhere, and still somehow managed to find an IED. Or maybe it found them. Regardless, the day shift heard the unfortunate code words for “mass casualty” when the medevac birds came back to base; we saw the body bags.

I’ve been here a little over a month now, but for some reason it feels like 6. I guess because the fun never stops! I can’t imagine what I am going to feel like at the end of 12 or 15 or however many months we are stuck in the bowl. Hopefully I will not feel like an old man. Everyone is getting in good physical shape, though, going to the gym in between shifts and walking with a pack and weapon everywhere we go. I’m still feeling like I am in the Band of Brothers.

An additional duty we have to perform on top of everything else we do here is guard duty. Twelve hours of nonstop fun in a guard tower, watching by day with our eyes, and watching through the darkness with night vision goggles. One poor soul broke his wrists and elbows after pulling a cartoon-like move on one of those 15 foot towers. He just opened the door and stepped right out into thin air, disappearing into the darkness below. I don’t know why there’s one door with stairs, and one without, but someone should have told him about it. As it turns out, the guy gets to go home. The war for him is over.

Another fun thing I hear about guard duty (as I have not had my turn yet) is the people that come up to the fence. Mostly kids, they like to show up and sometimes throw rocks or talk shit to the soldiers. Your momma this and your momma that and you are a son of a gun. The guards just usually tell them to F off in so many words. I have to get that slingshot before my turn comes around. Not all of the children act this way; some treat U.S. Soldiers like heroes. I still want that slingshot, though. I want it so bad.

Well, I guess that’s all I have in me for now. It’s funny, because around here if you want to do something simple that you don’t usually do in the daily routine, like make a phone call or write in a blog, you have to change your entire life around. Get up earlier, forgo eating or maybe even that shower that you desperately need. It’s so weird. Another thing that I just thought of that is kind of strange is things that can bring you out of the depths of hell and into the sunshine. Someone could be having the shittiest day of his life, but if you give him a scoop of ice cream and a pat on the back he is good to go. I like mint chocolate chip.

Even a small break from the day’s activities can make all the difference for a down and out soldier. A piece of mail, a phone call, a tiny nap, memories of home in the summertime. That’s all it takes in this world. After all of this is over, I don’t know if I will ever be bored again when I get back home. Home seems so far away though, in space and in time. The only time I can go there now is when I sleep, and it happens now more often than not.

Cheers,

-J