My Children

The families have received the news in person. Every year most units have a family day. It's suppose to be a day of unity. Everybody brings in their family so that they can meet the other soldiers and the families of other soldiers. They get a chance to build their own network ... their own support group they can talk to when we deploy. They need to see who their sons and daughters have for leaders. They need to see who their husbands and wives have supporting them and watching their back.

Ours was a particularly rainy day. They rented a pavilion at the park and had a picnic. Almost as soon as we began to set up the rain came. It poured. Nice way to start the day. While the families were all huddled underneath the pavilion trying to stay dry our commander decided to give them all a speech. I know there are things she's expected to say. I understand she has to let them know she will look out for us. I'm not all about being called one of 'her children'. "I now have (insert number) children". Hmmm ... It wasn't wrong to say. But I really think we could have told the families something better. I'm really not trying to bash my CO here. But if I have to talk to the families of my squad I'm not calling anyone my children. These are well trained men and women. When we have our orders and we are finally fighting overseas hopefully they will be ready to kill the enemy. Children don't kill. My men and women, my soldiers will when necessary. I don't have children. I have Soldiers.

Since hearing about our upcoming deployment its been hard to keep focus on anything else. The rest of the world has the volume turned down. It's not that I don't have motivation. But I find that everyday life lacks the same meaning as fighting a war for your country and trying to rid the world of terrorists. Try finding the same importance in filing paperwork. Think about it for a second .... yeah ... I knew you couldn't either.

So what is our next move. All of our plans for life up until we deploy have to now have a lifespan contingent on our ship date. It makes life difficult. Who do I have? I question if my relationship has longevity enough to survive a year apart. You always read love stories about soldiers who come home from war and find their relationship torn apart. It does very little to inspire faith. But you also get a few stories that inspire hope. Particularly for me the Odyssey. Odysseus fights ten years in the Trojan war and suffers another ten years of trials before finally returning home to his wife. All the while she spends twenty years fighting off suitors in the constant belief that he is alive and will return to her. In the end their love is reunited. I want to believe I can be that man and that I can have that patience ... I hope that I've found the woman to be patient for me.

It seems to me that way too many soldiers tell themselves that their life goes on hold for the period that they are away fighting. They need to prepare themselves for the opposite. Everything will fast forward a year. When we return everything will have advanced a year. Nobody stops living their life just because we go to protect them. These are men and women with full lives and full schedules. They will have to go through a fight overseas and a readjustment upon returning home. Wouldn't it be nice if we actually were just her children. Then all we'd have to worry about is getting back outside and playing.

"Some men just want to watch the world burn."

"Some men just want to watch the world burn."

There is no reasoning with terrorists. Our leaders may have one idea of why we are there. They may tell the world that we are combating terrorism. That we are going to rid the world of evil. They're excellent at feeding CNN the bullshit they are suppose to be saying. The American people generally don't believe any of it. They think we are there for countless other reasons. I think I've heard it all. Bush is finishing what his Daddy started. Maybe ... but what about Obama? We are there for oil. That's nice ... why are we still paying $3 a gallon? We are just imperialistic. That could be true .... but we could have found a cheaper way to be imperialistic and probably a lot closer to home. What are their real intentions? We may never know. Ten years from now we'll still be there. Ten years from now we'll have had two more presidents who will feed us more of the same.

There are however two truths. First, terrorists are evil men who only wish to kill and strike fear into the innocent people of the world. Second, regardless of our leaders intentions, we go to ensure the innocent can live in peace and can walk around free of fear. We go to be the light where there is darkness. Most of these people we go to protect are too afraid to take a stand and do it for themselves. We are a privileged nation. Our Forefathers taught us from the very beginning that we must stand up for what is right. Regardless of our leaders intentions for this war our purpose as soldiers is always clear: Obey our orders and support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. Sometimes it is a hard life. But it is simple. It's what we were chosen to do.

The Adventure Begins

Preparation for war begins long before one ever faces battle. It starts with the leader and ends with the leader. You must make sure that your soldiers have everything they need before the first shot is fired. Some days you prep them mentally. Some days you prep them physically. Some days you prep them tangibly. You give them the mindset they need to kill, the physical tools to fight and the equipment to do it with. A lot of times you don't even know what the hell the training you're ordered to give has to do with your mission. But since you mission changes all the time you have to prepare for that too. Train. Rinse. Repeat. Everything gets beat into your skull until you don't think ... you react. It's the way of war. The warrior that's better at reacting than thinking lives. His enemy dies.

Our journey has begun. We knew that deployment was coming again. We just didn't know where. Now we do. Unofficially. And we know the date. Unofficially. But at least we know who we're fighting with. Unofficially. They tell us so that we know. But officially we know nothing. They tell us nothing is set in stone because at any time it could all change and until we are sitting with a weapon in our hand, a round in the chamber and Afghanistan soil beneath our boot it's not official. Eight months or so from now that will be the reality.

I am a squad leader. I have 12 men under me. I say men. Others will say boys. This is not far from the truth. A good portion of them are 19 and 20. They were thinking about their summer vacation or losing their virginity not long ago. Now they're wondering what strange world they are about to be put into. I'm thinking about how to explain to their parents that a 27 year old who looks even younger is leading them on missions to kill a dangerous enemy that threatens our nation. I'll try to convince them that they are ready to do this. Both the parents and my soldiers. But that starts with training, training, and then, after it's been drilled into their heads over and over, more training.