Holy Cow

Yesterday I was able to take advantage of an opportunity to head to "the rear" and spend a few days a Bagram Air Field. For those of you familiar with my adventure so far, this is where I first entered the ass crack of the world and spent my first two weeks in country. Now I am back after 4 months of being in Jalalabad.

Never in my life will I ever complain about food, driving or company after being in this place. It never ceases to amaze me that even in the relative ease of living in Bagram people bitch about what they either have or don't have. Since I was here last, there has been a couple of major improvements to BAF (Bagram Air Field). They have added a lot of computers, a food court (with Tai and Italian foods) and a Burger King (which was freaking amazing yesterday). Yet people still bitch about the quality of food and environment. Now, I must amend my previous statement. The people who really bitch are ones that have never been anywhere else but here. They have also never "gone outside the wire" on any real missions. If I ever hear someone say that Bagram is a dangerous place (I should say anyone serving over here) I am liable to punch them in the face and call them a retard. This is the most secure place in Afghanistan. The likelihood of an effective attack here range between zero and none.

My soldiers and I have already overheard people dicussing all of these issues and it is all we can do not to laugh at them outright. Everyone of my guys has been proven under some of the worst conditions and have proven solid. Most of the people here are running for cover when a car back fires. Anyway, it just never ceases to amaze.

Other than that, my guys and I are living up our "vacation" to Bagram. It is so nice to actually see how nice some people have it and be able to experience it for just a couple of days. We head out again soon to drive another 5 hours back to Jalalabad.

In closing, thank you to all who have commented on this blogger and to anyone who reads this that hasn't, please feel free to comment whenever you want and say what is on your mind. I do.

Is it just me?

Is it just me but since when did serving in the National Guard become disgraceful? Since John Kerry first came on the scene to run for President, he has never said one thing about the NG in a positive light.
Now there has always been a certain amount of hostility (but even that isn't the right word) that is always common place among the NG and active component soldiers. This is always done between soldiers though. For someone who is running for THE most important elected office in the country to say that it is not "really serving" is something else entirely. I understand he made those comments in a feeble attempt to attack the President in response to his own shortcomings and inconsistancies, but people come on. I don't really care what is said about the Presidents service because I know first hand the "forged documents" the Dems are bitching about can't be forged, no matter who your daddy is.
What I think is disgracful is how Kerry seems proud of his actions after he returned from Vietnam. I don't care how disenfrachised you become with the military or the government in general, as a soldier or sailor you NEVER stab you commrades in the back and make them look like shit. He pissed on every soldier, sailor and marine who served and died in that war, and now he expects them to "forgive and forget" and vote for his stupid ass. This is one serviceman who always remembers who has supported us from the beginning, and will always vote acordingly.
I always thought that the NG was a good thing to be a part of. I joined the NG with the intention of going to college and trying to serve my country at the same time. During those first two years I was able to get soldier of the year for my battalion and win a pair of national championships and serve my community in a time of need (a flood that threatened our city from the Mississippi). To this day I credit a lot of the success I have had in my life because of my association with the NG. I have met people from all walks of life and some of my best friends are in my unit.
So in closing let me say this. I for one don't think service in any component or branch of the military is better than any other. In today's world all branches and components have to be ready to be deployed anywhere in the world at anytime. I don't think this is bad and I don't hate my President for sending me here. Like I have said in the previous post, it was not our decision to come here in the first place. That decision was made for us on a clear Sept. morning.

Why am I here?

Many times I have asked this question since the 28th of May this year. I have been stationed in Afghanistan for almost 4 months now and have over 8 months to go. So why am I here?
A lot of critics point to President Bush and say we are only fighting because of his greed, lust for oil and bloodlust. To those arguments I say, Bullshit!
The first answer that comes to mind is that our nation was deliberately and devistatingly attacked 3 years and seven days ago. A group of people who hated our nation for no other reason then pure jealousy flew two planes into civilian buildings that resulted in over 3000 casualties. These buildings strike me much harder than the Pentagon. Don't get me wrong, I feel for the people who lost loved ones and it angers me, but the Pentagon was a military target and we who where the uniform or work for the military must come to grips with the possibility we would be attacked. For the plane that went down in Penn., I feel a swell of pride in the fact the passengers on that plane decided their own fate and fought back.
The underlying answer is not as easy to figure out. I think it goes further back to the question of why did I sign the dotted line and volunteer for military service in the first place. Part of it is family related. My grandfather served in the Navy during WWII as an officer and my father served 31 years, ten of that with the 12th Special Forces Group as an officer. Now, neither pressured me into serving, but once I made the decision both pushed for me to get a commission and be an officer. I have served nearly six years now and am still enlisted. There are many reasons, none of which I am going to get into now except to say that I love being an NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer, a sergeant) and having a very small group of men to train and command.
Okay, so I have the family factor out of the way, but it doesn't REALLY answer the question. Maybe it is my desire to help someone. Maybe it is being part of something in which I must sacrifice much of myself and well being to serve others. Maybe there is just a gene that soldiers possess that makes us do what we do. Now many (all of which are outside the military community) critics would say we just want to be "heros" or some such shit. I will tell you this now and here. NO one cares about medals or awards here. All of us just want to do our jobs and come home to the lives we had before.
I don't know exactly why I serve in the military. It is a job and group of people to which I just BELONG. A round peg in a round hole you might say. I am good at my job and am proud of the men I serve with.
So why am I here?
I guess I am here because I signed on the dotted line.

First Post

I am posting this blog as a journal to write my thoughts down for the day as I spend the next 9 months in Afghanistan, "fighting the war on terror." I hope that everyone who reads this will comment and if you don't like what I have to say, you can always go find another blog. I think at this point I have earned the right to say whatever the hell I want to on my own site. Also, if I don't like you or your comments, don't be surprised if I say so and say so in plain language.
Other than that, feel free to say whatever is on your mind!
Thanks,
Jake