Where were you last time? Out in MNF-W with the Marines? In my job, I see the same stuff that GEN Petraues briefed on TV. His numbers ARE accurate. Warriors hate to leave any job undone.......I have time to write tonight, because there's not a lot going on. No MEDEVACS overhead all day..
I believe it's called Duty and Mission Accomplishment with no excuses. Every generation of Americans are capable of this though many are not called and that is a good thing.
My AO was from 20 mi W of Ramadi to Haditha. Our base was FOB Hit and most time was in the desert either overwatch or chasing hi value targets in souped up Opals with HumVees full of Marines. Had plenty of camel spiders, scorpions, and a few Asps to keep us company with the always present wild dog population.
I was with two different USMC platoons, one active and one reserve. The reserve was working with a local Iraqi National Guard unit (who doubled as muj on their days off) and the active was mostly in the desert doing various missions. When Jack Nicholson (A Few Good Men) said "I sleep 300 feet from people who want to kill me" we took off 290 feet and called Jack a sissy. You learn to go from sleep to condition one, eyes muzzle, target in 1.3 seconds with your 9 to survive. Good stuff.
Learned a lot about no excuses, mission accomplishment, leadership out the wazoo, and no BS. I imagine many of your Sgts., staff and senior NCOs are the same. Calling it an education was a huge understatement.
One side benifit of this conflict as contensious as the politics are is we now have a huge population of active, reserve, and guard personnel with real experience and unlike our Vietnam Bros we do not have the negative stigma. Though the WWII generation is lauded I feel the Vietnam Vets had more items thrust upon them and we benifit from America differentating the war from the warrior. Unless America goes through the experience (I hope not) they cannot fathom the experience. No amount of excellent writing (Hemmingway, Gen Powell, Phil Capidto (Rumor of War)) can educate them. I could not learn it from their writings.
When you get back you can look anyone in the eye.
If a future conflict arises this pool would not make ground level tatical mistakes and probably take care of business in short order if allowed to do so.
I will not ask where your AO is since I feel the less public info the better. Leaving and returning CONUS under the wire has it's benifits.
Your Daughter is an investment. Yes an expensive one but pays greater returns and an IPO in Dell or Yahoo. If it benifits my D Ill live under a bridge cause in the end integrity and the Lord is all we got.
When it gets closer to the freedom bird time keep in touch. You will be suprised of your thoughts and wants 9 - 15 months from now.
"All I want is a weeks pay for a day's work" Steve Martin
