| Tuesday, August 31, 2004 |
| Camaraderie |
So I'm now in the States! What a culture shock! I now have to pay for stuff. What gives...?
The last night in Kosovo, four of us decided to take a shower before our flight. The problem was that our baggage was loaded on the truck and we weren't allowed to remove the bags because the Customs MPs had already checked them for contraband. So Cole and Andy made a run to the PX for items including soap, underwear, socks, towels and shower shoes. I was the only one with my shower bag out of the group. So I ran to the gym to "borrow" towels.
We showered at the old barracks. Cole gave a pair of socks to Van. Andy gave me the second pair of underwear from his shopping trip (I think Cole and Van went "commando"). We all used my spray deodorant and shampoo.
Anyway, that's why I do this: Because of the camaraderie. I'd like to say I do this Army thing for honor or service to country. But the truth is I do this because of the close friendships I've made.
"...They will never understand. It's about the man beside you." -- from the movie Blackhawk Down
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posted by Joe Napalm @ 7:31 PM   |
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| Saturday, August 28, 2004 |
| Hurry up and wait |
Typical Army style: I woke up this morning at 5 AM to have my baggage staged for the Customs MPs at 6:30 AM to leave at 3 PM. So, now I'm leaving at 8:10 AM tomorrow! That's a whole day of my life that I won't get back!
But on the bright side, I get to play Spades and Risk until 3 o'clock in the morning!
Oh, and don't you hate it when you start playing Monopoly and your buddy quits mid-game because he's a sore loser?
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| posted by Joe Napalm @ 1:40 PM |
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| Friday, August 27, 2004 |
| Line of Duty |
Have you ever done anything and then said to yourself, "So that's how that feels"?
Well, now I know what it feels like to have my toenail separate from my toe. And it's not pleasant. I did it playing volleyball last night. But the odd thing is that I had my socks and shoes on. Weird, huh?
And since you're probably wondering: We lost the serve on that particular play...
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| posted by Joe Napalm @ 12:08 PM |
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| Thursday, August 26, 2004 |
| Mama, I'm coming home |
That's right! Mama, I'm coming home! Saturday, in fact, is the day I leave Kosovo. And nobody can be happier than me.
I ran into a guy today that I hadn't seen in about two months. He had gone to Germany for tonsil surgery. He had developed an infection so the surgeons couldn't operate immediately.
Anyway, he said that the whole ordeal was messed up. He said the doctor’s name that was given to him was wrong--there was no doctor at that hospital by that name. He also said that there were no arrangements for his housing so they put him up in a clinic with injured soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq. He had two roommates. One had been shot up in a firefight and was unconscious most of the time. The other was burned on the left half of his face. And my friend was only there for tonsil surgery! He said he felt inferior.
His story reminded me of a story I had read of a Vietnam vet that had lost both legs to a landmine. He had trouble recovering because of self-pity. He thought what could he ever do with his life if he did recover. And then he stumbled onto the floor solely designated for soldiers that had sustained horrible groin injuries. He wept and forgot all about his pain and trouble.
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| posted by Joe Napalm @ 11:51 AM |
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| Wednesday, August 25, 2004 |
| Opinion number 1,203 |
Nobody cares about my opinion on the liberation of Iraq. Why not?
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| posted by Joe Napalm @ 1:13 PM |
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| Monday, August 23, 2004 |
| I found this today... |
"The truth is like sunlight. People used to think it's good for you." -- from the animated series "King of the Hill"
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| posted by Joe Napalm @ 8:32 AM |
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| Sunday, August 22, 2004 |
| Here I sit all "broken-hearted"... |
My mind is numb from all of the drama here while on "deployment" in Kosovo. I don't know why I put it in quotes. Maybe because I have all of the comforts of home and have lesser chance of being shot at than at home. Yet, I still draw hostile fire pay. Lovely!
So here's a list of some of the drama in no particular order of when it happened.
1. A soldier accused another of rape while we trained at CMTC in Hohenfels. The accuser showed up for the court-martial in Germany months later with no character witnesses (She's a pathetic soldier). The questioning revealed that she either lied or changed her story about 14 different times. The accused soldier was acquitted of all charges and is "free" to go about life.
2. A friend of mine was slapped with an Article 15 punishment because he told an NCO he was "an idiot". Most of weren't shocked. Most of us applauded him. The NCO is an idiot. One female friend of mine said, "He creeps me out."
3. An email from our commander's wife floated around back home telling of the horrors of Kosovo. Among other things, she stated in the email that we have a Thai massage parlor here. No big deal, huh? But she then insinuated that some of the spouses think it's a house of prostitution. Wonderful! There is no chance that whoring could be going on in there because it's so open and the consequences for such actions would be very swift and severe. But I guess she should go ahead and put those thoughts of doubt in my wife's mind, huh? Sheesh...
4. A guy living two doors down had child pornography on his computer. Another soldier found it. In all, I think CID confiscated 3 computers and 2 external hard drives for the investigation. The pedophile isn't going home with us because he has to stay here for the trial. One of the guys that found the stuff started to describe what he saw. I stopped him mid-sentence...
5. More people have cheated on their spouses back home than I care to mention. Some have cheated with other soldiers. Some cheated in Bulgaria. Some in Greece. It doesn't matter. It's adultery and it sickens me.
6. The same pedophile guy mentioned earlier tapped into the commander's Internet connection next door. He ran a cable from beneath the commander's room to his own room. He even took the time to bury the cable in a shallow trench. He was punished--or so we were told.
7. And there was more than one time that I went back to my room disgusted at the rate at which Meritorious Service Medals were given out around here. According to PERSCOM's website, the MSM was created as a counterpart of the Bronze Star to be awarded to soldiers who "distinguished themselves by outstanding non-combat meritorious achievement or service to the United States." It also states that "normally, the acts or services rendered must be comparable to that required for the Legion of Merit but in a duty of lesser though considerable responsibility." I saw none of that while here. Awarding soldiers MSMs for nothing more than showing up 15 minutes late every day for duty or for purchasing Slurpee machines online tarnishes my grandfather's Bronze Star from WW2.
And there’s a lot more, but I'm getting angry just thinking about it.
Don't take me wrong. I made some great friendships while on this deployment. I also feel like we made a difference at the local schools and orphanages. And many people have conducted themselves as competent, professional soldiers and I'm proud to have served with them.
But my point is this: I'm ready to be home. I'm ready for life as "normal". I'm ready to hold my wife and look into her eyes. I'm ready to hug my two boys and reassure them that I'm OK. I'm ready to attend church, Cub Scout meetings, and barbeques. I'm ready for an end to the drama.
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| posted by Joe Napalm @ 7:58 AM |
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| Saturday, August 21, 2004 |
| Down the birth channel |
Today is the first day of the rest of my blog. Quick, someone smack me on the butt so I can breathe...
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| posted by Joe Napalm @ 4:51 AM |
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