I thought long and hard about how to end this blog, and posted another pretty irate rant to it... but thought better of it a few hours later (thankfully, before anyone important saw it.)
The way I see it, I've done a good amount of bitching on this blog since day 1. And that's regrettable, given the many positive things I've seen. But you know how the old saying goes in business... If someone goes to a restaurant and likes it, they'll tell maybe 3 people. If they hate it, they'll tell 10. In my case, this restaurant sucks, and I've told thousands.
I get the impression that lots of people don't really understand me at all, due to this blog. The image that probably comes to peoples minds is a troublemaker, someone who will do whatever he can to subvert things around him.
And you know what, that perception is totally my fault. I was talking to the commander today, and tried to sum up the things I *** about in broad terms, but maybe I didn't do a decent job.
The bottom line is: big *** is going well, it's the small *** that irritates the hell out of me.
Let's talk about some good stuff for a minute, to give you an idea of what I'm talking about.
As a brigade, our convoy security teams find far more IEDs than other convoy teams. We've got damn good soldiers who have saved a lot of lives by virtue of simply paying attention and doing their jobs.
The iraq war in general has caused numerous advances in soldier safety. For example: how many infantry soldiers had even SEEN a set of Interceptor body armor before Iraq happened? We didn't train with it, and didn't use it. Previous wars were fought without it, and more soldiers died as a result.
Or how about battlefield trauma? QuikClot, enhanced prosthetics, and new surgical techniques are saving lives, shortening recovery time, and enhancing quality of life, not just for soldiers, but civilians as well. Here's an article about military medical technology filtering down to the civilian world.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-03-26-war-clinics_x.htm
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/complete/la-na-woundedside3apr03,1,1204127.story?coll=la-iraq-complete
In the beginning of the war, soldiers rolled around in soft skinned vehicles with no ballistic protection. Now, we have fully armored HMMWVs which, while not perfect, are much better at keeping troops alive. And don't even get me started on the advancements in EOD as a job. Used to be, EOD troops went to ranges and blew up old munitions. Now, they disarm and destroy deadly IEDs with the latest in sophisticated equipment.
We have soldiers who have been battle hardened... in the army I was in, very few troops had actually seen real combat. Now, the force is comprised of experienced warriors who have actually proven they can fight. Gone are the days of "Miles warriors" who play high tech lasertag to earn their pay.
On the company level, we've got good vehicles, good crews, and good weapons. We have soldiers with a lot of road time, and they will be a benefit to their units when they return home to pass on their knowledge to new soldiers.
And, on my level, I'm out of debt. :-)
The things that piss me off are the little things. I can't use minnesota tuition assistance because I'm "not part of the unit." I can't wear my IRR patch because I'm "part of the unit." I'm pissed that they're giving infantry soldiers CABs. It's an insult, because CABs are given to a lot of fobbits who never leave the wire. We're infantry soldiers, in an infantry brigade. I turn in a vehicle to maintenance with serious problems, and the vehicle's faults are signed off without a single wrench being turned.
And i know i'll hear "But the regulations/policy/guidance say ..."
I don't care. That doesn't make it right. Policy and guidance can still be misguided and wrong.
Is any of that gonna change? No. But that doesnt mean i'm not mad about it. I'm also pissed that I can't reenlist into the guard while in country, if i chose to do so. IRR soldiers who want to stay in the national guard can't recieve a tax free bonus unless they get lucky enough to find a recruiter that can push all the paperwork through during the same month they get back. As a result, we also can't receive schools while our guard brethren can. I submitted awards for my soldiers for saving some lives by cordoning off an IED (which required driving past it) so a civilian convoy didn't drive past it. I was told they "were just doing their jobs."
Yet we have people getting bronze stars just for being here, and many of the folks who will receive it don't leave the wire.
So yeah, I'm a bit bitter, and a tad upset.
And despite all that, I've gone out on every mission they've asked. I've moved to different outposts, lived in tents and metal conexes. I've travelled down shitty roads, put myself in danger time and again for this brigade, despite my ETS more than 4 years ago. I've sweated alongside my minnesota and kentucky compadres, and I've had some insurgent dipsticks try to blow me up. I've done everything they've asked, and you know what I want?
I want to be left alone, and I want to go home. I don't want to deal with any more retarded *** between now and then.