Apex Community Forums - View Single Post

GrandpaNoob72 · 16-November-07, 01:49 AM

As most of you know, I just got back to Iraq from 18 days of R&R. Granted, I wasn't excited about coming back to a warzone, what with a wife and daughter that I love more than anything back home, but I figured I was leaving one family for another. The whole time I was home for R&R, I was worried about "my boys" here in Baghdad...

I was part of this unit when it was first formed as part of a modular, 3-year "life-cycle" unit, and many of my soldiers were there at the very beginning, as well. I've watched them grow in experience and maturity, and there is no other group of guys I would rather have backing me up if and when I have to go "outside the wire", except maybe some of the Attack Aviation (I love those crazy Apache flyboys!) units that support us when things get really hairy...

I found out barely a week after I got back and got my mindset back "in the game" that I was moving out, making space for a newly-promoted Staff Sergeant (E6). I have had two years of rated Squad Leader time, to include the combat tour here, and the "new" guy only has Team Leader (E5) time, so they are looking to give him a shot at a squad of his own. Career progression, yeah, I get it, but I sure as hell don't like it.

I had fully expected to deploy with my "family", to stick it out through the tough times, celebrate the good times (albeit sans booze, thanks to Genral Order #1), and bring them home to their respective families... I guess that will remain nothing more than an idealist's dream now.

I basically had 24 hours to pack up and be ready to move into my new digs at a US/Iraqi army shared compound, still in the middle of Baghdad, far enough for my new CO not to let me take a stroll down the street and check on my boys, but close enough that I can hear it if anything starts cooking over in the old neighborhood.

I work as a liaison between the Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police, and Iraqi Highway Patrol that are tasked with the same sector of Baghdad as my battalion, to make sure that if something happens, they get their people (jurisdictions and sub-sectors) moving to find out the 5 W's, so I can report back to BN HQ. That's the "exciting" version of what I do.

The "realistic" version of my work day is more like, "12 hours of boredom and not much else". Yeah, I have free internet (it's nothing like my Cox broadband back home, ugh!), the interpreters are cool and bring us food that their Mrs. 's cook, but other than that, I'd rather be out getting shot at with my boys.

My wife and family are happy as pigs in slop that I am no longer "on the patrol schedule", that my new job is "safer" than what I was doing before, and I can understand, but I'm still really upset about it. Bottom line, I'm finishing my tour behind a desk, listening to ya-la-la-la-la music for 12 hours a day, and really basically hating life.

I really hated saying goodbye to two families within the span of a week and a half. One will always be there at home for me, and the other will always be, well...

"...We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother..."

16-November-07, 01:49 AM		#1 (permalink)
GrandpaNoob72 Eleven-Bravo Sitrep Writer	Saying Goodbye Again... As most of you know, I just got back to Iraq from 18 days of R&R. Granted, I wasn't excited about coming back to a warzone, what with a wife and daughter that I love more than anything back home, but I figured I was leaving one family for another. The whole time I was home for R&R, I was worried about "my boys" here in Baghdad... I was part of this unit when it was first formed as part of a modular, 3-year "life-cycle" unit, and many of my soldiers were there at the very beginning, as well. I've watched them grow in experience and maturity, and there is no other group of guys I would rather have backing me up if and when I have to go "outside the wire", except maybe some of the Attack Aviation (I love those crazy Apache flyboys!) units that support us when things get really hairy... I found out barely a week after I got back and got my mindset back "in the game" that I was moving out, making space for a newly-promoted Staff Sergeant (E6). I have had two years of rated Squad Leader time, to include the combat tour here, and the "new" guy only has Team Leader (E5) time, so they are looking to give him a shot at a squad of his own. Career progression, yeah, I get it, but I sure as hell don't like it. I had fully expected to deploy with my "family", to stick it out through the tough times, celebrate the good times (albeit sans booze, thanks to Genral Order #1), and bring them home to their respective families... I guess that will remain nothing more than an idealist's dream now. I basically had 24 hours to pack up and be ready to move into my new digs at a US/Iraqi army shared compound, still in the middle of Baghdad, far enough for my new CO not to let me take a stroll down the street and check on my boys, but close enough that I can hear it if anything starts cooking over in the old neighborhood. I work as a liaison between the Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police, and Iraqi Highway Patrol that are tasked with the same sector of Baghdad as my battalion, to make sure that if something happens, they get their people (jurisdictions and sub-sectors) moving to find out the 5 W's, so I can report back to BN HQ. That's the "exciting" version of what I do. The "realistic" version of my work day is more like, "12 hours of boredom and not much else". Yeah, I have free internet (it's nothing like my Cox broadband back home, ugh!), the interpreters are cool and bring us food that their Mrs. 's cook, but other than that, I'd rather be out getting shot at with my boys. My wife and family are happy as pigs in slop that I am no longer "on the patrol schedule", that my new job is "safer" than what I was doing before, and I can understand, but I'm still really upset about it. Bottom line, I'm finishing my tour behind a desk, listening to ya-la-la-la-la music for 12 hours a day, and really basically hating life. I really hated saying goodbye to two families within the span of a week and a half. One will always be there at home for me, and the other will always be, well... "...We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother..."