war

[dragonlady7]

Life in a War Zone, from the Christian Science Monitor (an excellent paper, whatever you think of Scientology).

Soldiers pull on their helmets and flak vests and bound toward a concrete bunker reinforced with sandbags. After they're crammed inside, nervous energy fuels black humor. "You're a lousy aim!" one GI yells toward the adjacent mountainside.

Veteran Staff Sgt. Michael Raymond finds solace - and an unusual leadership tool - in the form of an eight-inch GI Joe action figure he calls "Ranger Buddy."

"My son wanted to come with me, and he couldn't, so he told me to take Ranger Buddy instead," says Sergeant Raymond of Trout River, N.Y. He carries the figure everywhere in the back of his flak vest and whispers to it during night patrols.

"It breaks the fear and monotony," he says, adding, "I have to have someone watching my backside."

While committed to his job, any bravado Private Meadows felt about soldiering has faded. "You'd have to be crazy to actually want to kill someone," he says. Weighed down by his rucksack, he says he throws up every time he's in combat.

Dad's mobilization date is the 24th of May. They're being sent to Ft Drum, which is, by the way, the home base of the unit featured in the article quoted above.
But Dad's still "red-flagged", which means they're still not sure they'll take him, because of his asthma and some lingering paperwork over his retirement (retirement is mandatory at 60, and he'll be 60 in October, but they extended it, but maybe it didn't go through, or maybe they didn't extend it far enough). So they won't take him until that paperwork is done, which means he'll probably get to go to Katy's wedding.

There's still a chance they won't take him at all.

But according to him, half the Division is red-flagged, and they'll take most of them. Some of them it's just paperwork. Some of them it's health issues, like the full-time sergeant who had breast cancer last year and is still under observation for possible relapse.

Dad still wants to go. He knew which doctor to go to, so he'd get the best possible evaluation of his asthma. Dad's had problems with asthma since he was in his 40s, and it runs heavily in our family. In Iraq, the Army is having trouble with perfectly healthy soldiers experiencing respiratory distress from the sand in the air. So they're very wary of letting anyone with real breathing trouble over there. Dad's asthma's been better and worse periodically as long as I can remember, and I'm used to the sound of his wheezing and the subtle grumpiness when he can't catch his breath. (I remember that feeling well myself. The world is a pissy place when you can't catch your breath. Thank God my asthma stopped bothering me in 1985. I had bronchitis a couple years ago and I was terrified that the asthma had come back-- astonishing how familiar the treacheal spasms still feel. Anyhow. Ugh.)
So he's probably healthy enough to go, it's just a question of convincing the Powers That Be of it.
I'd rather he didn't go. Of course.
But I understand why he wants to. If not him, then who? He's retired and won't lose his business or his job. His children are grown; he won't miss any of their developmental milestones. When we were little Mom could always count on something awful happening when Dad was away with the Guard-- flu would come and get all 4 of us, or the car would break down, or the furnace would die. But now it's just her at home, so she wouldn't be left holding the baby.
And Dad is very good at what he does. Not only is he well-trained in the tasks for which they need him specifically, but he has experience spanning over 30 years now, including riot control in Chicago after MLK's assassination, navigation in a dark jungle with a map and a compass, artillery spotting, remains recovery, reconaissance with natives, etc. He feels that he's uniquely qualified and they need his experience. Evidently they feel that way too.
But I wish he didn't have to go so far for so long, and I really wish he didn't have to get shot at.

Pout.

Comments

Scientology

[(Anonymous)]

Just to let you know (unless you were kidding)... the Christian Science Monitor is published by an arm of the First Church of Christ, Scientist (based in Boston, founded by Mary Baker Eddy in the 19th century). It's got nothing to do with Scientology (founded by L. Ron Hubbard in the 20th century and based in Florida).

All religions are nutso, but some are slightly more nutso than others.

--Q

Re: Scientology

[dragonlady7.livejournal.com]

Duh. You're right. Wasn't really thinking about that so much. Thanks for the heads-up.
Duh.