11.11.2004

Veteran's Day

Last year on Veteran's day, I was given orders to deploy to Southern Iraq. I found it very fitting at the time.

Three weeks later, the orders were ammended with a single word, revoked. That was after I had gone through the full spectrum of emotions and had come to terms that I was going and I was ready and willing to serve. Needless to say, I was frustrated. Mostly becuase being an army reservist, I had to go into my life and put some things on hold to prepare myself to deploy.

Now, I've got more orders to serve, and with my luck, they will get revoked again. It has only happened to me a half dozen times since September 11th. You have your soldiers who want to serve, and you have the soldiers who don't.

I've always felt that I've been in the category of those that want to serve and try as they might, the army just won't let them serve. I've even volunteered for deployments once or twice and got denied (there was this unit in Connecticutt, unfortunately, they were National Guard, the Guard and the Reserves don't mix)

What's really interesting is that when I was first trained, I was told that I was in the second most deployable MOS in the army. I find that hard to believe, becuase if I was, I would be on my third deployment by now.

Ah well, this current deployment is slotted to go forth, and I intend to make the most of it. My Milblog is up (though still a bit rough around the edges, I'm working on it) and I intend to post to it and use that as my online journal while in Kosovo.

Oh, another note. It's incoheRANT ramblings and things better left unsaid, mostly due to the fact that sometimes I like to bitch and rant, and this had previously proved to be a good forum to do that in. What's funny, is it was an unintended Typo at first, but I've grown rather fond of it.

Anyway, Happy Veteran's Day, to those who've served, and those who continue to serve. Veterans are my true heroes.

No comments: