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09/25/2003 Archived Entry: "'We are slowly becoming frantic.'"
'We are slowly becoming frantic.'
A National Guard sargeant speaks up.
I am a National Guardsman of the 105th Personnel Services Detachment out of Lincoln, Neb. My unit and I are stationed in Kuwait at Camp Wolf. We were deployed Feb. 2. We arrived in Jordan in April and half of us were moved a week later to Kuwait to throw mail. When our unit came back together in June we had an order to go home but it was revoked and we ended up replacing an active Army unit. When replacing the active unit we were told our date to go home was Dec. 1.
We now hear that we will be here for a full year. We are under 3rd Personnel Command. They say that when they decide who stays and who goes, it's not by how long soldiers have been deployed, just by unit necessity.
[...]
Yes, we are physically able to finish our mission, but mentally and spiritually we are dying.
If retention for the Army National Guard is of any importance, current members need to have faith in our government and our leaders. Right now, where we are, we can't see anyone taking a stand for the soldiers (as it isn't just us being treated this way but many, many soldiers).
This isn't a simple board game of Axis and Allies, this is a game people are playing with real people - people with families, not robots. You have college students out here (like me) missing over a year of college to sit and get yanked around without explanation. It has been told to the officers I have spoken to that 3rd PERSCOM refers to moving soldiers as "drug deals." You do this for me and I'll make sure your soldiers go home, etc.
[...]
We are slowly becoming frantic. I hear people saying they are going to begin hurting themselves or others if they can't go home. The helplessness our soldiers are feeling is indescribable, it is past the point of "suck it up and drive on." We just want somewhere to drive on to.
Replies: 2 people speak up
well, it seems to me that there may be a bit of a coup brewing if bush isnt carefull. if the grumbling has made it publicly al the way up to sargent, then a lot of officers probobly feel that way privately. i have read in other blogs, stories about a sort of partial military strike in iraq, kind of a work stoppage, or sick out kind of thing. i think this was from an australian. either way, i know bush only speaks in front of military audiences because they have to applaud, but even they are going to be a tough crowd soon, after all, what are they going to do if they boo? kick them out? not let them go over seas to die? it was funny to see bush in front of a non military audience a t the UN, he was shaking like a leaf, his beady little eyes twitching. he almost looked like he was going to cry, magnificent. he looked like a little boy dressed up in his sunday best, giving a book report at some sort of assembly. god i hate him. i guess im rambling now so ill quit
Posted by justin @ 09/25/2003 01:03 PM NY
Good thing this guy isn't stationed at Guantanamo. He'd be arrested for treason.
Posted by bentSinister @ 09/26/2003 06:30 PM NY
