In Iraq for 365

About my experiences in Iraq... the frustrations, the missions and this country... and the journey home

Monday, January 24, 2005

My adventures in America have been a blur, if you know what I mean. First, I must say that ID Card Lady was taken care of. Not by me, but my colonel, who tore her a new arse. I did write a scathing review on the Q&A.

Sammy, the guy who always laughs, and I parted Wisconsin to meet with our Illinois friends a couple days ago. On the way here, I realized why it’s never a good idea to drive through Chicago. Drivers nearly rear-ended me and clipped me and I think they all flipped me off. Back in Iraq, we shot a car for getting too close to a convoy. Here, my only defense mechanism is a rude glare or the finger.

Snow was on the ground, the roads were slick and MY WINSHIELD WIPER FLUID doesn’t work, so I had minimal visibility. We eventually arrived to Springfield, Ill., which I am convinced is the hidden setting of The Simpsons because there is a Shellbyville Lake not too far away. Anyway, we met up with the other members of NCO Alley… We’d been a part for just a day and we all missed each other. The guys put their wives on hold and requested just one more night with the people they’d spent a year in combat with.

We hit the bars, Hooters and a few other places. We tried not to tell people we’d been in Iraq for a year, because of the damned questions we get asked… “did you fire your weapon? Did you kill anybody? Were you by bombs” For as much as I loved serving my country, I just wish people would just leave us alone. It’s one thing to write about it or share intimate details with a close friend or family member. It’s another thing to be questioned by total strangers.

Tonight, four members of NCO Alley will hit the Springfield bars one more time and go our own ways. We’ve already established a date at which we’d get together every year. The date we chose was September 27, the day Samir (our interpreter) was killed. Although his name never made a single headline here or in Iraq, he’ll always hold a special place in our hearts. It seems just like yesterday I was meeting Samir, but in reality, it was a year ago. And now I am a civilian again… it’s weird.

10 Comments:

At 6:20 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

It sounds like you are having fun adjusting to regular life. Please get the windshield wiper fluid fixed. You survived Iraq and we want you to survive the American Highway!

You can help us out with advice about what to do when we meet soldiers. Nobody ever talks about what is appropriate when we meet military folks. What should we do when meeting a soldier in uniform? I always shake their hand and say thanks. Is that OK? Is that bothering them? I just don't want any soldier to feel unwelcome and treated like the Viet Nam vets when they returned home.

 
At 9:47 AM, Blogger Mo said...

Welcome back to America! Crappy drivers and all! :o) Glad the ID Card Lady was taken care of. She was quite the biatch.

 
At 9:06 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

First ... Glad ID Lady was properly chastised or worse! Her mentality is like so many in Corporate America. I hoped for a better standard in the Military?!

My son is in Iraq with the 2/2 and will be coming home late Feb to Germany. He has decided to part sheets with the Army. He was due out July 03 but was stop-lossed. I really hope you continue to post in your blog as a civilian. I contrast your experiences with what my son may feel/deal with in his post Army life. He joined right out of HS, felt college was not for him.

This last year was a nightmare for our family. The FRG was oriented to "Spouses". Soldiers who are single and without kids are second rate. Not to mention we are not "On Base". I received most of the company updates from a website. Guess it did not help that the 1st SGT's wife and I had a problem early on. Her husband's rank bestows upon her a "Royal Status" that was difficult for me to deal with. I am HR Department Head for a Corporation???!!! She reminds me of the ID Card Lady. If you piss her off you are trashed with the rest of the FRG or chain of command. Grrrrrrrrrrr!

Ok, the purpose of this was not to vent, however I have done a good job of that. Thank god you are home safe and good luck in your new life. Can you clue me in on what the contractual obligations are for after Army life? Meaning can they recall you?

My email addy is : figgy@tcsn.net if you have a chance to reply.

 
At 9:16 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Correction for above comment: Stop lossed July 04 ...

 
At 9:10 AM, Blogger Travel Ohio and beyond said...

Bars always seem to be a part of military life. Boston used to be a Navy town, and the bars the sailors frequented were on Washington Street in an area called the "combat zone." (Frankfurt, Germany had a similar area, by the way.)
Anyway another soldier and I (in uniform because we'd hitch-hiked into Boston from Ft. Devens), went into one of the "combat zone" bars. It was wall-to-wall white with all the sailors. We were the only soldiers.
My friend, a fellow from Oklahoma, by the way, liked to fight, like fist fight. Anyway as we sat at the bar, I could see him squinting to try to read the strip on a sailor's shoulder. The strip had the name of his ship on it.
My friend finally figured out what the strip said, tapped the sailor on the shoulder and said, "I think the USS whatever sucks!"
I can't believe my friend doing that with us so out-numbered.
Luck or God or something was with me, though, because the sailor turned to my friend, looked at him a second and said, "Put 'er there!" He stuck out his hand to shake hands.
I couldn't believe it! I guess it must have been a pretty rotten ship!
My friend looked confused, though. He'd been hoping for a fight, obviously, yet he couldn't start one! He did shake hands with the fellow, but the turn of events confused him.

 
At 10:22 AM, Blogger Blair Heusdens said...

Here's to a year well spent with a grand homecoming and a wonderful finale.
yours always,
B-LAR

 
At 10:40 AM, Blogger Some Soldier's Mom said...

those bars in Springfield will get ya... and that whole Congress Expressway in Chicago and the infamous Spaghetti Bowl will get ya every time!

as for "figgy" (the army mom who complained that the family readiness group is geard to spouses) I have to whole heartedly agree. I just sent my son off to Iraq and the only way I could/can find out anything was/is to comb through local newspapers online and the base newspaper online. You'd think that if 60% of the soldiers are single they'd do a bit more to get parents involved and make the FRG officer's life a little easier. reminds me of some high school clique.

I have recently started a blog to share our views of having a son deployed... feel free to stop by.

www.somesoldiersmom.blogspot.com

 
At 12:18 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here is a beautiful tribute to our military men and women. Link to tributeSmink, are any of your photos featured?

 
At 8:45 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey, Casanova, I think it's really great the way you and your buddies set a get-together date in honor of Samir. You'll toast his courage, sacrifice, and friendship every year......what a wonderful way to remember and celebrate his life. We should all be lucky enough to have friends who remember us like that.

kbug

 
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