Stan's Blog

An American soldier

As I mentioned in a previous blog, on Thursday I sat next to an American soldier during my return flight from Kansas City. It was as close to the front lines as I'll probably ever get.

I never asked for the soldier's name, but I must have asked at least 100 other questions. She - yes, she - answered every single one, both courteously and candidly. It was a conversation I won't soon forget.

At some point, I realized this conversation was more important than the usual in-flight chatter. True, it was an opportunity for me to get a behind-the-scenes view of the war. But more importantly it was a chance for this soldier to share her story. And for a soldier just weeks away from her initial deployment to Iraq, it was a chance she might never get again.

I'm glad she took advantage of it. And the least I can do is share a bit of it with others.

Here's a glimpse into the life of this American soldier:

* Stationed at Fort Hood near Killeen, Texas, she was returning from her grandfather's funeral in Rhode Island. It was obvious he had made a lasting impact on her life. She beamed with pride in telling me that she was "third generation Army," even taking a jab at her three brothers who opted against the military life, which put it square on her shoulders to continue the streak. Challenge accepted.

* She'd grown up in Rhode Island, and - much to her mother's dismay - she chose to join the Army after a brief career as a cosmetologist and massage therapist. Awaiting her at Fort Hood were a boyfriend and his two children, ages 5 and 2, which she obviously loved as her own.

* This soldier won't be at the Army base much longer, expecting her first deployment to Iraq sometime within the next three weeks. She'll fly from Texas to a base on the east coast, then over the Atlantic Ocean to Germany. From there she'll fly to Kuwait. After that 25-hour flight schedule, it will be on to Bagdhad, which she anticipates being a three-hour drive via convoy.

* At Fort Hood, her area of service is being a military cop. In Iraq, she'll be working out of Camp Echo, basically knocking down doors and looking for bad guys. When traveling by convoy, she will serve as the gunner in an up-armored Humvee. She's the highest ranking person in her Humvee, which normally doesn't get the gunner's role, but her shot it just too good. So good, in fact, that she's training to become a sniper.

* She doesn't like Texas, saying it is just too hot in the summer. She expects it to be cold in Iraq this time of year, although a friend has told her the Iraq weather gets as hot as 160 degrees in the summer. Still, she thinks it won't feel quite as bad as Texas, since Iraq has a dry heat.

* I asked about the mood at Fort Hood regarding Barack Obama being elected to the presidency, wondering if the soldiers thought he'd make a difference in their way of life. She politely reminded me that it was her duty to support the Commander in Chief, regardless of whether she liked him or agreed with his decisions. She said most soldiers don't discuss such matters for that reason. But she went on to say that she surely didn't vote for him, and that her grandfather was so upset at the election results. Still, she was content to support the soon-to-be President.

* A laptop and webcam will be her lifeline back home to the boyfriend and parents. She says Camp Echo has super-secure wireless internet access, apparently one of the few perks to being at Camp Echo. She says the digs aren't too fancy at Echo, especially since it has been rocked by repeated mortar attacks. She anticipates sleeping on a cot in an airplane hanger, with only chicken wire as walls.

* She said her orders will likely call for a 12-month stint in Iraq, but she fully expects that to be extended first to 15 months and eventually to 18 months. All told, she hopes to return sometime around June 2010. She's been told, "if you don't drink or smoke before you go to Iraq, you will by the time you get back."

Here's to hoping she makes it back to put that theory to test. Drinking and smoking may not represent the very best things in life, but you certainly have to be alive to do either one.

And for this American soldier, like all others, staying alive is no guarantee.

God Bless America. And God Bless this American soldier.

posted by Stan W @ 4:00 AM