For Future Warriors

[Quick Steel]

I don't know if sharing this email is a good inspiration or not, but here it is. It is intended to be read at an appropriate age by the current crop of young'uns. I'd just like to share it with some of you. Feel free to disagree if you wish.

Memorial Day 5/27/13

To any and all nieces and nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews, cousins and relatives by blood or marriage:

There are a variety of valid reasons for joining the military: a sense of patriotism, adventure, training in various skills, assistance with future college costs, need for a job etc.

However other factors need to be carefully weighed before deciding to join. If you join during a period of active fighting, your life will be dependent not only on the conditions of combat in which you find yourself, but also on the good sense and judgement of your leaders. Good sense and good judgement are not always available. Some of the more dangerous situations develop when your leaders hold their ambition to be of greater importance than prudence. From George Custer to Hill 875 in Vietnam, many of our fellow citizens die uselessly, needlessly. Needless deaths are the mortal sin of military culture and these sins abound.

It was personally frustrating to me to watch some of the situations in the Afghanistan war because I saw mistakes being made that we had learned to avoid years before in Vietnam. The lessons of war are often not passed on to the next generation. The result is that people die needlessly. Just one example: not long ago a platoon in Afghanistan built a small base in a very narrow valley. At the bottom of the surrounding mountains. Inevitably the enemy attacked from the high ground and nearly overran the base. Good men died because officers failed to apply the most fundamental tactical precept i.e. hold the high ground. I understand that the platoon leader, company and battalion COs were all relieved. But higher ranking careers should have been terminated as well. In every tactical operation center was a map showing the deadly location of that platoon. Colonels and Generals saw those maps and thought........evidently nothing.

The wounds of war tend to be traumatic whether physically or psychically. This has been true of all wars throughout history. With modern explosives brains are shattered, multiple limbs are lost yet more of the wounded will live out their lives due to the skills of our trauma surgeons.

On foreign shores you will be exposed to bacteria and diseases that your immune system will be unable to handle. Of the 600,000 casualties in the American Civil War, more than half died of infections and disease such as dysentery. Vaccines prevent many of the big dangers but there are a host of things - parasites, strange bugs, and bizarre viruses which the medical staff will do their best to resolve with varying levels of success. The effects may be with you for years. [I acquired a fungus on my arm which took decades to get rid of. I had a form of hepatitis unknown to good doctors. They made their guesses and that is all they could do. Took more than a year to recover.]

A word about post traumatic stress syndrome. If you experience extended ground combat you will experience PTSD to some degree. It is impossible to avoid. When you see a fellow soldier who is gone in an instant, one moment talking maybe smiling and in a flash is a lifeless body you will be affected regardless of your outward demeanor. As long as there has been warfare (all of human history) there has been PTSD. After the American Civil war people did not have the words PTSD, but they used words which were astute: Soldier's Heart.

Never, ever, believe you will see combat in a war zone and then leave unaffected.

Political leaders will speak to veterans of "a grateful nation." Yes, there are many of our fellow citizens who are grateful for our military service even perhaps some politicians. Gratitude is a fine sentiment when genuine. But know this, if you wish to make a career of the military learn the meaning of the acronym RIF. Your recruiter will not speak of it. After every war there is a great Reduction In Force. Tens of thousands of excellent soldiers, sailors, and airmen will be dismissed from the service to achieve cost reductions. Sometimes they are just a few years from retirement. This is happening even as I type these words.

If you want to make a career as an officer your best bet is to attend a service academy such as West Point if you can handle its demands. This will save you from a RIF if you are a decent officer. If you received your commission through college ROTC or OCS you best have outstanding performance ratings.

I received orders to attend the Armor Officer's Career Course at Ft. Knox. Upon completion of the course I would have received promotion to Major. This forced me to make a decision, to stay in the Army and attend the course or not. I opted out and realized not many years later I had made the right decision as a huge RIF went into effect which almost certainly would have caught me.

Currently our badly wounded vets, after excellent initial treatment, are waiting more than a year to have their cases processed by the Veteran's Administration. They cannot receive the important financial and other support they need until processing. This is disgusting to me. If the nation, in its leaders, is grateful for their sacrifice then our wounded veterans deserve the very best service our country can provide them. If you were to become gravely wounded decades from now, how would you be treated by "a grateful nation?" I don't know. But you need to find out.

If the day arrives when you are considering a military career, think it through very carefully.

[jerryd6818]

Garry -- Did you write that?

[carrmillus]

...garry, i agree, 100%!!!!.... ............

[Quick Steel]

Garry -- Did you write that?

Yes Jerry I did.

Carmillus: Thanks. Feel free to use it if you wish.

[RobesonsRme.com]

Well, no offense. You're certainly entitled to your opinion and you have the right to express it.

I suppose it could just as easily have been titled. "For Future Worriers", though.

I was drafted out of college in April of 1967, but instead of going in for the obligatory two, I enlisted for three.

While my classmates were getting their bachelor's degrees, I was associating with and being trained, matured and educated by some of the greatest men it has ever been my privilege to know.

I would not trade those three years for any degree, lucrative position or job title achieved by those I left behind on campus.

And, if caught in a "Ground Hog Day" type situation, I'd choose the same course every single time.

Don't get me wrong. I know perfectly well that good people were killed by other Americans. The 1st Air Cavalry fired six 155 artillery rounds into our twelve man Special Forces Camp at 0200 hrs one morning.

So, I'm not coming at this with some pie-in-the-sky ignorance of the facts.

It's just that, knowing all that, I'd still choose to do it the same.

Charlie Noyes

[jerryd6818]

+1 only I get to be 17 again.

[Quick Steel]

I suppose it could just as easily have been titled. "For Future Worriers", though.

I suspected that some would see things a bit differently and that is fine. No offense taken at all. I'll add a bit of context. I too would not trade my 5 and a half years in the Army for anything. I had experiences, learning, and above all friendships I consider priceless.

My writing was prompted by concerns about the younger generation coming along. Like many kids they see the military, fighting, the cool guns and technology as very appealing. That is all very normal in my opinion. But as they get a bit older and begin to consider their future I'd like to add my two cents to their considerations, not to discourage them but simply to let them see the other side of what is always a two sided coin.

I have gladly described the good things about the military to my junior relatives and will do so again. But I did want to set down some of the unpleasant truths that are also part of reality so they may hear of it at the proper time. Should they choose to join the service they will surely go with my blessing and more than a little envy from me.

[RobesonsRme.com]

Garry, I take your post as advising the younger generation to make a very informed decision re' military service, especially in today's environment, as I suspect a "peace-time Army" is a thing of the distant past.

You've stated some things the recruiters certainly will not. Good on you for that.

Obviously, I came away from my service with a bit more positive experience, but I know problems exist.

Take care.

Charlie Noyes

[Quick Steel]

RR, exactly so. Were I addressing the positive aspects of the service I think you would find my position virtually identical to yours. Really, I would join again today in a heart beat. Granted I might not survive the first day of basic training.

[jerryd6818]

My advice to youngsters is, "join for the right reason." I tell them if they join for the educational benefits, the travel, to get away from home or any reason other than to fight a war, it's the wrong reason.

Even during the "Cold War" years of supposed peace time, U.S. troops were in harms way several times each year. There wasn't a single year our President wasn't sending troops someplace in the world as a show of strength, to evacuate civilians to avoid some danger or a situation in some part of the world where wicked people wanted to do harm to their fellow man. Human beings are the most violent animal on the planet and in the thousands of years we've been here there has NEVER been a full year of world wide peace, maybe not even a day.

So no matter how safe you think you would be because of the job you would do or the branch of service you would join, there's no guarantee of safety. You're not going to a seminary, you're going to the military.

[Quick Steel]

My advice to youngsters is, "join for the right reason." I tell them if they join for the educational benefits, the travel, to get away from home or any reason other than to fight a war, it's the wrong reason.

I agree. Good advice. I don't think having secondary motives are wrong if they are truly secondary to the willingness to go in harm's way. War will always be with us it seems and we will always have to rely on the brave to defend us.

While a volunteer military offers many advantages, I sometimes wonder if, without a draft, there is too great a cultural split developing between the military and society in general. Time will tell I suppose.

[Old Hunter]

Administrations (good and bad) come and go, the peoples gratefulness varies with their sense of imminent danger, for better or worse the VA is another government agency (with all that entails), and there have always been great leaders and piss-poor leaders, some emerge unscathed from service, many don't - bottom line is that the soldier serves the nation, not the other way around. OH

[Old Hunter]

Ps., D-18-5, my BCT company at Fort Knox KY in July 1973, was the first VOLAR training cycle at USATC-ARMOR, we were filmed and followed through the entire 8 week cycle with handpicked Drill Sergeants, one assigned per squad (intensive hands-on to "prove' that the Army could pull off the VOLAR concept). My opinion (for what its worth) is that an all volunteer force produces a great Army, but removes the Army from the nation; everyone, from every social level and group, should have equal exposure to military service in a democratic nation. OH

[Quick Steel]

And there is something to be said (about the draft) for the great mix of Americans of all classes having to rub shoulders with each other and having so many shared experiences. I know that Eisenhower thought a universal period of national service would be beneficial to the country. But I also recognize the great success of the volunteer army.

OH, I am guessing they put D-18-5 in some modern barracks. While waiting to separate in 72, I had a BCT company C-12-5. We were still using the "everlasting" wooden barracks.

[Old Hunter]

D-18-5 was in the 5th Training Brigade; the entire 5th was in the pale yellow WW-II barracks adjacent to the motor pool when I was there. Later, for OJT in lieu of AIT (it was discovered that I could type well - my very first experience with "needs of the service" that I would become very familiar with throughout my career) I was the supply clerk for B-13-4; all of 4th BDE was in the new, concrete barracks adjacent to the ARMOR-OCS academy. I have this NIB Vulcan lighter as a memento of that time. I haven't been to Fort Knox in 40 years, would love to visit just to see what it looks like now with the Armor Center having moved to Fort Benning. OH

[tjmurphy]

I was B-8-3, Dec '65-Feb '66. Same old wooden barracks with coal fired furnace. Did AIT at Ft. Rucker, AL and then on to Ft. Hood, TX. Miserable one year, three-hundred sixty-four days. Came very near becoming an alcoholic during those times.

[jerryd6818]

All that Army talk don't make a lick of sense to me.

Is it a good guess B-12-17 is not a vitamin and a bomber (I just made that number up for comic relief) but a recruit training unit???

[tjmurphy]

In my case it is B Company, 8th Battalion, 3rd Training Brigade, I think. AIT is "Advanced Individual Training".

[jerryd6818]

In my case it is B Company, 8th Battalion, 3rd Training Brigade, I think. AIT is "Advanced Individual Training".

I thought AIT was Advanced Infantry Training.

[tjmurphy]

Nope. But I guess for some of the folks it was.

[tjmurphy]

D-18-5 was in the 5th Training Brigade; the entire 5th was in the pale yellow WW-II barracks adjacent to the motor pool when I was there. Later, for OJT in lieu of AIT (it was discovered that I could type well - my very first experience with "needs of the service" that I would become very familiar with throughout my career) I was the supply clerk for B-13-4; all of 4th BDE was in the new, concrete barracks adjacent to the ARMOR-OCS academy. I have this NIB Vulcan lighter as a memento of that time. I haven't been to Fort Knox in 40 years, would love to visit just to see what it looks like now with the Armor Center having moved to Fort Benning. OH

So then Ft. Benning is both the Armor and the Infantry center? Probably turn Ft. Knox into an internment camp then??

[jerryd6818]

Nope. But I guess for some of the folks I guess it was.

Sorry. That's Marine Corps.

[carrmillus]

..............basic training for me was in company D, seventh battalion,second training regiment, ft. jackson s.c.-dec. 1958-mar. 1959....lots of memories!!!............. ..................

[Old Hunter]

TJ, Fort Benning houses the "US Army Maneuver Center of Excellence" which contains both the USA Infantry School and the USA Armor School as well as the Ranger School. This realignment was part of BRAC several years ago, but Fort Knox is still open; as I understand it Knox is now the HQ and summer training center for all college level ROTC nationwide (ROTC used to use Lewis and Bragg as well). I haven't been to either Benning or Knox since all the changes and moves. OH

http://www.benning.army.mil/armor/

[tjmurphy]

We attended my grand-son's graduation from Infantry School at Ft. Benning a few years ago. They had just dedicated the new Infantry Museum. Behind the museum is a parade field and the field was sodded using sod dug from all of the major battle fields, around the world, that the United States Army fought on.