Friday, October 05, 2007
You Just Can't Believe, the Joy I Did Receive
A few days ago, I received the best news that I've had in ages: One of my closest friends, C----, is coming back early from his second tour in Iraq. Words cannot express the thrill and relief his missive brought. At the risk of sounding overly sentimental, C---- has actually made a guest appearance in my dreams each night since I heard of his imminent arrival. I know, I'm a sappy bastard.
God willing, he will be boarding a plane today and heading back to the US. He'll have to spend about a week at Fort Bliss to "out process" so I won't get a chance to see him right away, but next weekend promises to be unabashedly debaucherous. And last time I checked, Fort Bliss was a hell of a lot safer than Baghdad (or Philadelphia), so just getting him Stateside is enough for the time being.
I don't know if C---- has heard about Rush Limbaugh's despicable slander of those of our soldiers that have misgivings about the Iraq mission, but it won't likely sit well with him. C---- himself is not what Rush would call a "phony soldier," but he has had his bouts with inauthenticity, and even now is probably only slightly more real than fake. At the very least, he knows many soldiers that have different opinions, and respects them all.
In his words, when he's over there, he adopts a "prison mentality" such that he blocks out the outside world to focus on his tasks and his men. My guess is, the "outside world" also includes debates about the ultimate wisdom of the mission. I don't fault him for any coping mechanisms he adopts. He knows far better than me (or Rush) what works.
Some soldiers prefer to partake in such discourse while in country, though. Like this Band of Phonies. Be sure to scroll down to the last photo taken. Rush freakin' Limbaugh ladies and gentlemen, a frequent host of our Vice President.
God willing, he will be boarding a plane today and heading back to the US. He'll have to spend about a week at Fort Bliss to "out process" so I won't get a chance to see him right away, but next weekend promises to be unabashedly debaucherous. And last time I checked, Fort Bliss was a hell of a lot safer than Baghdad (or Philadelphia), so just getting him Stateside is enough for the time being.
I don't know if C---- has heard about Rush Limbaugh's despicable slander of those of our soldiers that have misgivings about the Iraq mission, but it won't likely sit well with him. C---- himself is not what Rush would call a "phony soldier," but he has had his bouts with inauthenticity, and even now is probably only slightly more real than fake. At the very least, he knows many soldiers that have different opinions, and respects them all.
In his words, when he's over there, he adopts a "prison mentality" such that he blocks out the outside world to focus on his tasks and his men. My guess is, the "outside world" also includes debates about the ultimate wisdom of the mission. I don't fault him for any coping mechanisms he adopts. He knows far better than me (or Rush) what works.
Some soldiers prefer to partake in such discourse while in country, though. Like this Band of Phonies. Be sure to scroll down to the last photo taken. Rush freakin' Limbaugh ladies and gentlemen, a frequent host of our Vice President.
