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Hello All,
SF was the defining period of my life.
I met the challenge of the Q-course and serving on teams. I got to run around with Jordanian and Egyptian Commandos. I had something "that said more about you then you would ever say about yourself". I love my wife but, I LOVE being SF.
After I left active service (you can check my profile if you want) I was a banker (started as a teller and made it to Branch Manager). I believed that banking was about helping people fullfill their dreams (The current mortgage crisis breaks my heart). I also learned that noone whines louder then a teller with 5+ years on the teller window. My daughter was born in '93 and I figured out that there was a reason I was still on this earth. When she started school I returned to school and became a teacher. (She was too precious to leave her education to some stranger). The rant starts here: I believe the real problem with school today is not the kids, the parents, the school board, curriculum or "society". The real problem is : most teachers went from the 'back of the classroom" to the "front of the classroom". Most teachers have never done anything but be in a classroom and they loved every minute of it. Since they have never left the school they never learned that the purpose of school is to do something when you leave. They are also incapable of understanding students who do not love school. The rant is over.
I sent my oldest son to Iraq just three days before "Mission Accomplished". (Like many of us I had to be "retrained and retested" on the Marriage POI.) I joined the California National Guard a week later. After a year of "one weekend a month" I went to the Readiness NCO and asked to be put on the " next levy no matter where it is going". I went to Camp Eggers in Kabul Afghanistan as a Force Protection Squad Leader. I had 2 illustrators, a water purification Specialist, a cook, an NBC guy, some mechanics and two mortarmen. It was the ultimate G-Mission for me! I had a blast training them and leading them. They were all "damn fine Infantrymen"when I was done. We really were the best on the camp and we owed it all to my SF training. Then I switched to anti-terrorism and mostly worked outside with the local nationals security guys. I learned to love Hescos! That was even more fun. In the off time I rode shotgun for the Civil Affairs folks, so I actually got to see Afghanistan. SF is fun but CA is winning the hearts and minds. Did I mention it was fun? Suddenly it was time to go home.
When I got back to CA we moved to IL. I found a nice home in an Infantry Company that was deploying back to Afghanistan this year. Wife noticed the grin and didn't even smile when she said that if I thought I was going she'd cache the body parts in so many locations they would never reassemble me. She didn't smile because she wasn't kidding! Well, dwell time is one thing but I can still help out, so they activated me to be the fill-in Readiness NCO. That's what I'm doing. (It's harder then it looks, too.) Our daughter is now in High School, my oldest is back in Iraq, our two boys are Little Leaguers -- the 6 year old wants to be a catcher! I do a little ski patroll (yeah, in Missouri -- so shut up!) I fantasize about going to Iraq as a PSG when our boys return and I'm not needed around the armory. -- I'm feeling a little long of tooth to go back to a team. Although I smoke the APFT! Oh yeah, and I'm getting a Masters in Math.
Hmmmmmmmm . . . was planning this to be a "hi and glad to be here" post. Got a little carried away. It is great to be able to reconnect with those that have berets, admire berets and aspire to berets. "IT SAYS MORE ABOUT YOU THEN YOU WOULD EVER SAY ABOUT YOURSELF".
I have missed you guys.
Dozer
one thousand, two thousand, three thou. . .
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