Category: Soldier
Kevin and MWD Bull: The Rookies Head to Afghanistan
Army Sergeant Nick “Kevin” Smith looked around the C-17 Globemaster airplane and marveled at the expansive inside. It was a massive hollow shell. No wonder they could fit three Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles in there.
The guys called the C-17 the Cadillac of Air Force airplanes and, comparatively speaking, they were right.
In the old C-130 Hercules they could barely squeeze 64 Soldiers in that tin can, never mind that the troops had to sit knee to knee on netting with their gear on their laps.
The C-17 had style and leg room to move around. Well, it did if you got one of the cushioned seats lining the skin of the aircraft. The other troops who were not so lucky? Well, they got the shaft.
About 250 seats were jammed into the belly of the aircraft strapped to cargo pallets … Read More »
Military Dogs – For Loan!
Back in November I posted a terrific piece, The Puppy Program, about the Department of Defense (DoD) Breeding Program located at Lackland Airbase.
I promised you a second part, so today ladies and gentlemen here it is!
Since I was delayed getting this next piece out, I’m going share a special something with you all. I am going to share with you how you can become an active contributor to the Breeding Progam.
Yes, you can help raise these future 4 legged heroes.
Eight weeks after the birth the puppies, they go home with qualified and dedicated ‘foster’ volunteers from the greater San Antonio/Austin area. During the ‘foster’ period, the pups are raised in secure, nurturing homes that provide learning and play opportunities, as well as outings for the puppies to be exposed to different environments and people to develop a … Read More »
New Years Resolution: Second Chance
Yes I realize we are way past the New Year’s resolution phase on the calendar….but hey…there is good chance you already blew those resolutions. So with this post I’m offering you a shot as redemption.
A clean slate if you will.
Let’s start over….. today.
I’ll go first….
Here goes…. but first….a thoughton why….. why resolutions are difficult to keep.
I believe that I know why many continually fail to meet their New Year’s Resolutions.
Why?
How many cliché resolution on Facebook did you skim through and not really read?
How many Facebook posts do you read and say, “Yeah right he will never lose twenty pounds by Easter.”
You know the ones….that talk about hitting the gym, quitting the smokes etc, etc, etc!
Why can’t they keep resolutions?
Why are some people already back up five pounds or smoking two packs a day by April?
What about that gym membership that hasn’t … Read More »
A Soldier’s Top 10 Memories Preparing for the Invasion of Iraq
The 10 Year Anniversary of the invasion of Iraq is upon us and I want to share with you some of my most memorable moments of the pre-invasion period. These are the stories my friends (my brothers and sisters in arms) and I still talk and laugh about.
In March 2003, I was 28 years old Army Captain stationed in Germany, assigned to the first Military Police Battalion (709th) that entered Iraq.
1. Scalped! Foolishly, I allowed a guy in my unit to give me a haircut the day before we left for Kuwait. He scalped me, blood flowed down the side of my head and I had scabs for weeks. But I saved $9.
2. Flying in Style to War. I flew business class in civilian clothes from Germany to Kuwait as I mentioned in my post last week. Then I … Read More »
Military Dog Picture of the Week/ Breaking Iraq
I happened upon the photo above on Twitter from a kind Canadien chap. This is an absolute heart melting photo!
Thanks for sharing Dave……..his caption was, ”Tracer, Trooper & Trigger … Handler Sergeant J. White, CD”
I simply loved it and had to share!
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Completely changing gears here, I wanted to let you all know about a new book coming out that I’m very interested in reading entitled, Breaking Iraq – The Ten Mistakes That Broke Iraq.
The book will be released on March 19, the 10th Anniversary of the war in Iraq and was written by Colonel (Retired) Ted Spain and Terry D. Turchie, a former Deputy Assistant Director of the Counterterrorism Division of the FBI.
Colonel Spain commanded the 18th Military Police Brigade during the ground war and subsequent occupation of Iraq. I served in this brigade with Colonel Spain. He is … Read More »
Thanking a Veteran
Folks often ask me how they can support our deployed dog teams. Here are two great ways to do so.
The first is Operation Kennel Mom who can also be found on Facebook.
Another great organization is Soldier Angels.
Being a dog lover I can only imagine how grateful I would be if someone sent a care package to my best 4-legged pal. (don’t forget to add cards/letters of support)
I recommend both of these organiations.
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So what is up with all these adorable puppies you ask?
Well, back in October I received an email from Kim Edelheiser at Orchard Creek Labradors in Pennsylvania. Kim breeds high quality Labradors Retriever at her home……this is no puppy mill operation.
Kim expressed to me how thankful she was to all service members and how she wanted to donate one of her puppies being whelped in December to … Read More »
Another American War Hero Dies
We have lost another American War Hero.
U.S. Army Specialized Search Dog Gabe (retired) took his last breath on February 13th 2013, at 12:44 P.M. Gabe’s best friends and explosive finding partner, Sergeant First Class Chuck Shuck, comforted Gabe to the end.
Early this week, Gabe woke up and didn’t want to eat his breakfast, within hours it was evident there was something gravely wrong. Chuck rushed him to the hospital where his condition worsened rapidly, and eventually veterinarians discovered Gabe had internal bleeding. They soon realized that Gabe had cancer in his liver and spleen.
Here is a message directly from Chuck, “Gabe Nation….Thank you for being there in my time of need. Gabe never truly recovered from last night and his liver and spleen were so full of cancer. I could have opted for more transfusions and plasma and chemo, but I saw the pain in my… boy’s eyes. … Read More »
The Thing About Women in Combat Is…………
I’ve taken a lot of heat about my position regarding women in combat units. Especially from the twitter trolls! (I still love Twitter though!)
I steadfastly believe that skills are what matters in the military and not gender.
But hey, I’m just a career Army Officer with three combat tours and an opinion. I have no issue sharing my opinion. So taking heat for my opinion comes with the territory- no worries.
But I see what our Military is doing and where we are heading and I like it.
I respect the fact that our Military is studying the feasibility of openning job specialties formerly closed to females.
I’m proud that our military is studying this carefully and with great diligence. Complete change will take some time while some change has already happened.
So recently I read a fabulous piece by Captain Soren Sjogren, a Danish Infantry Officer, about his … Read More »
Happy One Year Anniversary!
Has it been one year already?
Yep, I launched this site this week last year and have been consistently writing and posting for the site since. So why did I start this site?
I need a platform if I am going to be a professional writer someday. Right?
That is what the experts say. But this site is more than just a platform for me—it is how I express myself. It provides me the ability to publish my work now through my blog posts. The site allows me to tell stories and share what I think is important and relevant in my world. Plus writing for the site makes me happy.
So let’s take a look at some stats for the year:
First subscriber: Pam Garrity
First commenter: Ginger Moran
Thank you, ladies!
Subscribers: 775
Comments: 2,358(Non Spam)
I really have nothing to compare these numbers with. I believe … Read More »
Skills not Gender are What Matter in the Military
When I wrote my first post, Women Shouldn’t be In Combat, supporting women in combat I was quite nonchalant about it. I wanted to poke fun at what I believe is an antiquated way of thinking. To me women in combat aren’t a big deal. On the ground, in combat we are pretty much past that point already.
I’m an Army officer and have worked with and witnessed women successfully serving in every capacity allowed on today’s battlefield.
But the post received a ton of attention so I wrote another addressing the reasons why folks were against women in combat. That post, Reason Women Shouldn’t be in Combat Units received even more attention than the first and I continued to receive arguments against my position.
So wrote a third post titled, Here are More Reasons Why Women Have no … Read More »
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