They're back!

My old unit, the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion returned from Iraq via Ft. Bragg earlier today, and I couldn't be happier to have my old friends back in town.

But I feel depressed.

They went and I didn't.

They lost one over there. Sure he was from New Jersey, and I never met him, but we, they, us lost him to a senseless act that killed more civilians than military.

I've been at a maintenance company for a year now, and about two months ago they assigned me to the training section. I love it there and I'm really doing some good work for the company. My NCOIC (Non-commissioned Officer In Charge) asked me to input some APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) data into ATRRS (Can't remember this acronym, but it's how we track individual soldier info. Everything from their job to their height/weight to their dental status.) while he met with the 1SG (First Sergeant, Top, the Big Cheese, The senior most enlisted soldier at the company level, you get the picture).

After I did that I decided to look myself up on ATRRS. Now, keep in mind that the only thing that has prevented me from deploying is a few seconds on my 2-mile run that I'm having a hard time overcoming since my knee surgery after my first deployment.

I was just a couple key strokes away from changing my deployablity status.

It would have been an act completely devoid of integrity and honor but I would have been able to go and fight not just for my country, but I would be able to fight for my fellow soldiers. And for the Iraqi people.

Now, that last statement throws alot of people off.

"You WANT to fight for IRAQIS?!?"

Some people just don't get it. This war is more than a talking point for some bloated, over paid network talking jowl on your nightly news.

America has a responsibility to ensure that we not only finish what we started, but finish it the best possible way we can. And I want to contribute to that effort. For myself, my children, those who served before me and those that will serve after me. I feel that as a soldier, I have a responsibility to fight until I can fight no longer.

And I am a long way from that point.

So, now that I've bounced all over the place and completely gone off the tracks as to the reason I originally began typing this up....

I guess I just needed to get this off my chest.

I mean, all I want to do is get deployed. I thought the Army was looking for folks like me.

So I extended my contract by six months so that I can get over this running thing and get deployed.

But I'm still job hunting for a full time job till that deployment comes.