What?

It snowed in Baghdad the other day for the first time since anyone can remember.  does this mean Hell has frozen over?  for all of us that use the saying guess we better think twice.

A Note on Leadership

First of all let me say that I feel all things here should be open to criticism and comment.  I also feel that since this is a Blog written by soldiers there is no place for the super politically correct world.  Things in a war zone are black and white with almost no grey in between.  That is why a lot of people can’t understand what happens here.  It is a world of absolutes. 

Leadership on the other hand is not.  A lot of people feel that leadership can be taught out of a book or series of classes.  I absolutely do not think this is case.  True leaders are born.  Some leaders are born to lead huge organizations of people and resources to greatness, others to lead small groups of people to finish the task at hand.  No what type of leader you are or follow, the events that shape and mold that person into the leader they are is a complex process.  I consider myself a leader of men.  I have my weakness and my strengths.  I have served under the leadership of people who I would have followed off a cliff if it served a purpose.  I have served under people who probably would have gotten me killed if the situation presented itself.  Either way the actions of these people helped me form my own ideas of what I feel an effective leader is.   

I joined the army in the 90′s.  It was different Army them.  The Drill Sergeants would ask you if you wanted their job and you were supposed to answer yes.  You were supposed to be driven to be so good that you were always going to surpass the man above you and take his job.  Ever soldier was supposed to grow into a leader that could get the mission done no matter what the odds.  This is an impossible idea, no matter how much we want everyone to excel at what they do it simply just can’t happen.  Some people were made to follow.  Let me also say that that just because you follow doesn’t mean you are not destined for great things.  It’s hard to get the mission done by yourself.  I never really considered my self a leader until I got into my late 20′s.  I have been a Sergeant for a long time.  I have done my duties as an NCO to the best of my ability.  As an E-5 I never really felt empowered as a leader and I’m not sure why.  I went to school, and I had outstanding NCOs’ as examples for me.  I never really felt empowered until I learned where my power came from.  I learned what my purpose was in the Army.   My job was the troops.  As well as my technical abilities my job was to be sure that the troops were disciplined and taken care of. I think this is were some very good leaders fail.  Some leaders focus solely on making people happy.  Other leaders spend all their time making sure every detail is perfect.  An effective leader finds a happy medium.  An effective leader can distinguish between work and play.  As far as soldiers go they need to smile but they also need discipline.  The Army as an organization depends on it.  How can a soldier sit for hours still and quiet waiting for his target without discipline?  On the other side that soldier need to be able to let go and smile once in a while when they are not on mission. 

 A good leader needs to look at his people.  They need to correct their deficiencies.  They need to be punished when the situation calls for it.  They need to be sure that instances that undermine authority are dealt with swiftly and effectively.  The leader also needs to be sure that their people are taken care of. A good leader needs to know something about their people.  They need to know what is going on in their personal life to some extent.  In all honesty they just need to care.  Asking someone how they are and listening to the response can go a long way towards respect, and dealing with that person in the future. 

These are just a few of the dimensions that I feel make a good leader.  There are many more and will vary depending on the mission to be accomplished.  One thing that must be true in all leaders no matter what you do.  You must lead by example.  You cannot enforce policy that you do not follow.  Nothing will undermine authority and demoralize faster than double standards or no standards at all.

Grand Reopening.

This is something I probably should have mentioned earlier. This blog has received a revival as far as writers and posts. We plan on keeping this up, as it is I believe a healthy practice for both of us.

Reflections of the day

“The stars in the sky illuminate below,
The light is the sign that love will guide you home.
The stars in the sky illuminate below,
If the world were to die, the light would guide you.”

Today, the priest was in the middle of his sermon, explaining the epiphany of Christ, when the wise men finally made it to Jesus, and presented the gifts to him. During this he started to talk about the Apollo 11 mission, when the men returned back from the moon, and then took a subsequent trip around the world for various meet and greets. One of the meetings he spoke about in detail was the meeting at the Vatican. While at the Vatican, the three astronauts received three intricate porcelain statues, each one depicting each of the three wise men. The pope then explained to them, that like the original wise men, they also traveled and found their way home by the stars above.

We soldiers have a similar task, we’ve been sent to perform a task that not many people would ever endure. We are here for peace building, rebuilding infrastructure and allowing people and a nation, freedoms that we have been granted from birth. I believe we are doing good work here, and that our mission is a beautiful one. Although as an aviation unit, we may not have a direct influence in the actual peace building exercise, we are just as integral a part of the mission.

Snorting a Brain Chemical Could Replace Sleep… Are you kidding me?

DARPA never seems to amaze me. It seems they recently found a drug that tricks the brain into acting and looking like it is awake even in PET scans. Creepy stuff.

Of All The Things We Learned…

So, after being in training for about 75 days at Camp Shelby, MS and months here in country, you start to see the evolution of relationships, the “de-evolution” of humans, and the true nature of people. At a time when you want to make sure you can trust the people around you, you realize most everyone has an agenda. It’s amazing really. It’s not bad, but it just shows human nature. Also, most of it is due to living constraints. There is no privacy here. There are ears on every wall. For instance, the only privacy I have in my own “room” is the nylon poncho liner that I hang from the sides of my bed.

Other than all that ranting, I’m doing fine. I don’t have much on my mind anymore other than how to stay entertained. Any Ideas would be appreciated.

Why do we do it?

Not a question easily answered by anyone, even by the people that get the job done everyday. If you don’t know who I am talking about turn on the TV or read a paper. I have served for 14 and half years and I’m still not sure why I do it. I can find a good reason everyday. I can also find a reason not to do it everyday.

I am a father of one, soon to be two children. I am a husband. I chose a job in life; I chose to be an American soldier. People tell me “thank you” everyday, either in person or in letters and cards. I am really not sure what to say back, so I say “it’s just a job”. It’s not bad life. I don’t have to decide what to wear. I don’t have to decide how to get to work. I don’t really even have to decide what to eat. All of the little choices in life are easy, just follow the herd.

Then comes the question, why leave everything you love and know behind for job on the edge of hell? The answer is, I don’t know. I know why we need this war and I know why we need win. I just can’t figure out what drives me or those around me to do it. I have met and know some of the finest men and women the world will ever know here. Some of them are geniuses. Some are just people who like to stand next to the person next to them.

Well on this little venture of ours I hope I find the answer or semblance of one. I hope we get our chance to make the world a little better of a place. I hope we all come home safe and sound so the world is a better place for the people we know and love.

Last Game of the Playoffs

IMG_0799, originally uploaded by Illuminati44.

This picture was taken shortly after the playoffs, at the bar that sponsors us.

ILLINOIS GUARD UNIT MOBILIZED TO SUPPORT OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM

Aviation Soldiers prepare for 12-month deployment

CHICAGO – The Illinois National Guard received notification from the Department of the Army and First Army of the mobilization of the Illinois Army National Guard Bravo Company, 935th Support Battalion Aviation Maintenance.
Approximately 100 Soldiers of the aviation unit, based in Chicago, are being called-up for up to 12 months of active duty in the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) theater of operations.
“The Illinois National Guard continues to play a vital role in fighting the Global War on Terrorism here at home and abroad,” said Maj. Gen. Randal Thomas, Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard. “We are an active, significant and vital part of this war. While our Illinois Army National Guard aviation assets have supported tours of duty in Iraq before, due to transformation this is the first mobilization for B Company, 935th Support Battalion Aviation Maintenance in support of the Global War on Terrorism.”
The Illinois National Guard was aware of the potential mobilization of this unit and has been preparing the Soldiers and their family members for this possibility. The Soldiers are going through Soldier readiness processing to accomplish all required tasks and training prior to leaving Illinois for the companies’ mobilization site.
Under the federal order, the unit will be mobilized to federal active duty in late July when the Chicago-based company will report to Camp Shelby, Miss., for further mobilization processing and training.
The Illinois Army National Guard currently has approximately 1,000 Soldiers deployed. While the Illinois National Guard continues to support the Global War on Terror, it maintains sufficient forces and capabilities to deter or respond to potential homeland security threats here in Illinois. These forces and capabilities are also available to United States Northern Command in the event of a regional or national level homeland security incident.

Arizona School Balks at Allowing Children Time off to See Their Father.

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/174948

“When her husband comes home to Tucson on leave from Iraq, Keila Rios could face a dilemma she finds infuriating.
She plans to take their children out of school for a week to spend time with their Army dad.
But when she asked for makeup work they could do at home, she initially was told they’d receive zeroes if they didn’t go to class.
The head of the charter school they attend declared the absences inexcusable and told the Arizona Daily Star that Rios’ children would not be allowed to make up missed assignments. It now seems the principal is reconsidering, though that couldn’t be confirmed late Thursday.”