I'm gettin too old for this

So we went on an Air Assault mission. We went to an "area", to cordon off the area while another ongoing mission would try to flush out the Taliban and push them into the "area". Historically they liked to come to this "area" when things go sour for 'em.

Um ya.

This time?

This time we pretty much just became the bait. It was supposed to be a 2+ day mission. Those who get paid more than I do cut it short.

Why?

Because all we were was fucking fish in a goddamn barrel.

We took indirect fire 3 times, and on the 3rd and final time we had to MEDEVAC our wounded soldiers. We couldn't go anywhere, because our mission was to hold the area.

This isn't exactly the Ardennes Forest. This isn't Bastogne.

And it was so predicatable too. The enemy didn't fire on us until our birds left to refuel. It was like clockwork. Our overhead protectors leave, and boom boom boom...Incoming.

Thank god the injured wasn't life changing. Just shrapnel and concussions. I helped put the injured on the MEDEVAC blackhawk. I had so much anger and frustration in me I could've cried. But I couldn't show weakness. Not in front of my guys. It's absolutely strange, but they look up to me and go off how I am, so I have to be strong, whether I'm scared or sad or angry. I have to keep calm so that they know that things will be alright.

My son is a little over 7 months old now. He looks amazing, and I miss him so much. But what I do is that 23 hours and 55 minutes of the day I forget he exists. It's too much of a distraction. It's when I can relax, be on my own, that I think about it.

and it hurts that I can't be there with him, for him.

He's crawling now :)

but I'm not there...

This is the only was I can deal with this...

Oh, ya.

The weather's getting warmer.

The indirect fire is getting more accurate.

Good times ahead indeed

7 more months till R&R

Whenever we're on patrol the only thing on my mind, like a broken record that keeps skipping and repeating itself:

Is this it?

how about now?

Is this where I'm going to step and set off the IED?

It's not like a debilitating thought or anything. It's more of a matter of fact kind of thing.

Being in the front and stepping in fresh soil is unnerving, but there's only so much one can do.

95% of the patrol my head is looking to where I'm going to step next. Sometimes I just pucker up and step over what may just be my last step, or it may just be a random indentation in the field.

It's just one of those things one has to deal with.

The prospect of life itself is so trivial sometimes.

I've already told my squad that if It was my time, then they are instructed to burn everything I have here.

My Laptop.

My Camera.

All my ACU's

Everything.

I don't know why, but I just feel like it's the right thing to do.

We were QRF for another platoon a few days ago, and alas we were called out. So we went and I got to do some shooting. I leveled a building/store with my .50 Cal BMG. I was in the turret for this one because we were running a bit shorthanded.

There were to Taliban fighters all Alamo'd up in the shop, so we leveled the place, but somehow they managed to squirt out, but our friendly rotary winged friends cut short their escape.

One of em had balls of steel. Here we are laying 2 50. cal's at them and one of em still had the balls to spray some AK rounds out of the hole that we blasted in the front wall of the shop.

It took almost 7 years, but this is the deployment I joined up for.

My life is hard and unforgiving, but I'm happy.

Disturbing news

Beer contains female hormones! Yes, that's right, FEMALE hormones!

Last month, Sydney University and scientists released the results of a recent analysis that revealed the presence of female hormones in beer.

Men should take a concerned look at their beer consumption.

The theory is that beer contains female hormones(hops contain Phytoestrogens) and that by drinking enough beer, men turn into women.

To test the theory, 100 men each drank 8 schooners of beer within a one (1) hour period..

It was then observed that 100% of the test subjects, yes, 100% of all these men:-




1) Argued over nothing.

2) Refused to apologize when obviously wrong.

3) Gained weight.

4) Talked excessively without making sense.

5) Became overly emotional

6) Couldn't drive.

7) Failed to think rationally, and

8) Had to sit down while urinating.




No further testing was considered necessary!!