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IrishSlim article on sports and war

Hey Irish. Didn't know your background........in the military or as a writer.
Good article. I can relate to it.

Not directly related, but my nephew 'graduated' from Parris Island today after 3 months of hell and is now a Marine.
 
Hey Irish. Didn't know your background........in the military or as a writer.
Good article. I can relate to it.

Not directly related, but my nephew 'graduated' from Parris Island today after 3 months of hell and is now a Marine.

Congratulations. My brother has been in the reserves since '07. Spent most of a tour in Afghanistan and now is in law school and applying for JAG. The graduation at Parris Island was pretty damned impressive.
 
04-05, 06-08, and 09-11. All with 3-1CAV, but we fell under 25th the last two rotations. Baghdad, Baqubah, then Mosul. Fun times. Sounds like you guys were down to our south. Out of Taji or Falcon?
 
IrishSlim & ArmyDeac -

Don't know either of you but if you'll permit me, God Bless you both and Thank You for your service !
 
Well done, Irish.

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(And Army takes on Navy this weekend.)
 
Good read, however I take exception with this:

A child’s game, I might add, fittingly played with children.

Foosball a child's game?! Are you srs?!

:plos:
 
04-05, 06-08, and 09-11. All with 3-1CAV, but we fell under 25th the last two rotations. Baghdad, Baqubah, then Mosul. Fun times. Sounds like you guys were down to our south. Out of Taji or Falcon?

Big unit was out of Taji, but we operated out of a small outpost to the west of there. Three tours, eh? Respect.
 
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04-05, 06-08, and 09-11. All with 3-1CAV, but we fell under 25th the last two rotations. Baghdad, Baqubah, then Mosul. Fun times. Sounds like you guys were down to our south. Out of Taji or Falcon?

I spent a year at FOB Falcon (March 08 - Feb 09). Good times.
 
I spent a year at FOB Falcon (March 08 - Feb 09). Good times.

A good buddy of mine was the Med PL for 2-5 CAV when Sadr City went to shit in April 04. We'd been in Baghdad for 2 days, 1AD said that all was well, then the Madhi Army decided to play with the big boys. We were across the river ear Haifa Street watching all the fun. The BC, then LTC Volesky ended up being my Brigade commander on my last rotation. Pulled 2 purple hearts, a silver and a bronze star out of that rotation. Rumor has it that they're making a movie about he and 2-5 and the fight they had in Sadr City. If you spent time there, my hat's off to you.

Baqubah in 06-08 was rough, but Sadr was probably the worst...
 
A good buddy of mine was the Med PL for 2-5 CAV when Sadr City went to shit in April 04. We'd been in Baghdad for 2 days, 1AD said that all was well, then the Madhi Army decided to play with the big boys. We were across the river ear Haifa Street watching all the fun. The BC, then LTC Volesky ended up being my Brigade commander on my last rotation. Pulled 2 purple hearts, a silver and a bronze star out of that rotation. Rumor has it that they're making a movie about he and 2-5 and the fight they had in Sadr City. If you spent time there, my hat's off to you.

Baqubah in 06-08 was rough, but Sadr was probably the worst...


I was a Fobbit. Like everyone else, I answered when Uncle Sam called, went where I was supposed to go, and did what I was supposed to do to the very best of my ability.

No reason for you to take you hat off to me, my brother. With three tours under your belt, it is I who salute you first.
 
How sweet is it to accumulate a salary and have no expenses while on a tour of duty? I heard when soldiers come back home their back accounts are bloated so a lot subsequently go on a spending spree.
 
How sweet is it to accumulate a salary and have no expenses while on a tour of duty? I heard when soldiers come back home their back accounts are bloated so a lot subsequently go on a spending spree.

Uh...that kind of depends. Most are married and expenses still remain. Or some marry strippers and they clean them out and Soldiers come home to a couple of dudes running train on her (true story).

Not to mention the fact that most would easily trade the extra $225 Hazardous Duty pay, family separation, and tax free while deployed status to be home with their families. Or to see their newborn kids. I know I would have.
 
Uh...that kind of depends. Most are married and expenses still remain. Or some marry strippers and they clean them out and Soldiers come home to a couple of dudes running train on her (true story).

Not to mention the fact that most would easily trade the extra $225 Hazardous Duty pay, family separation, and tax free while deployed status to be home with their families. Or to see their newborn kids. I know I would have.

For sure, thank you very much for your service!!
 
Uh...that kind of depends. Most are married and expenses still remain. Or some marry strippers and they clean them out and Soldiers come home to a couple of dudes running train on her (true story).

Not to mention the fact that most would easily trade the extra $225 Hazardous Duty pay, family separation, and tax free while deployed status to be home with their families. Or to see their newborn kids. I know I would have.

ArmyDeac speaks the complete truth. I was a JAG officer for our Brigade Combat Team in Iraq, and part of my duties was to help Soldiers with their personal legal problems. Over the course of the yearlong deployment, I dealt with dozens of Soldiers (mostly 18-22 years old) each of whom had married some skank they met at a club just before the deployment -- only to have their wife cheat on them, pawn all their belongings or leave them on the sidewalk, clean out their bank accounts, max out their credit cards, and post pictures on Facebook of them sticking their tongue down some guy's throat just to twist the knife in their deployed Soldier's back. That kind of betrayal and distraction is not what a young Private or Specialist needs when he is on a mission to roll up some insurgents in the middle of the night or to patrol an area infested with IEDs.

As for family separation, the extra money you get while deployed, while nice, sure didn't make up for missing a year of my kids' growing up that I will never get back. (And I only deployed for 1 year. I can't imagine being deployed for 3+ years like ArmyDeac and missing all that time.)

I'll never forget, during a deployment to Bosnia in 1996, seeing one of our battalion's company commanders, who was about 6'2", 225 lbs, Ranger, CIB, Master Parachutist, etc., cry uncontrollably one day because he wasn't able to be there when his daughter was born.
 
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