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When does leave no man behind stop mattering?
When the chartered plane carrying them to Utah from Fort Carson, Colo., had no room for a few of their comrades, the 30 Army Reserve soldiers of a Utah National Guard unit opted for an all-night bus ride rather than leaving two or three members behind to find their own transportation home.<...>
"They deployed together and they wanted to come home the same way," said Master Sgt. Gary Younger. "If they couldn't get the whole unit on board, then it wasn't worth it to them."
Awesome story.
The Christian Science Monitor has a good one too. The story of the first homecomings for elements of the 1st Cav.
It's been a long road home for soldiers from Fort Hood's 1st Cavalry Division. They said goodbye two Christmases ago, and lives have changed in the meantime. Babies have been born. Siblings have graduated. Parents have retired.In all, the entire 1st Cavalry Division - some 17,500 soldiers - will be coming back by April. Their homecomings are especially sweet because these ground troops saw some of the roughest fighting in some of the most dangerous cities in Iraq.
"Standing on the field today are our latest heroes," says Col. Aundre Piggee during his brief ceremony remarks. "We say, 'A job well done, and welcome home.'"
Finally, the soldiers are dismissed and their family and friends rush the field, planting kisses, snapping photos, and crying like the day they were born.
Each day, a similar scene is replayed here as military planes touch down one after another on the central plains of Texas. The patriotic fervor and pride reflected in the crowds is further evidence that Americans are standing behind their troops and, to some degree, the war.
The story illustrates that some things change with time:
Indeed, many here say they understand the mission of the United States and support it - unlike 30 years ago when troops returned home from Vietnam to a very angry and fractured nation."There is much more of a sense of pride than there was in Vietnam, and that means a lot to these soldiers," says Dave Swavey, who was a teenager when the Vietnam War ended.
Mr. Swavey and his wife, Tricia, are resting in the shade and waiting for their daughter, Sgt. Natausha Judge. In the past 14 months, they closely followed news reports and sometimes heard explosions or gunfire in the background when they were talking to their daughter.
It was unnerving, says Mr. Swavey, "But if there's anybody you want over there, it's her. She's strong." In preparation for her daughter's homecoming, Mrs. Swavey has pasted every article that mentioned the 1st Cavalry Division into a binder along with photos of her grandson from the past year. At their Dallas home, a friend has tied 100 yellow ribbons around front-yard trees. They plan to head straight out for Mexican food, Natausha's favorite.
While some things will never change. And those things are the stresses that every returning GI will feel. My personal toughest spot in transitioning so far has been a fairly sleepless night just before my first day back at work. I can tell you exactly what was bugging me - I was leaving behind a situation where what I was doing was front page news, was directly shaping the history of the world, was sometimes dangerous and sometimes exciting. But that was over now, and I was returning to something a little less intense, a lot more like a nine-to-five office job - a lot more routine. I have no doubt what I prefer (probably exactly the opposite of most sane people!) but duty is duty and I'll be fine.
Jersey Cowboy and Questing Cat are back in Germany too, and seem to be doing okay.
We are sitting through a multitude of soporific briefings. The longest is of course our day 2, our ?Don?t beat your wife or girlfriend or kids while drinking all the beer in Schweinfurt and contemplating killing yourself? day. We receive chaplains brief on combat stress and strains in our lives.
Like me they're in Germany - and surrounded by family, friends, and brothers-in-arms who've been through much of what they have.
But other folks are having tougher times. Sminklemeyer was In Iraq for 365
It?s the same nightmare every time? I?m in the town of Avgoni on an operation. We?re moving through the woods. Then shots are fired. A soldier next to me is hit in the neck. I try to help him, but it?s hopeless. He?s lost too much blood as he goes into shock. In the dream, I can feel somebody watching me even as the medics move and a platoon secures a perimeter for a helicopter. The kid is young, maybe 20, and I just look into his lifeless blue eyes while the medics move him to the evacuation point. I feel like I?m invisible and nobody in the dream seems to recognize me or realize I?m standing there with a camera and an M-16. Everybody leaves. And then I am back at the Palace, where again I feel invisible. At my desk is a CD with Arabic writing. I pop it into my laptop, and it?s a video of me.I?m standing over the dead soldier just looking at him. There?s a rustling in the bushes and I look toward the noise? I?m staring directly into the camera. Somebody is speaking in Arabic and strangely, in the dream, I understand it. The people behind the camera simply say ?we?re watching you.? Then, the barrel of an AK comes into the frame pointing right at me? this is when I wake up.
He's getting help.
I?ve never been to a shrink before, but I?m not ashamed or afraid. I just don?t want to deal with it 10 years from now. I survived a war, and I?m going to make damn sure I survive peace.
And there's a message there for anyone coming home - and I applaud him for sharing it. (You can offer encouragement here.) That step forward took at least as much guts as daily operations in Iraq, a courage of a different sort. If you or someone you know isn't adjusting well to the home front lifestyle, get help. It's there for you and no one will think less of you for seeking it. If you really aren't comfortable speaking to medical folks or those in your chain of command, see the Chaplain first. Even if you aren't the same religion these guys are trained counselors, they can help you or find someone who can, and they are one of the few people you can talk to who aren't required to tell your chain of command everything you say. Likewise if you're a relative of someone who seems to be having a hard time coping but who won't seek help, visit the Chaplain and let them know your concerns. Do not wait! Do not become a statistic!
The folks returning from Iraq have accomplished great things, at great personal cost.
Initially, the 1st Cavalry Division was scheduled to come back before Christmas 2004, but were asked to stay through the Iraqi elections to provide security. That request took the hardest toll on the families, says Swick.But for many of the soldiers, it was the most meaningful time of their entire deployment, he says. On Jan. 30, "Iraqi people were literally dancing in the streets after they voted. That personified more than anything what we were doing there."
And that was a great way to close out the tour of duty. Mission accomplished - job well done. Hold your heads high and don't let a tragic postscript spoil the happy ending.
Here's the answer to the question we started this with: When does "leave no man behind" stop mattering?
Never.
