Questions for a Jordan soldier

From Adam Hennen:

Bush’s plan of sending more troops to Iraq is not any new news to me. In fact, I kind of thought that he would have anyway without the big announcement; due solely for some attempts of finalizing the war effort before his term in office runs out. I feel that in the next year or so up to the ’08 Presidential Elections we will see some vast improvements or changes in the Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As for me (currently) my deployment is not lengthened, as you know by now a Minnesota company has been notified to be. However, I actually belong to a Wisconsin National Guard unit. The company that I fall under (here overseas) is a Wisconsin company. I have always known about the chances of having to serve longer than originally planned but the Army is notorious for one thing. That one thing is that change is always consistent. So no, it was no surprise of when I heard about the MN group having to extend their service. It is too bad though, for I am sure that some of them had probably made some plans of when returning home and what not.

From Adam Hennen:

I will have to agree with you, as majority of the issues that are covered by the media are mainly negative aspects of the war. However there are many acts that are positive as well. Like soldiers who bring supplies and food or water to the locals when out on patrol. Saving the lives of the Iraqi innocent, and mainly overall just the day to day interactions of getting to know the Iraqi people and other host nationals.

From Adam Hennen:

Well, since my time here in Iraq I have now lived in three different areas. In the beginning I lived with the majority of the group in a single one story building. Then I moved to work for the force security part of the company. And now, I moved once again to work for the battalion that we fall under.
Since this unit is from Wisconsin there are not too many people from Jordan or Minnesota in that case here with me. However, there is one other person who belongs to the group that now lives in Jordan. He moved to Jordan from Wisconsin. However, he and the group that he belongs to moved to another fob earlier this past month.

The company that I am deployed with is from Oshkosh, WI. Now, not everyone that is with this unit deployed is originally from this unit. Together as a company we are a combined element of 20 some total units all over Wisconsin.
When we are not deployed, we all would be back in our respected National Guard Units. There the training is very much orientated to what kind of unit one belongs to. Meaning, what is the overall job background of the unit. The group that I am with now is mainly truck drivers. So a lot of their training year round would relate to driving and maintenance of their vehicles.

I am not sure if what you mean by “time commitment” if you are talking about how long one plans on staying in the military or not? That is all really dependent on the individual. I would have to say that the average National Guard member will sign a 3 to 6 year contract and then re-up is they agree to do so. Active military personnel would sign a 4 year term and then re-up also accordingly. For officers in the National Guard and Reserves would normally have a 6 year term and Active would have a 4 year term. They too would continue on after that if they planned to do so. Any one soldier can plan on retirement from the military after 20 (or more) years of service.

Q: When did you first learn to use a gun?
A: In the civilian world, I first used to learn a “gun” during my adolescence age. However in the military world, I learned how to use a “weapon” in 2002 when I first signed up. I had my first experience with the M-16 rifle down in Fort Knox, KY.

Q: How did you get interested in the military?
A: I had received an email about ROTC in college and was a little interested with what it had to offer. I soon found myself enrolled (knowing that I could always withdraw from the program, because you don’t officially become permanent until you are commissioned at the end). However, I found myself intertwined with the people involved and found better meaning in what the military was and is. So here I am today still in it, yes the road has been bumpy at times but I can not deny all of the experiences that I have encompassed on the way that had made it worth its while.

Q: What are your specialties in the military? Are you using them in Iraq?
A: My job background is Quartermaster, meaning service and supplies. Right now I am assisting with an S4 department (which is supplies). So yes, currently I am using it in Iraq.

A: Now anyone can say nearly anything they please to another. It is a right that was given to them from our forefathers. Through the Bill of Rights we gained freedoms that we still use today including the freedom of speech.

I think that it is perfectly fine for anyone to “thank” me or any other person involved in the military for what ever reason they chose to believe or act upon. I also on the other hand am perfectly fine with someone not saying anything either, or going as far as to protest against what their belief and or reasons may be.

This is because we live in a country where being different is acceptable. These differences are what make ‘us’ who we are as a nation and if we were all the same it just wouldn’t feel right. Everyone has the right to express themselves in whatever manner they choose (abiding the law of course).

I may not agree with everything that does or does not occur with such “thanks” but I am not the one to be telling them what they can or can not do.

Now in with more of what you are saying, that it may not be that necessary for one to “thank” a soldier for whatever “service” he or she has contributed. It is up to the individual who chooses to give or not such praise.

I can understand where you are coming from and if you choose not to do such action I will not hold it against you.

For those who do choose to give that gratitude may understand that it doesn’t matter if that soldier fully supports the conflict at hand, the president, or if they volunteered or not. The main factor is that they are engaged in that deployment and that their service there is so that you (individuals not in the military) do not have to be in their shoes.

In conclusion of this response, I feel fine when people “thank” me for serving this country.

In this world that we live in I can not control everything that occurs. Nor can or should I have that control, especially here in this country that we all live in. We have that freedom to express ourselves in all wonderful and unique ways. No matter how different or even opposed it may seem. That individuality factor helps define us as a person and helps unite us to those who understand.

For those who are not in the military or not engaged in current roles assisting the military are not deployed overseas, true. The point that we are here and you are not for the sole purpose of not instilling the draft is part of it, but also along with the simple fact that the action is also "overseas" and not here on our land.

In reality, there are always going to be many tangent variables that go along with any situation. This finds its way ever so true in the military with it being tied up in politics and with a mulitude of cultures engraved in its history.

Again, people are going to do what they want. Not everything is accepted by everyone, but an understanding sometimes is just what is needed. I understand these people who do "thank" those for serving. I plan on not stopping them.

Yes, she is on a full recovery. I did mention her (well at least the incident) earlier in this forum. I did not know her very well previous to this deployment, but since then I have gotten to know her quite well. She is a great person and I wished that this incident did not have to happen to her.

The tower that she was in that was attacked is part of an entry control point that we occupy here on our base. It is a point of this base that outlooks a nearby city of Iraq.

Yes, you can see quite a lot from any tower here as you get a good view of which ever part of Iraq that is in your perimeter.

As far as seeing on-coming attacks that is not as easy as it may seem (even in day light). For you do not always see your "enemy" and in the case for SPC Schroeder a mortar was launched from a field some distance away. I can not recall if any suspected individuals were seen or not, but no it is not that easy to always see your would-be attackers.

Spc Schroeder is actually the same age as I am, and that tower that she was attacked in I have physically been in many times. In fact I have been in almost every tower that my company/battalion occupies here on our base. You can never know when to expect danger. That is all a part of what this job entails sometimes; that level of un-expectancy.

Anyway, danger is always going to be here. I try not to think about it a lot, for I know if I did it would make my time here kind of dreadful. We are at our half-way mark here and at this point, Spc Schroeder is the only member of our group that has been in any form of serious danger. I am glad that we have had this much security of our people. Hopefully this last half of our deployment will go by as fast as the first part.

This is a good topic, especially with this war being a main stream topic as of late. The country is torn with what to do with it and how it should be resolved. But for the soldiers who are engaged in it, (for the most of them) all they can do is just fulfill their orders and hopefully return home safe and probably with a story or two.

Depending on what any one person does over "here" their experience will differ than that of another. The level of danger also plays a critical role as well.

I am not sure what your friend does but by the sounds of it, it sounds as if he is close with enemy contact more than needed or wished upon.

As for me, I have never been in that situation. Instead I have been more involved with another situation. With my company working on some of the security gates here on base, we have had a number of emergency personnel who come through when needed to get to the nearby medic station. I do not work there currently, but at the time that I did, there have been a number of vehicles roaming through with injured personnel. For the most part, it is not a sight I wish anyone to witness.

Also with the more recent mortar attack on our tower that injured Spc Schroeder, "we" do see suspicious people or activity at times but there are procedures that must be followed before any action occurs. Also, with these procedures, a higher group that monitors us normally always gives us that final direction with what to do.

I can understand with what your friend might be going through. In fact it is kind of common even if the soldier is not in a heavy danger area. A lot of times, the soldier wants to have that conversation with their loved ones back home but also don't want to have them worry more about them than what “they” might feel is needed.

I know it's not everyone, for some soldiers do tell their loved ones back home everything that is going on and try to keep them up to date with every little detail.

But with that, as soldiers we also have been taught not to speak of too much in fear that we might educate the wrong person and have it used against us some how. With that famous line, "Loose Lips Sink Ships" is still utilized today. With the ever increasing usage of computers, phones, and mail, the "enemy" has been using our own information against us by hacking into our phone conversations and emails.

I hope that I am not saying too much here, for I am keeping many things in that "neutral" state for above stated reasons. Anyway, as for if I tell everything. I try my best to keep those inform with what is needed. But I know that I do keep some things to myself for my own reasons. I like it when conversations are kept positive than negative. But in the same light, I also try not to exclude important information either. For they too have that right to know with what’s going on.

When a soldier does go through that level of conflict in their life (either they themselves or somebody who confronts them) will check them into the first stage of help. Now at least over here where I am at, the Mental Health clinic is not the first place to go to when things like this occur.

The first place any one soldier would go to would be the Combat Stress clinic. There they are administered in and check and processed through by a trained individual who looks for signs of suicide or other stress related issues.

If the soldier is indeed showing positive signs of such related issues, they are then sent to the Mental Health clinic where they would undergo more treatment by the staff accordingly. For there, the soldier would then find out what further action would or should occur to them. In both places, confidentiality is always utilized.

Now stress comes in all forms, and it is easy for one to determine that a soldier might be experiencing stress from his or her deployment. But what is overlooked sometimes is the stress that one may be experience from home or issues that had built up before the deployment. Not just stress from the deployment itself is always the main cause for any such suicides. That is why it is hard to determine correct factors at times. I am sure that in all cases, the stress that occurs with the deployment is never a helping factor.

Also a note, not everyone who goes to Combat Stress goes for signs of suicide. Combat Stress is a place that functions many different varieties of stress. They cater to those who are trying to quit smoking, those with relationship problems, and if your just having a bad day.

In the case with that recent soldier from New Prague who committed suicide, I am not sure if he checked himself in properly (according to what I have read and heard). It is sad that things like that had to happen, but only if someone else knew what he was truly going through that maybe something could have happened to prevent him from doing such action. But if someone did know, why didn’t they do something more about it?

Now suicide occurs whether the person is in the military or not. It is an issue that many don’t want to discuss, but like many issues, there is not much attention to it, until it happens to someone “we” know or it occurs “close to home”.