Staff Sergeant Robert Bales

The top military story in the last few weeks has been the 17 murders in Afghanistan by Staff Sergeant Robert Bales.  This has been front page news which isn't surprising since it is really the only news from the war front.  I remember when 9-11 initially happened and it was all over the news.  You could read or watch anything without it reflecting on the war on terror.  It is only a formality during the trial that he will be found guilty and be sentenced to Fort Leavenworth Kansas which is reserved for the most hardened military criminals.  It is the only maximum security prison in the military.  We will probably never hear the full story behind what drove this soldier to do these crimes.  We do our military servicemembers a disservice by not really understanding what they are going through.  Soldiers see it as a means of weakness to admit that they can't handle their feelings so they don't seek help.  Our leaders are busy preparing and training soldiers to be ready to deploy and fight the enemy and really aren't fully trained when it comes to watching for the signs of mental unstability.  Soldiers are humans and they really can't compartmentilize their feelings.  Even while deployed you are wondering what is going on with your family.  One bad letter from the homefront can change everything for that soldier in the deployed theater of operations.  This war has been going on for almost 11 years now and soldiers are tired both mentally and physically.  On top of that the American people are saying that the war is no longer popular.  I have almost 5 years of being in a war zone as both a soldier and as a government contractor.  The average American can not fathom what our service men and women see and do on a daily basis in order to protect their freedoms.  Don't judge every person you see in uniform just because of the terrible acts of a select few.  I know that I served with some of the best and brightest during my 20 plus years and I salute them all.

Spring Break

What a refreshing time last week was.  The ability to just relax from school work.  It was really helpful in the recharging of my batteries in order to finish out this semester.  Working 12 hours a day and taking 15 hours of online classes can become taxing to the old brain every now and then.  It takes a lot of dedication to get all of your assignments in on time and to the best of your ability.  You can not just sit back and wait until the last minute to do these things.  If you do then you could be in for a world of hurt if an emergency arose and you couldn't get something done ontime due to your prcrastination.  I know that I am ready to finish out this semester and see what the future brings.  I was going to take summer school but maybe I will just take the summer off and come back strong in the fall.  Still haven't decided on that one yet though.  I hope everyone had a great break and is ready to get back to the books.

     I have been thinking alot about the future lately.  There are so many questions that you can ask yourself and so many things that you should or could prepare for.  Does that make you a person that others say don't grasp the importance of living in the here and now?
     I know how to live in the here and now.  Believe me when I say that I have learned to live in the moment and to stop and smell the roses.  After fighting in two wars for this nation I definitely know how to do that.  At the same time I know how important it is to have contingency plans for the unexpected.  It is better to be prepared for the unexpected then it is to react.  The whole concept is to prepare for the bad things and hope for the good.  I wrote another blog about the show doomsday preppers that is currently on TV.  Some people see them as being crazy and yet I feel a sort of kinship with them.  I know how important it is to be prepared.  I personally think that some of them take it to the extremes but that is their life and we have no reason to judge or dictate what they do.  That is one of the freedoms in this country.  Yes they have spent a lot of money in that lifestyle but they justify the expenses as a means to continual survival if the SHTF.
     Ask yourself what you would do if the economy crashed or there was a solar flare that knocked out the power grid for good?  All that money you have in the bank (ha ha) would be for naught because you wouldn't be able to get to it.  Do you have enough food and water in your home for at least 3 days?  Do you something that you would be able to trade in order to get these items?  That is all that prepping is about and that is some of the things that I have been thinking about lately.
     My mother-in-law lives with us and she puts all of her faith in God and says he will take care of her and provide.  She tells me that I some of the things that I have bought and built are not necessary and yet I have also read the bible and believe in God.  I also know that God wouldn't of put me in some of the situations I have been in during my life if it wasn't to teach me how to use certain skills.  People are put in our lives for a purpose.  Maybe my purpose is to be the protector for my mother-in-law and my family.  Just my thoughts about the future.

Liquid Gold

     I found an interesting article on the internet today regarding the rise in the theft of Tide detergent from retailers.  This is not because there is a rise in the amount of laundry people are doing.  Some authorities are saying this is because of the tough economy and the rise in inflation that has gripped this nation in the last few months.  Thieves are targeting this particular brand of detergent because it is readily identifiable because of the orange bottle and it also the top end of the product line.  There was one thief who stole over $15000 worth of this product before he was apprehended.
     Authorities are saying this might be the new form of drug currency.  Do this mean that the drug market is cleaning up its act?  Just kidding.  Retailers are trying to combat these thefts by locking up the product just like you would for high end electronic products.  Pretty bad when you have to find a store employee to open a cage in order for the average citizen to buy a bottle of Tide in order to go home and wash their clothes.  An average bottle sells for $5-$10 on the black market according to current estimates.  There are also retailers who are putting a security tag on the bottles just like you do for computer games.  If you try to walk out of the doors of the store the alarm would go off.  That doesn't make me any happier about shopping.  I hate it when I go through the checkout lanes and even though they swipe the article over that magnetic thing and yet the alarm goes off when you walk through the door to go to your car.  It is actually pretty frustrating for the average consumer.
     This is becoming a nation wide problem.  When major news networks are carrying this story then we need to start paying better attention to our surroundings.  We as a society don't think nothing of seeing theses bottles being carried around in public.  Drug dealers could very well reuse these empty bottles to transport their product.  Just my observations.

Remeberance of Our Greatest Generation

Last night I found out about the death of a man I admired and trusted.  He went ot meet his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Tuesday evening.  I had the opportunity to talk to this gentleman very often over the last few years.  It was never about what I had done in the military it was just about life.  Why is this titled a rememberance of our greatest generation?  Americas greatest generation was the generation who put their lives on hold for 3 to 4 years to go serve during World War II.  They voluntarily joined to defend this great nation.  Their deployment was for the duration of the conflict plus 6 months.  I know that when I was in we had complaints about being gone for a year to 18 months.  Can you fathom the courage it took to go volunteer not knowing when or if you would return?  I can't and I did it at one time.  My friend was in the Navy and spent over 3 years in the Pacific.  He was a part of the Iwo Jimo invasion.  If you have never read or seen anything about this invasion you need to check it out.  The Japanese did not believe in surrendering at all.  They wrote letters home saying goodbye because they were going to fight to the death.  A glorious death was an honorable thing, surrender was a lack of honor to you and your family and that was not allowed in their society.  I will miss my friend and teacher but I know in my heart that he is in a better place.  Go with God my friend and have a peaceful journey.  Our greatest gerneration was just that - the Greatest.

Syrian Unrest

     Today on Yahoo is a headline where Senator John McCain is asking for the US to start bombing Syria just as NATO did with Libya in order to dislodge Muammar Qaddafi.  Senator McCain is the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and he states, "The ultimate goal of airstrikes should be to establish and defend safe havens in Syria, especially in the north, in which opposition forces can organize and plan their political and military activities against Assad."
     This uprising started with public demonstrations on 26 January 2011 as part of a wider Arab Spring, a wave of upheaval throughout the Arab World.  It is now a nationwide uprising.  The protestors are demanding the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad, the overthrow of his government, and an end to nearly five decades of Ba'ath Party rule.  Is this a result of our invasion of Iraq?  Did we give the people the 'backbone" to put themselves into the "breach"?
     To quell these uprisings the Syrian government deployed the Syrian Army and it resulted in several cities being besieged.  According to witnesses, soldiers who refused to open fire on civilians were summarily executed by the Syrian Army.  Of course the government says theri were no defections and blamed "armed gangs" for the trouble.  In answer to this action civilians and army defectors formed fighting units which began the insurgency campaign against the Syrian Army.  The problem with the civilians in the lack of organized leadership.
     The Aljazeera web site is covering this story very thoroughly.  The question though is if we get involved will that turn all the other "muslim" nations against us even more?  Since this is a Ba'ath party issue will it lead to an uptick in al-Qaeda actions?  Will this become a playground for terrorists to perfect their trade?
     I went to see the movie "Act of Valor" this weekend and it brought a lot of questions and feelings that struck me to the bone.  I couldn't stop crying at the end of the movie.  I know what it is like to be in those situations and to know what the price could be for the decisions that we make.  I know that the American people are tired of war and so am I but I also know that the military doesn't decide to just go on these missions.  The military is a tool in the diplomats bag and hopefully it is the tool of last resorts.  Human life is fragile and needs to be protected even though the cost of that protection is high.  Even if other people don't take human lives into the equation of their actions we need to.  I think that everyone should be free and have the freedom to speak what they really feel.  When you go to bed tonight stop and look in the mirror and ask yourself this question.  Did I do everything in my power today to make the world a better and safer place to live?

North Korea

I wonder how many American citizens are paying attention to what is happening in North Korea right now.  I know that the major headline a month or so ago was the death of the North Korean leader and the uncertainty of how how his son would lead.  Would his son continue on with the development and possible use of Nuclear Weapons or would he look at ways to help his country grow and prosper?

I served a tour of duty on the Korean pennisula during my time in the United States Army and to say that it was a stressful year is an understatement.  You are briefed about the dangers from the day that you get there and it is reinterated during your time there in the way that you do your job.  Korea is still a war torn country and there is still a great deal of tension between North and South.  I had never seen a country that was poised for war more then when I was stationed there.

Recently there have been stides made by the United States, South Korea, North Korea, and China in regards to a possible nuclear disarmament.  There is an agreement in place right now with North Korea that they will suspend major elements of its atomic weapons program.  Our part of the agreement is in a pledged food aid shipment.  The draw back to this is that we need to be guarded but optimistic at the same time.

I say that because there have been many false hopes when it has come to this issue with North Korea.  There is a history of failed nuclear agreements dating back to the signing of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty of 1985 when North Korea does not sign a safeguard deal with the IAEA because they are demanding the withdrawl of US forces from South Korea.

I hope and pray that this is the real one but I hope at the same time that we are being vigilant in regards to our National Security and not letting our eyes watch the birdy while the hand is stealing from our pocket.

"Saving Face"

The overall treatment of women in this world is horrendous.  Our country is one of the few in which women aren't treated as property of a man.  In a lot of the Third World countries a woman is lower then the animals that the man owns.  Her only two purposes are cooking and reproducing sons.  Daughters are looked at as a liability because it will cost the man in the end to marry them off.  I know from my experiences in the Middle East on how women are treated.

I was reading a couple of articles yesterday and wanted to share them with you.  The first one was about how some women in the Middle East are disfigured with acid being thrown in their faces for just the slightest thing.  If the wife of a man doesn't want him to marry another woman she might tell him no and the man would throw acid in her face so she would spend the rest of her life in and out of hospitals with a disfigued face.

The real difficulty here is that many of these attacks are not reported so the advocates for women's rights in these countries can not fight for them.  These are male dominated society and even when the culprits are reported, caught, and tried they are usually let off with little more than a slap in the face.  The woman is still disfigured and considered an outcast for the rest of their lives.

Filmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy just won an Academy Award for her short documentary "Saving Face" in which documents several of these attacks and has helped format a new law in Pakistan to combat these attacks.  This new law deals out a mandatory prison term of 14 years to life for the culprit.

This is a big thing because for once Pakistan is in the news for something other than Taliban.  I pray that someday there is a true justice in this world.  Why can't people just see each other for the good that they can bring to the world and just live together in peace.  We are all human and we will argue because no two people will see everthing the same but why do we have to result to violence.  Just look in the mirror and ask yourself this question at the end of each day.  "Did I do everything in my power to make the world a better place today with my actions?"

The documentary will be shown on HBO on March 8th.