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12/04/2005: From one of the troops....
Over at Main and Central, blogger Bulldog has posted an interview ("20 questions") with a buddy who just returned from Iraq. Fascinating reading:
A good friend of mine, we'll call him V, just returned from being deployed to Iraq. I'm gald he made it back safely. He has granted me my request to interview him. I have tried to be as sensitive as I can concerning Operational Security and have tried not to make my questions overly political. I will not release his name nor any other identifying information specifically because of OpSec and because he is still enlisted and falls under the UCMJ. So, without further adieu, The Interview appears below...Very informative and enlightening; go check out the whole interview.
1. What branch of service? Rank/rate? MOS? Was your actual Duty MOS the same as your Primary MOS?
V: ARMY; E-6 Staff sergeant; 11B30 11C30 12B30 13B30 - all combat arms; we didn't get a duty MOS as we were operating as a security force (MP's).
2. How long have you been in the military, both active and reserve or Guard if applicable?
V: A total of 21 years and some change (8 years active duty as a combat engineer - 12B).
...
8. Is there a feeling among the troops on the ground over there that the administration really cares about them? How do 'stop-loss' orders and the unwillingness of folks to enlist affect morale, if at all?
V: The troops on the ground don't feel like the Administration cares at all. The stop loss doesn't affect the troops in a sense of doing the job ... it affects them in the sense of re-enlistments and the willingness of assisting on recruiting.
...
12. Was the debriefing adequate considering your mission? If not, what could have been done better in your opinion?
V: No. The Army could have set us up to meet with councelors and ensured the troops had a place to return to. I myself was in a hotel and jumped into a lease to avoid a big hotel bill.
13. Were you provided sufficient medical care prior to, during, and upon return from your deployment? If not, what was lacking?
V: NO, prior to deploying, it's your word that you are in good health. I was never given an adequate exam prior to shipping out, during deployment you are looked at by someone with little medical experience, and upon return I was told to go to the VA hospital.
Len on 12.04.05 @ 10:47 AM CST
