Back brief

It has been an extremely long time since the last time I was on. Alot has changed. I am no longer in recruiting thankfully. I was compassionately reassigned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas due to one of my children needing medical care that could not be found in the area I was recruiting in. After a 15 month stint there, I was reassigned to Fort Lewis, Washington, where I currently serve as a Platoon Sergeant in a Transportation Company. While the job is fulfilling, it will not last. I am scheduled to be reassigned once again to Fort Carson, Colorado because my son's needs cannot be met in the state I am living in now. Currently, I am deployed to Q-West, Iraq serving a 12 month deployment there. Hopefully, I will send more remarks alot more often than every few years. Have a great day, and my hope is that your new year is far more blessed than the last one we just completed.

It's been a long time

I know that it has been quite some time since last I posted. Some of it had to do with the fact that I did not really have much to say, and I just have not felt like writing anything. What I have learned is that in this business, nothing is ever enough, and you are only as good as the day you are on. When you make mission, its good for a few hours. If you fail to make mission, well that lasts for months. It is just simply too much for me to try and comprehend.

I know that sooner or later I will look back and be proud of what I have done thusfar. But for now, I can only wish that my life had gone in a different direction.

Just do not get it

I just do not get it. This job I do not get it. I mean, I am making the appointments, I would say at least 85 to 90% are not duds, the appointment goes well, but I cannot get a committment. Or I get a committment, and they are somewhat overweight, or my favorite for the month......score a 52 on the practice test, and then turn around at MEPS and get a 24!!!!!!. So for the second month in a row, I have failed. I have failed and I do not know why or how, besides the obvious of course. How do I better myself and get people in the Army, if my SC fails to train me and tell what I need to work on? What is a recruiter supposed to do? I know we are all NCOs here, but a small semblance of guidance is required I think. What I need is a MOS recruiter that wants to help, but all he has done is take 2 of my contracts from me. Granted the first was my fault because I failed to follow up, so I am not upset about that. But the second I made first contact with him, and about a month later, he comes into the office while I am gone, and tells my SC that he had been talking with me, and my SC still takes him from me. To top it off, he is trying out for the band!!! Thats a special mission, one that in this area has been hard to come by.

Well enough about that. Let me ramble on about something else. I had an idea about the illegal immigration issue that has been problematic in our country for the past few years, but has really been gaining steam in the last few weeks. Why could'nt we give them a choice? Such as at least one of the members of the family has to serve in the military in order for the rest of the family to stay in the country. If they choose not to do it, then they will be shipped back to the country that they came from. I think it is pretty fair. But I could be just babbling.

The Yankees took one out of three from the Red Sox in the series. Damn am I steamed about that!!! You would think with all the money Steinbrenner has pumped into this team, we would have a better chance of winning more than half of our games. Obviuosly I am wrong about that.

My brother recieved his masters degree this weekend. It is hard to believe that he got that after all this time. I am the only family member left without some sort of a degree. I am hoping to be getting my AA within the next couple of months. We shall see.

Well the new month is about to start, and I have a few in the funnel, but I am not sure if they will drop in time, but here is to hoping that it does. Take care and stay safe.

The Job

Each day that passes, I realize I know and understand less and less about this job. Whatever it is that I am supposed to be doing I have no idea. My SC does not tell me or lead me in anything. I am a firm believer in lead by example, and he does not do squat for this job. But yet he yells at me when I am not doing anything. I dont get it really. I think he has the "do as I say, not as I do" complex. It is aggravating and annoying.

One good thing that has happened, is my senior that I have been working on has finally committed. it took some man hours to get his mother to agree, but it did pay off. So now I have a senior, a grad, and 2 GEDs that are ready to go. Lets just hope they drop as easily as I am writing about this.

I am not even sure if anyone has even read any of my posts, but to the fellow recruiters out there I would like to pose a question. Does the feeling of not really belonging to this environment ever go away? I mean I feel like I am not getting enough out of my career by being a recruiter. Its almost like I am missing out on the rest of the Army, like I have fallen behind within my MOS so to speak. I just do not think that I am cut out for this job. I am a good leader, that much I know for a certainty. The aspect of recruiting, not so much.

I know it is high time I take some leave though. I have been working nonstop since December. That whole speech about every 3 months thing I knew was not going to happen, but I am starting to burn out a little. Spending this much time around one other person is liable to make any go crazy, especially given the fact that we are so far away from the rest of the company and other stations. But I keep my head high and smile every morning. I get to see my family, and that is what counts.

First in Last out. There is a phrase I have not thought about for a little while. Its the mantrs of any combat service support MOS. It especially rings true among truck drivers like myself. Dont know why I thought about it right now, but I just was.

Carlos Mencia is the funniest guy out there right now. His humor just comes from honesty. And that appeals to me. I only wish there were more people that had his convictions.

Thats all for now. Write again when I have the time. Take care and God bless.

What a week

What a week....and it is only Wednesday!!!!
Sunday night I take my guy (a SA), to the hotel for processing the next morning. That went off without a hitch. My SC had hotseated him and was good to go. He understood what was going to happen, and what would happen should he change his answers he had already told us on his physical. The next morning, however, he decided to do his own thing and put down that he had had asthma when he was a kid. I was pissed!!! Now I gotta run him halfway across town and get him a consult and then rush back before the doc leaves for the day.

Come to find out, he STILL had asthma!!! But I went through the process anyway and finished up the physical, knowing what was going to happen. Sure enough permanent DQ> Part of me was pissed, I just rolled a nut, but part of me was relieved because after talking to DOC, he said that this kid should even be doing PE in HS at all!!! So his actions quite possibly saved his life. But it got me thinking.....So what if a kid has to use an inhaler?!?!? As long as the job he is trying to get is not that physically demanding, so what???? I mean there was a guy I read about I think in the Army times that was deployed to Iraq with type 1 Diabetes. He has to get injections in him like every 15 minutes or something. He wanted to deploy with his soldiers, and he found a way to get it done. So if we are that willing to allow that, then why cant a kid have an inhaler???? It just does not make any sense to me.

Yesterday I finally got my household goods, after 5 months of living without it. As the movers are bringing stuff in, I walk out and subsequently fracture my ankle. I did not think it really was until today when I got the X-rays done and the tech said"Yep it looks like a hairline fracture."Can I buy a good day please?

The great thing about a day is it always will end, and a new one will begin, so here is hoping to better tomorrow.

Shock and Awe

Thats what I am feeling right about now. It is amazing to many how many people are in this country and feel so vehemently against our Armed Forces. I have started to look at some counter recruiting blogs and web sites. The things these people have done to fellow recruiters is apalling to say the least. Have we forgotten that even though we are soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, we are first and foremost AMERICAN?!?!?!?

They treat us as if we do not even belong in this country. To that I say how dare you. You who sit on the sidelines, never lifting a finger, and dare to treat us this way. Is it your right to disagree and protest? Indeed, that is what I have sworn to uphold an defend for you. Is it your right to call us liars, and baby killers? I dont know...is it my right to call you an unfit mother or father without ever even knowing you? Is it my right to call you a whore or a tramp just by looking at how you dress or act? Probably not. But wouldnt it be fair if I did those things? I feel like I might be justified in saying that.

Why in todays society, where we have droves of people saying, peace is the answer, turn around and scream and yell vicsious things at a man or woman who is just doing their job?Some of us did not even ask to do this job. I love my job and I love the Army. I am proud to serve for a nation of free people. Like Toby Keith said in a song"I dont want to die for you, but if dyings asked of me; Ill bear that cross with honor, cause freedom dont come free."

I know I am going on and on about this but it just sickens to me to thinkat what we have become to treat our fellow Americans this way. If you do not wish to join, that is fine and I respect that. This job is not for everyone, and I will never say otherwise. It needs to be understood that there is a need for every job we have here in this country. From the lawyer, to the fast food person, to the garbage collector, to yes, even the soldier. Instead of crapping on them for their decision to what they felt was the right answer for them, respect it, and move on. I would rather you never said anything to me at all, than to turn around and spit in my face. Because truth be told, you are not just spitting on me, you doing so to my entire family. To my wife, who chose to marry an Army soldier, and take the long hours, and days of not seeing each other. To my children, that were born into an Army family. You are telling them that they are nothing too. So beforeyou go and spit on me, stop and think of how many other lives you are affecting as well. Respect runs both ways. Until you learn that, you will have a long lonely life ahead.

Day one

3 April 2006

This is day one in what to become many days to follow. It would seem so easy to just get on an empty tablet and start writing, but I see that it is not as easy as I had first thought. I suppose I can start with a little background. I have been in the Army for a little over 13 years, have been married for going on 10 years, and have three wonderful boys.

I start by saying this because I want it to be understood, that after spending 15 months in Iraq, my family comes first in my life. I will never again put them in the backfield of my life. When I reported for my first day of recruiting, I told my commander, first sergeant, and station commander, " I am not a person that accepts failure. I do not intend to be a failure. However, if I never in these 3 years put anyone in the Army, at the end of the day I will still be a staff NCO in the Army, and I will still be a good father and husband." I was not saying that to start off on the wrong foot. I merely wanted them to understand that this job, albeit important, was not going to define me whatsoever. My family defines me, and I will take advantage of any moment I can to be with them.

It has been almost 4 months since being in this job, and I have to date put 4 people in. it is not a staggering number, but after looking at some of my fellow new recruiters, I am doing leaps and bounds better than they are. So the stress of being the worst is off my shoulders. I do enjoy what I am doing. Talking about the Army, what I had done while I was deployed, why I love being in the Army, the benefits that my family has procured being an Army family is what I can do naturally.

This job however, is a numbers game. I have never been good with numbers, that is why my wife handles the bills and the paycheck for the household. It never matters what you have done yesterday, it is what you have done today. You made mission yesterday and it is the fourth day of that recruiting month. Like Janet Jackson once said"What have you done for me lately?" It does begin to frustrate you when you hear that constantly.

Well its off to home I go. Today is another day of numbers and talking with possible recruits. Her's to another day.