Well, the day has come. After over two years in training, I've finally inprocessed my first real unit. And not just any unit, I'm now part of the 82nd Airborne, the All-Americans, America's Guard of Honor, and our nation's Quick-Reaction Force. Oh yeah, I'm already drinking the Kool-Aid. I know full well that every unit in the Army probably talks itself up, tells their new soldiers how they are so much better than every other unit out there. But here, I actually believe it, though with obvious qualifications. I'm sure that there are units out there that are better at their particular missions than the 82nd would be, just by dint of specialization, but as far as traditional big-Army conventional-warfare operations go, I think we're probably right to brag that nobody can match the 82nd.
I think I'm going to be very happy with my time here. In one afternoon of inprocessing my brigade, I've already had the chance to be impressed by the leadership of the rear detachment. Which is telling, because it's not not exactly the cream of the crop who generally get left behind to hold down the fort while the unit is deployed. Also, it's very refreshing to get a sense of how much difference there is in the atmosphere in the real Army, versus in a training environment, particularly regarding political correctness. I couldn't count the number of times someone briefing us said something along the lines of "and if anything I've said today has offended you in any way, well, you can kiss my ass". Ahh, it's like a breath of fresh air.
A few choice quotes from our in-briefings:
I think I'm going to be very happy with my time here. In one afternoon of inprocessing my brigade, I've already had the chance to be impressed by the leadership of the rear detachment. Which is telling, because it's not not exactly the cream of the crop who generally get left behind to hold down the fort while the unit is deployed. Also, it's very refreshing to get a sense of how much difference there is in the atmosphere in the real Army, versus in a training environment, particularly regarding political correctness. I couldn't count the number of times someone briefing us said something along the lines of "and if anything I've said today has offended you in any way, well, you can kiss my ass". Ahh, it's like a breath of fresh air.
A few choice quotes from our in-briefings:
- "Other units deploy their troops to places; to Iraq, to Afghanistan. We send our troops to War" (capitalization inferred).
- "We don't go to Iraq, we don't go to Afghanistan. Wherever we are, we're in Braggistan."
- (Responding to a new soldier's troubles obtaining on-post housing). "No, you're not going on a waiting list. We're the 82nd Airborne, our needs are simple. All we demand is special treatment."
Nice. As I said, I think I'm going to like it here.
2 comments:
Hey, congratulations!
May the bragging begin!
Keep the blog rolling, and may the Lord bless you and keep you as you serve our country!
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