(title stolen from a book title)
God help me...but there are some days I miss the life so much.
Sure...my experiences have caused me a lot of trouble over the years in terms of stress and worry...
...but I really miss the adrenaline...the camaraderie...the sweat, the pain, the discipline, the pride, the feel of a rifle in my hands....
I'll never have another life like it.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Inspiration
Disabled Vet Finishes London Marathon
By Richard Allen Greene,
CNN
LONDON, England (CNN) -- British soldier Phil Packer was told a year ago that he would never walk again, but on Saturday he finished the London Marathon.
He completed the race 13 days after it started, walking on crutches for two miles a day -- the most his doctor would allow -- in order to raise money for charity.
Flanked by cheering soldiers and supporters, an obviously emotional Packer had defied medical opinion after his lower spine was badly injured in the aftermath of a rocket attack on his base in Basra, Iraq, in February 2008.
The attack sent a vehicle rolling down a sand bank, striking Packer "head on" and dragging him under it.
The 36-year-old was left with no feeling or motor control in his legs, and no bladder or bowel control.
Packer was in hospital for more than four months and it was then he decided to complete three challenges to help raise $1.5 million for Help for Heroes, a British charity supporting wounded veterans.
In February he rowed the English Channel, and next month he plans to climb El Capitan -- one of America's iconic mountaineering sites -- a 3,000-foot vertical rock formation in California.
Packer, who was met at the marathon finish line by British Olympian Steve Redgrave, said that he was $558,000 short of his goal but he was hoping for more donations.
Dressed in a white charity T-shirt and desert fatigues, he was emotional.
"It's looking after our injured servicemen," he said. "There's a lot of people that can't do this, so this is for them."
Earlier this week he told CNN that he "wanted to be able to move on in life."
"I wanted to do something for other personnel who had been wounded.
"I don't want to be helped. I want to help other people. Not that I'm not grateful, but... you know... I really want to be able to help people."
He attributed being back on his feet to "fantastic medical support" from Britain's Ministry of Defense and National Health Service.
"So many improvements are being made" in medicine, he said. "It's an evolving process."
However, he did not know whether he would be able to walk without crutches.
"I gotta see how it goes. Take every improvement as it comes."
Packer is far from alone; the six-year war in Iraq has disabled thousands of people.
Britain's Ministry of Defense did not respond to a CNN question about how many service members had been permanently disabled in the war.
In the United States, the Congressional Research Service reported in March that 31,131 troops had been wounded in Iraq. That figure is for battlefield injuries; many more veterans were later diagnosed with some sort of traumatic brain injury, but it is difficult to determine an exact number because of how the data is kept.
It's not clear how many of the injuries are permanent because the Department of Veterans' Affairs does not classify some disabilities that way until 10 years after the injury, said Ryan Gallucci of AmVets, a veterans' service organization.
Statistics for Iraqis are even harder to come by. Estimates of the number of wounded range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. Iraq's Ministry of Heath says one in four wounded Iraqis have lost at least one limb.
Britain's Prince Charles is among those who have expressed support for Packer.
"You are, if I may say so, a credit to the Royal Military Police and to the British Army as a whole," the heir to the British throne wrote in a letter posted on Packer's Web site.
Packer is still on active duty and intends to remain so.
"I've still got a career in the armed forces. I'm going to go back to it."
He has 16 years of service under his belt, including time as an enlisted man before he went to officer training school and is, he noted with a rueful laugh, 20 years from retirement.
He's been asked to be an ambassador for Prince Charles' charity, the Prince's Trust, which focuses on helping young people, in addition to his life in what he calls "the disability community."
After his two-week effort, Packer was asked whether he would be relaxing in a warm bath.
No, he said, "I'm going to have a drink." And with that, the army major lifted a shot glass and toasted his supporters.
By Richard Allen Greene,
CNN
LONDON, England (CNN) -- British soldier Phil Packer was told a year ago that he would never walk again, but on Saturday he finished the London Marathon.
He completed the race 13 days after it started, walking on crutches for two miles a day -- the most his doctor would allow -- in order to raise money for charity.
Flanked by cheering soldiers and supporters, an obviously emotional Packer had defied medical opinion after his lower spine was badly injured in the aftermath of a rocket attack on his base in Basra, Iraq, in February 2008.
The attack sent a vehicle rolling down a sand bank, striking Packer "head on" and dragging him under it.
The 36-year-old was left with no feeling or motor control in his legs, and no bladder or bowel control.
Packer was in hospital for more than four months and it was then he decided to complete three challenges to help raise $1.5 million for Help for Heroes, a British charity supporting wounded veterans.
In February he rowed the English Channel, and next month he plans to climb El Capitan -- one of America's iconic mountaineering sites -- a 3,000-foot vertical rock formation in California.
Packer, who was met at the marathon finish line by British Olympian Steve Redgrave, said that he was $558,000 short of his goal but he was hoping for more donations.
Dressed in a white charity T-shirt and desert fatigues, he was emotional.
"It's looking after our injured servicemen," he said. "There's a lot of people that can't do this, so this is for them."
Earlier this week he told CNN that he "wanted to be able to move on in life."
"I wanted to do something for other personnel who had been wounded.
"I don't want to be helped. I want to help other people. Not that I'm not grateful, but... you know... I really want to be able to help people."
He attributed being back on his feet to "fantastic medical support" from Britain's Ministry of Defense and National Health Service.
"So many improvements are being made" in medicine, he said. "It's an evolving process."
However, he did not know whether he would be able to walk without crutches.
"I gotta see how it goes. Take every improvement as it comes."
Packer is far from alone; the six-year war in Iraq has disabled thousands of people.
Britain's Ministry of Defense did not respond to a CNN question about how many service members had been permanently disabled in the war.
In the United States, the Congressional Research Service reported in March that 31,131 troops had been wounded in Iraq. That figure is for battlefield injuries; many more veterans were later diagnosed with some sort of traumatic brain injury, but it is difficult to determine an exact number because of how the data is kept.
It's not clear how many of the injuries are permanent because the Department of Veterans' Affairs does not classify some disabilities that way until 10 years after the injury, said Ryan Gallucci of AmVets, a veterans' service organization.
Statistics for Iraqis are even harder to come by. Estimates of the number of wounded range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. Iraq's Ministry of Heath says one in four wounded Iraqis have lost at least one limb.
Britain's Prince Charles is among those who have expressed support for Packer.
"You are, if I may say so, a credit to the Royal Military Police and to the British Army as a whole," the heir to the British throne wrote in a letter posted on Packer's Web site.
Packer is still on active duty and intends to remain so.
"I've still got a career in the armed forces. I'm going to go back to it."
He has 16 years of service under his belt, including time as an enlisted man before he went to officer training school and is, he noted with a rueful laugh, 20 years from retirement.
He's been asked to be an ambassador for Prince Charles' charity, the Prince's Trust, which focuses on helping young people, in addition to his life in what he calls "the disability community."
After his two-week effort, Packer was asked whether he would be relaxing in a warm bath.
No, he said, "I'm going to have a drink." And with that, the army major lifted a shot glass and toasted his supporters.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
This List Gets Longer Every Year
Staff Sergeant Summerall, KIA 26 Feb 91
Specialist Alaniz, KIA 26 Feb 91
Sergeant Londono, KIA 23 March 04
And Cutty...Cutty I only knew for about two months when I was on temporary duty at Fort Bragg but he had a big influence on me. He was from New Orleans and was more than willing to talk about his hometown when I told him I'd always wanted to visit. He would go on and tell me all about the city and its people, the sights, the fun, the music, the beauty and debauchery. After our talks, I'd see him in the office bopping his head or drumming lightly on his desk as he worked...and I knew right then he was caught up in the music and memories of The Big Easy. It was because of him I eventually visited New Orleans, fell in love with it and moved there. Thanks, Cutty...right at the end of one adventure you got me started on the path to another.
"Vivos voco, mortuos plango"....an inscription I saw on a church bell in Italy.
Translates to: I call the living, I mourn the dead.
Specialist Alaniz, KIA 26 Feb 91
Sergeant Londono, KIA 23 March 04
And Cutty...Cutty I only knew for about two months when I was on temporary duty at Fort Bragg but he had a big influence on me. He was from New Orleans and was more than willing to talk about his hometown when I told him I'd always wanted to visit. He would go on and tell me all about the city and its people, the sights, the fun, the music, the beauty and debauchery. After our talks, I'd see him in the office bopping his head or drumming lightly on his desk as he worked...and I knew right then he was caught up in the music and memories of The Big Easy. It was because of him I eventually visited New Orleans, fell in love with it and moved there. Thanks, Cutty...right at the end of one adventure you got me started on the path to another.
"Vivos voco, mortuos plango"....an inscription I saw on a church bell in Italy.
Translates to: I call the living, I mourn the dead.
Monday, November 10, 2008
More From IAVA
Dear President-elect Obama,
Congratulations on your victory. Both you and Senator McCain are true patriots, and you each ran a remarkable campaign. While I'm sure you're relieved that the election is over, now is the time to bring all Americans together, get to work, and focus on the next four years of governing.
As the nation's leading new veterans organization, it is crucial to IAVA that you keep Iraq and Afghanistan veterans high on your list of priorities. With aggressive action, you can send a strong message to America that as Commander-in-Chief, you are committed to truly honoring our nation's newest generation of heroes. Here's how we think you can best accomplish that:
1. Convene an urgent Presidential Summit of Leading Veterans
As you consider nominations for appointed positions within the VA, you should convene a leadership summit of leading veterans' groups from across the country, including IAVA. Candidates for appointed jobs within the VA should have a proven track record of innovation and reform, and should be ready to address the urgent needs of new veterans.
2. Advance-fund VA Healthcare
Year after year, the VA budget is passed late, forcing hundreds of veterans' hospitals and clinics to ration care. IAVA believes that veterans' health care should be funded one year in advance and we ask you to present to Congress an advance-funded VA budget that continues to match the Independent Budget recommendations made by leading Veterans Service Organizations.
3. Implement GI Bill Transferability
While the new GI Bill was passed several months ago, the Department of Defense has yet to release guidelines for the transferability of GI Bill benefits from servicemembers to their spouses or children. You should direct the Secretary of Defense to issue the appropriate guidelines, so that GI Bill transferability can be implemented by August 2009.
4. Issue a National Call for Mental Health Professionals
The military and the VA need innovative strategies to recruit and retain more mental health professionals to combat the high rates of PTSD and major depression among returning troops. You should issue a national call, urging mental health professionals nationwide to serve our troops and veterans. Those who answer the call should receive incentives and benefits for serving this patriotic cause.
With more troops returning home from the wars everyday, you'll need to hit the ground running. IAVA is committed to serving as a resource for you and your administration going forward.
We look forward to working with you and the new Congress to support Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families.
Sincerely,
Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq VeteranExecutive Director and Founder
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Congratulations on your victory. Both you and Senator McCain are true patriots, and you each ran a remarkable campaign. While I'm sure you're relieved that the election is over, now is the time to bring all Americans together, get to work, and focus on the next four years of governing.
As the nation's leading new veterans organization, it is crucial to IAVA that you keep Iraq and Afghanistan veterans high on your list of priorities. With aggressive action, you can send a strong message to America that as Commander-in-Chief, you are committed to truly honoring our nation's newest generation of heroes. Here's how we think you can best accomplish that:
1. Convene an urgent Presidential Summit of Leading Veterans
As you consider nominations for appointed positions within the VA, you should convene a leadership summit of leading veterans' groups from across the country, including IAVA. Candidates for appointed jobs within the VA should have a proven track record of innovation and reform, and should be ready to address the urgent needs of new veterans.
2. Advance-fund VA Healthcare
Year after year, the VA budget is passed late, forcing hundreds of veterans' hospitals and clinics to ration care. IAVA believes that veterans' health care should be funded one year in advance and we ask you to present to Congress an advance-funded VA budget that continues to match the Independent Budget recommendations made by leading Veterans Service Organizations.
3. Implement GI Bill Transferability
While the new GI Bill was passed several months ago, the Department of Defense has yet to release guidelines for the transferability of GI Bill benefits from servicemembers to their spouses or children. You should direct the Secretary of Defense to issue the appropriate guidelines, so that GI Bill transferability can be implemented by August 2009.
4. Issue a National Call for Mental Health Professionals
The military and the VA need innovative strategies to recruit and retain more mental health professionals to combat the high rates of PTSD and major depression among returning troops. You should issue a national call, urging mental health professionals nationwide to serve our troops and veterans. Those who answer the call should receive incentives and benefits for serving this patriotic cause.
With more troops returning home from the wars everyday, you'll need to hit the ground running. IAVA is committed to serving as a resource for you and your administration going forward.
We look forward to working with you and the new Congress to support Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families.
Sincerely,
Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq VeteranExecutive Director and Founder
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Another Alert Type Thingie
Some Americans watching tonight's Presidential debate may not have the opportunity to cast a vote for their candidate: troops and veterans from Ohio.
Right now, a legal fight in Ohio threatens the right of servicemembers and veterans to cast their votes with absentee ballots. IAVA has filed a brief asking the Ohio Supreme Court to protect the voting rights of all citizens, and we need your support.
Add your name to IAVA's petition, demanding that the state of Ohio count all the votes of servicemembers and vets.
As the law stands now, citizens must be registered to vote for 30 days before the election, which allows voters to register and submit an absentee ballot at the same time, as long as it happens 30 days before the election. A lawsuit brought against the Ohio Secretary of State is trying to prevent the two actions from happening at the same time. If the law is changed, thousands of veterans and active duty troops could be disenfranchised.
Our troops serving overseas could be denied the very freedoms they are fighting so hard to defend. We hope the court in Ohio rejects this last minute, politically-motivated ploy that could complicate the voting process for our veterans and deployed soldiers.
Sign IAVA's petition demanding that the state of Ohio deny this challenge to the law.
This is not a partisan matter. Regardless of who they cast their ballots for, thousands of servicemen and women could find their votes thrown out. We owe these and all servicemembers an absentee voting process that is fair, predictable, and clear.
Help fight this threat to our democracy.
Thank you for standing with us.
Sincerely,
Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq Veteran
Executive DirectorIraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Right now, a legal fight in Ohio threatens the right of servicemembers and veterans to cast their votes with absentee ballots. IAVA has filed a brief asking the Ohio Supreme Court to protect the voting rights of all citizens, and we need your support.
Add your name to IAVA's petition, demanding that the state of Ohio count all the votes of servicemembers and vets.
As the law stands now, citizens must be registered to vote for 30 days before the election, which allows voters to register and submit an absentee ballot at the same time, as long as it happens 30 days before the election. A lawsuit brought against the Ohio Secretary of State is trying to prevent the two actions from happening at the same time. If the law is changed, thousands of veterans and active duty troops could be disenfranchised.
Our troops serving overseas could be denied the very freedoms they are fighting so hard to defend. We hope the court in Ohio rejects this last minute, politically-motivated ploy that could complicate the voting process for our veterans and deployed soldiers.
Sign IAVA's petition demanding that the state of Ohio deny this challenge to the law.
This is not a partisan matter. Regardless of who they cast their ballots for, thousands of servicemen and women could find their votes thrown out. We owe these and all servicemembers an absentee voting process that is fair, predictable, and clear.
Help fight this threat to our democracy.
Thank you for standing with us.
Sincerely,
Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq Veteran
Executive DirectorIraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Prescient
This letter is from the anthology War Letters by Andrew Carroll. The author, Bill Hunt, was writing to the former career soldier David Hackworth who became a widely published author and columnist and a military affairs analyst and was known for saying the hard things, the tough love things...the things people might not want to hear about their own military and foreign policy.
It was written from one Vietnam vet to another during the height of the buildup to Operation Desert Storm.
I think a lot of what it says resonates loud as hell today.
==========================================
And in the end all wars are about dying. When the dying is about honor it is somehow OK, even to, and maybe especially to, the dead. Only the folks back home have the luxury of viewing war as about living.
As a war vet, I can’t ask a young soldier to go into combat unless the mission is something I personally feel equals the value of my own life.
So, where’s the honor? Well, if the President asked me to walk point all the way to Baghdad in order to secure the release of a single hostage, I’d say yes……If the President convinced me that Iraq was about to attack Israel and I needed to be the sacrificial lamb, I’d say maybe. But I would want a lot more. Israel has been a real problem lately. My personal blood would require one heck of an explanation……Oil?
No, Mr. President. This ultimate value of crude on the world market will never go higher than about $60 a barrel. That’s because alternative fuels can be produced more cheaply than that, and we the people, if not the President, are starting to understand that. We really need a national energy policy that requires energy independence. We’ve needed it for years. I’m not going to die for oil.
To liberate Kuwait? Well, frankly, Mr. President, is Kuwait some flowering democracy? Can you get the Emir to go on TV and talk about the new constitution that provides rights for all citizens? Perhaps the Emir will call for an election after I liberate the place? If I die in Kuwait, will they stop calling me an infidel? An do you really expect meto go in with Syria on my flank?
Then, shall we just protect Saudi Arabia? Well, yes, Mr. President, with serious reservations. I think I could be friends with the people of Saudi Arabia, in time. But our presence may very well bring on a smoldering unrest, and even civil war. If that happens, Mr. President, you’ve got to promise me one thing. Promise me we’ll get the hell out. The one thing I leanred in Vietnam is that you don’t mess around in someone else’s civilwar. Not unless you’re nuts.
As an American citizen I feel pretty helpless in the face of foreign policy that I know is short sighted or patently wrong. Nothing I’ve said here will change what happens in the Middle East one iota. It’s all happening too fast.
Bill Hunt, November 28, 1990,
from War Letters, p. 445-446.
It was written from one Vietnam vet to another during the height of the buildup to Operation Desert Storm.
I think a lot of what it says resonates loud as hell today.
==========================================
And in the end all wars are about dying. When the dying is about honor it is somehow OK, even to, and maybe especially to, the dead. Only the folks back home have the luxury of viewing war as about living.
As a war vet, I can’t ask a young soldier to go into combat unless the mission is something I personally feel equals the value of my own life.
So, where’s the honor? Well, if the President asked me to walk point all the way to Baghdad in order to secure the release of a single hostage, I’d say yes……If the President convinced me that Iraq was about to attack Israel and I needed to be the sacrificial lamb, I’d say maybe. But I would want a lot more. Israel has been a real problem lately. My personal blood would require one heck of an explanation……Oil?
No, Mr. President. This ultimate value of crude on the world market will never go higher than about $60 a barrel. That’s because alternative fuels can be produced more cheaply than that, and we the people, if not the President, are starting to understand that. We really need a national energy policy that requires energy independence. We’ve needed it for years. I’m not going to die for oil.
To liberate Kuwait? Well, frankly, Mr. President, is Kuwait some flowering democracy? Can you get the Emir to go on TV and talk about the new constitution that provides rights for all citizens? Perhaps the Emir will call for an election after I liberate the place? If I die in Kuwait, will they stop calling me an infidel? An do you really expect meto go in with Syria on my flank?
Then, shall we just protect Saudi Arabia? Well, yes, Mr. President, with serious reservations. I think I could be friends with the people of Saudi Arabia, in time. But our presence may very well bring on a smoldering unrest, and even civil war. If that happens, Mr. President, you’ve got to promise me one thing. Promise me we’ll get the hell out. The one thing I leanred in Vietnam is that you don’t mess around in someone else’s civilwar. Not unless you’re nuts.
As an American citizen I feel pretty helpless in the face of foreign policy that I know is short sighted or patently wrong. Nothing I’ve said here will change what happens in the Middle East one iota. It’s all happening too fast.
Bill Hunt, November 28, 1990,
from War Letters, p. 445-446.
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