tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-269076842024-03-14T13:48:46.419-05:00Army of DudeAlex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-33920168258759807692011-03-20T19:00:00.001-05:002011-03-20T21:54:22.959-05:00The Ides of MarchSince most of Battle Company, second platoon disbanded, we've moved on. Careers have been launched, schools attended and families started. We're not the kids that filled out Army uniforms so long ago. As close as we were then, both geographic distance and the rigors of post-military life have left us isolated. There was a time that you could reach in any direction and grab the shoulder of a brother. These days, the best we can muster is a phone call or an email, with makeshift reunions of a few men happening quick and infrequently.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We went camping and I let him borrow a tent not knowing it had a hole in it. He walked out of the tent the next morning soaked from the knees down. - Dozer</span><br /><br />March is for moving forward. But for second platoon, the month is swallowed by memories of a particular man in a particular place on a particular day: March 14, 2007. Brian Chevalier, a lean and baby-faced Georgia boy, was the driver for first squad. He faced the enemy before the rest of his squad every time they mounted up. I never heard him complain about a thankless job like ferrying infantryman into battle.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thompson and me were on CQ and fucking Chevy came by covered in mud and looking like he just got tag teamed by a bunch of forest animals. He celebrated his 21st birthday at the casino, tried to walk to post and passed out in a ditch. - Dodo</span><br /><br />There was no whimper, no cries for mother or last words when Chevy died. The explosion that blew him out of the Stryker made him, for a brief moment, a creature of flight. He didn't suffer. The next few hours were <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2007/03/brian-chevalier-1985-2007.html">spent fighting out of a kill zone</a> expertly crafted by gunmen lying in wait. In our unit's history, The Ides of March became a bloody smear on the calendar.<br /><br />On the first anniversary of Chevy's death, many of the guys around Ft. Lewis were able to get together, <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/19/national/main3949286.shtml">along with a CBS reporter to cover the story</a>. We sang and drank and traded memories about Chevy. Three years later, it's not so easy. Many of us relied on Facebook to tell the same old stories or share new ones.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I remember that fool planning his redneck wedding. Also remember him telling Hernandez that he wouldn't be his battle buddy to the chow hall in Mosul. After a while he would hide out in his room just to avoid him. - Dodo</span><br /><br />I've never worked or went to school on March 14. Last year I spent the day with Dodo and another friend in New York, but last week I found myself alone. I decided to spend the day where another group of young men struggled and died: Antietam. The park system contains two monuments to the 20th Infantry NY Regulars, which were the predecessors of our unit, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_Battalion,_20th_Infantry_Regiment">5th Battalion 20th Infantry Regiment</a>. The engagement is remembered with a striped battle streamer on the regimental colors. Us, though, we remember Chevy with late night phone calls and laughter through tears.<br /><br />We have moved on since then, but March carries a weight that loads us down. Spring is just around the corner, but not for our best.<br /><br /><object width="600" height="350"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Farmy-of-dude%2Fsets%2F72157626310232404%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Farmy-of-dude%2Fsets%2F72157626310232404%2F&set_id=72157626310232404&jump_to="> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Farmy-of-dude%2Fsets%2F72157626310232404%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Farmy-of-dude%2Fsets%2F72157626310232404%2F&set_id=72157626310232404&jump_to=" width="600" height="350"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />In that kid I saw the best in all of you. No matter how bad it got, he and you all persevered. He would remind me that you all were kids and to lighten up. Leave fucking with the Army of Dude for another day. It was an honor to serve with each and everyone of you. As long as we don't forget him, he will live longer than all of us.</span> - Richard Kellar, Chevy's squad leaderAlex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-77202606843558817632010-11-08T12:38:00.004-06:002010-11-25T20:07:50.701-06:00Bring It In!<div style="text-align: justify;">Nearly half a decade ago in a stuffy barracks room corner, I created this blog for a very simple reason: to communicate to my family the curious aspects of Army life. Before I committed, I enjoyed writing but never had an impulse to do so. Writing for sheer pleasure was a difficult concept to grasp; the act was often sullenly attached to school assignments I habitually ignored in favor of reading dry military history texts. But after I got started, writing became my only creative outlet, a way to relay thoughts and experiences that I would never dare speak out loud. Emails, letters and occasionally blog postings were sent from the grounds of Fort Lewis and enormous bases carved out of Iraqi soil. My only audience was an assembly of blood – family members and close friends were the only ones following my travels. In an all male infantry unit, writing was the furthest thing from grunt machismo. This blog was a closely guarded secret.<br /><br />Violent explosions have the power to transform bodies and minds. They also have the ability to transform perspectives. A <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2006/09/it-all-changes-today.html" target="_blank">decimated house</a> in Mosul brought me from snarky spectator to battlefield observer once I saw bricks scattered about the street like violent confetti. I decided at that moment to record as much as I saw through writing and photographs to relay thoughts and images that were nearly impossible to articulate. It was my way of talking out the often painful and difficult situations during my unit’s deployment. Writing was catharsis long before I understood the meaning of the word. As the deployment crawled past the one year mark during the worst period of violence of the entire war, hand written letters seemed like they were being delivered to another galaxy. Writing here became my only connection to a place that didn't feel quite like home anymore.<br /><br />The Third Stryker Brigade completed its mission when we <a href="http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2007/06/the_battle_of_baquba.php" target="_blank">razed the home of the Islamic State of Iraq</a> in the summer of 2007. My own mission of serving in the Army was accomplished shortly after we returned home. After I got out, I set my sights on an education, which felt like a battle unto itself. My high school grades were impressive in their mediocrity - I failed, among many other classes, freshman and sophomore English. College seemed like a task far outside my abilities, but I quickly found my military experience prepared me with the discipline I didn't have as a teenager. The most difficult part of school was making sure my VA benefits came when they were due.<br /><br />Along with thousands of veterans going to school, I found myself without a monthly living stipend when the Post-9/11 GI Bill went live last year. Simply navigating a complex benefit package like the GI Bill required research and painful lessons learned, but how to tell a landlord I couldn't make rent wasn't in any FAQ provided by the federal government. I sent <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2009/09/politics-of-purse-strings.html" target="_blank">my grievances</a> to the only person I knew at the Department of Veterans Affairs - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/War-Always-Wanted-Illusion-Reality/dp/0760331502" target="_blank">Brandon Friedman</a> - and within hours I was speaking with Keith Wilson, the Director of Education Services for the Department. He was able to answer enough questions to <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2009/09/empire-strikes-back-gi-bill-questions.html" target="_blank">spur a followup post</a>, which went far to explain some confusing and frustrating aspects of the GI Bill.<br /><br />Apart from my posts written from Iraq, this blog has been mainly introspective and nostalgic in nature; a look back at the good old days. The two posts dealing with the GI Bill were a departure for the norm. It felt great to step outside my own experiences and help other veterans who needed the right information directly from the right source. I spent the next few months burying myself in homework and working part time before Brandon came to me with some news: the Department of Veterans Affairs was expanding its new media reach, and it needed someone to helm a forthcoming blog.<br /><br />I took Brandon up on his offer after much deliberation. I still had school to finish, but it was rather unsatisfying. I missed the challenges of the Army. I missed having a mission.<br /><br />Today I announce a new mission: the launch of VA's blog. It's called <a href="http://www.blogs.va.gov/" target="_blank">VAntage Point</a>, and its purpose is simple: to transform the mode of communication between veterans and VA. The main column will be written by staff writers: myself and <a href="http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/?page_id=2#lauren" target="_blank">Lauren Bailey</a>, the Special Assistant to the Chief Technology Officer. Brandon is the editor, and will occasionally chime in when not covering my drafts in red ink. We are set to tackle issues affecting veterans, with emphasis on getting the right information to the right veteran at the right time. The exciting part for everyone involved is the Guest Post column. Anyone can submit a post on a topic concerning veterans, and it will be published as long as it's coherent and competently argued. We're not just looking for fluff pieces either. If you had a bad experience with a VA doctor or couldn't get through on a help line, <a href="http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/?page_id=154" target="_blank">we want to hear about it</a>. We're looking for a cross section of guest writers - anyone from a student struggling with reintegration to a VA surgeon to a Vietnam veteran and everyone in between. For the first time in the history of the Department of Veterans Affairs, ideas and communication will flow two ways.<br /><br />Of course, my new job carries with it some implications for this blog. Now that I work for the government (again), I relinquish a bit of editorial freedom of what I can say here. That's the downside to increasing the reach of my words. But with it I gain legitimacy and authority to speak about veterans' issues, and I have a hard time thinking of a better way to use my energy. That is not to say I won't have enough time for <span style="font-style: italic;">Army of Dude</span>. Whenever I have a post in mind that doesn't fit at <span style="font-style: italic;">VAntage Point</span>, it will go here. But sadly, I can't focus on my writing here like I once did. Things will change around here, but this blog will remain. VA wanted me to write for them, and with me comes my style and personality <span style="font-style: italic;">unabridged</span>. Both will survive the migration. I encourage my readers interested in veteran issues to bookmark <span style="font-style: italic;">VAntage Point</span> and check back often.<br /><br />I cannot imagine where I'd be without the people I've met along the way. It'd take all day to mention all the talented writers in the milblog community that have linked to me for years, or to list all the readers who have left countless messages of support both here and through emails. I've made many friends and luckily few enemies through my writing, and I hope that is something that continues both here and my new home. Thank you for reading. I look forward to my new mission, and I know I can count on many of you for support.<br /> </div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-40913872017197981692010-10-21T23:40:00.005-05:002010-10-22T10:16:47.960-05:00Through Darkness We See<div style="text-align: justify;">As the steady flow of commuters emptied out of the subway, I stood to the side, watching down avenues of approach with my head on a swivel. <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2009/11/thing-i-carried-special-edition.html">Jesse’s assault pack</a> dug into my shoulders, heavy not from grenades or textbooks, but from enough clothes for a long weekend. I decided on a whim to take a long bus ride from Washington, DC to New York for Comic-Con. Dodo had gone last year and it seemed a perfect reason to visit him in Brooklyn. It had only been a few months since he came down to Washington, but I had missed him terribly. He remains one of my closest friends from our old platoon, and seeing him released the nostalgic pressure that builds in between visits with guys from the unit.<br /><br />Peculiar things happen when you catch up with a guy from the platoon. Voices change, conversation becomes hurried and the wall between thoughts and speech, usually reserved for polite society, crumbles to dust. The social experiment of a platoon stuffed together for fifteen continuous months of combat breeds words, phrases and nicknames that are buried when those men finally disperse, only to be resurrected later during brief reunions. If the men of second platoon spoke as they did in the filthy outposts of Baqubah, most would be divorced and none would be employed. Reintegrating into society means you must leave those words, phrases and tones behind, mostly for the reason that civilians would simply not understand them. When old friends get together, those words come tumbling out from the deepest recesses of the mind.<br /><br />When civilians ask me what I miss most about the Army, I always tell them it’s the people. Many are one of a kind and others are destined to be friends for life. Given a few years separation between the end of a military career and the return to civilian life, it becomes easy to romanticize the way things used to be. Even sheer moments of terror and unimaginable brutality seem tolerable in retrospect because of the men to the left and right. Love is a difficult emotion to conceptualize, and I did not understand it until I saw guys sharing their last swallows of water or offering to carry some of the heavy load for a struggling friend. Once we got home and everyone went their separate ways, or stayed for another tour, that support system fell apart. It was worth the agony of war to experience that kind of commitment.<br /><br />It came as no surprise to hear that the Chilean miners almost immediately began to have what I call adversity withdrawal. In the two months they were underground, everything in their lives – their wives and girlfriends, their homes, their paychecks- melted away the moment they were trapped. Their only concern was survival, and they began to live moment to moment with an outcome far from certain. Undoubtedly, the bonds they forged deep underground helped them get through what must have been a truly horrifying experience. <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/16/earlyshow/saturday/main6963936.shtml">One sentence from a recent report</a> nearly knocked me out of my seat:<br /><br />“What we’re seeing is the miners are almost longing to be in that group together.”<br /><br />For the third time this year, I spent quality time with Dodo, one of my best friends from the platoon. We always talk about work and girlfriends and who is up to what, but the topic always drifts towards the Army and Iraq, as if the conversation is a compass that points to what is really on our minds. I have discovered that several guys from the platoon have thought about joining up again. Going back to a job or the unemployment line or school just isn’t for them. If everyone is a puzzle piece that fits into society in a certain way, our edges come back frayed and worn. Everything doesn’t go back together quite right. But what I want to tell everyone who wants to go back is this: It’s not what we did that you miss, it’s the people you served next to. Just like now, as we’re scattered all over the country, bringing the men of second platoon together for another tour remains an impossible task. If it wasn’t, I doubt I could resist the opportunity. I know what the miners know – those terrible days were the best days because of who was with them in the dark.<br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-49823609949217335142010-07-01T02:30:00.001-05:002010-07-17T09:32:11.008-05:00Spoils<div style="text-align: justify;">The amount of stuff a soldier brings home from war can be limitless. Books, bootleg DVDs, letters, pictures, memories, post traumatic stress, TBI - without fail, everyone comes home with more than what they left with. The worth of some of those things can be easily determined, but others carry a more intrinsic value. Go on a backpacking trip through Europe and you might collect train tickets or pub coasters for mementos, but grabbing a keepsake from the battlefield earns an entirely different description: war trophy. Look in a thousand houses or rummage through a hundred caches and you might find something worth stuffing into your pocket.
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<br />There are <a href="http://militarytimes.com/forum/showthread.php?1565412-Keeping-war-trophies-is-a-slippery-slope">strict guidelines</a> that describe what can be taken and what should be left alone. Nothing can ever be taken from a civilian, but enemy equipment (limited to non-firearms) is mostly fair game. I kept my bayonets but had to get rid of a zip gun and an insurgent ammo bearing vest punctured by bullet holes and stained with blood. During my mid tour leave in Europe, I picked up a rock from Omaha Beach and a piece of concrete from a destroyed bunker at Pointe du Hoc, only to throw them into a patch of gravel outside of customs in Kuwait. Tangible pieces of history were lost to conform to the strict no soil policy. Brass shell casings from my first firefight were stuffed into a amnesty bin. Thousands of those ejected casings burned our necks and rolled around the floor of our vehicles, but they had to be discarded like common aluminum cans. I wanted to save a few to show my grandchildren, maybe tell them the story about how they were left behind. They'd roll them around in their hands and stick their pinkie into the top of the casing. I'd tell them, "It was in these moments that made me who I am."
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<br />Mostly everyone came back with at least one interesting thing. Al Qaeda flags were rare and treasured while bayonets produced yawns; everyone seemed to have one (I brought two home). Another common souvenir was an ammo vest. They were essential to any enemy cache and easily stuffed into a cargo pocket. I managed a unique find; a camouflage ammo vest with an Iraqi flag printed on the back, stuffed deep in a box in an insurgent safe house.
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<br />Somewhere in Baghdad, Dodo found a rare gem: a pistol holder with a golden seal of the Republican Guard affixed below a stamp reading "1984," which was about the midpoint of the Iran-Iraq War. It was attached to an ammo belt more suitable for the Old West than the Middle East. When he showed them to me, I couldn't believe those things were found together in what can only be described as a trailblazing attempt at <span style="font-style: italic;">insurgent chic</span>. He offered them to me and I declined, but he insisted, true to his selfless and giving nature. 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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]-->ée d'Dude, I put together a tiny space for war trophies centered around the concept drawing of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Memorial statue.
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<br /><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/leavethegun/Photo-0136.jpg" />
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<br />The sword is perhaps the most storied item in the platoon's war trophy collection. In a house littered with <a href="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/leavethegun/photostor4.jpg">insurgent accoutrements</a>, I uncovered the weapon hidden underneath a pile of blankets. I was already carrying a heavy folding litter on my back and jammed two AK47s into the carrying case. The sword barely managed to fit. Along the blade were dried streaks of blood, a peculiar fact considering it wasn't very sharp. Across the street, another platoon discovered a torture chamber utilized by insurgents operating in the area. We openly wondered if the sword was used for sadistic purposes.
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<br />My squad leader determined it was critical to mission success and took it to headquarters during my post mission shower. I had carried it for several days until we came back to base, and it was mine based on the international rules of Finder's Keepers. The battalion staff was less than impressed with its story and sent it to be blown to bits in a hole alongside dozens of captured weapons. <a href="http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/leavethegun/psm2-800.jpg">The Snack Master</a> just happened to be walking by the collection and just happened to spot the sword, and in a rare moment of thoughtfulness, grabbed the weapon and brought it back.
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<br /><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/leavethegun/Photo-0139.jpg" />
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<br />Bringing home weapons from war is a tradition as old itself, but that doesn't mean all war trophies are of death's construction. I consider myself lucky for finding not one, but two gems. After clearing an abandoned house, I looked through piles of books and papers on the floor for any important documents. I uncovered a curious portrait of one of the world's most hated dictators:
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<br /><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/leavethegun/Photo-0140a.jpg" />
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<br />GQ Saddam now hangs on my bathroom wall. A piece of history saved.
<br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-52993687481379616612010-05-31T00:52:00.004-05:002010-05-31T03:33:59.345-05:00Metal Memorials<div style="text-align: justify;">“Hey man, just so you know, I’m going to set this thing off.”<br /><br />I don’t have a metal plate in my head or shrapnel in my legs, but I carry with me something that might as well be lodged deep under my skin. After Vietnam, soldiers and civilians alike would wear bracelets etched with the names of prisoners of war so their memory would live on even if they never came home. Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continued the practice, but with a twist. The same bracelets are adorned with the names of friends killed in action. The date and the place are also included as a testament to where they took their last steps. One of the first things my platoon did after coming home was order memorial bracelets from the few websites that specialize in military memorabilia. You don’t even have to type in the name or the date; their system uses the DOD casualty list. All you have to do is filter by name and a software aided laser will burn the selection onto an aluminum or steel bracelet. What emerges out of this casual and disinterested practice is jewelry teeming with the amount of love and commitment found in ten wedding rings.<br /><br />Every trip to the airport has the same outcome: additional security checks and a pat down from a TSA agent. I tell them it’s the bracelet that the metal detector shrieks at. “Can you take it off?” is always the question. “I don’t <span style="font-style: italic;">want</span> to take it off” is always the answer. To some screeners my answer is a poke in the eye of their authority, a wrench in the system of their daily routine. Others recognize the bracelet and give me a gentle nod and a quick pat down. I suspect they have encountered other veterans like me and realize the futility of asking to have it removed. In a glass booth at the security gate is where I most often get the question, “Who’s on the bracelet?” Those who realize the significance of it usually want to know the name. I stare down and rub my fingers over the lettering. “Brian Chevalier, but we called him Chevy.”<br /><br />At times the memorial bracelets seem almost redundant. The names of the fallen are written on steel and skin, but are they not also carved into the hearts of men? Are the faces of the valiant not emblazoned in the memories of those who called them brothers? No amount of ink or steel can be used to represent what those days signify. My bracelet says “14 March 2007,” but it does not describe the blazing heat that day, or the smell of open sewers trampled underfoot or the sight of a Stryker, overturned and smoke-filled as the school adjacent exploded under tremendous fire. It was as if God chose to end the world within one city block. When Chevy was lovingly placed into a body bag under exploding RPGs and machine gun tracers, worlds ended. Others began.<br /><br />The concept of Memorial Day nearly approaches superfluous ritual to some veterans. It's absurd to ask a combat veteran to take out a single day to remember those fell in battle, as if the other 364 days were not marked by their memories in one way or another. I try to look at pictures of my friends, both alive and dead, at least once a day to remember their smiles or the way they wore their kits. I talk to them online and send emails and texts and on rare occasions, visit them in person. We drink and laugh and recall the old days and tell the same war stories everyone has heard a thousand times but still manage to produce streams of furious laughter. I get the same feeling with them; Memorial Day does not begin or end on a single day. It ebbs and flows in torrents of memory, sometimes to a crippling degree. Most of us have become talented at hiding our service and safeguard the moments when we become awash in memories like March 14. The bracelet is the only physical reminder of the tide we find ourselves in.<br /><br />Perhaps it's best to let civilians hold onto Memorial Day and hope they use the time to reflect wisely. A time to remember old friends or distant relatives that they did not necessarily serve with but still honor their sacrifice. Not just soldiers are touched by war. Chevy was a father and a son, and his loss not only rippled through the platoon and company but a small town in Georgia. The day serves as a reminder that there are men and women who have only come back as memories. Maybe the reflection on those who did not return is a key to helping civilians bridge the gap with veterans. Occasionally my bracelet spurs conversations with friends and coworkers who did not know I was in the Army or deployed to Iraq. I still don't feel completely comfortable answering their questions but I'm always happy to talk about the name on my wrist. His name was Brian Chevalier, but we called him Chevy.<br /><br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-33774948808129489112010-03-25T00:28:00.002-05:002010-03-25T00:36:56.325-05:00Haiku Review: Green Zone<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/leavethegun/damon-greenzone.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0947810/">Green Zone</a> (2010):<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shaky cam shakes man</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bourne is on the hunt for WMD</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />We too find nothing</span><br /><br />***<br /><br />(Previous haiku reviews: <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2009/07/haiku-review-redacted.html">Redacted</a>, <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2009/07/haiku-review-home-of-brave.html">Home of the Brave</a>, <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2009/07/haiku-review-stop-loss.html">Stop Loss</a> and <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2009/07/haiku-review-in-valley-of-elah.html">In The Valley of Elah</a>)Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-50247024640630667922010-03-11T00:27:00.001-06:002010-03-21T14:01:24.057-05:00The Best: Yet To Come?<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Hurt Locker</span> was far from my favorite movie of 2009. Out of the ten nominees for Best Picture, I liked four films more than Kathryn Bigelow's entry. It wasn't even the best movie that dealt with the Iraq War; that distinction goes to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226774/">In The Loop</a>, a comedy about the spread of misinformation that brilliantly leaves the word "Iraq" out of the entire script. But it was <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hurt Locker</span> that won big on Sunday night, to the surprise of few that have been following the awards circuit. Even though it wasn't a box office smash (it made only <a href="http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hurtlocker.htm">six million dollars</a> more than its production budget), critics loved the film, as did most of the public<span style="font-style: italic;"> sans veterans</span>. More importantly, its win washed away the fear and apprehension studios had about bankrolling a film centered on modern conflict. Every Iraq or Afghanistan themed movie before the <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hurt Locker</span> has tanked in the theater, and you can't blame studio executives for shying away from a broken model. Sunday's sweep at the Oscars could mean that studios will ease their concerns and jump at a script that promises to be the next <span style="font-style: italic;">Hurt Locker</span>. Veteran disapproval of the film was not overlooked in Hollywood. It is not unreasonable to suggest that the next movie would bring aboard combat veterans as technical advisers (or critics) to see if anything is out of place. <a href="http://www.mudvillegazette.com/033421.html">Greyhawk</a> has the same line of thinking, and he's willing to tolerate five bad war movies for every great one.<br /><br />Even if you didn't like the film, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hurt Locker</span>'s impressive victory at the Oscars bodes well for modern war movies. It means the good ones Greyhawk looks forward to have a better chance at finding their way to theaters. Who knows, maybe a veteran felt so strongly about the inaccuracies in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hurt Locker</span> that he's well on his way to writing the next <span style="font-style: italic;">Platoon</span>. All that is certain is that our stories need to be told. We can only do so much from a series of tubes and the media has never done us any favors. A film we can call our own is something we need, to point to and say, <span style="font-style: italic;">This, this is what it was like</span>. The Hurt Locker isn't that movie, but it made that movie possible.<br /><br />***<br /><br />This is the end of my Hurt Locker posts, which I'm sure is a relief to many of you. I'm off to New York City tomorrow for spring break, so I won't be able to see Green Zone this week. If you were unhappy about the licenses The Hurt Locker took, I would suggest you stay 500 feet from the nearest multiplex, lest you suffer a heart attack by proxy. Have a good week dear readers, I will be back soon.<br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-31620600679472756252010-03-03T02:02:00.003-06:002010-03-03T17:50:59.592-06:00Circling The Wagons<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">or: </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Hurt Locker updates will continue until Iraq movies improve</span><br /><br />While <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hurt Locker</span> is still considered to be the heavy favorite to pick up a few Oscars this Sunday, the negative reviews are pouring in from the last people Kathryn Bigelow Mark Boal wanted to hear from: <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/25/entertainment/la-et-hurt-locker26-2010feb26">veterans</a> and <a href="http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/essay-15/">war savvy journalists</a>. The nearly unanimous criticism of the film from our camp is the baffling level of cowboy machismo imbued in James, the leader of a three man EOD team that leads his subordinates (literally) down a dangerous path in the streets of Baghdad. Coupled with laughable breaches of real life protocol and enormous leaps of artistic license, it's difficult to argue with those who know the intimate details of combat.<br /><br />As I've touched on before, many civilians use movies as a stand-in connection to a war when they personally don't know a soldier or veteran. The reservations I have about <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hurt Locker</span> center on reality versus perceived reality, be it with people or procedure. I don't want people to think that men like James not only exist but knowingly and actively send men into deadly situations to get an adrenaline fix. It would be irresponsible of Hollywood to cast soldiers and veterans in a negative light while the real life difficulties of reintegration challenge veterans to once again be a part of society instead of apart from it. But can veteran-civilian relations be any more tenuous than they already are? A fellow student veteran recently brought up his deployment to Afghanistan in a class discussion about how people live around the world. As soon as the word <span style="font-style: italic;">Afghanistan</span> came off his lips, the mood of the class palpably shifted. Whispers and murmurs were cut off in mid sentence and everyone in the room looked at him, but only for a moment. As he continued on, they looked at anything <span style="font-style: italic;">but </span>him. Here is a film that has people talking about the wars again, even if it's simply within the context of the movie. It can only help to elevate the subjects of Iraq and Afghanistan out of the lurid, unmentionable void many people subconsciously place them in.<br /><br />What does this mean for the Oscar voting? I doubt anyone holding an awards ballot really cares what veterans think (how else would you explain the greenlight of <span style="font-style: italic;">Redacted</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">In The Valley of Elah</span>, Mark Boal's unforgivable celluloid excrement?). This criticism seems to come too little, too late. Producer Nicolas Chartier might be the biggest threat to <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hurt Locker</span>'s chances after <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/season/2010/03/academy-to-hurt-locker-producer-go-away-by-pete-hammond.html">sending out inappropriate</a> (yet true!) emails to Academy members. That intense lobbying might have turned off would be voters. While I have defended The Locker on this electronic rag, I don't think it deserves to win Best Picture for what amounts to a bunch of contrived action scenes attached to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PgbNQU3cYo">one flawless, beautifully expressive scene</a>. I found <span style="font-style: italic;">A Serious Man</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Inglourious Basterds</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">District 9</span> to be shades more enjoyable than <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hurt Locker</span> and would gladly substitute <span style="font-style: italic;">Precious: A Stupidly Long Title</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">The Blind Side</span> with <span style="font-style: italic;">Moon</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">In The Loop</span>.<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>Still, I wouldn't mind<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>if <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hurt Locker </span>won Best Picture if it means<span style="font-style: italic;"> Dances with Wolves in Space </span>loses.<br /><br />Addendum: Fox News published a couple lines from my <span style="font-style: italic;">Hurt Locker</span> review that gave me a case of deja vu.<br /><br />From the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurt_Locker">Wikipedia entry of The Hurt Locker</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">At the blog </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Army of Dude</i><span style="font-weight: bold;">, infantryman and Iraq veteran Alex Horton noted that "the way the team goes about their missions is completely absurd," though he went on to call the film "the best Iraq movie to date."</span><br /><br />From the <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/03/02/hurt-locker/">Fox News article</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Alex Horton, for example, wrote on the ARMY of Dude blog that “the way the team goes about their missions is completely absurd,” but he added that it was still “the best Iraq war movie to date.”</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurt_Locker#cite_note-39"><span></span></a><br /><br />Bang up job, Ed Barnes. What would get me an F in an English essay passes as journalism these days. Barnes even paraphrases without attribution the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-hoit/the-hurt-locker-doesnt-ge_b_449043.html">wildly popular and controversial review</a> of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hurt Locker</span> written by my friend and fellow milblogger <a href="http://myamericaniraqlife.blogspot.com/">Kate</a> (thanks to <a href="http://www.vetvoice.com/">Richard</a> for pointing that out).<br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-67814921269392519332010-02-16T23:23:00.004-06:002010-02-17T01:09:31.081-06:00Opening Up The Hurt Locker<div style="text-align: justify;">If you're not a regular at the Holiday Inn or stopped reading so called news-papers, head on over to <span style="font-style: italic;">USA Today</span> for a piece on <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-02-17-hurtlocker17_CV_N.htm">veterans opining about The Hurt Locker</a> (including <a href="http://www.bouhammer.com/">Troy from Bouhammer</a> and yours truly). The word <span style="font-style: italic;">polarizing</span> does not begin to describe the effect the movie has on combat veterans, and I might be the sole dissenter among my former platoon-mates who have showered aspersions on the film via Facebook status updates. I have argued that anyone with combat experience has to sever their intimate knowledge of what it's 'really like' from their mind to have any chance of enjoying contemporary war films. Many cannot undo the inextricable link between their time overseas and what they see portrayed onscreen.<br /><br />I hate to get zen on anyone, but in these times I turn to the words of Roger Ebert, who has been fond of saying, "A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it." In other words, the movie isn't just about a trio of EOD techs disarming bombs in Baghdad. It is about how the adrenaline rush of combat and all the danger that comes from the next fix. The most important scene in the movie doesn't come from a bomb defusal or a fiery explosion. It comes from James at home, baffled at life moving at an ordinary, pedestrian, boring pace. <span style="font-style: italic;">How it is about it</span> is contrasting the feeling of home and all the inadequacies that come with it, with subtle yet powerful imagery and incredibly sparse dialogue. That is why the film succeeds where others before it have failed. It is by no means a perfect movie and sacrificed technical accuracy for few genuine and many artificial dramatic scenes, but how it is about its own thesis of <span style="font-style: italic;">war is a drug </span>is why the movie is a landmark in the genre of contemporary war films. In the years to come, there will be many more films about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There will be a handful that are the total package, technically accurate but legitimately and realistically dramatic. Those films will be better than T<span style="font-style: italic;">he Hurt Locker</span>, but only because it was there to set the bar far above what we have already seen.<br /><br />My original review can be found <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2009/07/review-hurt-locker.html">here</a>, and my critique of a review from Big Hollywood can be found <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2009/06/most-entertaining-movie-review-ever.html">here</a>.<br /><br /><br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-10980678950360222722010-02-02T11:12:00.005-06:002010-02-03T22:52:46.533-06:00Rocksteady Restrepo<div style="text-align: justify;">My ex girlfriend's best friend and former roommate had an odd, expensive and time consuming hobby. She would collect magazines, dozens of them, and clip out pictures she liked. I'm not sure what she did with them, but I couldn't help but see the consequences of it. Copies of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cosmopolitan</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Vogue</span> were littered across the living room and stacked onto bookshelves. Back issues of People were stuffed into drawers. I couldn't help but pick up an occasional magazine and flip through the cut and torn pages. A copy of <span style="font-style: italic;">Vanity Fair</span> caught my attention with the words "<a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/01/afghanistan200801?printable=true">Into the Valley of Death</a>," a sharp contrast to Katherine Heigl's upturned smirk on the cover. I read the entire piece standing up, my mouth agape and mind racing. It was the most gruesome account of the wars I had ever read, and two years later I can still remember the chill I got from holding that magazine.<br /><br />It was quite a surprise to learn that a documentary called <a href="http://www.restrepothemovie.com/">Restrepo</a> would be released by the journalists who covered the story for <span style="font-style: italic;">Vanity Fair</span>, writer Sebastian Junger and photographer Tim Hetherington. They wove together combat footage with interviews with the men from second platoon, Battle Company 2/503, with no narration whatsoever. The <a href="http://www.restrepothemovie.com/#/videos">trailer</a> speaks to the impact of the decision to let the men and the footage do the talking. There seems to be no date for theatrical release quite yet, but the film has won The Grand Jury prize for <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/arts/01arts-003.html">best documentary at Sundance</a> (a Sundance win usually secures distribution, but like the article says, does not guarantee commercial vitality). National Geographic Channel has secured television rights for this fall, but the possibility of it being edited for language and content would seriously damage the intent and purpose of the film.<br /><br />For you <span style="font-style: italic;">Hurt Locker</span> haters out there, I'm sorry to report that along with <span style="font-style: italic;">Avatar</span>, it leads the Oscar pack with <a href="http://oscar.go.com/">nine nominations</a>, including best picture, director and actor. Am I the only one who thinks it's a farce that <span style="font-style: italic;">Up</span> is in both best picture and best animated feature categories? And Sam Rockwell deserved both a best actor and best supporting actor nomination for playing himself twice in <span style="font-style: italic;">Moon</span>.<br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-21017511570480831072010-01-13T02:21:00.007-06:002011-03-28T10:54:22.939-05:00On Getting By<div style="text-align: justify;">In my previous post, I <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2009/12/here-to-there-tips-and-tricks-for.html">outlined some basic principles</a> needed to successfully navigate the murky waters of education under the GI Bill. The challenges in dealing with the VA for education benefits are considerable, yet veterans new to college face an unfamiliar, unpredictable and strange environment on campus. If taken all at once, these hurdles can quickly overwhelm a student veteran and distract from the overall goal: to finish a degree on time with benefits to spare. Next week I will be in class for my fifth semester of higher education, and in my time I have tinkered with a system of how to bring up my veteran status, discussing Iraq and Afghanistan in the classroom and dealing with the myriad reactions fellow students have had. The system cannot be expected to work for everyone, but as veterans file into classrooms for the first time this spring, these tips could help in the development of a coping system better tailored for you. These should simply help to get you started.<br /><br />***<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Modesty is the Best Policy</span><br /><br />There are only two kinds of veterans in school: those who prattle on about their time in the military and overseas, and those who do not. The former will find any opportunity to bring up their time in Afghanistan or Iraq, even if it is not relevant to class discussion. They forget one of the tenets of military experience - the role of the consummate professional. Joining the military and serving in a time of war are sacred acts and carry a certain degree of respect and modesty. We owe it to our injured buddies and fallen friends not to brag about our exploits overseas. We have done our fair share of things that set us apart from others in the classroom, and that is exactly why it is best to retain an understated presence among others.<br /><br />This is a difficult situation as it applies to reintegration, as the chasm between veterans and civilians has never been wider. From World War II to Vietnam, it would have been a difficult task to know someone that neither served overseas nor had a family member or friend who did. Now there are whole classrooms filled with those people. As Matthew McConaughey spoke prophetically in <span style="font-style: italic;">Dazed and Confused</span>, "I get older, they stay the same age." An 18 year old in college this year would have been nine years old during the invasion of Afghanistan and eleven years old during the invasion of Iraq. They have grown up with war to the point of it becoming a mind numbingly prosaic concept. It would be a frustrating battle to try and close the rift with those who don't see a rift at all. The best thing to do is use your judgment when bringing up your veteran status in the classroom. I've done it just a few times and felt uncomfortable enough to think twice about the next time. Now I tend to mention it in private conversation, not when I have the floor in public, and even then it is a casual touch on the subject. When you are ready to talk...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">...Prepare for a Question Salvo</span><br /><br />No matter how much you try to keep it stashed away from students and coworkers, your military experience will come out sooner or later. There are things you simply cannot hide forever, like going to prison or reading <span style="font-style: italic;">Twilight</span>. Once you begin to move past casual conversation, it's only a matter of time before that period of your life is visited. It usually begins with a discussion of age . When I tell people I'm 24, the followup questions are almost always, "What have you done since high school?" or, "Why did you wait so long to go to school?" People tend to catch on if you mention extended vacations in the Middle East or recite <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KMaBlq4o3c">monologues</a>, so at that point it is best to come clean. However, be prepared for the questions they are more than willing to hurl your way. They might not know anyone who has deployed, but our hyperviolent culture has removed any restraint left in the world and enables them to ask any question that comes to mind. Here is what you can expect, in order of the most frequently asked:<br /><br />1. What's it like?<br />2. Was it really hot?<br />3. Did you kill anyone?<br />4. Seriously, how hot was it?<br />5. Do you regret it?<br />6. Did you see any camel spiders?<br />7. Were you in Iran?<br /><br />It's hard to get upset at some of those questions, as I find it difficult to think of what I'd ask if the roles were switched. #3 can be blamed on ignorance and apathy, but #5 is the most troubling I've heard. It suggests that there is something shameful about service, duty and sacrifice. Both questions trivialize an important part of our lives. The best answer to #3 I've heard comes from the <a href="http://kitchendispatch.blogspot.com/2010/01/seven-things-never-to-say-to-veteran.html">The Kitchen Dispatch</a> comment section: "I will forgive you for asking that question if you forgive me for not answering it." Something that personal should never be asked, only told.<br /><br />The flip side to some of those cavalier probes are questions that handle the topic with kid gloves. Once a coworker found out I was in the Army, she asked, "Did you go to...one of those places they send people?" It was uncomfortable for her just to utter those dirty 'I' and 'A' words, like we were speaking about some subversive topic. The kind of questions you will get will be all over the map, spanning from a place of genuine interest to the depths of sheer morbidity. Be prepared to answer anything, or politely let them know the subject isn't appropriate for casual banter.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Let The Right Ones In</span><br /><br />Popular culture is replete with images of the maladjusted veteran, from Rambo to Travis Bickle to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itHkMuhwar4">Red Forman</a>. These characters are ingrained in our national conscious and typically become placeholders in the event someone doesn't personally know a veteran. When these sources are taken at face value, war veterans are invariably crazy, depressive, easily startled, quick to anger and alcoholics. We come from broken homes, trying to escape jailtime and were too dumb or poor to go to college after high school. The best way to combat these silly notions is to let people get to know you, the person, before you, the veteran. Those stereotypes aren't going anywhere soon, so the best idea is to take the concept of guarding your veteran status in the classroom and carry it over to blossoming relationships. That way your service and overseas experience complement your personality and don't define it. Revealing too much at one time can damage a friendship before it takes off. Just like in the classroom, take it slow. If they are worth keeping around, they'll understand why. We have met our lifelong friends already; we can afford to be picky.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Try to Keep a Straight Face</span><br /><br />There's a huge disparity between what you have been asked to do in the service and what you will be asked to do in school. At the very basic level you were asked to maintain a clean weapon and uniform. Many of you were tasked with watching the back of your fellow soldiers while in imminent danger or operate complex machinery and vehicles. At school, you'll be held responsible for showing up and turning in work before deadlines. That's it. Like I mentioned in the earlier post, college seems like an insurmountable gauntlet of crushed dreams when you're in the military. Once you transition to civilian life and take a few classes, you'll be astounded at the lack of discipline and drive in some of your classmates. It's a big joke, but try to maintain composure. I'm not saying it's easy the whole way through, but I guarantee you've done something harder than a five page essay. As they say, the rest is downhill.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Find Another Brother</span><br /><br />If you were in active duty, the friends you met along the way are now scattered across the country. Perhaps I've always been an introvert, but I don't make friends as easy as some people. I've met just two people in fourteen classes that I consider friends, and one of them is an Afghanistan veteran. It's easy to understand why we get along. Do your best to find other veterans in your class and say hello. Talking to them will come easier than the 18 year old hipster next to you about his passion for ironic hats. Find out if there is a veteran's organization on campus, but be wary of their motives. While some will join to find support and befriend fellow veterans, others will use it for recognition (see principle #1: don't be a douche).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Enjoy the Ride</span><br /><br />Besides getting a degree or learning new skills, people go to college to meet new people and to experience a different life. If you've served since Sept. 12, 2001, you've already had a bit of each. But don't let that stop you from enjoying everything school has to offer. It's the last time very little will be expected of you, unless you get another government job. Then you're golden.<br /><br />***<br /><br />If you are recently out of the military and on your way to college, these tenets, coupled with <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2009/12/here-to-there-tips-and-tricks-for.html">the GI Bill pointers</a>, should help you get started in academia. Like most things, your experience may vary, and I would hope you don't safeguard your veteran status like it's a dark secret or the true location of Jimmy Hoffa's body. It's something to be proud of, but not flaunted. It's something to share with your friends who genuinely want to know about the world you lived in, but not with the people who have twisted notions of what you have done overseas. The last thing you want people to know you as is the guy who went to Iraq. You want them to say "Hey, that's Alex, he's good people," and not "I wonder how many ear necklaces he has. I'm betting two." Hopefully these tips will help even just a tiny bit in that regard.<br /><br />***<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Special thanks to Mendi, Jeff, Josh, Justin, Clinton and <a href="http://rucksacktobackpack.blogspot.com/">Jason</a> for their candid and thoughtful responses that helped formulate the content of this post.</span><br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-28448539962436168752009-12-29T03:51:00.005-06:002010-01-04T14:15:10.371-06:00Here to There: Tips and Tricks for the Student Veteran<div style="text-align: justify;">For many student veterans across the country, the first semester under the Post 9/11 GI Bill is in the books. Some of the smarter folks opted to stay with the old Chapter 30 until the new bill, Chapter 33, was fully worked out. Others chose to put their faith into the VA and went with the Post 9/11 GI Bill, much to the chagrin of bill collectors and landlords. It is not clear what the VA has learned since the Great GI Bill Kerfuffle of 2009, but it is evident that problems will continue into the new year. Its fully automated system won't be in place until <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jcV7Bxr8Py5WVWtxcFjlf0FjMmMwD9COI43O0">December 2010</a>, so for the next year the crush of new applicants will have to be processed by a team of monkeys pounding on the keyboard of a Commodore 64. According to the VA, less than 5,000 eligible students are still waiting for payments. Take a stroll through the many comments left on the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/gibillEducation?ref=ts#/gibillEducation?v=wall&ref=ts">Post 9/11 GI Bill Facebook page</a> and it might give you a reason not to believe such an estimate. The comments left by students still waiting for tuition payments read like a digital Trail of Tears, with many pleading for help months after submitting their paperwork. One post from early December challenges Facebook users to amass 10,000 followers by 2010. Perhaps a real goal, like completing 10,000 applications by the end of the fall semester, was too bold a prospect.<br /><br />Student veterans have suffered at the hands of the VA's negligence this fall, but we've developed a knack for pressing on in less than hospitable environments. With the spring semester approaching, there will be many new veterans going to class for the first time. Just like beginning a military career, starting college can be a bit daunting. This spring will be my fifth semester in school, and along the way I've learned the ropes of not only the VA system, but how to successfully get along in the classroom. This week I have prepared a list of pointers useful for a new student facing college life with the VA for the first time. After the New Year, I'll be back with the human side of school and how to best adapt to the peculiar nature of school post enlistment.<br /><br />***<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Back to School, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Wrapped Myself In Red Tape</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Know Their Role</span><br /><br />On every campus, there is a certifying official that works in the VA system. While a counselor helps you select courses, a certifying official ensures those classes will be paid for by the VA. Only courses in your chosen degree plan will go on the VA's tab; anything extra comes out of your pocket. If there is a hangup in the application and certification process, there are only two reasons why: the VA is using your paperwork to keep their furnace going, or your school official has dropped the ball. Save their number in your phone and hassle them until they send everything on their end. Unlike professors, you cannot choose your certifying officials. Mine aren't the greatest, but it's always a good idea to visit their office so you can double check your classes and make sure everything is set for the next semester. You don't want to be stuck with the bill, as many veterans found out this year. Which leads to the next point...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Choose Wisely</span><br /><br />Whether you're on Chapter 30 or Chapter 33, you have 36 months of eligibility (36 months to attend classes, not three years of school). Going full time, you can squeak out a degree in four years if you waste as little time as possible. Avoid the temptation to choose courses pertinent to your degree when you start school. Almost everyone changes their degree at least once, and you don't want to be stuck with useless credits and diminishing months of eligibility. Start out with basic courses that have to be taken to fulfill any degree plan. Good places to start: English I and II, US History and beginning science courses. Consult with your school counselor to nail down what classes satisfy the basics that align with your chosen major, then go back to your certifying official to double check your schedule to make sure all your classes will be certified.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Start Small</span><br /><br />Like many other student veterans, I began my collegiate effort at my local community college. Straight out of the Army, no university would take an unproven goofball with no SAT score and a high school GPA hovering between 1.5 and 2. Most universities have a credit threshold where they consider a student for enrollment just by looking at college level work, not SATs or high school GPA. Not only is community college a surefire way into a university, but it's a place to once again familiarize yourself with the classroom and get a feel for homework, professors and the climate of college level work before moving on to a traditional four year institution. It's a great confidence builder in what seemed like an indomitable place when you were enlisted. While I was deployed and dreaming about going to school, the university in my fantasy was a baffling obelisk of hardship where only the most cunning would succeed. Now I'm holding a 3.8 transferable GPA and yawn in the general direction of essays. A few semesters in community college will help tear down the notion that college is an overly difficult experience, and if you're using Chapter 30, it's more money in your pocket. But remember, you cannot stay there forever.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Know The Endgame</span><br /><br />I'm going to school at Austin Community College and I'm going to transfer to St. Edward's University to get a degree in global studies. As I mentioned above, you have to take classes that apply to your degree plan. ACC does not have a degree plan for global studies and I've taken just about every basic course offered, so I have to moonlight as a liberal arts general education major to get my classes certified by the VA. If you start in community college, figure out what university you want to attend and get a transfer guide to make sure every credit will transfer over with no fuss. If you slip up and decide to change schools or majors, you will have a difficult time getting everything to transfer neatly. For example, I took an introductory speech class to fulfill the international studies (AKA global studies) degree plan at Texas State, but now I'm going to St. Edwards. They require public speaking, so now I have to retake what is essentially the same class. Since the moonlighting degree I'm on requires just one speech class, I have fulfilled that class permanently. It can't come off my record, and the VA won't pay for my public speaking class because it's not on my current degree plan. I'll be paying out of pocket for that class because I didn't stick to the plan. The GI Bill is generous only when you're on point. You cannot afford to play grab ass and screw around for years trying to decide what to do like your civilian counterparts. Figure out what you want to study before you finish your basics or pay the consequences, either with lost time or a thinner wallet.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Less Hurry Up, More Wait</span><br /><br />Hope that your certifying officials are high speed, but prepare for frustrations ahead. Even the most basic of questions directed at your certifying official will likely be met with a perpetual shrugging of the shoulders, though it's not entirely their fault. Call me a cynic, but it would seem the line of communication between the certifying officials and the VA are less than optimal. They don't seem to know a great deal, especially in the midst of an unprecedented program like the Post 9/11 GI Bill. I had two fairly succinct questions for my school certifying official when my application got lost in the sauce:<br /><br />1. What the hell is going on?<br /><br />2. Where's my green at?<br /><br />The answer I got to both questions was a resounding "I don't know," so I had to go <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2009/09/empire-strikes-back-gi-bill-questions.html">straight to the top</a> to get a clear picture. Unfortunately, not everyone has a blog that complains loud enough for VA officials to take notice. Just like playing the ETS game, find other veterans to compare experiences with and see what works and doesn't work. Another veteran at the same school can hold valuable insight into which certifying officials are good, which are not so good, and how to best navigate through the system with the least amount of stress. School is about going to class and making the grades, not fighting a bureaucracy, but that's the nature of the game. Battle buddies make everything easier, and school is no exception.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Slow is Smooth</span><br /><br />If the military was the path you took out of high school, it's likely you are not from the privileged class. A part time or full time job is usually a good idea to supplement the housing allowance under Chapter 33. Even though BAH rates changed for the year 2010, housing for student veterans <a href="http://military-education.military.com/2009/12/new-2010-bah-rates-will-impact-gi-bill.html">will be calculated</a> using the 2009 amounts. Be sure to <a href="http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/perdiem/bah.html">check the amount</a> you'll be getting to give yourself a clear financial picture (select E-5 as the pay grade; the amount for an E-5 with dependents will be your housing allowance). If you still need a job but don't think you can handle a full school schedule, find out what your school considers half time, and go a credit over that amount. As long as you take just a credit more than half time, you can get get the full housing allowance without taking a lot of classes (and you will only be charged 3/4 of a month instead of a whole month). For example, half time at my school is six credit hours. If I were to take six hours, I would get several hundred dollars less in my housing allowance than if I took seven. Consult with your certifying official to confirm this, as every school has different rules and ways to figure hours, especially those weirdos on the west coast. This option is definitely slower than taking a full load, but it would be wise to consider when juggling a job and family.<br /><br /><br /><br />***<br /><br />I hope these few pointers are enough for fellow veterans to feel a little more prepared to take the plunge into academia. School is the next logical step after an enlistment, so take the considerable opportunity you've been given with the GI Bill (and cross your fingers some clerk in Washington D.C. won't make paper airplanes out of your application). With any luck and these tips in hand, school should be just a tiny bit easier to take on. Just be sure to look before you leap.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Next week</span>: coming to terms with the idea that you're just a <span style="font-style: italic;">little</span> bit different than the 18 year old hipster sitting behind you.<br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-57117883658226951792009-12-16T16:47:00.004-06:002009-12-16T17:01:51.657-06:00The Guns Fall Silent<div style="text-align: justify;">After a long hiatus I was set to post something today, but I caught wind of <a href="http://www.blackfive.net/main/">Blackfive</a> leading a blackout of all milblog posting for today and in some cases, the rest of the week or more. The blackout is a show of solidarity for CJ Grisham, the founder of <a href="http://www.soldiersperspective.us/">A Soldier's Perspective</a> who has come under fire from his command after having the audacity to challenge PTA rulings at his children's school. Take a moment to read his <a href="http://www.armytimes.com/offduty/technology/offduty_blogger_120809/">story</a>, and after you are sickened, donate to his legal fund:<br /><br />Grisham Legal Fund<br />c/o Redstone Federal Credit Union<br />220 Wynn Drive<br />Huntsville, AL 35893<br /><br />This is a terrible thing that couldn't happen to a nicer and more talented guy. I had the pleasure of meeting CJ earlier this year and found him to be very cordial and sharp. I ask all of you to spread the word, kick some money in his fund and keep this story alive. It's the least you can do for a career soldier that has fought the toughest battles not only overseas but here at home.<br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-46483980839265441602009-11-17T01:25:00.008-06:002012-08-27T10:04:19.683-05:00The Thing I Carried - Special Edition<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of hearing Tim O'Brien speak at Texas State University about the art of writing. He read from a recent magazine article and entertained a few questions. During his book signing I presented a copy of "The Things They Carried" that I literally did carry in Iraq. Its edges were torn and bent, the pages browned by dust and sand. I brought an edited copy of an old favorite entry on here, <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/article869677.ece">The Thing I Carried</a>, thanked him for the reading, and handed over the copy. The version I gave him is reproduced here. Enjoy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Thing I Carried</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Out of the Army and into school. That was the simple plan that many of us adopted before we deployed in the summer of 2006. In between crusty Army lifers were shortimers, soldiers approaching the twilight of their enlistment. For some, two deployments to Iraq were enough for a lifetime. Others made plans to get out before desert boots touched foreign sand.<br />
<br />
When it came time to sort out, pack and load equipment, a lot of guys were buying their own gear to take with them. Any junior enlisted soldier knows the issued equipment is inferior to anything you can go out and buy for yourself. The assault pack was one of those things. Its dimensions fit the criteria of a regular backpack, save for the digital camouflage and extra utility pouches. The zippers are what you come to expect from the Army’s lowest bidding contractor. They were difficult to shut and snagged easily on the sides. The compartments were more suited for textbooks and notepads, not the instruments of war that infantrymen would need to carry. Knives, batteries, carabiners, socks, water, rations, folded up letters. The things I needed to carry grew larger than my capacity to carry them.<br />
<br />
Jesse hooked our whole squad up with aftermarket equipment weeks before we boarded an eastbound plane. His father’s company sponsored us with enough money to buy essentials like magazine and utility pouches, vests and grenade bandoleers. He budgeted himself enough money to buy a brand new assault pack. He didn't need the one from his first deployment, so he passed it down to me.<br />
<br />
"You can use it the whole time we’re over there, but you have to give it back to me," he said.<br />
<br />
"But if you decide to reenlist, you can keep it."<br />
<br />
"You'll definitely be getting it back," I replied.<br />
<br />
The assault pack was worn out after one deployment but still held together fairly well. The bottom corner was tearing and foam cushioning was exposed and damaged. Jesse had written his Hawaiian name, <span style="font-style: italic;">Keawe</span>, in thick black lettering on the front. I sewed on a nametape across the hand drawn letters. On the bottom pouch I wrote in small print, <span style="font-weight: bold;">24 Nov 2007</span>, the day I was getting out of the Army. It was below a message Jesse had written, perhaps before his first deployment - <span style="font-style: italic;">For those who would NOT serve</span><br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
It was becoming a routine to leave our base outside of Baghdad and spend up to a week in smaller bases sprinkled around the heart of the city. The capital proved to be an underwhelming backdrop to a mission that was starting to grow more frustrating as the days melted together into a pool of hazy memories. Snipers took pot shots as we cleared swaths of neighborhoods, only to reclear them later. For every time we met the enemy face to face we returned fire ten times, mostly at nothing. The action was so dismal that assault packs held things to combat boredom instead of insurgents. Mp3 players, books, movies, chess sets, snacks. I carried all of Lauren's letters with me so I could read them over and over in the middle of the night. The rain had stained the notebook paper blue and red.<br />
<br />
By the time we got to Baqubah, Jesse had moved to another platoon. I saw him less than before but he never stopped asking me when I was going to get a girlfriend. On the day I went on leave, Josh mentioned that a young college student named Lauren was writing to me from Seattle. My platoon was getting their gear on and heading out to surveil possible arms traffickers, but I stayed behind to watch them as I told Jesse the unlikely story of my budding romance with a girl thousands of miles away.<br />
<br />
"Damn dude, good luck with that shit," he said.<br />
<br />
In case my platoon got the call to move out while I was gone, my assault pack and rucksack were left behind and packed neatly on my mattress. I headed to the flightline and took the next chopper out to Baghdad. My best friend and I decided traveling around in Europe by train would be easier than going home to sleep in our old beds. In many ways, we had grown out of them.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
As I made the long trek back to the desert from the fertile landscapes of Italy and Germany, Jesse was on another plane bound for the States. He lay inside a flag draped coffin aboard a transport plane among others killed in theater. He had spent a total of twenty-two months in combat before a sniper found his brown eyes through a scope.<br />
<br />
When I walked back into the platoon tent for the first time in three weeks, it was dark and completely empty except for Josh. He stayed back from missions after sustaining a concussion from a personnel mine. He didn’t say anything at first, but motioned for me to sit on his bed. He dug out a copy of Jesse’s memorial program and stuffed it into my hands. I looked over to my bunk to see Jesse’s assault pack still on my bed. <span style="font-style: italic;">Keawe</span> playfully stood out from behind the nametape.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
From the moment our feet touched American soil for the first time in fifteen months, the assault pack became a backpack. A year later I was in school with the same sand colored bag at my feet . I traded grenades for pens and ammunition magazines for textbooks. Around campus I can spot other veterans of the wars easily; they still carry their assault packs too. They may have moved on to get an education, but they have chosen to carry part of their former lives with them. The burden of readjustment and the malignant feeling of wanting to be back there weigh heavily on their shoulders. The things they carry in their assault packs weigh more than a thousand books.<br />
<br />
Somewhere in the dense palm groves of the Diyala River Valley is my true self. I left behind a boisterous and outspoken personality for a muted and introverted existence in the classroom. I volunteer answers enough to get by with a passing grade for class participation, but I can only yield the topics of Iraq and war to the daftly opinionated classmates that surround me like a pack of oblivious wolves. I was raised in the same era as my peers, but I did not grow up with them. The chasm between us only grows larger when I want to speak up about war, but cannot find the words.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">For those who would NOT serve</span> – the words fade a little more each day. I secretly wish that another veteran will read it, see the dangling 550 cord hanging from one of the buckles and deliver the standard icebreaking question, "So, where were you at?" At least then I could be myself with someone that carries the same load on their shoulders.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/leavethegun/Clipboard01.jpg" /></div>
</div>
Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-71806450692213858922009-11-11T00:13:00.003-06:002009-11-11T01:06:48.233-06:0011/11<div style="text-align: justify;">Today my literature class continues our unit discussion of poetry. The instructor asked us to bring in our favorite poems and read them aloud. I try to sequester the words 'vet,' 'Iraq,' and 'war' from my my vocabulary when I'm rubbing elbows with teenagers and twentysomethings, but I might need to break the habit so they can understand my eyes misting up when reading this:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">In Flanders Fields</span><br />By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)<br />Canadian Army<br /><br /><blockquote>In Flanders Fields the poppies blow<br />Between the crosses row on row,<br />That mark our place; and in the sky<br />The larks, still bravely singing, fly<br />Scarce heard amid the guns below.<br /><br />We are the Dead. Short days ago<br />We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,<br />Loved and were loved, and now we lie<br />In Flanders fields.<br /><br />Take up our quarrel with the foe:<br />To you from failing hands we throw<br />The torch; be yours to hold it high.<br />If ye break faith with us who die<br />We shall not sleep, though poppies grow<br />In Flanders fields.</blockquote><br /><br />Stop by the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/opinion/08alexander.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1">New York Times</a> to read about the price of coming home a marked man. I find a bit of solace knowing that warriors have felt the same way going back a few thousand years.<br /><br />I've been hosting an Army buddy of mine the past few days, and for the first time in a long time, I've been my true self, not the quiet student I've pretended to be. My true self only peeks out from behind the mask when another veteran is there to speak the language and listen to the stories with a knowing smile and a simple nod. They don't change the subject or shy away or languish under the pressure of uttering the I-word or the A-word. They don't secretly wonder when your next outburst or flashback is going to come out. They get <span style="font-style: italic;">it</span>, but the problem is, there are too few around that get it. So each Veteran's Day, the mask stays on until I come across another wearing the same disguise.<br /><br />In between tweets and twats, Facebook status updates and snores, I'm going to read <span style="font-style:italic;">In Flanders Fields</span>, not for me or the instructor or the other students, but for my father, grandfathers and uncle that served honorably so many years ago. I'll read it for my brothers still in the fight, and those who continue the battle long after the guns have fallen silent.<br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-91253545109358796752009-10-28T19:49:00.007-05:002009-10-31T21:26:02.090-05:00Funny Name, Serious Movie<div style="text-align: justify;">When I think of sublime director-actor couplings in cinema the past thirty years, only a few come to mind. Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, The Coen Brothers and John Goodman, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCj8sPCWfUw">Tommy Wiseau</a> and himself. Another pair is sure to join the list: Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon. Greengrass is the shaky cam zen master, taking the helm for the excellent <span style="font-style: italic;">Bourne</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">Supremacy</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Ultimatium</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">United 93</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Bloody Sunday</span>. His new collaboration with his protege is <span style="font-style: italic;">Green Zone</span>, slated for March 10 of next year:<br /></div><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QwwL28vWtIw&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QwwL28vWtIw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">If you're wondering about the title (was <span style="font-style: italic;">REMF For A Dream</span> taken?), it's based on the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Life-Emerald-City-Inside/dp/1400044871">Imperial Life in the Emerald City</a>. I'm assuming very loosely based; no one on earth is enough of a bad ass to live the life of a rejected Greengrass espionage screenplay. I join <a href="http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/">Tom Ricks</a> in hoping it breaks the annual tradition of awful Iraq movies. It would be a good start to the year. If we can get through the release without <a href="http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/28/the-keffiyeh-kerfuffle/">Michelle Malkin feigning outrage</a> about Damon's keffiyeh, I'll call it a win.<br /></div><br /><br /><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/leavethegun/green_zone.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Terrrrrrrorist!</span><br /><br><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">What do you guys think about the trailer? I'm confident in Greengrass' discretion and I'm a fan of Matt Damon. It looks promising if you suspend a bit of that pesky disbelief.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update</span>: <a href="http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=60440">Here's the international trailer</a>, now with 50% more Pentagon conspiracy!<br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-46772298017590301232009-10-21T16:55:00.003-05:002009-10-21T17:07:38.215-05:00Make It Rain!<br /><br /><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/leavethegun/a.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Have you been stop-lossed? Like wads of cash? You can get $500 bucks for every month you were retained by the pleasure of the government. Grab your DD-214 and <a href="https://www.stoplosspay.army.mil">go here</a> to start the registration process. <a href="http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13063">The full press release</a> provides email contacts for alternative routes. You have one year to do this, so get to it!<br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-21624918060353238062009-10-20T18:50:00.001-05:002009-10-20T18:52:18.550-05:00VA to call students to discuss GI Bill, timeshare opportunities in Florida<div style="text-align: justify;">The VA will be conducting a special telephone outreach this week to students enrolled in the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The staff will be ready to answer questions you may have, the most pressing likely being, "Where my money?" But wait, there's more! The full release:<br /><br /><blockquote>Representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will be telephoning Veterans across the country to explain their education benefits under the new Post-9/11 GI Bill and ensure beneficiaries are able to receive payments due them.<br /><br />“The Post-9/11 GI Bill is one of our highest priorities,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “Instead of making people wait to hear from us, we’re reaching out to Veterans, so they can get the money they need to stay in school.<br /><br />”The Department is conducting this outreach as part of VA’s ongoing efforts to ensure delivery of this historic, earned benefit for our Nation’s Veterans. VA is ensuring the large number of Veterans who are attending classes during the fall 2009 semester have received the education benefits they have earned. The calls are scheduled to go to Veterans who have applied for benefits under the new educational assistance program. Those who registered for advanced payments will be called as well, to ensure they received their benefits.<br /><br />To protect the personal identity of Veterans, VA representatives will not ask for any personal information. Information such as birthdates, bank account or social security numbers will not be requested.<br /><br />“Our procedures and policies to provide advanced payments remain in effect,” Shinseki said. “Meanwhile, we’re completing the on-time development of our automated processing system that will ensure timely delivery of checks in the future.”</blockquote><br /><br />I hope the VA reveals its goals for this mass outreach. Will they be flagging cases to resolve specific issues? I imagine it's more like, "On a scale of 1 to 10, please identify the level of blinding rage we've caused you."<br /><br />If you get a call from the VA this week, please let me know the questions asked and and if any issues were resolved.<br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-83121677007777341032009-10-07T19:25:00.005-05:002009-10-07T23:11:31.413-05:00The Defenders Need You<div style="text-align: justify;">If you've been following the news from Afghanistan, then you no doubt have heard about the <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33207216/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia//">Taliban assault on COP Keating</a> that left eight soldiers dead and the outpost destroyed. What the media hasn't told you is that the soldiers stationed at the remote outpost not only lost their comrades but all of the gear inside the base. The American Legion has stepped in and is <a href="https://www.members.legion.org/CGI-BIN/lansaweb?webapp=TALDONATE+webrtn=WR_AFG+ml=LANSA:XHTML+part=tal">currently accepting donations</a> for a relief fund:<br /><blockquote><br />In the battle for Combat Outpost Keating, the men of Bravo Troop 361 Cavalry lost every possession they had, save for the clothes on their backs. Following this blog posting is information on how to donate to the Combat Outpost Keating Relief Fund. These men havelost friends, their outpost, and all their belongings. One soldier who made it out wrote that "most people back home dont even know, no one gives a shit". Well, many of us do. And you can prove it by giving whatever you can. These guys need things like running shoes, and other essentials, as well as some comfort items like iPods and DVD players. The American Legion has kicked in $1000 to start the fund, and your humble blogger will be the first to donate $100. I intend to get these items out by the end of next week. ANY amount you can give, no matter how small will help us prove that we care.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://tankerbabelc985.vox.com/library/post/survivors-in-afghanistan-need-immediate-help---56-surviving-soldiers-lost-everything.html">Tankerbabe</a> has the lowdown on the specific items listed if you'd like to contribute that way.<br /><br />The American Legion blog <a href="http://burnpit.legion.org/2009/10/the-battle-for-cop-keating-and-how-to-donate-to-help-the-troops-of-361-cav/">The Burn Pit</a> has details of the fight. Those guys are some Grade A badasses; they were giving the wounded <span style="font-style: italic;">blood transfusions</span> while pushing back an enemy force at least four times as big. And right now Terry Taliban is in his cave watching season six of the Gilmore Girls on their portable DVD players. For shame. So forgo coffee this week, cook dinner at home and <a href="https://www.members.legion.org/CGI-BIN/lansaweb?webapp=TALDONATE+webrtn=WR_donorinfo+ml=LANSA:XHTML+partition=TAL+language=ENG">kick some money in the fund</a> you cheap bastards. It's the best cause you can find.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update</span>: Tankerbabe says <a href="http://tankerbabelc985.vox.com/library/post/survivors-in-afghanistan-need-immediate-help---56-surviving-soldiers-lost-everything.html">"Mission Accomplished."</a><br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-35436650248868462312009-10-04T13:25:00.002-05:002009-10-04T13:59:57.405-05:00Square One<div style="text-align: justify;">If you picked up your emergency VA check last week but your bank refuses to cash anything written hastily on the back of a cocktail napkin, <a href="http://www1.va.gov/opa/vafeature/cashing_emergency.asp">the VA has a solution</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>VA is soliciting the support of local and national banks to honor and cash these emergency checks written to our Nation's Veteran-students.<br /><br />In many cases these checks are handwritten and could pose concerns of fraud from banks. Therefore, VA has established the following special customer service call-in numbers for banks to verify the validity of any US Bank check brought to them by a Veteran.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1-800-827-2166</span><br /><br />Banks calling these numbers will be connected directly to a VA employee who can access to all necessary information to verify who the check was issued to, the check number and dollar amount of the check, and whether the check was previously cashed or not.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />I hate to say I told you so, but opting for direct deposit would have eliminated this problem. Now veterans are not only relying on the VA, but the good graces of banks to make an exception to their own procedures.<br /><br />Now excuse me, I have a betting pool to collect.<br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-34630525752769461052009-10-01T09:20:00.003-05:002009-10-01T09:38:37.322-05:00Little. Mobile. Different.<div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/leavethegun/Iraq002.jpg" /><br /><br /><br />The Army is <a href="http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4304167&c=LAN&s=TOP">scrapping</a> two heavy brigades for Stryker units:<br /><br /><blockquote>The move to convert two heavy brigades to Stryker units signals the Army's shift toward a lighter, more quickly deployable formation that is infantry-focused and proven to be highly mobile in diverse environments.<br /><br />And it further reduces the Army's number of heavy brigades. Defense Secretary Robert Gates had announced in April that the Army would hold the total number of brigade combat teams at 45 rather than the planned 48, and the Army nixed a plan to grow three heavy brigades.<br /></blockquote><br />I'll say it now: Stryker units are to Iraq and Afghanistan as airborne units are to WWII. The future of irregular warfare is here, and it's on eight wheels.<br /><br />(H/T Sal)</div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-51590190221372783832009-09-30T18:31:00.003-05:002009-09-30T19:37:56.393-05:00Check please!<div style="text-align: justify;">Those students who were about to drive 400 miles to their VA regional office, <a href="http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1790">heed this press release</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Last week Shinseki announced that on Friday, Oct. 2, VA’s 57 regional benefits offices will begin providing on-the-spot emergency payments up to $3,000 to students who have applied for their education benefits but who have not yet received a government payment.<br /><br />Citing the distance many Veterans would have to travel to apply in person at a VA benefits office, Shinseki announced Veterans can also apply online at www.va.gov, starting Oct. 2. The online application will guide Veterans through the process to supply needed information. Shinseki noted that online applicants will receive their emergency payments through the mail after processing.<br /></blockquote><br />That clears up <a href="http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2009/09/closer-look-at-gift-horse.html">question #1</a> from yesterday. No word on question #2.<br /><br />The press release also describes a free van service that departs from your local VA medical facility. So if you drive or take the van, make triple sure you have proof of enrollment (acceptable documentation are vague, so bring your class schedule, enrollment certification letter from the VA and lucky rabbit's foot). Personally I would not want to take the van. In the inevitable event of someone leaving empty handed, waiting around for everyone else to collect would be pretty frustrating. Plus I do not know what is involved in a VA van ride. I imagine filling out three forms, waiting in a line and scheduling an appointment to take a piss at a rest stop.<br /><br />For the cynics, the online registration seems like the safest bet. You don't have to go anywhere and it'll take up to three business days to process. Then it's up to the guiding hand of the US Postal Service. If you register on Friday, you will likely get your check by the end of next week barring any difficulties.<br /><br />I acknowledge that we should never have gotten to the point of emergency checks, but this could be the best solution considering the circumstances. I hope it goes off without a hitch. After the tensions in DC cool, I hope the VA takes a hard look at its program implementation staff and protocol. That they reacted to the crisis with a reasonable solution is commendable. That they had to react in the first place is disconcerting at best. Friend of the blog Ryan <a href="http://rucksacktobackpack.blogspot.com/2009/09/breaking-contact-or-backpack-to-time.html">dropped out of his first semester</a>, and there is no telling how many took out high interest loans just to stay afloat when funds from the VA should have been the least of their worries.</div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-12545751948978556582009-09-29T10:56:00.002-05:002009-09-29T12:52:56.207-05:00A Closer Look at the Gift Horse<div style="text-align: justify;">Not everyone has been impressed with the VA's too little, too late response to the newest GI Bill misadventure. <a href="http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=14701">Jonn</a> from This Ain't Hell brings up salient points about the implementation side of the <a href="http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1783">$3000 dollar payout</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>To get your partial payment of your GI Bill benefits which you earned and filed for months ago, you have to go to one of 57 Regional Offices.<br /><br />I went to SUNY Oswego - my regional office was Buffalo. A four hour drive each way. But not to worry, the same VA who couldn’t get your benefit to you on time will send representatives to your school to arrange transportation to the regional office. How dependable will that be?<br /><br />I can schedule buses, for Pete’s sake - the veterans don’t need an eight hour bus ride (how many buses will be late, and how many veterans will ride for hours to find out their paperwork is screwed up, how many buses will break down?) they need their money that the government has been promising since before the last election!</blockquote><br /><br />A lot of folks were swept up in the news of the VA doing <span style="font-style: italic;">anything</span> that they didn't consider how poorly this plan is being assembled (myself included). I'm one of the lucky few who have been paid under Chapter 33 (thanks to Squeaky Wheel Syndrome), but veterans who haven't been as lucky will need to make the trek to their regional office. Recently resurrected Joe from <a href="http://kbrsecurity.blogspot.com/2009/09/another-day-another-dollar.html">Fobbits Need Ice Cream 2.0</a> notes that he would have to skip school to get what is owed to him (note: the VA cuts you off like a frostbitten leg if you don't keep up good grades). Now, I'm no student of the inner workings of government bureaucracies, but I have two questions:<br /><br /><blockquote>1. Why can't the VA send the checks through mail or direct deposit accounts they already have on file?<br /><br />2. Why can't any VA facility cut a check?</blockquote><br /><br />I don't think of the VA as a health care and benefits distribution service. I think of them as a claims denial service. This action seems to weed out any of those veterans unwilling or unable to make the long drive to their regional office. God help you if you live out in the sticks or don't bring the proper documentation. The more I look at this eleventh hour peace offering, the more it looks like a dead fish. </div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-69439808607054003682009-09-27T11:07:00.004-05:002009-09-27T19:09:46.615-05:00The exception to the USAF pogue ruleMike Yon <a href="http://www.michaelyon-online.com/the-american-pedros-no-nonsense-combat-rescuers.htm">sent this</a> with the words, <span style="font-style:italic;">"These are the guys you needed when you broke your arm."</span> Seriously. It would have been worth the accident to see their bird descend on northbound Mopac and shoot flares at horrified soccer moms. Beats driving yourself to the hospital with a mangled arm in your lap.Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-19308035904189094762009-09-25T17:56:00.005-05:002009-09-25T20:40:13.730-05:00Frogs, checks falling from the sky<div style="text-align: justify;">The VA has taken a huge step forward in righting its wrongs with the GI Bill brouhaha by issuing <a href="http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1783">$3,000 emergency checks to veterans</a> who have yet to receive housing benefits. The money quote:<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Starting Friday, Oct. 2, 2009, students can go to one of VA’s 57 regional benefit offices with a photo ID and a course schedule to request advance payment of their education benefits. Because not all these offices are located near students, VA expects to send representatives to schools with large Veteran-student bodies and work with Veteran Service Organizations to help students with transportation needs.A list of those VA regional offices is available </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.vba.va.gov/VBA/benefits/offices.asp">here</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><br /><br /><br />The VA deserves recognition for this. They've taken a lot of heat for this fiasco, but their decision to take emergency measures was the right course of action. It'll save many veterans from getting tossed out on their ass. Well done.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update</span>: Perhaps my celebration was premature. <a href="http://rucksacktobackpack.blogspot.com/2009/09/breaking-contact-or-backpack-to-time.html">Ryan has dropped out of school</a> due to lack of funds. To say the VA was late on this is a gross understatement. Their negligence is inexcusable no matter how you look at it. I can only hope this debacle will be the last obscene miscalculation they make, but I'm not terribly faithful when it comes to the VA.<br /></div>Alex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.com7