Friends being deployed
 

I just found out that a really good friend of mine is being deployed on Monday. She has no idea of where she is going or how long she will be there. Hopefully she will be doing homeland security, but I don't know if her unit will be that lucky. It's really scary to me that she is going to possibly be over in Iraq. So I guess the point of this thread is just a place for everyone to say good luck to friends and family that are being deployed.

I had two cousins [a Marine and one in the Navy] get deployed in the past three weeks and I have a feeling more of my family will get called up soon. I have lots of family in the military and over the years I've made a lot of friends in the military, so it's scary to know that they may be off to an "unknown destination" soon.

My prayers are with them and for their families for a safe return.

I just found out that a very close friend of mine is being deployed very shortly. I don't know what i'm going to do without him to talk to every night. i'm praying for a quick return for everyone who is being sent overseas...and i'm wishing this whole thing would just blow over, although I know it's gone too far.

Well, my best guy friend was shipped out on January 3. He is somewhere far away, but he got email for ten days, so he emailed me to tell me he was safe. That helped. I am so scared for him. I can't help but worry and I heard his voice when he left telling me his unit was being called up. He is so scared, and I am not there with him. I feel like a terrible friend. So while he had email I sent him funny stories about what was going on here, making fun of my love life and his too. I tried to keep things light hearted but inside I wanted to tell him about all the prayers I have said and all the times I have called his cell phone to hear his voice on his voicemail, but now it is shut off. I was driving down the road the other day and two people were standing there with signs that said "We stand for peace" and I started bawling.

Meanwhile my cousin had to give his new wife and mom and code word for when he gets shipped out from Italy (any day now). How weird is that.
His code... "I just bought two cartons of cigarettes at the store". Boo hiss!

Well, my best guy friend was shipped out on January 3. He is somewhere far away, but he got email for ten days, so he emailed me to tell me he was safe. That helped. I am so scared for him. I can't help but worry and I heard his voice when he left telling me his unit was being called up. He is so scared, and I am not there with him. I feel like a terrible friend. So while he had email I sent him funny stories about what was going on here, making fun of my love life and his too. I tried to keep things light hearted but inside I wanted to tell him about all the prayers I have said and all the times I have called his cell phone to hear his voice on his voicemail, but now it is shut off. I was driving down the road the other day and two people were standing there with signs that said "We stand for peace" and I started bawling.

Meanwhile my cousin had to give his new wife and mom and code word for when he gets shipped out from Italy (any day now). How weird is that.
His code... "I just bought two cartons of cigarettes at the store". Boo hiss!

We all should do that. I certainly do. But it likely won't happen. That's not how wars work.

That may be why many of us who have gone through a war, want to be ABSOLUTELY sure that all of the other possibilities have been exhausted before the first official shot if fired.

Most GCers, if they remember a war at all, think of the first Mid-East war in which there were only 100, or so, US casualties. I would argue that we didn't really finish that campaign, because Saddam's government wasn't toppled.

Unfortunatley, that isn't the way it usually works. In Vietnam, we had over 50,000 KIA's and hundreds of thousands of injuries. Everyone knew someone who was serving, was killed or seriously injured. A man in my high school class was killed within months of graduation.

When we go to war this time (I wish I could say "if," but it appears the administration is hell bent on it's course), I fervently pray that it is a quick and decisive campaign, run by our professional military -- and not a protracted, politically controlled event that leaves the path open for more conflict in the future.

From what I know, my 2 Big in Phi Sig's finace is being sent somewhere

My Ex (in the same fraternity as my 2 bigs bf!) is on leave from Belgum right now

My TBS grand little's dad is being sent to Germany...

I HATE WAR!

We have a few alums who are active and probably already over there... We have one brother that's a reservist and hasn't been put on alert yet. I don't really know if that's good since a coworker of mine wasn't on alert and then suddenly got the phone call. 2 days or so later he's in Kuwait.

That sucks.

:(

A good friend of mine is in the Navy. Because of the nature of her position, it's very unlikely that she'll be sent anywhere - but a lot of her friends with whom she serves have been deployed. I'm glad she will be out of harm's way... but she wishes she were with them.

:( Thats really sad. I feel awful for her.

friends being deployed
 

Couple of thoughts from one who has been recalled to active duty. In this day and age we have an all volunteer military, both regular and reserve. No one who is in the service can complain about being called upon to do that which we volunteered to do. Please don't moan about how terrible it is for us to be called up to serve our country, it is what we steped forward to train for and now, perhaps, to actually do. No one wants war, no one in their right mind loves war, but please be mindful that those who are willing to go in harms way are there because they undertook to be there when called. We are well equiped, well trained, and ready to do what soldiers do. Hopefully those who are not our friends will see that it would be most unwise to confront this all volunteer force. Hopefully it will not come down to an actual shooting match. But come what may we are ready.
From what I have seen so far we are dealing with a mad dog who has often supplied nasty items to many terrorist groups. It seems to me that when the President said, right after 9/11, that his aim was to root out international terrorism wherever it was hiding, it makes pretty good sense to shut down the supermarket where these thugs get their nasty toys.
Since returning to the Green Machine I have run into a good sized number of recalled reservists who all agree that nobody drafted any of us, we are here because we said we would be here. Law School can wait a bit, we have to be about our Uncle's business, Sam that is.
dekeguy
Captain, USAR

dekeguy~
I think most of us are just worried about our friends, families, loved ones. I've been dating a guy in the military on and off for a while, and while i'm happy for him that he's going to do what he wants to do, I'm scared to death for him as well. He flew me down to see him last weekend because we don't know when we'll see each other again, and all i could think of was how he was going to fight. As i said, we just want our loved ones to be safe and come back to us. No one is saying (at least i'm not) that they should or should not want to do their duty as members or the armed forces. Good luck with whatever you are called to do. We will all be thinking of you i'm sure.

I just received an e-mail from a friend of mine who I've known since 9th grade. After our high school graduation he enlisted in the Army and made it a career. He's now a platoon sergeant in one of the helicopter maintenance companies in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (160th SOAR 'Nightstalkers' - the chopper pilots involved in the movie Black Hawk Down). He just got orders to deploy to Kuwait. How long... who knows?

Hadn't seen him in about 20 years though we occasionally keep in touch via e-mail or phone. Was hoping to see him for my high school's 20-year class reunion this summer but unfortunately with war looming on the horizon, he might not be able to attend.

My prayers are with him to make it safely through... and NIGHTSTALKERS DON'T QUIT! (The 160th's battle cry.)