Everyone looks forward to returning to the United States. Especially from a place like this. We sit on verge of redeploying, and though excitement courses through my veins, and the small man in my bread dances with excitement, I have doubt of what's to come.
Today, it was brought to my attention that the people in charge of us would continue to decimate what is known as the Army. Normally, I would bite my tongue on such matters, but seeing how I'm already illegally trapped in Afghanistan past the Army Regulations that are chosen to be obeyed or disavowed at a premium of a higher ranking officials leisure, I have quite a leg to stand on. The disturbing fact of the matter is that your sons, the one's who are supposed to be made men from the Army, much as I myself have become, are not being allowed that opportunity.
This might be difficult to understand. In the civilian world, you go to work and your boss doesn't have to know anything about your personal life. You're late to work once and it's a warning or leniency perhaps, but a chronic problem and you're fired. There are consequences for your negative actions at work. But end of the day on Friday and into the weekend, you're off on your own. If you do 8balls of coke off strippers all weekend, but still show up to work and do your job; you're still going to have a job. In the military though, obviously this is 1)illegal, and 2) we have become so devoted to mitigating any kind of risk that our Soldiers have to give us their weekend plan, and be within an arms reach of their phones at all times. At first, this was a ridiculous idea to me. We are all 18 years or older. Men, or at least trying to become men. There is a certain amount of mistakes you are going to make during these years of being free from the folks. You learn from them though.
This recent development in the world of where I work is disturbing, if not sickening, if not damn near diabolical. It is a contract, for every weekend, that you must outline exactly what it is you are doing. Your free-time, the little of it that the Army doesn't own you for, they now will own you. This is certainly not Army wide, or even to the next level of Brigade. But as I mentioned, you must sign a contract explaining exactly what you are going to slave-ily do over your weekend. If plans change, you have to re-work your contract and sign a new one. If you get arrested, or a speeding ticket, or a jay-walking ticket, or even are reported being in a place that you did not outline on your contract, you are subject to persecution at the digression of the unit. Sick to my stomach for the poor boys, and the poor leaders whose lives are literally going to be managed at a level only known to that of 15 year old's at boarding school; I thank every bone in my body that I'm leaving the unit, already somewhat betrayed by it, and leaving the Army.
When are we going to stop this madness? We are going to try and control guys' lives, expecting that that 18 year old isn't going to do whatever it is he wants anyways? Why not try and help him become a man, have is back when he gets in trouble, arrested, or in a fight. Instead we weaken an already weakening Army in a weakening country, simply because we have our careers to worry about, and our own asses to cover. Fuck this place, I'm out.
the shackles are tight, the truth is raw, the pain is resounding
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