My feelings on the last post

I have heard from numerous people that America is not going to continue to be the world’s superpower, at the rate things are going. The article in the previous post are leading me to believe that this is the case. I believe that Americans are a spoiled people, myself included. We like things to go “our way”, very similar to a 5 year old child. We civilian workers have been asked to do “more with less” numerous times, and we have met this demand with much grumbling and complaining. However, we know that we “have to” perform a little bit harder this year, than we did, oh, say two years ago. However, a lot of individuals join the National Guard and Reserves, thinking, “What the heck, it’s only a weekend every month, and two weeks sometime in the summer?” We all know that there is a remote chance that we will be called into active duty, but the statistics show that the odds are against it. We are allowed to keep our regular, full time jobs, and live lives that civilians lead. We are led to believe this by the recruiting styles we see on television. However, now they seem to be changing the rules. The Army has now decided to change their minds, and tell these individuals that they are going to be away from their families and loved ones even longer than they had planned on when they left. Not only does this dishearten our Guardsmen and Reservists, it also leads them to believe that they cannot take anything the “higher ups” tell them at their words. It also creates legal dilemmas. I don’t know the statistics, but I would think that most of these troops have provided power of attorney to their spouses, significant others, or another family member. When I was in the Air Force, power of attorneys were made out for a specific period of time. I believe one could chooose to have a power of attorney without an “end date”, but it was highly discouraged, in case of divorce, or something else that “came up” during the time the serviceman was away. All of the Guard and Reserve troops (God Bless them!) who went over to fight in this war, were activated for a specific period of time. I believe most, if not all, were activated for 1 year. Maybe I am being optimistic, but I believe they were all advised to give their power of attorneys for that period of time. Now, however, they are being told that they have to extend that period of time, to a full year of service IN Iraq, as well as the time spent in preparation and WAITING to be deployed, and being debriefed upon their return. This could add 1 to 6 months onto their activation period. Maybe I am being pessimistic here, but a LOT can happen in 1 to 6 months! I don’t know how easy it is to get an extension on a power of attorney, or getting it to the correct individual who needs it, but it sure does seem to be a lot of unnecessary BS, because some freaking ignorami don’t realise that we have just come to their rescue and want to continue to live in fear and create fear in everyone around them.

This is just one thing that came to my mind when I read that article. The rest were more personal.

I HATED to read that article. I don’t like to use the word “hate” very often, because it is a very strong word, and I don’t like the connotation involved with it. However, this new “ruling” by the Army affects me personally. As you all know, my younger brother is in the National Guard, and is serving in Iraq as we speak. The congressman from our homestate, where my younger brother and his family reside, has gone to bat for his Guardsmen, fighting for a definite time as to when the men will be home, with their families. I know this for a fact, because my mother went to see him while I was there for our family reunion. He has continually been in contact with the wives of the troops, and has been personally fighting for a “date” as to when the men would come home. I guess they now have a somewhat rough estimate answer. One year from the time they LEFT American soil to go over there, plus a period of time for debriefing, however long that may be. I’m sure it is NOT the answer that a single dependent had been hoping for. Not to mention family members, friends, and just citizens concerned about their neighbors, and heroes. I received an email just today about thanking our Military personnel. Sorry, but this is ONE HELL OF A WAY to thank them, and make them feel good.

My younger brother has missed almost a full year of his youngest (and last) child’s life, and before he is able to come home, he will have missed probably three fourths of his youngest son’s life. Some may think that it’s okay, because he signed up for it, but I will argue that fact now. He did know that there was a possibility of it, but that possibility was remote. I have been arguing FOR this war for most of it. I believe it was necessary to go over and oust Saddam Hussein, whether we find the WMD or not. However, when the Army, or any other branch of the service screws with the lives of their backbone like this, I get pissed off. My younger brother, if I am not mistaken, has 3 years left before he can retire, and receive a pension from his years of military service. I do not know the amounts, or much about it right now, but I do know that he is going to sit down and think, long and hard, about whether or not he will remain a National Guardsman. I was in the Air National Guard for a year after I got out of the Air Force. If I stayed living in the area I lived in at the time, I would probably still be in the National Guard today. (barring any “outings” that may have happened, and the repercussions that may have ensued) I would be out of the National Guard before my feet hit American soil again, if this were happening to me!

Another thing I think about is the other lives this will affect. My younger brother is a high school teacher. His school, and students have been very supportive of his service, and have offered assistance to my sister in law (who, btw, is very stubborn and self sufficient) in any way possible. However, his position needed to be filled while he was away. I know his is not the only position that had to be filled by Guardsmen called to active duty. His replacement didn’t have a job one day, then, because of his call to service, she had a job the next. She didn’t know how long it was for, so she knew that the salary could end at any time. She will have worked in his position for over a year, most likely a year and a half by the time he returns to “take over”. I figured it would be somewhere around April when he returns. Are they going to “oust” her, and let him jump in to finish out the school year, just because she is a “substitute”? Or will she finish out the school year, leaving him without salary for the period when he is first adjusting to life at home again?

I’m so ticked off, I don’t want to think about this. I may be wrong, but I am blaming this on President Bush. The more I learn, the more I want him out in ’04. I was never a supporter, but I am now much more determined. The idiot must go! Too much has been lost because of him. Too much that can NOT be regained.