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My mom just forwarded a letter on from my cousin, Andy, who is in Turkey right now. He is career Army in his early 30s. I thought I would post it (hopefully he won't mind). No matter whether we are for or against a war with Iraq, there are soldiers over there who need our support. They are working hard and trying to resolve their own conflicts about what they are doing and many of them are scared.
Hi everyone,
I've just had a chance to catch up with some of my correspondance today and wanted to bring you all up to speed on what is going on. Several weeks ago we were informed that we were going to Turkey. Politics and logistical matters have slowed this down but I've been very grateful for the little extra time I've received to further prepare myself. I know I don't feel myself up to the task of many things that are required of me but I keep trying. But I have also witnessed some amazing things in the last few weeks that further convinces me that there are some very historical changes taking place and to see changes of such magnitude has been quite a humbling experience. But we are also on a war footing to a level I've never seen before or even read about.
This last Monday I was supposed to take command of the 38th Postal Company. I booked a room at a hotel and left for Bamberg on Sunday night to have a little time to myself and to get prepared mentally for the event. I was looking for my hotel when I received a call on my cell phone telling me that the pace just picked up another notch and that all such matters were postponed until further notice. I spent the next day scrambling to recooupe the $500+ that had been invested. This was the start of one of the most intensive and active weeks of my life. I went to work on Monday and found no soldiers present. I was informed that the little detail we'd received to manning vehicles had grown and all the soldiers were in Schweinfurt. I took care of a few personal matters in regard to deployment and then left to visit all my soldiers in Schweinfurt. After I arrived I then realized the heightened speed that we all suddenly found ourselves in. (I had to order several soldiers to go home because they had been loading all equipment onto the railhead and had only 2 hours of sleep over a 4 day period.) I was constantly giving orders and making decisions and found that sleeping was a luxury that that none of us could well afford. (4am to 12am has become the norm.)In the midst of all of this I also had to enforce my first Article 15 (non-judicial military punishment) to a soldier who had been caught using drugs, receive both my anthrax and smallpox vaccination (which had made me very sick), been to pistol range to requalify on the 9mm pistol, and trying to arrange all the affairs of my company so they still have the ability to receive mail after my soldiers and I deploy downrange. I've been expected to know things about deployments and everything concerning my unit that truly would take months if not years to culitivate. I had 4 hours to prepare myself. It's like trying to overhaul the engine of a car as you speed down the freeway going 65 mph.
Yesterday I was returning to Wuerzberg with a fellow commander in my unit when his phone cell went off. He was told he had 4 hours to report and ship off in the advance party. I spent the evening arranging transportation and helping console soldiers. I'm to follow in a few day in the second group. MG Bell, commander of US Army, Europe has told my commander that all mail in Turkey must start from the first day. I'm still working out the details, but the day I step on a plane, a message will be sent across the entire world that the Army Post Office in Turkey has been activated and the tidewave will start. (In the gulf war at the height of the solider density the postal soldiers moved on average 500 tons or mail a day.)
I know we are all apprehensive about the future and many of us don't know how to take all this movement to war and political chaos. I've had to do a lot of thinking on the subject and trying to find answers to all the arguments for and against this conflict. I must admit that I still don't understand the statement that "I'm against war". It's like saying I'm against disease or poverty. The question is "when are we justified in a war?". I wish we did not have to go to war, but I can also tell you from what I've learned through my sources of information that the only thing scarier in this instance is not to go to war. Years ago when I was assigned to a military intelligence unit they war gamed and came up with very similar circumstances to the one we are engaged in. We knew it was coming one of these days, just didn't know the exact time. I only hope I have the fortitude and maintain my good will towards mankind (even toward the French)to make things come out better than they were before. Evil men flourish when good men do nothing and we've done nothing for such a long time.
Please pray for us. I've got a few scared soldiers.
Andy
Hi everyone,
I've just had a chance to catch up with some of my correspondance today and wanted to bring you all up to speed on what is going on. Several weeks ago we were informed that we were going to Turkey. Politics and logistical matters have slowed this down but I've been very grateful for the little extra time I've received to further prepare myself. I know I don't feel myself up to the task of many things that are required of me but I keep trying. But I have also witnessed some amazing things in the last few weeks that further convinces me that there are some very historical changes taking place and to see changes of such magnitude has been quite a humbling experience. But we are also on a war footing to a level I've never seen before or even read about.
This last Monday I was supposed to take command of the 38th Postal Company. I booked a room at a hotel and left for Bamberg on Sunday night to have a little time to myself and to get prepared mentally for the event. I was looking for my hotel when I received a call on my cell phone telling me that the pace just picked up another notch and that all such matters were postponed until further notice. I spent the next day scrambling to recooupe the $500+ that had been invested. This was the start of one of the most intensive and active weeks of my life. I went to work on Monday and found no soldiers present. I was informed that the little detail we'd received to manning vehicles had grown and all the soldiers were in Schweinfurt. I took care of a few personal matters in regard to deployment and then left to visit all my soldiers in Schweinfurt. After I arrived I then realized the heightened speed that we all suddenly found ourselves in. (I had to order several soldiers to go home because they had been loading all equipment onto the railhead and had only 2 hours of sleep over a 4 day period.) I was constantly giving orders and making decisions and found that sleeping was a luxury that that none of us could well afford. (4am to 12am has become the norm.)In the midst of all of this I also had to enforce my first Article 15 (non-judicial military punishment) to a soldier who had been caught using drugs, receive both my anthrax and smallpox vaccination (which had made me very sick), been to pistol range to requalify on the 9mm pistol, and trying to arrange all the affairs of my company so they still have the ability to receive mail after my soldiers and I deploy downrange. I've been expected to know things about deployments and everything concerning my unit that truly would take months if not years to culitivate. I had 4 hours to prepare myself. It's like trying to overhaul the engine of a car as you speed down the freeway going 65 mph.
Yesterday I was returning to Wuerzberg with a fellow commander in my unit when his phone cell went off. He was told he had 4 hours to report and ship off in the advance party. I spent the evening arranging transportation and helping console soldiers. I'm to follow in a few day in the second group. MG Bell, commander of US Army, Europe has told my commander that all mail in Turkey must start from the first day. I'm still working out the details, but the day I step on a plane, a message will be sent across the entire world that the Army Post Office in Turkey has been activated and the tidewave will start. (In the gulf war at the height of the solider density the postal soldiers moved on average 500 tons or mail a day.)
I know we are all apprehensive about the future and many of us don't know how to take all this movement to war and political chaos. I've had to do a lot of thinking on the subject and trying to find answers to all the arguments for and against this conflict. I must admit that I still don't understand the statement that "I'm against war". It's like saying I'm against disease or poverty. The question is "when are we justified in a war?". I wish we did not have to go to war, but I can also tell you from what I've learned through my sources of information that the only thing scarier in this instance is not to go to war. Years ago when I was assigned to a military intelligence unit they war gamed and came up with very similar circumstances to the one we are engaged in. We knew it was coming one of these days, just didn't know the exact time. I only hope I have the fortitude and maintain my good will towards mankind (even toward the French)to make things come out better than they were before. Evil men flourish when good men do nothing and we've done nothing for such a long time.
Please pray for us. I've got a few scared soldiers.
Andy
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