Sure, it doesn’t seem so bad when you get a chance to sit in some AC (that shit exists?), get some hot chow (it comes out of a plastic sealed box, with a shelf life of 20 years), and take a hot shower (if the water sits in the damned bag for 5 hours, in direct sunlight) then it’s really not so bad.

The only real thing we have to look forward to, is the next patrol. Another chance to kill the bastards that made us come here in the first place, that’s a real treat. I don’t like killing people, but when you threaten everything I love, and make me come live some place I truly hate; yeah we’re going to have some problems buddy.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have Afghanistan, but I hate living in filth, next to people who won’t even lift a finger for their own country. I could pick up every piece of trash, clean every surface I see; but tomorrow, it would be just as fucked up as it is now… if not worse.

I love America, I love my family… my beautiful wife and daughter, and I love freedom. These people have lived in fear of their own government for so long, they have no concept of freedom, law, liberty, or righteousness. Perhaps they like it that way. Whatever their motivations, they have no intention in picking up the pieces. It’s time to go home. We’re done here.

To the great and recently departed LT W. We love you, and you will remain in our thoughts and prayers forever. You were a great leader, an excellent soldier, and a reliable brother. God rest your soul.

Please email me with any issues you have.

David.

When I called Strayer Univ. up and asked a plethora of questions concerning enrolling, plans, classes, finances, situations, etc, Dustin had the answers. If he didn’t know it directly, he could get the information I needed. He guided me through every step through enrollment. The only thing I had left was to apply for a Pell grant to cover my books. Dustin even provided the forms and steps necessary to complete that project. So what happened?

Why did Dustin get fired? If it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have enrolled in the first place. My guess is there must have been some inner-circle disagreement. Jealousy usually plays a part in these situations; and power-trips usually follow. I will have no part of that, and therefore I am retracting my enrollment into Strayer Univ and I will take my military benefits and educational endeavors elsewhere. Good Day Strayer University. Good Luck Dustin.

Crank 2 [dvd] (4/5)
9 [cinema] (3/5)
GAMER [cinema] (7/5) or on a scale of 1-10… 11

OPSEC is key to the survival of our nation’s defenses. What does this mean? OP SEC means Operational Security. It means you shouldn’t talk about anything that our enemies could use to hurt our soldiers. Got a friend deploying soon? Getting ready to go yourself? Keep it off of your blog. It’s easy enough to find out what unit you’re from, and our deployment dates already end up on the news, but you don’t need to help spread problems more.

What does this mean? It means precisely this; shut the hell up.

When you find out your uncle is about to go to Iraq, shut up. When you find out your unit you just transferred to is going to Afghanistan, shut the hell up. When you find out your buddy got shot, or someone in your family is wounded, shut the F#*& up. Why? Because:

You just told the enemy what unit is where. You just gave up to the enemy’s intelligence agents where their attacks were effective, how effective, and also, you gave yourself up as a domestic target. Not to mention you just made everyone who’s already busting their ass to keep you safe work that much harder to protect their own ass just to stay alive long enough to see their families again.

I’m in the Army, that much is obvious. This means yes, I will deploy. When, where, how long, and what I’m doing over there? Do you really think I’m going to make it that easy? Sure, you could do a web search and find most of that info out by yourself, but it doesn’t mean I’ve got to make it easy. Every tidbit of information that every single person gives up makes it THAT much easier for someone who wants to hurt us/you to “google” it and mess our lives up.

A simple “I’m alive” message or “he’s alright” tweet is enough. When he/she gets home, or when YOU get home, you can gab and talk and share all of your experiences all you want. Our enemies can’t get nearly as much relevant information from old war stories. Save it, keep an encrypted journal on your laptop. Be smart about it.

I keep a TON of information on the web, about myself and what I do… but I don’t share trade secrets, or critical information someone could use to hurt my family, myself, or my friends. <3