Nice Shower Cap
Well as you can tell we have not been too busy lately. We recieve care packages from random people who just want to show their gratitude to soldiers. One of them had a shower cap in it which I thought was preaty funny considering we dont really have much hair. Anyway, it was a slow day and I am a goof ball so there you have it....me in a shower cap.
Well the damn Iraqi's seem bound and determined to start a civil war. They seem to have shifted gears slightly and are attacking each other when they are not busy attacking us. Today the sunni's blew up a Shitte holy site and of course then the shitte's had to attack the sunni holy sites and on and on. It is hard to be possitive when they keep doing this crap. I know that there are alot of people in this country who want peace but they seem to get drowned out by the extremists on all sides. My main hope was that the time I was away from Marissa and Grant could be justified by the possitive lasting impact we could have on generations of Iraqi's. My feelings about Bush, Rumsfeld, the justification of the war were not important to me anymore. I really did hope that we could make a difference in these peoples lives. I do not hold out any hope of that anymore. Sadly now all I hope to accomplish over here is to get as many soldiers,sailors, marines and airmen back to their loved ones safe and sound. I care nothing for the big picture anymore because to me the big picture has changed. Now the big picture is much more focused...accomplish my mission, look out for the soldier on my right and my left and get home safe to my family.
I wish I had some ray of hope to offer to you back home but I really dont. It is up to the Iraqi's to make this work, nobody else. Sorry to make the bulk of this post in such stark contrast to the fun lighter tone at the start but the blog flows from me as my thoughts do. I try my best to not filter my thoughts and to lay them out as they come so that you may be able to feel what i feel.
I also want you to know that while I may be a tad bit pessimistic about this endeavor, I am in good spirits. I can be that way because I focus on the day to day and enjoy the companionship of those I serve with. In the midst of this crappy place there is friendhip and laughter and sometimes even joy. So if I can have fun.....quit complaining and enjoy life to the fullest or i'll be ticked!
posted by John Baker @ 6:49 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Hi John, as we prepare to send our baby off to war, we have debated the same issues that you express in your blog. I think that only time will reveal the nature of our role in Iraq. Good or bad, we have a job to complete. Luke recognizes that and commits only to the soldiers with whom he will serve. My hope is that this experience will spawn a generation of passionate, compassionate, and intelligent leaders who can guide this country through the troubled waters ahead (we'll all be ass-deep in troubled waters soon if we don't do something about the depletion of polar ice). Just know that we recognize and honor you for the sacrifices you've made and pray for your safe return home. The shower cap looks good on you. When I was a kid we had air raid drills and hid under our school desks to protect us from nuclear holocaust. Maybe the shower cap was sent by someone in the government for the purpose of protecting you from mortar fire. Kathy (the mother-in-law)
That picture of you sick in the hat. That's the john i know and love. Glad you are feeling better. Be safe.
Kespohl
My commitment to serve is not dimminished one bit. I still feel that there is value and honor in what we the soldiers do here. Its just at this point it is more abstract. The value and honor come from chosing to serve and fufilling your mission to the best of your abilities. The problem is not with the rank and file soldier. The problem is with the decisions our leadership has made. I think its too late for us to complete the job. Too much has gone wrong that unless the Iraqi's do their part to end the violence we do not have the moral highground with them to force peace upon them. They do not trust us because the decisions our leadership has made for decades has shown them that we are only acting in our self interest. I too hope that out of this experience we spawn a generation of leaders who are passionate about service of something biger then themselves. I also hope that people will actually learn the lessons this time which we apparently did not learn from vietnam despite our decades of handwringing over our failure there. I believe in what I do because I believe that honor and service are important values that our country would do well to rediscover. I want Grant to be able to see by example that there are more important things in life then just trying to get a good job to make more money. I am proud that in our combined family we have a strong tradition of service to others.
Hopefully, whatever the outcome of this was turns out to be, it will spur people to action. Our country has become armchair quarterbacks of our own country. Maybe this will get people off the couch and into the game.
John
I have to assume that you did not intend to call the Shi'ites shitte. That was a typo, right? (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Now to be serious......I can understand your frustration and you have the right to feel it.
Sometimes I wonder if in order to truly fix something, it has to be torn apart. If you don't tear it apart you are just patching things up but unfortunately you can never quite keep up. I hate that soldiers and marines are losing their life. I hate the innocent Iraqi children are caught in the middle of such a tragic situation. We have to ask ourselves what these people are dying for. I still have hope that there's an answer to that somewhere in the future.
What it really comes down to it, you just have to ask yourself why YOU are there. You aren't there to hurt anyone. You aren't there to make things worse for anyone. You are there because you care, not only about your family but about all the people in this world. The politics and the bad news in Iraq don't make me any less proud of what you are doing. I think the most ignorant cliche I've ever heard is "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." How foolish, cynical and ignorant that statement is. Not to sound like a total hippie, but the road to harmony is paved with people willing to give every bit of themselves to others. When it's all said and done, I know you well enough to know that you did that. I know that you know that but I also know it's important to hear.
And yes, the leadership of this country (previous and current) made mistakes, mistakes that make you want to beat your head against the wall. The fact that you are even expressing this in your blog leads me to believe you are extremely frustrated with the situation. Try to remember, you didn't decide to serve your country based on the status quo. You decided to serve your country based on what your country has the potential to be (and that will always hold true, even in the best of times).
When it comes down to it, you just have to say, "Humans! What a bunch of freaking morons!"
How 'bout those Tigers?! Huh?! I mean, really, did you see Quinn hair at the press conference? John, you write your thoughts and feeling well, but do it looking like a furry Jiffy-Pop bag. It is kinda like hearing your test results through a drive-thru speaker. Gotta go, American Idol is on. What?! Take care, hurry up and get back to keeping us up on the day to day stuff you do. That means alot more to me. I can relate to it and can see it in my mind. The other stuff gives me a headache since you didn't include cartoons. Love, Your Big Bro
Personally, I think it's wonderful that you feel comfortable expressing your feelings about what you are going through. When it comes down to it, it's not the day to day work that makes you a soldier, it's the sacrifice that you make. You leave your family, your friends, your life, your child, your dog, your home, every single thing that you know. That is your life, not what you do on your job.
When I think back to the stories my grandfather told me about his time in Korea, he talked very little of the day to day occurances. He spoke more about what it meant to him to be doing what he was doing and the conflicts he had inside him.
What do you think those guys at the VFW hall are talking about? Something tells me it's not all about what they did on June 6, 1944, but how they feel about what they saw.
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