Going Through the Motions

Well, I am another step closer to my future glorious experience in Iraq. I have completed the Combined Logistics Captains Career Course (CLC3) and now I am just patching up all the little details that need to be taken care of before I head out to Kansas and eventually to Iraq.

I have been trying to see my loved ones and let them know that I am going to be safe and happy even though I am going to be so far from them. I just returned from Puerto Rico where I saw my parents for only a weekend but the time spent with them was more special than it has ever been before. There’s something very somber about seeing your loved ones before you head out to war. Even though you hope for the best, you want to make sure you tell them you love them because you don’t know if you won’t have the opportunity to do it later.

Many things have changed—politically speaking—since my first post. The opposition—as they call it in other countries—has been questioning and demanding better answers as to what is our objective in Iraq and how is the administration planning to achieve it. So far, the response is not clear; all we know is that we will stay there until they are able to manage their situation.

It is hard not to feel frustrated when, even though most Americans will like us to find a way out of Iraq, we continue to hear the same answer in which we will “stay the course.” I heard somewhere—and concur—that we are creating a “culture of dependency” in Iraq. Why would you go and be self sufficient when, for example, your parents will provide everything for you without a time constraint? Be honest, most of us will take advantage of the free ride and that seems to be the situation right now with Iraq and the U.S.

Some of my questions are:

• Is it a bad strategy to give a timeline to the Iraqi government to get a hold of their country and thus allow our troops to come home and stop the spending on nation building?
• Is this cause worth more than 3,000 American troops’ lives and more than 20,000 injured—or the amount of Iraqi non-combatants killed or injured?
• Would our top government officials send their sons and daughters—of enlistment age—to fight for what they so adamantly have defended for the past four years?
• Are war supporters that are sitting at home watching the news more patriotic than me, who thinks that we should get a plan to redeploy our troops nevertheless I will still go and serve my country and fulfill my duty?
• What makes a soldier more eligible to die for his/her country than those who are born in “old money”?

As I pack my things and ponder about the next 18 months of my life, I cannot help but to long for real answers because I want it to make sense.

Bipolarity...

It is official, I am heading to Iraq to help with our Country's effort in traning the Iraqi Army. My feelings...well, it's like suffering from a bipolar disorder. One side of me thinks that this is the perfect way for me to do my part as a soldier and help with some kind of exit strategy. The other side of me thinks this is another futile attempt to fix a situation that could be easily described as unfeasbile. In general my feelings on the matter are ambigous...

For the past 4 months or so, I have been in training to become a superior logistician. Have I learned what I need to be successful in my next assignment? That can be debatable. Although I know that by nature I will adapt and overcome whatever hand is dealt to me, a constant fear of incompetence and of making a costly mistake lingers in the back of my mind. I think I attest for most soldiers in my situation that the murkiness of our mission is creating an immense amount of disgruntlement among soldiers that otherwise would love to serve their Country as long as it was necessary. We have been chosen to be Logistical Advisors and Battalion Staff Advisors to the Iraqi army as part of a Military Transition Team. Keep in mind this was performed by the Special Forces but because of the overwhelming requirements—a simple supply and demand prototype—we have been picked to do the same job with much less training.

One can only imagine the training a Special Forces soldier has to endure in order to be proficient in his/her job. I mean, really, this is no joke. As an advisor to the forces of a country we are trying to put together—one can say “from scratch”—it is imperative to be a subject matter expert in your field. Any mistakes can unshackle a serious of devastating events along with the ‘ol so good blaming game. Fully aware of this then,... why are we allowing people that are not the subject matter experts, people that don’t have the training the elite Special Forces have, to conduct the same job? How can a newly pinned Captain that has mostly serve previously as a Platoon Leader—maybe have some staff experience when a Lieutenant—teach a Major what to do with his battalion?

The awful truth is that no matter how many great intentions we have, if we don’t have the proper training we will fail at this also. Albeit most advisors go and do their time without any major complaints, at this point of time, it is evident that there’s has been no real progress. Some progress,…yes, but no real progress.

This war is not close to home anymore, it is home to me.

Here's an article from CNN that gives some information about MiTT or you can watch a preview of the video but you can only see it once a day so make sure you have time to watch it when you click on the link.