#SOLDIERPORN

operationzeus:

For anyone who has expended a chunk of their lives in a combat zone, especially those who spent a majority of the time at a COP, patrol base, or even a JSS, a part of you gets left behind within the walls.  When we first got to what would later become JSS Comanche, there was a river of sewage blocking the front door to the building to welcome us in to our new living space.  The only way to step over it was with the ramp from the armored vehicles that transported us while ours were en route from Kuwait. It was an empty shell of a building as life within was minimal and the small platoon that did exist was constantly flowing in and out. 

Patrol Base Texas, and the Iraqi Army Station

©Andrew W. Nunn  ”A dust storm rolls over Sadr City, Iraq, as seen from the northwest corner of Patrol Base Texas.”

JSS Sadr City

JSS Comanche

 We slept on the floor for the first few weeks but to tell the truth, I didn’t expect much when it came to sleeping arrangements.  Everything was cluttered; tables and chairs from everywhere was consolidated into rooms we needed, the rooms themselves were small and had build in shelving that needed to be knocked out and carried down. Hell, the windows still needed to be bricked up and towers and walls needed to be added to the motor pool area and around the building itself as we were extremely exposed.  

When you put so much time and energy into a project like that, it doesn’t just become yours, it becomes you. In the end, the place had every amenity that could have been asked for: Beds, showers, two gyms, a kitchen (with cooks) and even an Internet center. Everyone’s collective living spaces all packed into one.  It wasn’t much, but it was home.  The evidence of which lay in the solemn faces of everyone as we were leaving and getting ready to head back to Germany.  It was the most awkward feeling of loss that one can have, when you think about it.  I mean, we were going home home, back to our families and to a place that doesn’t stink like cow shit and ball sweat; yet, the time and energy left behind in that place was now falling behind us, forever. 

©Andrew W. Nunn

 

Sometimes, on hot summer days, I wonder what it looks like now.  Occasionally I check Google Maps to see whether the civilians have taken it back and remodeled it back to the way it was before we came.  When I think about all the other people who spent time in theatre, I wonder what type of a gap was left when they left their temporary homes.  

 

Words - Nathan D. Moldenhauer
Photos - Andrew W. Nunn/Google Maps

operationzeus:

We’ve all been there; you’re sitting on an uncomfortable chair in some place or another when in walks Mr. I’ve deployed over 1,000 times, caught a grenade with chop sticks, and ate baby hearts General Patton himself.  

So what do you do when you run into these people? We all know what you’d like to do and there have been several times where I have come close to it myself; nevertheless, we veterans already have a shitty enough reputation that we have our own themed logical fallacy now and we could really use a break. (Side note – The Rambo Fallacy is starting to pick up steam as a named fallacy that all veterans not only have PTSD but are also dangerous as well.) 

The answer to the question of what to do is honestly situational, but one of the most effective strategies I have found is through peer pressure. Peer pressure can lead to both bad habits and good behaviors and in this instance we’re aiming for the latter. One way that can be done is just being present and making your military knowledge known, even if it’s on the slightest level.  Ask a simple question that could only be asked by a former military member such as a “where were you?” type question.  I have seen this work for others as well as put this to work on more than a handful of occasions where I have encountered loud mouthed logistical branch Reservists. Once they know that at any moment they may get called out on their shit, the likely hood of them shutting up goes up all while saving face and keeping you out of a 30 minute argument on the semantics of the word “combat” goes down.

[All military personnel have the rules of OPSEC ingrained into them. They, more than anyone else, understand what is at risk if the wrong information is exposed along insensitive channels.

It is operational security that ensures the lives and safety of their brothers in arms, regardless of their branch of service. OPSEC doesn’t suddenly vanish when an individual walks away from military service, either. The entire Valerie Plame incident is a prime example, jeopardizing the lives of countless personnel embedded deep undercover. There’s freedom of information, and then there’s careless disregard for the safety of low profile operations. There’s whistleblowing, and there’s treason.

Distinguishing between sensitive information (i.e. a Blackhawk blowing up implies either the death or injury of involved personnel, whose next of kin have the right to be advised of the incident in a respectful and appropriate manner, as opposed to, oh, I dunno, a grainy video on Facebook, for instance) and critical information (that can be used by enemy factions to deploy countering forces or optimally time attacks for highest injury or impact) is the task of Public Affairs personnel and commanding officers. 

Most combat veterans have military records with moderate to extreme amounts of censored information, depending on the level of Top Secret/Classified clearance an individual has. For the average civilian, or even a psychologist who is by field sworn to maintain confidentiality, there is not much that will be visible save for general troop movements or official duty assignments. Time frames are another pertinent feature that play a role in this. The more specific the information about when, and where, troops or forces are mobilizing, the more likely the information risks OPSEC. The Department of Defense’s official media releases are a good place to get an example of this. The scheduled deployment and rotation of troops is publicly announced—their intended location is not. The same with the US Navy’s fleets. Carriers are assigned numbered areas of responsibility which entail large swaths of global regions but never anything specific nor detailed ports of call until sufficient delay has occurred to ensure the safety of the ship or fleet in question.

I find it highly unlikely that any soldier would, without forethought or careful filtering, discuss combat actions, accidents, or the potential death or injury of their fellow servicemembers, especially “something just witnessed.” I would challenge the authenticity of any such individual’s claims to service.

A prime example is a former servicemember I heard of who was SOF during the Vietnam War and self-medicated with alcohol after redeploying home. Despite reckless behavior, he never once served jail sentence for DUI or brawling or public drunkenness. In fact he never spent more than an hour in a holding cell.

All he had to do was say to the law enforcement personnel, “You call General ———— and tell him I’m going to start talking in an hour.”

They could tell you they’d shot someone without risking OPSEC. You want details, now you might have an issue.

The real crux of it, though, is that a member of the Armed Forces who’s looked down the sights of his weapon and squeezed the trigger isn’t going to readily discuss it in detail, and will probably be offended when you ask how many kills they have. It’s an ignorant civilian mistake to ask that question and expect an answer.

The majority of information I post is vetted for OPSEC by the Department of Defense and comes direct from their official media releases. Many of the Soldier Stories that I share have been comparably vetted as they originate with military journalists, combat cameras, etc. The ones that come from average military personnel are no less vetted, and despite the nature of their content, they are more human interest and personal impact than they are military movements and troop strengths, thus they do not risk OPSEC.

There is no cut and dry answer to “what can I be told” but I hope I’ve given an idea of what you won’t be told, and what you shouldn’t expect or demand to be told. And what, in the event that you are told, should perhaps indicate a warning.

To the AD/veteran personnel: If I have been inaccurate or incorrect in anything I’ve stated here, please correct me. This was a “first cup of coffee” info-dump. I’ve made this rebloggable instead of keeping it at an ask because I think this is a very important conversation for everyone to have, and I’d like to encourage discussion. -R]