The son of an old comrade in arms
 

...dropped in today and we had a nice visit. He is a W3...and flies Chinooks as well as Black Hawks. He is on emergency leave from Iraq...as his mother is dying. He has served two tours in Afghanistan and is currently serving his second tour in Iraq. Before becoming a helicopter pilot he was a Ranger for six years. He is scheduled to rotate back to the CONUS in a month or so and will be an instructor until he ships out again to either Afghanistan or Iraq as it does not appear that we be leaving either country in the foreseeable future.

:thumbsup

you must have an extremely empty life... when in the end, your whole identity and sense of self, becomes fully centered on a couple years in the military.

I am at attention and I return the salute. :thumbsup

More than a "couple of years"...sport.

Those couple of years are some of the most significant that anyone could hope for.
There is no experience like it and it speaks volumes to others that have experienced it as well.

If flying advanced military helicopters and serving many years and many overseas tours for a country you're proud to be a citizen of is an empty life, then please do describe what a fulfilling life is.

I was born into a military family...and come from family with a long military history...and the "couple of years" was 12 years. Much to my regret my career was ended during operation Desert Storm. If not for that I would still be serving. I suspect that you are still on active duty...:thumbsup

pathfinder flew helicopters?

Oh yes, I know that all of that doesn't fit into only a few years. Although it feels like that when it's happening. I'm on 5 years now... don't know where the time has gone.

I'm confused about your question. Are you asking if I'm Pathfinder qualified? Or if I fly?

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ADG

anyone leading a truly fulfilling life doesn't spend their days dwelling on the past, what they did, where they were, who they were with and what happened. they spend their days looking forward to the future and what is to come. forward, is where truly happy people are looking. always.

continually looking back is the behavior of someone who is truly unhappy with their life and where they feel they're going. someone who knows deep down that they have nothing left to offer the world, nor will they.

and i'm not a big fan of people throwing their military service around as if it's supposed to make them a better person or should be more respected than the single mother of 3 who works 18hrs a day to do the right thing... which this guy continually does.

i'm not one of those guys who grants automatic "hero status" to some idiot just because they found themselves without direction in life or with little hope for a bright future so they took the easy way out, opting the free food, free housing, free training, free education, free money for education and so on. you're not a hero until you do something heroic. until then, your just an employee doing your job.

a hero is someone who made sacrifices for the opportunity to fight and took that risk for the benefit of others and did so when it was unnecessary and where he had a lot to lose.

for me.. you don't get to be a hero, nor have you earned my respect by just being born some broke, shiftless, genetically disadvantaged fuck who had nothing to give up to begin with, so you went with someone made you run a few laps and gave you a knife and m-16 and sent you oversees, before you ended up in jail.

this guy claims to be an injured combat vet... judging from everything i've seen him write... its far more likely that he wounded himself and those around him, than the enemy wounding him.

:2 cents:

I will respond to you...this one time troll (that is all you are)...and ordinarily I do not respond to trolls. My father was career military when I was born. His father before him and his father's father were career military. All I ever desired to be...from a very young age...was to be a soldier. My career was cut short in '92...when I was forced to accept a medical discharge. Since I was injured in '91 during operation Desert Storm...I have lived with mind numbing pain every day...24/7...pain that most people simply could not tolerate. Combine that with the fact that I have been unable to practice my chosen profession for the past 17 years...yes I am a very unhappy and lead an unfulfilled life. Virtually every day since I was injured in '91...I have considered blowing my brains out just to end the pain. It is a struggle for me to make it through a 24 hour day. Because of the pain...I cannot sit very long at a time...I cannot stand very long at a time...I cannot walk very far at a time...I cannot sleep more than a couple of hours at a time. Since I left the L.A. area and since I have sold off my business and all of my real estate holdings...I have gone into retreat and do not do anything other than dabble in websites...take my dog and myself fishing and camping from time to time.

So yes...you have me figured out...I do not live a happy...fulfilling life...and my future is...I am awaiting death...thank you very much. You are now permanently dismissed...you no good trolling motherfucker.

There is the old saying that if you don't know where you come from you can't know where you are going.

People looking back fondly on their lives and remembering the people they have known and the places they have been as well as the events of their lives is what shapes the future for people as they move forward. A person can be a positive person, looking forward and aiming for the future and what it will bring and still have some roots anchored in their past.

Anyone who can truly just forget their past and the people/places/events that shaped it and who can shrug off the people in their lives to move forward are a little sociopathic and I would imagine if they truly dug into themselves they would find out they aren't as happy as they have convinved themselves they are.

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ADG

You rank right up there with CDSmith when it comes to common sense. What is the latest about getting your book published?

there is a huge difference between having fond memories and reminiscing and building an identity from those memories that retards your ability to move past those moments.

http://www2.nwanews.com/blogs/slopho...uncle-rico.jpg

Is that good or bad? :)

Basically, the book is at the publisher, the editor likes it so she will be presenting it to the higher ups and they will make the final decision. I should know more solid info in the next 1-2 weeks. In talking with my editor it sounds like she will suggest to them that they publish it next spring. With Christmas coming there are a lot of big name authors putting books out and they don't want me to get lost in the shuffle. They think the spring will be the best time to help me develop a readership and hopefully the economy will be more on the mend then so people may have a little more disposable income or are be more willing to spend their money and take a chance on someone pretty much unknown. But things are looking good.

I would agree with that, but from what I understand theking's situation is not typical. I take him at his word when it comes to his injuries and if you live a life filled with pain you do whatever it takes to get through the day. I have been lucky enough to not have anything like that happen to me, but I have known people who have suffered major injuries and not only causes you physical problems it fucks with your head in a serious way. When ever hour of every day is a struggle, just finding some happiness can be a major chore and if that happiness comes in the form of remembering your past and the people/places/events from it, then so be it.

It is a good thing. It sounds like good progress with the book. :thumbsup