"Voodoo 1....Out"

A year in the desert can do an awful lot to change a mans perspective on the world and things around him. Over a year ago my main goal was just to get home to my wife and kids and carry on with my life, maybe try to live the same way I did before the war. Easier said than done, I'm back in the good ol U.S. of A and I gotta admit I'm pretty nervous about going home to my family. Friends ask if I'm different and I always say I'm still the same old me but in a lot of ways I'm not and will never be. Don't get me wrong I don't think I'm suffering from PTSD or anything but I think the years experiences have definetly given me a whole new outlook on life. A lot of Americas young men had it worse than I did out there but, the IED's and small arms fire I recieved were enough to wake me up and realize that I shouldn't take life for granted.

I'm pursuing a career as a financial analyst when I get home and am hoping that my son doesn't get the bug to follow in his fathers footsteps the way I did. Three years are left on my contract and I will finish those up in recruiting back home, I should finish my degree in a year and hopefully get my masters by the time it's over.

Sometimes when you see the change coming in life it gets hard to brace for the impact that it brings but, I think I'm ready for this. America has gotten eleven solid years out of me and will have fourteen by the time my contract is over. So close to hitting twenty and getting out with a pension, but I can't do that to my family again. The hardest job in the Army is the job of the spouses and kids. The families are the ones who keep it together and provide the encouragement that keeps guys like me going. My wife should have gotten my medals.

Bad Voodoo's War was another big highlight or lowlight of the year depending on who you talk to. Did I like the movie? Yes I did. The movie was well made and if I was never in the military or had never been to Iraq I wouldn't be able to pick it apart like some people have. Do I think a lot of it was pushed or acted? sure I do, some of it was a little over the top but, if you knew SFC Nunn then you would know he had a flair for the dramatics, but all documentaries and movies are made from someone's perspective and there is no denying that the movie was flat out good. I had a hand in some of the events but after that first IED almost killed my friends I banned Shaw from filiming in my vehicle anymore. Taping funny stuff was ok but nothing while on mission. I didn't want to be responsible for filming one of my soldiers getting wacked by the enemy. Wives, son, daughters, mothers, and fathers watched that movie and I'm positive that if one of us died on camera it would have been aired to add to the drama. My men are not drama they are soldiers and have families who do not always understand why we do the type of job that we do, no film is that important.

In a crazy way I'm going to miss the Middle East, it was interesting to learn about thier culture. I guess some places just grow on you. I had a couple of call signs through the year I started with "Voltron" from the cartoon I watched in the 80s growing up. After a couple of IED's and a lot of bad luck the guys changed it to "Routes Red" which is the saying for when the roads are undrivable due to enemy contact or severe weather, I never really liked that one but that was my most used. My official call sign was  "Voodoo 1" Bad Voodoo platoon 1st squad leader. I can't wait until my call sign is "Dad"

Comments

[David M]

The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 05/19/2008 News and Personal dispatches from the front lines.

http://thunderrun.blogspot.com/2008/05/from-front-05192008.html

[Ky Woman]

Welcome Home Voodoo 1! But I along with a whole slew of others can't wait till you answer to the last one... What better call sign than "Dad".

Thank you and your family for the 11 years (so far)you have served the American people so faithfully. WE are deeply in your debt. Thank YOU!

[Eric S]

First off, Welcome home. I hope you get to spend all the time you need with your wife and kids.

Second, Thank you, your family, your men, and their families for the service and sacrifice that unfortunately comes along with the job.

I watched the show on PBS Online, and forwarded a link to my sister. Her son will be heading over sometime in the future to do the same things.

Good luck to you and your men in all your future endeavors