Buddy I who I lived beside at Schofield Barracks for almost 3 years when Ranger then Special Forces.  We have been in touch, took vacations together and hung out up till he took his first tour in the sandbox.  He is currently stationed with the 7th Special Forces Group at Ft Bragg.

I know his unit's primary area of operation is South America and he has spent some time down there.  But he has spend more time in the sandbox in Afghanistan and some in Iraq.  

He has had a rough time over there and when he came home the second time, he divorced his wife and refused to speak to his kids and went on a drunk for a few weeks.  I tried to go up and talk to him, but it didn't help much.  I was able to get him to sober up.  Then he volunteered to go back to the sandbox again and again, pushing the COC to for transfers and whatever else it took to get back there.  I have only been able to get in contact with him a few times in the last year, and no one has heard anything from him in the last 9 months.  He doesn't call, write or email any of his family or friends.

So what is up with the 7th pulling time in the sandbox?  Was it just an Alpha or Bravo team or are they sending a lot of guys over?  Or is my buddy constantly volunteering to stay over there or something?

Quoted: Was it just an Alpha or Bravo team or are they sending a lot of guys over? Yes and yes. Or is my buddy constantly volunteering to stay over there or something? Yes.

SF groups have distinct areas of responsibility because you can't have the kind of cultural savy those guys have when you train to deploy everywhere like the RA does. SF is also a very small community, and when they run short of people in a given specialty they cross level from a group that isn't deployed.

Thanks Sgt.

There are relatively few SOF troops and what ones we have are stretched thin by the war in Iraq. We dont have have the luxury of keeping certain groups designated for specific geographic areas.....

Retired 0-4
CJSOTF-S (TF KBAR)

When he went SF, his selling point to his wife was no middle east.  With the quiet relations with South America, she was fine with it.

Hate to see them stretched so thin, but nobody can get the job done they do.  Hopefully my buddy will recover in time, but I think his marriage is shot.  Last time I kicked back a beer with him, there was very little talk and he had that thousand mile stare of a man who has seen it all.  

It is a shame his wife did not support him.

Pray for his and others safe return.

I have seen to many families fall apart due to the wife and the op tempo of the military man.