This week I said saw my young nephew Sean off to Iraq. He is ready to go. I couldn't help but be proud of this soldier and his company. I didn't see one screwball in the whole unit, every one of them looked professional and carried themselves with confidence. They'll be ok.
We discussed some of their training. Hell, he's been out of basic for only 5 months but already has good skills. I'm not worried about that, he was a junior at UW when he decided to go 11B and possibly make a career out of the military. His plan is to build up his knees for a couple of years (hockey abuse) then take a serious look at some high speed options. He's highly intellligent so whatever his choice I'm sure it won't be a problem. I think he really likes this stuff.
I asked about their equipment. To my delight, they have everything they need. Stuff I'd love to play with. His Stryker will have a MK19. He has an M203. They're not going to walk softly and they do have big sticks. Wish I could be there with him.
We only had a couple of hours to spend together. They were to move out soon so I brought up a subject he knew nothing about. When his grandfather (my Dad) was in Korea, he was in the 1/27 Wolfhounds. They went through some shit. I looked at Sean and asked - do you realize your unit, the 1/24, fought beside his back then, and do you realize that you are in the very same 25th Infantry Division? He was shocked. I think it made him proud. I hope it did. We shook hands and hugged and that was it.
To all the guys in the Deuce Four, Godspeed and Be Safe. Come home and tell us some stories.