veteran – Page 7 – CONUS Battle Drills

Merry Christmas from the Taliban

Christmas Firefight…

Although I’ve told this story many times, there is an element of it that I’ve kept to myself because I didn’t think it was socially acceptable, but recently i’ve seen enough papers, articles, and posts to realize that I’m not the only one that has felt this, and so, for the first time the whole story:

December 2005 Afghanistan

Captain Teague, our company commander, had apprehensively gone on leave the two weeks prior, and like most of the men of Bravo company, he was eager to return to Afghanistan. We were getting into firefights on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, so leaving for three weeks or more meant that you were likely to miss one, and none of us wanted to miss one. Had we been given the option, i’m sure most of the Bravo men would have deferred on leave to be there with their brothers in combat. Teague got lucky and nothing happened in the three weeks during his absence, and I think it was the day he got back (or the next day) that we got into the largest firefight of the entire deployment.

Camp Tillman was a small base named after the Arizona Cardinals player killed in Afghanistan. It sat less than two kilometers from Pakistan right along a major supply route for enemy fighters. We slept in concrete buildings with one metal door, around 30 guys to a room. I slept right by the door to be easy to find and so I could get up quickly if need be. I was deep in REM sleep when the metal door violently swung open and SGT Harvey Lewis yelled, “The base is getting attacked!” as he shimmied past my cot towards his gear in the back of the room. I stood up and pushed the door open to see for myself. I remember thinking that I didn’t hear the familiar sounds of whooshing rockets or mortars, so his words didn’t make sense. When I pushed the door open I saw, through the bright moon-lit sky, hundreds of tracers and heard the sharp cracks of AK rounds pinging all around the base.

My heart leapt, and this is the part I’ve never told, I was excited for this fight. Enemy fighters within our lines, inside the base, this is the kind of shit they make movies out of! I slipped my feet into my boots, pulled the laces tight and tucked them into the sides. I threw my plate carrier over my head, grabbed my LCE and helmet, snapped my NODs into place and kicked the door open. I was the first one out of the hooch wearing only shorts and a brown t-shirt under my gear and I didn’t look back, I knew my guys were coming. I could hear the distinct sound of an AK firing and I was moving towards it quickly. Those fuckers had breached our wall and I was about to place some controlled pairs center mass to teach all of them a lesson.

My senses were extremely heightened. The cold night air filled my lungs, I could feel the snow crunching beneath my feet…movement on my periphery! I spotted something out of the corner of my right eye (I had a monocular night vision) and spun quickly. The PEQ-2 infared laser stopped right center mass on the target when I noticed it was a friendly and my thumb lightened pressure on the selector switch leaving the weapon on safe. I continued rapidly moving to the edge of the building towards the sound of the AK.

I reached the corner and could hear my soldiers pouring out of the door behind me and the AK firing on the other side of the wall. This was it, I was about to come face-to-face with the invading hoard, the adrenaline was coursing violently through my veins and I let out a sharp breath to steady myself as I spun out around the corner. My thumb pressed tightly against the selector switch and my trigger finger slipped onto the trigger. With my left hand I squeezed the pressure switch on my gangster grip turning the infrared laser onto the target, and that’s when I realized it wasn’t an invading hoard.

A single solitary Afghan soldier with his back against the HESCO wall had his eyes closed, his AK over his head, and was holding the trigger firing full auto into the darkness. That man had no idea how close to death he came at my hands. In a fraction of a second I recognized he wasn’t the enemy and released the pressure on the selector switch once again.

The enemy never did actually breach our perimeter, despite bringing over three hundred men to attack our small outpost of only 120 men. What they didn’t take into account is that Camp Tillman, although small in numbers, every one of us was either a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne or a Green Beret, basically some of the baddest motherfuckers on the planet. We fought them off for several hours, then bombed them with a predator (when it finally showed up), then chased them down and got into another firefight right on the border. The fight started the night of December 22nd and basically ended in the late afternoon of the 23rd. Not one US soldier was killed, and we covered the Afghan mountainside with the blood of our enemies.

I tell this story for two reasons, one, because I just celebrated the 10 year anniversary of that fight, and two, because I want my brothers to know that they are not sociopaths for loving what they did. There were two types of people on September 11th, there were those that were glad they weren’t on the planes, and those that wished they had been on the plane. The former don’t understand the latter, and on that cold December night in Afghanistan, I was surrounded by the latter.

Most of us in shorts and t-shirts laying in the snow, surging with adrenaline and excitement as we dealt a serious ass-whooping to the enemy. It may be difficult for civilians to understand, but I actually enjoyed the firefights. It was fun, it was a challenge, and ten years later, I remember that night and the fight the next day fondly, as do many of my brothers. That’s one of the reasons getting out was so difficult. I now understand why guys like Michael Jordan, or Peyton Manning, or Mike Tyson have such a hard time calling it quits, when you’re doing something you love, it’s hard to walk away.

Veteran Profile: Ed Jasper

In this first installment of Veteran Profiles, listen to Ed talk about his 20 years with the Army and more than 14 years with John Deere.

Military Experience

United States Army – 1981 – 2001 – (MOS 67N/67T/67Z)

In the early years, I was a UH-1H (Huey) Crew Chief, Section Sergeant, Instructor, and Quality Control NCOIC. In the later years, I was a Production Control NCOIC, Squadron S3 NCOIC, and Retired as a 1SG of a UH-60 (Blackhawk) Troop

Current Position and Civilian Work Experience

Manager of Program Management Office, John Deere – Cary, NC

I have worked for John Deere for 14.5 year and had multiple assignments in Factory Operations, Project Management, Quality Engineering, and Program Management

The Big 4 Questions:

Were you financially ready to get out? What steps did you take?

No, I was not financially ready to get out!

I was a 1SG with 3 kids in High School, and one kid was getting ready to start college. I was fortunate that I found a good job with a great company and literally left the Army on Thursday, drove across country and started with John Deere on Monday.

I tried to be as debt free as possible, ensured my credit report was clean and accurate, and bought a house that was below what we were approved for to help control expenses.

Why did you want to get out?

I loved the Army, but it was time.

I loved working with soldiers and spent my entire career in Army Aviation and was still crewing helicopters occasionally as a 1SG. It may sound funny, but I was not interested in becoming a CSM and what that rank would entail at that point in my career. I had been a 1SG for 3 years, and the family was ready to have me home more. In 2001, to become a CSM, I would have had to go to the academy, spend a year at Ft. Bliss, and then be subject to an assignment worldwide. I had three kids in high school, and that level of uncertainty did not seem like the right thing to drag them through. Based on what I thought my next step in the Army was, and the needs of my family, it was time to go.

Did you know where you wanted to live?

I have a funny story about where “we wanted to live”. We had lived all over the world, and our last duty station we were stationed at Ft. Carson, CO which is an awesome assignment. My wife and I were discussing the whole retirement plan, when a commercial for Colonial Williamsburg came on the TV. We had lived in the area previously for a few years when I was stationed at Ft. Eustis. We both thought going back to the Tidewater Area of Virginia would be a good choice if we did not stay in Colorado. The following day, I got a call from a previous commander of mine that said he had someone from John Deere where he was working in Williamsburg, VA that wanted to talk to me about a job! How is that for karma!

Honestly, I was willing to relocate to any location for the right job. I had seen a number of former coworkers in Army make what I thought was a mistake and limit themselves to a geographic region. This really limited the types of jobs they were getting interviews for.

I know moving is tough on families, but after John Deere made me job offer, it was my kids that told me it was ok to change High Schools again, they would adjust and that Mom and I had to do what was right for our long term future. It was tough on them, but they have all made it through college and are working in their chosen career field.

Did you know what you wanted to do?

No, I had no idea what I really wanted to do. I did have plan, I called it the “5 finger plan” and had a resume that matched each of those paths. They ran the gamut from working for a defense contractor in aviation maintenance to working in public education. The other thing I did when I was in was to finish my degree programs – so I earned an Associate’s Degree while I was still a SPC, earned my Bachelor’s Degree by the time I was a SFC, and finished a Masters in Education the year before I retired. The degrees did not make me any smarter, but they do open doors that might not be available without them.

I knew I wanted to have a challenging job, with a firm I could grow with, and that would offer a level of pay that would improve my standard of living. So far, John Deere continues to offer me new opportunities – I have moved 6 times in 14 years and had 7 primary jobs in that time period and number of other special projects. Not everyone has to move to advance, but they have offered interesting jobs that I wanted to pursue, so it has been a good fit so far.

Quick Tips for Transitioning

If you are enlisted – get as much school as you can to include college, certifications and other training applicable to your career path.
Officer, Senior NCO, or Enlisted – Be willing to take an entry level job with the right company – your experience and work ethic will lead to other opportunities for promotion.
Be willing to relocate to take the right job – go where the work is
Contact others you have served with that are already out – they are a great resource
Practice Interviewing and using words and language that civilians understand
Send your resume to people not in the military to get some feedback – Don’t be offended with the feedback
When you get the first job, find a mentor. Most organizations have some former military in the workforce. Find out who they are, and approach them about mentoring you. They will be invaluable to you in helping to connect the dots as you transition.

Listen to the full interview now, or take it with you and listen on the go!

I want it on the go: Veteran_Profile_Jasper

Listen now:

Do YOU Have a Headhunter?

You need a headhunter, period. How many of you wrote your resume, posted it on monster.com and waited patiently by the phone expecting calls from potential employers? Surprised that you didn’t get a phone call? What if there was a surefire way to get an interview for a job that pays what you are looking for?

Let me put it in a way that you guys will understand.

You decide to go to a nightclub to look for a great woman. When you get there, the line wraps around the block, so you know it’s going to be an awesome club right? There are nearly a thousand people in that club tonight, but there’s a problem…only four ladies. There are 250 dudes for each woman in this club!

You’ve got your eye on one particular hottie, her name is Jobelina, and you saw her online profile. You know what she’s looking for in a man, and you KNOW you’re perfect for her. The problem is that there are 250 other dudes trying to do the same thing, and you can’t even get a chance to talk to Jobelina to show her how perfect you guys are for each other. You might get lucky, and she’ll take a look at you, but only for 6 seconds, so you get drunk and go home alone.

Now let’s imagine this scenario a different way.

Jobelina has a good friend that i’ll call Eddie, and she trusts Eddie. Instead of going to the club and trying to get her attention somehow, you talk to my buddy Eddie, and he gets you a blind date with Jobelina! You moved to the front of the line and got preferential treatment over all the other deuchebags out there spamming their resumes at companies.

That’s how a headhunter works. My headhunter’s name was Eddie Commender with Lucas Group. I never once got an inquiry from any job I applied for on monster or any other job finding site for that matter. Eddie on the other hand got me 9 interviews in a single day with companies like John Deere (obviously), Fidelity, Diageo, Nestle, Unilever, and Rolls Royce to name a few. He helped me write my resume (many of those tips I’ve shared with you), he coached me through interview questions, and then was my advocate after the interviews.

Seven of the nine companies I interviewed with said “yes” and wanted a second interview. It was then up to me to decide! I wasn’t even out of the Army yet, but thanks to my headhunter, I had companies waiting in line for me. It was by far the best decision I made for my career.

You absolutely must get a headhunter, you don’t have to go with Lucas Group, there are others out there, but do not go it alone. Don’t think that there are employers out there scouring job sites looking for veterans to hire, because they’re not. You need an advocate who literally feeds his family by getting you a job.

-LJF

Is Your Marriage Ready for the Transition?

Getting out is a stressful time, full of unknowns, and that can put a strain on your marriage if you both aren’t ready.

When I left the military, I moved my wife and son halfway across the country from Maryland to Iowa, a place neither of us had ever been. My wife is from Tucson, Arizona, and i’m from Miami, Florida, so both of us are used to warm weather and big cities.

Ottumwa, Iowa has a population of 30,000 people, and although it’s hot in the summer, just last year we had -50 degree windchills and multiple feet of snow. It is a tiny town with one Walmart, one Burger King, one Taco Bell, a couple subway’s and McDonald’s, a single movie theater, a sad mall, and a Target that is closing its doors at the end of this year. In the winter time, there’s little to do with small children that can’t be outside in that kind of cold and piercing wind, and the nearest big city (Des Moines) is about 90 minutes away. Ottumwa is famous for being the birth place of Tom Arnold and the home town of M.A.S.H.’s fictional character Radar. For two big city kids from warm climates, this was tough!

Not only was the location itself difficult for us, but neither of us had any family nearby; mine is in Florida and hers is in Arizona. In addition I talked earlier a bit about how I had to take a pay cut initially when I got out of the military (more on that here). Add to all this change the fact that we had no friends and knew no one, then it’s easy to see how things were tough to start.

Luckily for me, I married an amazing woman, and we were able to lean on each other and work to improve our situation pragmatically. First of all, our relationship is strong and has only gotten stronger with time. For us the saying is “There is no I in marriage.” We strive to work together and make decisions as a team. It turns out Ottumwa was the right place for us, both for my career and for our relationship, and we figured that out over time as we made great friends and became a part of the community.

Too many of you are treating your marriage like a contractual relationship. “If she does not please me, then she is in breach of contract and I move on.” You give love conditionally only as a result of some action that pleases you, instead of doing so unconditionally because you promised to years ago.

Your wife may indeed be a problem, but let me ask, what have you done for your relationship lately? What do you do the moment you get off work? Are you rushing home to be with your family, or are you going to hang out with your buddies. Do you know what her struggles are? Do you understand what her problems are? Do you know what she is going through? Do you even care?

How many of you look at those questions and think, “well she doesn’t try at all,” or “she doesn’t understand what i’ve been through.” Are you trying? Do you understand what she’s been through?

Are you more patient with strangers than you are with your family? When you get into an argument, is your goal to reach an understanding as a team, or to win the argument?

I still struggle with a lot of this. I have a tough time recognizing that it’s not all about me. If I “win” an argument by sending her off with a tearful “FINE!” Then I have lost because my marriage has lost.

Put into terms that maybe you guys will understand: If a QB and a WR are having an argument, and the QB refuses to throw the ball and the WR refuses to catch it, is there any way for that team to win? No…no there isn’t. The only result is more yelling, resentment, and eventual divorce. You have to work at it.

If you don’t respect your marriage, no one else will. If you don’t respect your wife, no one else will.

Next time you want to get hurtful, I want you to imagine it was a total stranger yelling at your wife instead of your dumb ass. Then I want you to ask yourself what you would do if a stranger was talking to her that way. We both know what would happen, you would beat his ass, but you’re tolerant of your own bullshit you hypocrite.

I told you in the beginning that I wouldn’t mince words with you, and maybe i’ve pissed some of you off, but the ugly truth is rarely well received. If you won’t work at your marriage, then your marriage won’t work.

I’ve seen many guys blame the Army for their shitty relationships with their wives. They think it’s the deployments, time away from home, saturday formations, that are the root of their marriage problems. They’re not, they are the context under which problems are occurring, but if you’re marriage is rocky while you’re in, the added stress of getting out is not going to help you.

I’m not saying that you need to solve all your problems, but you do need to develop some healthy habits that will help you deal with the turmoil that comes when you first get out.

Fight fair- remember you’re on a team
Remember that marriage is a commitment, not a contract.
Think about how she feels
Treat her how you would expect others to treat her
Respect your marriage
Have fun!

Yeah, marriage is not easy, but having a fulfilling marriage is very rewarding. If you’re just roommates, you’re missing out and you owe it to yourself. I’m not perfect, I fall short nearly every day, but I’m moving in the right direction, and I have the best partner to do it with!