Sgt. Parrish

I left Iraq in August 2006, and I won't ever forget Leroy Parrish. He was part of the HQ platoon that delivered me to Balad to join the 110th. He passed on October 3rd 2006, and I will always wonder what happened. Did he take my place? I never extended to stay in Iraq with the 110th because they weren't Tommy, SFC Mann and Sharpe. They never gave me the confidence that Tommy did, there was never a better squad leader you could ask for. We only exchanged harsh words once, and that was coming into BIAP on yankee one night. He yelled at me to watch out for the convoy leaving, and I told him to shut the fuck up so I could drive unless he wanted the wheel. The entire time with the 110th, the only ones who inspired me like him were Bittel, Cureton, and Brandt. Bittel was a squad leader I hated, because I drove the husky and I swear he wanted me dead. He was  like a bloodhound for IED's. Brandt was my team leader, and he had been with the 48th. We were two of a kind, we fought BG Rodeheaver? so we could stay when the lightning left. We traded our time for "Working Weekends" and a "Bullseye" on shoulder.

I won't ever forget the night of August 5th, 2006. I remember sitting inside the Buff with SFC Evans and SGT Riddell and the female captain from Arkansas. It was hours we sat there and cigarettes, and chew we went through like maniacs. The fougasse that went off was enough to kill V-3 but they all survived. I will never forget SSG  ---------- telling me to stay inside as my friends might be dead inside the RG. Tunning, Riddell, Koontz, and Doc all survived but Doc was the bravest bastard ever born. He went back into the RG when it as burning, and got his kit and the only thing we lost was some nod's and a mgn mount. I remember him asking me for a light and I gave him my tags with the little light on it. "Don't f---ing lose that my room key is on it...K was evacced but

Some hypocrisy of my own

Now, I have served my country since I was a teenager and I volunteered to serve in Iraq. It had nothing to do with going to find Saddam's weapons of mass destruction or his links to 9/11, because I am just a dumb old soldier but even I know when I am being fed a line of bullsh*&. Anyone who says they supported things because they believed the CIA or whatever has probably bought oceanfront property in Arizona or a nice little bridge for sale in Brooklyn. I went to Iraq, because it was the right thing to do.

This is the part that confuses a lot of people, because I see it in black and white without the shades of gray. You see, I didn't like old GW as a president but he at least quit screwing around and took Saddam out like his daddy and slick Willie should have. You see Saddam was a scumbag and got what he deserved, just like his two sons. The Iraqi people deserve better than what they got, and I am proud of what I and those I served with did to help them. There were mistakes and other things, but it was a warzone and shit happens. Most people don't understand that before the surge it wasn't the Iraqi people doing most of the fighting, but foreign fighters that were coming to help Al-qaida in Iraq and try to force them to live under a system like Afghanistan had under the Taliban. I have a real big problem with people that like to go around blowing people up, torturing, beating and killing in order to force them to worship the same way they do. See, it wasn't good enough that the Sunni and Shiia of Iraq were already Muslim, but if they weren't Wahabi or going to convert to Wahabiism then they would kill whoever they had to in order to make the rest fall into line.

10:10 Movie and the Enviro-Psychos

I never thought that I could see anything more disgusting than some of my memories from Iraq until watching television yesterday. I was unfortunate enough to come across the showing of the 10:10 commercial and it was something that made me want to throw up. I am not sure how any sane person person could ever come up with a concept for an advertisement or mini-movie like this, but my first thought is that they seriously need to be checked out by a team of thoroughly competent psychiatric professionals before being locked away someplace heavily sedated for many years to come.

I am all for helping the environment by recycling and doing what we can, but the concept of this commercial is sociopathic.

Hurting

It's coming back again, and I know the
Feeling all too well. My body is fighting
Me, and I am the one losing the fight at
Every twist and turn. I have to keep in
The fight losing is not an option for me.

My friends stand ready to help me, and
Without them I would have given up. I
Hide the weakness to keep them from
Worrying. I know some would counsel
Me