Thread: If you think you got it bad.....

Tweet

Originally Posted by stovens

Update on my brother.
This is a email from Iraq he sent yesterday. I have to say support your local troops!
"Steve
Thanks for writing and sending the care package. I heard from Mike about Uncle Norm, its very sad, but at some point we all die, cancer is just a horrible way to do it. Death is all around me here. We got mortared with 17 rounds about 3 days ago, and a father walked in holding his baby and his 7 year old daughter, both dead. We worked on a US Soldier who's HMMV hit and IED, he had just a small injury to his leg but was coding... we spent 2 hours coding him, he'd come back then fade away, we transfused a large amounts of blood, eventually we took him to the OR, but we lost him due to massive blood loss internally. The next day the health care providers here lined the path from our morg to the landing zone where the Blackhawk took him away to fly home on the angel flight its very sad, I kept thinking about his family and how sad they will be to here of his loss, especially if he had little kids. On the other hand we save numerous lives, we had a little 9 year old Iraqi girls burned over 35% of her body, treated poorly at a local Iraqi hospital for a week, she came to us almost dead covered in pseudomonas... we spent 2 weeks on her, she flew out to go to Boston to be treated in the Shriner's hospital all costs paid. Well I'm sorry I probably shouldn't have written all this, but that's how things are here, I'm very happy I'm here, because I'm making a difference, and that's what makes it all worth it. "

In the words of Sir Winston Churchill: "Never before has so much been owed to so few, by so many....."

God Speed to your brother and those over there with him.

On a side note, the way you understood what your brother said regarding the 10 year mark with regards to the military retirement is spot on. When I was in, I had a buddy that ended up being the victim of a girl that pulled this stunt off twice.

It just so happened that her previous marriage (also to guy in the military) had lasted just over 10 years, and she filed for her first divorce about 6 weeks after the first guy retired. She ended up getting what equated to half of this guy's retirement and then married my buddy, Jeff, who was at the time about half way through his carreer. In the end about 10 months after Jeff finally retired, she filed for divorce and ended up with half of his retirement as well. In the end, she ended up getting what equated to essentially a full military retirement and never served a single day. Pretty damned messed up. I understand why the military has the rule; but, there will always be people who figure out a way to use it to their advantage. She was just simply one of those people, cold, calculating and had absolutely no regard for anybody but herself.

There is of course a way to defeat this if your brother hasn't crossed over the 20 year mark yet; but, it means that your brother would have to end his carreer and not retire from the military. Sucks I know; but, that would prevent her from being entitled to half of his retirement.

Also, with regards to the credit thing, the military (at least the Air Force) was very cut and dry about that (while I was in anyway) pay it or else it WILL impact your carreer. I would highly reccomend, as others have, that he cuts that off and gets council immediately (if he hasn't already)

If she runs up the bills unchecked and he has done nothing to stop her, he will be liable for the $, and if he can't cover it in the end, his commander will find out (because the credit agencies will contact the commander to receive payment) and they may very well take punitive action against him for not shutting off the lines of credit to her in a timely manner and therefore "allowing a negative light to be cast" on the military.

From this the commander may decide to not only garnish his wages to pay for it, but also fine him, reduce him in rank, etc. All very ugly stuff.

Granted that might be considered a pretty extreme action and depending on all the surrounding circumstances, I really wouldn't expect that to happen. But, I have seen stranger things happen, and if nothing else, it may very well keep him from being promoted in the future because the military will view that as a weakness and use that as a justification to limit his carreer.

I feel really bad for him. I wish stuff like this didn't happen to anybody; but, I've seen it too many times and I would hate to have yet one more thing go bad for him. Those guys give enough already and don't deserve the piss-poor treatment that they get sometimes. I wish him all the best.

I also wish there were more stories on the news of the good that those guys are doing over there. I'm not talking about this from a political standpoint either. I'm not saying these things because I support a war, but because I support the poor Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen sent to fight it. Show the good they do because they deserve to have it shown. Hopefully, there would be a little more grattitude for the job they do, in the conditions they do it in, and for the pay they get. They don't ask for it, and I know that they will continue to do the job without it; but, that doesn't mean they don't deserve it.

They simply volunteer to do the dangerous but necessary job of saving lives, fighting to protect themselves and their friends in the name of "U.S. Interests" in far away lands, often-times in miserable conditions, for little monetary gain, without ever bitching, striking or protesting, THAT, in my opinion defines a "hero" and commands my respect.

Sorry, I guess I got off on a bit of a rant there....

Like I said before, I wish your brother and his friends all the best over there.
Dutch

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

First thing that pops up on my home page is headline "news", most of it this morning are about a bunch of self absorbed, so called celebrities, spoiled brats mostly who are fixated on what serves themselves best. And others around us admire this for some reason. They get awards for pretending to do something useful. Then, on little ol' CHR I get to read this latest from your brother, no headlines, no reporters, no swooning fans, no phonies. Seems backward somehow. I'm glad you put that up, thanks.

I can't even turn the TV to the news anymore because it is all taken up with celebrities "problems" and other garbage that isn't really pertinent news. I mean when should Britney Spears' going back to rehab take precedence over things like what stovens posted. I guess it's all just for ratings these days.

Thank you stovens for posting that. It's the most real news I've heard about what's going on over there since I got a letter from my buddies about a month ago. It's been a year since I was there last and I can still remember sticking a needle in my arm so I could donate blood for a little Iraqi boy who was wounded by and IED meant for our convoy. He lived thanks to several of us who donated blood for him the night we took him to our aid station. Your brother is one among many other true heroes.

When people ask me "Why do you do it?" The only answer I can really give them is "It's my job, and I do it so you don't have to." Even if you don't support the war does not mean that you don't have to support our troops.