Ah... A day for lovers in Iraq... I know a lot of the soldiers around here have a "battle buddy with benefits". I see them walking to the DFAC together, giggling on the way to the MWR, making googly eyes at one another in the gym, and moving about in the shadows at night. There's no PDA (public display of affection). That way everything is deniable. Mainly this stuff goes on with the enlisted soldiers. The biggest reason is because there are so much more of them. However, I can always spot the officer hanky panky. The ultimate forbidden fruit is the officer-enlisted relationship. The "battle buddy with benefits" can't even be seen in that case. Officer-enlisted relationships are against Army regulation. That doesn't mean it isn't happening. There's a lot of lurking in the shadows at night on every FOB. Valentine's Day doesn't make everyone come out in the open. The same stealthy measures are still in effect. I'd be certain there were a few cards and gifts exchanged in secret places.
Surprisingly enough, the DeFleury chow hall had V-day decorations. There was a gigantic Valentine's sheet cake. The staff was carving a piece for anyone who wanted a slice. I declined. They also served sparkling grape juice. I guess that was the champagne. There were no candles on the tables, no soft lighting, and no musical troupes serenading the diners. It looked like any other day in the DFAC. All the boom-boom was still in the shadows.
My Valentine's activity was a knockdown, drag-out meeting at MND-B. I had to sort out some new "rules of the road" being laid down by 4th Infantry Division. Refer back to my entry on egos. It really wasn't a bad meeting. Truth is, it was very productive. The odds weren't favorable but I acquitted myself well. There were five of them ganging up on me. I chose not to bring any other members of my team into the discussion. This was an "officers only, closed door" discussion. When I walked in I was met with grim faces. I went in with a listen first mentality. Once everyone had aired out their thoughts, I threw them all a bone by agreeing with some of the merits of their ideas. Then I began the orchestrated move of smoothing the egos and weaving their ideas into the framework of what my team already does. Slowly the lightbulbs came on in each of their respective brain-housing groups. I suggested they publish a FRAGO to their BCT's. That made them happy. It was as though they hadn't thought of that before. Well, actually, they hadn't. Before I knew it, they were asking me questions about the redeployment process. It turned into a roundtable discussion where I sat in the center and answered all their questions. Suddenly they were seeking knowledge and I was the answer. Eventually I said, "once you have your draft FRAGO written, send it to me for review. I'll send it back to you with corrections so you can publish it for your BCT's" Meeting adjourned. It was a scene reminiscent of Star Wars. I was Obi Wan Kenobi using the force to manipulate the Imperial Storm Troopers. Everyone was all smiles, happy, and laughing.
On the way out of MND-B HQ I ran into an old friend. I figured he was here somewhere because I knew he was working for 4th ID. It was good to see Ryan. He used to be on the ROTC staff with me at Providence College. We chatted for a few minutes. We couldn't talk long though. Instead, we agreed to get together for chow in the next couple of days. I'm looking forward to that. The Army is a small community. In the course of multiple deployments it's very easy to run into old friends often.
My Valentine's evening was no different than any other evening at Camp Liberty. However, it was a celebration. I'm one day closer to going home.
Surprisingly enough, the DeFleury chow hall had V-day decorations. There was a gigantic Valentine's sheet cake. The staff was carving a piece for anyone who wanted a slice. I declined. They also served sparkling grape juice. I guess that was the champagne. There were no candles on the tables, no soft lighting, and no musical troupes serenading the diners. It looked like any other day in the DFAC. All the boom-boom was still in the shadows.
My Valentine's activity was a knockdown, drag-out meeting at MND-B. I had to sort out some new "rules of the road" being laid down by 4th Infantry Division. Refer back to my entry on egos. It really wasn't a bad meeting. Truth is, it was very productive. The odds weren't favorable but I acquitted myself well. There were five of them ganging up on me. I chose not to bring any other members of my team into the discussion. This was an "officers only, closed door" discussion. When I walked in I was met with grim faces. I went in with a listen first mentality. Once everyone had aired out their thoughts, I threw them all a bone by agreeing with some of the merits of their ideas. Then I began the orchestrated move of smoothing the egos and weaving their ideas into the framework of what my team already does. Slowly the lightbulbs came on in each of their respective brain-housing groups. I suggested they publish a FRAGO to their BCT's. That made them happy. It was as though they hadn't thought of that before. Well, actually, they hadn't. Before I knew it, they were asking me questions about the redeployment process. It turned into a roundtable discussion where I sat in the center and answered all their questions. Suddenly they were seeking knowledge and I was the answer. Eventually I said, "once you have your draft FRAGO written, send it to me for review. I'll send it back to you with corrections so you can publish it for your BCT's" Meeting adjourned. It was a scene reminiscent of Star Wars. I was Obi Wan Kenobi using the force to manipulate the Imperial Storm Troopers. Everyone was all smiles, happy, and laughing.
On the way out of MND-B HQ I ran into an old friend. I figured he was here somewhere because I knew he was working for 4th ID. It was good to see Ryan. He used to be on the ROTC staff with me at Providence College. We chatted for a few minutes. We couldn't talk long though. Instead, we agreed to get together for chow in the next couple of days. I'm looking forward to that. The Army is a small community. In the course of multiple deployments it's very easy to run into old friends often.
My Valentine's evening was no different than any other evening at Camp Liberty. However, it was a celebration. I'm one day closer to going home.
No comments:
Post a Comment