Back to the Basics

"I love the infantry because they are the underdogs. They are the mud-rain-frost-and-wind boys. They have no comforts, and they even learn to live without the necessities. And in the end they are the guys that wars can't be won without."

-         Ernie Pyle

     The infantry is a branch like no other.  It’s a course, testosterone soaked family where the adamantine bonds of brotherhood are forged and sanctified in bright misery.  In a world where technological innovations continue to transform human interaction the essential core of the Infantry remains unchanged and unchangeable. 

     The M1 Abrams main battle tank is without parallel in the modern world, it rumbles through the battlefield like the corporeal embodiment of the titans of lore.  The Apache attack helicopter is the aerial twin of the M1, an armored dragonfly that can pounce on unsuspecting targets with utterly ruthless efficiency.  But if tomorrow through some twist of fate, all of our thirsty engines seized up... then the armor branch and the aviation branch would cease to exist as an effective combat force.  Not so with the Infantry.  Even in those dire circumstances the infantry would remain, pushing on as they have done since time out of memory.  One dusty footstep after another.  That is what separates the Infantry from the other branches, we don’t use the weapons.  We are the weapons.

     With that thumbnail sketch in mind you’ll better understand my disappointment at moving into the Battalion S4 slot on the very eve of deployment.  The move from a line infantry unit into the grinding world of logistics was in many ways a compliment, but I still felt like I was leaving home.  In the last year I have learned more about the dark art of logistics then I ever cared to know, and in the process gained a new found respect for the combat service and support branches.

     Any success I may have had was a testament to the professionalism and dedication of the seasoned NCO’s and soldiers who toiled at my side day after day.  SFC Smoke, SSG Cuddles, SGT Cas, SGT Moe, and SPC Rivers were the living, beating heart that drove the logistics chain that kept our soldiers armed, armored and equipped.  Their tireless work went largely unrecognized, as is so often the case it was eclipsed by the violence that blossomed outside our FOB.  But these silent professionals didn’t toil for accolades or recognition – their reward was the knowledge that their effort would bring their friends back home safely.

     It was a privilege to work with these soldiers, but there wasn’t a day where I didn’t long to return back home to where the rubber meets the road.  To those not acquainted with the cloistered world of the Infantry this might seem like an unusual wish in the middle of a warzone.  It’s not something I can easily describe, some things exist in the shadowy realm eternally out of phase with the conscious mind.

     But my time away from the line has finally come to a close.  It didn’t happen in quite the way I expected, but I’ve finally got my wish.  Huuuaaaahhhh!

Comments

[`devildog6771]

T6, I am glad you finally got the assignbment you want. Be sure to keep your head down. Show'em how it's done sir. Semper Fi!

[NYgirl]

Congrats T6. Yes, there is something about the infantry, perhaps it is due to movies, but they have an air of romance, at least in the civilian imagination, to them that other units lack.

[membrain]

I'm glad to hear you got you wish Thunder6. Go get 'em. Stay as safe as you can. Godspeed.

[floridavet]

Sir, Best of luck from a fellow infantry vet of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[David]

Bother, Congrats on your return to the Infantry. As it has been said before...be careful what you wish for. While there...be vigilant, fight hard, and train harder. It’s from an old post on another blog but it bears repeating, to find peace and contentedness from a job that may seem intuitively chaotic, you simply have to find the Tao of Soldiering and embrace it. I believe you have done that, so as all good noviates of the order say upon departing, "See you in Valhalla, brother!” Take care Danjel!

[Huntress]

Oh...and Blackfive is right...You ARE a rock star! That WIRED photo is hella kewl!

[PrimoDonna]

Sir, from your previous posts, I can tell that whatever you did and will do, you do well. I thank God for Soldiers like you.

[Huntress]

Like I said(in Tracework)...you can't always get what you want, but...oh wait...YOU DID! :) ...they say be careful what you wish for :) Huuuuuaaahhh! Stay safe!

[Derek]

Hey man glad to see you are getting back to what you love. Being with the troops and leading the troops ...... Good luck to you and please be safe give em hell

[Ma Deuce Gunner]

Congrats on your Command. BTW, I sat in front of your 1SG on the way home. Oh, and nice photo in WIRED, the bloggin on the hood of the Hummer was a great photo op. Give 'em Hell, Sir.

[Ed]

Thanks for getting back to infantry, but remember fondly those guys in logistics who have kept armies fed and fighting since the pharoah sent forth his forces.

[Bane]

11B dittos to you, Sir. Keep your butt down.

[TODD]

Good cpt! Be what you were born to be, A LEADER OF MEN! Stay safe shoot straight and keep your head down. Good luck troop! God is with you and in our prayers.. TODD

[Blackfive]

Speaking as someone who had a mandatory lobotomy because he was being transferred to MI, I am jealous as hell... "All The Way!"

[Sgt. B.]

"You can shell a hill, bomb a hill, rake it with automatic weapons fire, but it ain't YOUR hill until a grunt runs up to the top and plants a flag on it..." The infantry, the tip of the spear, everything else is just support... Welcome back, Skipper...

[Opforsoldier]

Glad to hear you are heading back to the line.

[armynurseboy]

No, getting back to where the "rubber meets the road" is not something so hard to understand. While I was in Iraq, and taking care of fresh casualties everyday, I felt I was making direct impact on the mission. Even though life was sucky, devoid of a lot of stateside creature comforts, you saw that you were making a difference. As I sit here in my clinic back at home station, I do miss that direct involvement and in a masochistic way, kinda miss being on the front lines...