Active duty September 1983 - March 1988.  I was an 11C (mortar gunner) in a light infantry division.  We walked EVERYwhere.

I.R.R. until the end of my initial six-year commitment (it was only six back then).  Re-enlisted in the I.R.R.; yes, you CAN do that.  But wait, the story is about to get even weirder.

October - November 1989: the I.R.R. sent me to Jump School.  No, I'm not kidding.  You might be able to see my Jump Wings in one of my pictures.  They're real.

January 1991: "invited" back to active duty for the first Gulf War.  Six weeks on active duty, got the NDSM and the Overseas Ribbon, without setting foot in the Middle East.  Occasionally embarassed about that.

Joined a Reserve unit, but they were deactivated.  Went to another Reserve unit, then they were deactivated, too.  Switched to the National Guard, and found a GREAT unit - an AIRBORNE unit!  Got six more military jumps, and then - say it with me, folks - the unit got deactivated.  ETS'd in December 1997, in disgust.

Responded to the WTC on 9/11/2001 as a civilian paramedic.  Didn't save anybody, because they were all dead after the Towers collapsed.  Inhaled a hell of a lot of toxic substances, though.  Lost some friends and classmates, too.  Started thinking about re-enlisting.



Much bureaucracy later, I'm back in the NYARNG in March of '03.  I came back in as a medic this time, but I made sure I was in an infantry unit.  Despite my years as a paramedic on the streets of N.Y.C., the Army doesn't consider me a medic until I've been through THEIR school.  Okay..., so get me a school date.  Nine months later, I have orders for 91W school at Fort Sam.  In the meantime, half of my unit leaves for Iraq, without me.

January - April '04 in school, which was 99.5% a waste of my time.  Graduated, returned to New York.  Got transferred into a different N.G. unit - still infantry, of course - and have 18 days to pack for Iraq.  Fortunately, most of the guys from my old unit who didn't go for OIF 2 are coming with me for OIF 3.

May-August '04: Fort Hood.

August-September: lovely NTC



October: Kuwait

I was in Iraq from 30 October '04 through 3 September '05.  Two and a half months in Taji, seven and a half months in Baghdad, patrolling the infamous Airport Road ("Route Irish").  Lots of boredom and frustration, with occasional bursts of ultraviolence, blood, and insanity.

Five days in Kuwait, then back to the World on 8 September '05.  Spent 19 days on "Medical Hold" at Fort Dix, which was THE MOST STRESSFUL PERIOD of all my military service.  Yes, worse than combat.  No, I'm not kidding.

Escaped from the evil bureaucrats on 28 September.  Finally had my knee surgery on 12 January '06.  Limping now, unable to work...

V.A. isn't being very helpful with PTSD.  Some of it is the bureaucratic mindset, and some of it stems from the budget cuts and staff reductions that they've suffered in the past three years.  Thanks, President Bush!  Thanks, GOP-held Congress!  You support the troops, you betcha!

Don't even get me started on the corruption and waste going on with our civilian contractors over there, or about the sterling qualities of some of our "leadership" in theatre.  You know how those combat-stressed vets can get...

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