Sunday, November 30, 2008

In My Eyes 6.


Spc. Monica Brown on 60 Minutes.


Brown was on 60 Minutes talking about her experience and being awarded the Silver Star. They also talked to a few male officers about women in combat.

However, 60 Minutes titled their article, "How Pvt. Monica Brown Won A Silver Star." Do you win a Silver Star?

Check it out here.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thanksgiving.

eat.spend time with your crazy family.and go shopping at 5am tomorrow morning.

meet my dad, my mom and aunt, and my fake turkey.

quote of the day: "go in your jackyard and back off." F.W.H. Jr.





Tuesday, November 25, 2008

My Trips to the VA Hospital...

are always so ridiculous. Whenever I pull into the parking lot, I look at all the handicap parking spaces. They are usually always filled. Maybe there’s one spot open. You ever notice how many handicap spots there are? There’s a lot, but it ever seems to be enough. I always drive to the back of the parking lot. I figure if I don’t have problems walking, someone who does could use a closer spot. I walk inside and there is always several vets hanging out. The majority of them have on something camo and a dirty old hat that says where they served. I go to the elevator and wait for it to come around. No matter what, when I go to get in the elevator some guy always holds the door back for me. And when I get off, they always let me go first. The military taught them well…ladies first.

Then I go to check in. I tell them my last name and last four. I grab a magazine and sit until it’s time to be weighed, get my temperature, pulse, and blood pressure read. I’m usually the only female waiting unless my appointment is with the gynecologist. I just found out not to long ago, I could go to the VA for my yearly pap smears. Who knew? I love that I can go there for gyno visits. It seems so trivial compared to what other people go there for. The most recent time I went there, I had this male doctor, who apparently I had seen before but didn’t remember. I was getting ready for my pap smear. I wiggled my ass down to the edge of the examination table to place my feet in the stirrups and he starts talking about my ex-boyfriend. I looked at him confused, like have we met before, but he starts telling me things I didn’t even want to remember. I thought he was going to stop talking when he started doing the exam but he kept on going. This doctor was probing me, while asking me why my relationship ended. I started laughing and told him, it just ended and to please stop asking questions. So awkward.

Once I went there for a physical. I ended up meeting a gorgeous Marine in the waiting room. We did that typical, so where did you deploy? What was your job? Rank? You know, all those sizing each other up questions. The more he talked the more I realized how stupid he was. He was so good-looking, that I just wanted to duct tape his mouth shut. Maybe we could work something out if he just didn’t say a goddamn word. He wouldn’t stop though. Just kept on talking about his cousin, where he lives, and carpenter work. I was finally called in and when I was done he was still sitting there. I knew he was going to ask me for my number, so I tried to creep by him. I almost made it out the door but brain-dead Marine ran after me. I gave him my friends number and told him I was looking forward to hanging out.

Other times I’ve been there, cute little old men talk to me about their days. They like telling me about where they served and they tend to always call me kid. One guy took it to the next level once. I was sitting in a chair waiting for my perception and he just started singing cadences to me. I thought he would get bored after the first one but he just keep singing until his meds were ready. I just shook my head and smiled. Cute but crazy.

I went yesterday to get my ear looked at. Yes, I go for ridiculous reasons…but I don’t health insurance and I can’t hear. There were no hot Marines in the waiting room this time. In fact, I don’t think anyone was under the age of 65. I got weighed, my blood pressure read, etc. The nurse told me my blood pressure was low. He asked if I was dizzy and I told him no, so we moved onto the next thing. I saw the doctor. She was sweet but hard to understand. Strong accent. She prescribed eardrops to me and told me to make an appointment for a physical in two months. I went down stairs to the pharmacy and waited. The waiting area is usually just filled with old men but this time a few guys my age were waiting. This excited me…in a weird way. I wasn’t excited that they needed meds for who knows what but because they were my age. I could finally talk to someone my age who was also a veteran. Veterans are hard to find. They usually just mix in with the crowd. Sometimes I can point one out and I’ll usually talk to them. But otherwise, I hang with civilians all the time. I’ll admit it, sometimes this bores me. I love military people. On my latest trip I had an epiphany, I need to hang out at the VA hosp more often. I’m always entertained by someone who could pass as my grandfather, there is an influx of people around my age who I could have a good conversation with, and maybe I can get a hot date. See you at the VA Hospital.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Thank You.

I would just like to say thank you to everyone who reads this blog. Maybe I make you laugh, maybe I annoy you, maybe you agree with something’s I have to say, maybe you think I'm an idiot, maybe I make you want to puke, maybe you like looking at the random photos I take...whatever it is, it’s yours.

Have a good night.

In My Eyes 5.



I popped my eardrum and it's driving me fucking mad.

Friday, November 21, 2008

General Petraeus, 'don't ask, don't tell', and Contractors In Iraq.

I accidentally subscribed to GQ (don't ask) and yesterday I got my second issue. Michael Phelps is on the cover, inside I met James Franco, but more importantly there is an article on Petraeus.

Check it out here.

Obama does not plan on asking Congress to end the ban on homosexuals in the military anytime soon. He might not even get around to it until 2010. Thoughts?

Read the article here.

Private contractors operating in Iraq could face prosecution for acts committed against Iraqi civilians. I don't know why they are there in the first place. My opinion, let the military do its job. If you want to privatize a war, then get the military out of there. I have no problem letting Blackwater Inc., guys drive around in SUVs and play police officers. But get us out of there.

Read the article here.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Operation Survivor.

Survivor Corps (out of Washington, DC) has launched Operation Survivor to help service members returning home from war and their families. Lets face it, regardless of what your job was overseas, you come home a different person. Some have PTSD, TBI, and some have problems reintegrating back into civilian life. To be honest, “home” is still weird to me. We could all benefit from having someone to talk to...but it's even better when support comes from people who have experienced the same things you have. Check out their site, get some support, or find out how you can help.


Operation Survivor.


Watch CPT Scott Quilty on CNN about Survivor Corps.

Monday, November 17, 2008

In My Eyes 4.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

In My Eyes 3.



2012.

Only three more years in Iraq?

Iraq's Cabinet approved a security pact with the United States that allows troops to stay in country for three years after the U.N. mandate expires. Thoughts? Just think, after we leave Iraq we can all head to Afghanistan. Might start looking into some real estate in the Middle East.

Read the article here.

Lonely War.

In My Eyes 2.




Saturday, November 15, 2008

Team Dunwoody.



Ann E. Dunwoody, after 33 years in the Army, is the first woman to become a four-star general. This is so amazing. Did you know there are 21 female generals in the Army?

"There is no one more surprised than I — except, of course, my husband. You know what they say, `Behind every successful woman there is an astonished man,'" said Dunwoody.

Read about her story here.

Friday, November 14, 2008

In My Eyes 1.

Slacker.

I know I've been slacking big time and I'm sorry.

Lets see...

1) I got an email this morning from VoteVets/VetVoice guys about the IRR calling up a ton of soldiers right now. Watch out. Do what I did...go back into the Reserves and get a stabilization. No deployments for your remaining time (at least that's what I got.)

2) I break my cameras. Actually, they break themselves. But point is, I got a camera and everyday I'm going to be posting a picture. They will go under the title In My Eyes (Minor Threat!) I hope you enjoy them!

3) I think I'm getting sick. Tonight I'm going to be editing my memoir piece for my professor. It's about 34 pages, he loves it, and wants to do something with it. One point for the veterans!

4) I'm going to LA in January for a few days and then up to Northern CA. Anyone from around there read this thing?

Monday, November 10, 2008

Veterans Day.

Happy Veterans Day! Thank you for your service and thank you to the families that put up with us. Please do not go shopping. Go to your local VA hospital (if you have one) and say thank you. Those two words mean more than you'll ever know.

Here are a few pictures of me while I was in Iraq, a photo of my unit, a picture of my father and I (he served in the Army also and yes, the picture is a few years old), a picture of a solider trying to feed me chicken while I was asleep (such a jerk), and a few pictures I found when I searched “Veterans Day” on google.












Tuesday, November 04, 2008

President Barack Obama.


Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!

I'm excited, I'm nervous, I don't believe it yet...I might cry (tears of joy.)

My friend just called me. I answered the phone, "I know!!" Then we just started screaming.

The Middle Finger.

In one of my posts for the New York Times, I wrote..."I looked around for a while, checked out the other parties, gave the middle finger to a candidate, voted, and finally got out of the booth."

A few concerned Americans have wrote comments that the act of me giving the middle finger was inappropriate, and it was a sign that I was angry, etc.

First of all, thank you for making my night even more enjoyable. You have given me something to laugh about. I wasn’t angry when I voted, I was excited. I was so excited, that my middle finger magically popped up and told someone to fuck off. Get over it. If you are honestly offended by this, I beg you to never leave your home…it’s an awful world out there. People might actually give you the middle finger.

I’m not completely sure why this was taken so seriously. I guess that’s what we do, make something out of nothing. And if I knew people would get so upset over it, I would’ve raised both my middle fingers.

If you think about it…whoever you vote for, you are basically giving the middle finger to the other candidate, right?

Well, I guess we all told someone to fuck off tonight.

The Caucus: The New York Times Politics Blog.

I had the opportunity to write on the NYT Caucus blog during one of the Presidential debates and now I'm back for election night. Veterans, their regular contributors, and students all share their election day stories, etc.

Hope voting is going well for everyone.


Check it out here.

(There are a ton of posts...scroll around!)

Here is a direct link to the comments from vets, the regulars, and the students.

I'll be posting more tonight when the returns start coming in.

vote.VOTE.vote.VOTE!

Good morning,

It's November 4th, 2008. You only really have to do one thing today and that is VOTE!!!

Monday, November 03, 2008

Fat Bastard.

A Marine calls out U.S. Rep. John Murtha. I love when people actually speak their mind.

Read the article here.

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Germany...

Hello! Guten Tag!

So, you guys just saw Band of Bloggers? Were there subtitles...how did they do it?
Thank you for the emails!

Side note: I'm part German! My parents tell me that's why I'm so stubborn.

Saturday, November 01, 2008

What is...

boring, exciting, uncomfortable, clever, hilarious, stimulating...what would keep you interested (in anything)? Please tell me.