Time to Move On

I really haven't written anything good for more than a month now. I had my eye surgery which prevented me from devoting a significant period of time to writing anything and once my eyes were healed I fell out of my routine of writing. Sure, I wrote the day after my 28th birthday but that felt more forced as opposed to a general urge to write. I'm hoping with writing this I'll get my rhythm back to putting out something halfway decent to read about once a week again, most likely on Sunday. Sunday is generally the day I have the most free time on my hands as the NFL doesn't kick off until 7:00 p.m. Germany time. I also like to limit myself to about one a week because I feel the quality of the writing and the originality improves. So, do me this solid and continue reading what I have on my mind today.

A couple of weeks ago I started a new job. That is the nature of the Army, you never stay in one spot for too long. The question wasn't if I would change jobs it was more of a when. I knew my time for change would be coming; in fact I knew it from the time I got back from Iraq. I knew it was going to be a bittersweet moment. I was a Platoon Leader, which many feel, myself included, is one of the best jobs you can hold in the Army. No longer would I be in such a rewarding position but it also came at a time when almost everybody I worked with was moving on.

I found out weeks before the move that I would move to the S3 shop, which is the operational side of the battalion. Many people dread moving to a staff position; I think those people view it as an identity loss. Before you move to a staff position you have a sense of importance and power. The closer you work with Soldiers themselves the more enjoyable and rewarding the job is. This is what was told to me by multiple sources prior to moving and also happens to be my belief now too.

The things you hear, see, and deal with on a daily basis at the platoon level is somewhat comical in a way. Often you are dealing with kids who are 18 years old, away from home for the first time, and who finally have a steady cash flow. Put a significant number of these guys together and the end result parallels the first semester of college living in the dorms - Anything is possible. I'm a married, 28 year old father of two, my weekend of playing Scene It: Friends Edition with my wife while casually drinking some Hefeweizen (German Beer) typically doesn't level up. Often times all you would have to do to hear a good story is ask, "So what'd you do this weekend?"


As it turns out though, I didn't have as much of an opportunity to hear such stories. The vast majority of my time as a Platoon Leader didn't come in a Garrison environment (actually being at home) it was spent in Sadr City. That's something that I can say that not very many people can. For those who know anything about the geography of Iraq know that Sadr City is not the ideal place for raising children or vacation. It's the armpit of the country, the Middle East, and the world if you want my opinion. It was one of the most difficult places to be in Iraq and definitely a challenging place. I didn't have the opportunity of easing my way into the situation either; I met up with my platoon a couple of months into the deployment.

In case you don't know, I arrived in Germany in July and deployed about 3 weeks later. I landed in Iraq in August which was about 4 months after everybody else. That was always my biggest fear for some reason, meeting my platoon in Iraq as opposed to prior to deployment. I felt that if given the latter then better working relationships would be established and trust would already be developed as opposed to earning on the job. Regardless of what I wanted the reality was I was headed to JSS Ur in Sadr City to meet my platoon. Once I arrived it was definitely interesting.

Within the first hour that I was there I heard that there may have been a possible grenade attack just outside of our walls. Welcome to Iraq right? I met everybody that evening and learned that I was taking over a highly decorated platoon. Earlier that year, in the spring, and just weeks into the deployment every member of my former platoon was recognized for their efforts on the route Gold Wall Build. 60 Minutes did a special on the Gold Wall Build and the guys were awarded for Valor; this was definitely a group of battle tested guys that I was meeting up with.




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While I do not want to go into full detail of every aspect of the deployment I do want to say that I was fortunate to have spent the deployment with a solid group of guys. It’s a different experience being deployed; you’re away from your family and lose a certain degree of privacy. You eat, sleep, shower, and live every aspect of your life alongside others who are experiencing and feeling the exact same thing. Many hours are spent wasted doing nothing, many more watching movies, and you have the time to hear everybody’s life story 5 times over. As I said, your privacy and sense of individualism is almost non-existent; that’s what makes deployment long and miserable but at the same time memorable. The bonds that are formed and the life experiences that are shared alongside the guys to the left and right of you is what are remembered the most. Did we go through some stuff that most people only read about or see in movies? Yeah, you could say that. But were stories born, deployment memories made, and did everybody live to talk about it? Absolutely!

That was what the majority of my time as a Platoon Leader consisted of, and it was great. It was a great time but as I said in the beginning, the Army never keeps you one place for too long. So the time for change brought me into an office and staring at a computer screen for the majority of the day. I also said at the beginning that it was bittersweet. I most definitely miss out on the day to day interaction, which made the job great although it did also feel like the right time to move on.

Does anybody remember the movie Stand By Me? It’s a classic movie and the journey that the 4 boys endured was one that they knew they would remember for the rest of their lives. However, once the journey was over and they all returned home they knew what they had would never be the same. They begin walking away and out of each other’s life. That is sort of what happened when we got back from Iraq. Slowly, people from my platoon began to leave, and by the end of the year I believe only 3-4 people will remain. That’s the nature of the Army but that is also why it felt like a good time to move on. Even though that part of my career is over it’s time to move on, which I have, and stay optimistic making the most out of each opportunity.

Now, the tone of this may have been a little more serious than normal. With that being said I want to lighten the mood, slightly. It’s almost 3:00 p.m. and I’m still in my sweatpants. Celia is asleep on the couch, Jadon is down for a nap, Hailey is munching on some Honey Nut Cheerios, and I’m finishing up this blog watching I Love You, Man. It’s a relaxing, lazy Sunday. Now enjoy this last little video I’ve uploaded and enjoy the rest of your own respective lazy Sunday.





***Any questions, comments, or suggestions can be emailed to me at adromick@gmail.com or simply post a comment.***