SOLDIER LETTERS

From: ___________
To: MMFlint@aol.com
Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2003 11:17 PM
Subject: From A Soldier who Served

Hello Micheal,

My mother is a big fan of your writings, and has continually sent them to me since my return from Iraq. I am a married 20yr old private who has been serving in the Army for 2 years. I was deployed at 19, when my wife was 6 months pregnant. I spent the entire time serving in a country in which no one appreciates the efforts of "Proving Democracy" to the Iraqis. At the start, we were spit on, had rocks thrown at us, and worse off, had rules stopping us from virtually any form of self defense. After moving up from Kuwait to Iraq, I spent the worst three months of my life rotting away, feeding myself on pre-packaged rations, hoping I would get mail, maybe a chance for the pitiful phones to connect home and talk to my wife.

Now, this is the part I felt might pique your interest:

After 2 days of no rest, and worse off, surviving a major ambush in which a friend was crippled, I was placed on guard duty in the middle of the night with a weapon I had never ever trained on to defend myself. Completely restless, tired, filthy, I did the best I could to stay awake and attempt to not fall asleep (You wouldn't believe the repercussions of that). As my partner on the guard left to wake up the other guards to take over the shift, I made an attempt to clear the loaded rounds in the M9 pistol I was issued. Something happened, my hand slipped, and I discharged a round into the palm of my left (dominant) hand, leaving the pinky and ring fingers destroyed. As I began to scream for help (I was on a three story building at the time, which required a long, rusty ladder to get to) my first cry was met by my NCO with the following sentence "You fucking idiot, how did you fucking shoot yourself."

It is not only the leaders of this country to blame, but terrible leadership and a legacy of leaders caring nothing for their soldiers who suffer. You think being in the Army is hard, be a Junior Enlisted soldier and deploy with a combat line unit.

I have spent my entire two years in the army unable to run (I am by birth a big guy), being slammed around, put down for my views (religiously a pagan) and worse. Since my return from Iraq I have spent the past six months fighting with the Army's Medical Boards to try to secure my discharge. With a list of everything from having a dysfunctional hand, mental problems, my wife having severe physical problems, and a chronic stomach condition, still to this day do I fight to get out.

The military kept paying me overseas pay, and as I could not stop the flow of pay, now I am being charged monthly for them to take it back. Currently, my wife and I are 3 months behind on bills, and our grocery lists usually accommodate my son, and just basic necessities for my wife and I (if money is generous).

Please allow this letter not to discourage others from joining the service - but seriously consider the history of true mental abuse, physical exhaustion, terrible pay rates, and horrible leadership I have faced at the hands of the Army.

Please feel free to share this letter with others - and all my support to those unlucky men still out on the desert - Know your families love you and cannot wait to have you back.

Thanks,
One Miserable Private

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