The Prodigal Son Returns

Well, I’ve decided to get back to blogging almost a year after leaving it in preparation for my deployment to Afghanistan. We got back from the ‘stan in December, a couple weeks before Christmas, and I came back satisfied that the deployment had given me what I was looking for when I originally enlisted in the Marine Corps. Although the terrain in Helmand Province was similar to that in Anbar Province in Iraq, this deployment was very different from my last one, mainly due to a highly active enemy presence. While some of my unit’s fire support teams supported the 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade in conducting Operation Khanjar — the insertion of three infantry and light-armor battalions into the Helmand River Valley and the largest air assault since Vietnam — other teams participated in Operation Panchai Palang, a simultaneous clearing operation undertaken by the British Army's 11 Light Brigade in the central part of the province. This all began less than a month after we had arrived in Afghanistan, and it set the tone for the rest of the deployment.

During the deployment I had time to think about my future in the Marine Corps, and I was torn between three options: applying for the Marine Security Guard (MSG) program to guard embassies around the world, lat-moving to Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), or getting out. I began initial screening and application processes to both MSG and EOD, but as the deployment was coming to a close, I was having second thoughts about both. There is no other program in the military like MSG, but I didn’t want to spend three years overseas. And while I liked EOD because of the challenge of the school and the prestige it holds in the Marines, I decided — interestingly enough — that I don’t want to die. And EOD techs have a very high chance of doing just that.

So I’ve decided to get out. I’ve applied for and been accepted to LSU for the January 2011 semester. This will be my first time back at school since I dropped out (for the second time) to enlist (for the second time) in early 2006, and I am very eager to move back to Baton Rouge and get going again.

But until then, I’m still in the Marine Corps. It’s been a hard transition back to garrison life, even harder than when we got back from Iraq. Back when I was a boot PFC in 2006 and my unit had just returned from a very rough deployment to Iraq, the veterans told me that after deploying a couple times, I would have a new outlook on garrison life. And they were right. Something I’ve noticed in the four-plus years I’ve been in (and I’m sure I’m not alone), is the difference between the older Marines and the current generation. The older breed — those who joined in the 1980s and 90s and spent their entire careers in garrison during peacetime — have an entirely different outlook on the Marine Corps than those of my generation. Most Marines who joined after 9/11 knew exactly why they were joining, and have spent half or more of their careers deployed to war. It will be interesting to see the direction the Marine Corps takes once members of my generation get promoted to the senior ranks and are able to design and implement policies.

But anyway, I do plan on posting regularly and getting my “voice” back. After such a long break my writing feels rusty and forced. It’s looking like I’ll finally have the time to get back into this.