Anybody else been deployed?

[juskom95]

Originally Posted by Albus Tigris

How did it change you?
What did you miss the most?

I appreciate my friends and family a lot more, years on end of not seeing them will make you realize what they're worth. Of course, I got a break from the drama and compared it to real world issues; came to the realization that most of the drama that 'people' have is their own making, and it doesn't amount to much at all.
Who really cares what happens on some reality show?
Who cares what someone said on facebook?
So many petty issues became mute, my now civilian job included (can't get stressed that much about it, no one is going to die if they can't print )

[Jessee]

Originally Posted by Albus Tigris

I haven't liked crowds for a long time now. Even less now that I've been dealing with all the green on blue crap. I don't like bumper to bumper traffic either. Freaks me out.

I really miss cooking my own food. I really miss having food I actually enjoy.

I found out about the work not mattering the first time I came back. It's difficult to spend so much time doing things that affect whether people live or die and then honestly give a crap when somebody freaks out because we didn't make the weekly quota of widgets per their "stretch goal." I haven't had a corporate job since.

First, I want to thank you for this thread, and thank you for your Service.

For me, a couple of Westpacs from 85' - 91', Japan Home Port, and Desert Storm/Shield while in the Navy. Then College, and Army National Guard for 5 years with no more deployments.

You are correct in that Deployments "AGE" us and most often make us much wiser than our years would suggest. Americans who have not seen the world as we have simply cannot, and do not understand just how special and truly gifted they are to be an American. It is very frustrating that they take "everything" for granted, and have very little appreciation for the things that truly matter.

For me, I would not change the experience's I have. I think I am a better Man, husband, father and citizen as a result of them. As you, I do avoid crowds even after this long, but only when the family is with me.

Good luck Soldier, and keep your powder dry.

Jessee

[Oldhat]

Good Luck!

I was deployed in 90 for Op Des Storm, came back in 1991, was part of 7th corp. Don't know what everyone else seen on the news but we had little to nothing in creature comforts. Tent, military issued gear, and vehicles. Pretty rough living....extreme light discipline at all times during the night...although it did not matter because outside of our battery commander's tent we only had a single light bulb...we did manage to wire up a GP large tent and run a wire from the commanders generator and used the single light in our GP large.

"Going without" was not that tough, I say "going without" in meaning that we had no civilian clothes, no "normal food" (all MRE's and we didn't get the heater packs back then), no electricity, no tv, no game boys, no nothing. This taught me to be thankful for what I have today.

Most here can imagine it but others that never were deployed as a combat troop never will, and that is how much you'd "give your your right nut" for a toilet, water to bath with (we were not allowed to bath with our water only drink it), a warm actually cooked meal, a telephone call (only calls back then were via satellite phone and we had 1 opportunity in 4 months to use a phone) or just to be able to see friends and family.

Sure you are worried about what is going on "back in the world" but once you got back nothing much really changed so the fear was all for naught.

Me, I guess most of all it taught me my "limits". Limits in a sense of what ones psyche can handle, physical capabilities, and just how damn bad over-all something could be. Told myself that all I had to do was "survive this" and every other day for the rest of my life would be a cake walk.....even if I lived in a cave.

Made me run out of the military and into college. Never was college material but this event made me college material as I wanted nothing to do with doing it again. College was a breeze, started a business by the time I was 29, sold that business when I was 40 and am now retired at 42. Why do I say this? Well that deployment showed me that there are 24 hours in day, you can work them all or you can **** your life away being an idiot, so I crammed 30 years of work into the next 15 years (of which was all work), and I ended up done at age 40. ....that deployment made me do that, scared the **** out of me and made me sacrifice the next 15 years of my life in trade of for quitting at 40 years of age...now i can enjoy the rest of my life.

I have 3 young kids, 7,8, and 13...the one thing that I hate the most today from my deployment was missing the holidays. Well missing them ( I was in Germany stationed away for 3 years outside of the deployment) I became "conditioned" in my head that it was "just another day" vs. a holiday and I almost have to "fake" being excited for the holidays...nothing like kicking sand on Xmas in a far away country and knowing the other 99% of western civilization are with friends, family, and enjoying the festivities and a beer!....not to mention that Santa Claus (Jody) is probably doinkin' your significant other back home!

I was one that had a 117 GT (general technology (130 is max score, you can be anything across all branches with a 115 or above)) score, maxed damn near all my physical fitness tests so "This man's Army" offered me to become a linguist, surgeon, or whatever in the Special Forces plus $25K tax free bonus if I'd re-up for 10 years. They told me they would send me to 5 years of schoolin' (college) and I'd have 5 years active duty after that (10 total). I turned it down and done my "own thing" and have never looked back. I sure the hell didn't ever want to be deployed again fighting another damn war!

[uda7861]

I was the only balding 19 year old I knew lol. And I think a part of you dies with each deployment, but the people you meet and serve with are irreplaceable.

[Survivalguy72]

It all depends on experience uda. I learned the hard way that I was in fact replaceable and people do get left for dead.

[Rifleman69]

My first ever deployment was Desert Shield/Storm, The night we got back to Germany we were about half drunk and gigling as we watched the toilet flush, flush, giggle, Hey, Check this out, flush, giggle, flush, giggle, It didnt take much to amuse us after where we had been. Did that one and the rest that followed change us? yeah it did, Oh Well, I dont dwell on it much, It was my job and they paid me to do it, My buddies will tell me they have dreams about our deployments, I usually dont or I dont remember having them.

[schweizer]

I'm with the other poster who said "crowds and traffic". For instance I was a movie fan. I would see everything that came out. Loved sitting in front of the big screen. Now I can't stand sitting in a movie theater with all those people. My wife says I get the "twitches" in crowds. I call it hyper-vigilance. What I missed the most was a telephone oddly enough. Being able to just pick up the phone and call someone.