Monday, April 27, 2009

Saying Goodbye to Friends.


Saying Goodbye to Friends...

(Found a better song)
iTunes selection: "Brothers in Arms" -Dire Straits

I guess i've done this quite a bit since being over here. I get to know someone, or some people and they leave. The last couple left tonight. They were friends. I'm not sure if they humored me, if they enjoyed my company, or they just thought I was sometimes funny.

But I do know I'm going to miss them. I'm going to miss having lunch with them, I'm going to miss seeing them at functions and chatting with them and lord knows I'm going to miss praying with them.

I guess its no big thing to miss people, it happens when a space is left empty and there is nothing there to fill the void. I really just started to get to know these two people about 6 months ago. They were the air force combat stress team. A military term for the on site mental health team that looks after a deployed unit. They listened to peoples worries, they documented people's issues, and they attempted to help the chain of command 'deal' with their soldiers.

I guess they helped me in a professional manner, I know one time I went in and had to vent to them about a dumb issue. I think they found it more entertaining than anything else. I can only assume i wasn't the run of the mill person who had been 'recommended' by their chain of command to go in and have a session with them. I took a couple of minutes, complained and then asked them how their day was?

The best part was they had a good sense of humor. I could make bad jokes, compare the incomparable over breakfast and either one of them couldn't be rattled.

But once again I was at the LZ waiting for a Blackhawk to swoop in and take away someone I enjoyed being around. The last time this happened I had to put a friend of mine I worked with, Redcloud, on one of these black helicopters.

Redcloud had made the unforgivable sin of having his pistol go off in the office, discharging a round through the office wall into a concert barrier outside the building. The instant judgment was for him to be removed and sent to Baghdad to await termination.

I guess it wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't had to be the one putting him on the aircraft. I was the 'acting' second in command and the 'acting' first in command jumped a convoy the day before with the instructions that Redcloud be put on the first thing smoking. I guess I could have disobeyed, but when i went to casually check on flights the administrative office had raised him to the top of their list. They had been given orders as well, but from their unit commander, this guy needed to be on the first thing, today.

So I rushed to Redcloud's room and told him he had to pack for an afternoon flight, and that the army wanted him out. He was angry, and of course disappointed. And I couldn't blame him, hell I wanted him to stay.

Fate leads to the same end every time and I found myself on the landing zone waving at him as he walked up to the aircraft. Just before he boarded the helicopter he stopped, turned in my direction and performed a crisp marine salute, a good bye.

I think I returned it, at least I hopped I did. And then he climbed inside, and the black helicopter flew away with another friend. I didn't care when they medi-vac'd the crack head out of here. We had a guy over dose on sleeping pills and start running around camp in his flip flops, shorts and t-shirt uncontrollably. He ducked in and out of the dining facility, ran around the office with a rifle, and started tell us his wife was in the next room and needed to speak to him. Eventually we got him to the first aid station and the army medics said they couldn't do anything for him and he needed to be sent to a hospital for help. I helped carry his litter he was strapped down to up to the helicopter and loaded him on one hand at a time. I didn't smile, i didn't get angry, i just put the guy on and told him good luck.

Actually to be specific our medic, Doc, did the right thing and followed through with his duties and made the guy pee for him and then tested it. Doc left too, his company ousted by our corporate office decided they could make more money if they hunted down, vetted, and employed their own medics. Doc was personala non grata by corporate within a week after the two company's split.

So here I was again, at Fiddler's Green waiting to say good bye to yet another couple of folks that I considered friends. The chaplain, also a friend, was there with his folding chair and a hand full of his trade mark cigars. Weren't cigars for celebrating child births and stuff like that? Not saying goodbye? I smoked one and found another friend to chat with for a minute.

Out of the dark two black helicopters again arrived, everybody picked up their bags, and shuffled out to the waiting aircraft. Like church goers quietly finding a seat they ambled out to the flight line. I gave them both a hug and told them god bless and backed away from the rotor wash coming from the gap in the cement walls. I took one last drag on my cigar and held it up to the moon light. I nodded toward the S1 next to me and said, "fitting, I finished my cigar as they boarded the chopper."

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