Appalachian Patria

Appalachian Intellectual. To me that means plain thinking. I am A Non Commissioned Officer in the Army Reserves. Let me say...My views expressed here are mine and not those of The U.S. Army, Army Reserve or my fellow brethren in The National Guard. This is entirely Sua Sponte. This is My Thinking. I'm single and in my mid 30's. Politicaly, I'm a Libertarian. (Again, Sua Sponte.I do not represent the Libertarian Party.)I love my native Appalachia, Rock n Roll and...I love God.

Name:
Location: Brevard, North Caroilina

I started blogging for two reasons. I was concerned about the changes to the area I live in, Southern Appalachia and I was about to go to the war. I was in Iraq in 06 and 07 and now Kuwait in 11 and 12. Blogging was a means of documenting my experiences and hoping it would help gain clarity. I don't feel that way about it any more. It's said people write blogs because they are frustrated, that's why people read them too. That makes us sound apocalyptic. Are we? Let it be said, what I say here is of my own thinking. This is entirely Sua Sponte and not an official representation of the U.S. Military or the U.S. Government as a whole.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Two Different Realities

Our tour is done...It’s over. We are now waiting for the word to leave, which could come any day. It’s someone else’s now. A friend asked me today how I felt. “Strange”, I told him. He paused and then said, “me too”. Soon we’ll be back in America where things are supposed to be in order and make sense, where the illusion of law rules. America, where there is a logic other than disparity…Where people will ask us questions so as to look at it through their own prism of reality and culture in order to make sense of it all…Where it may or may not make sense, but here it’s real…Where we will leave behind this reality to the new one waiting back in America…Land of the confused, home of illusion…But, it’s home, my home, that I would fight for, to the last drop of my blood, not only in soil, but in beliefs.

Today it was 116 on Taji, it will be the mid 120’s in KuwaitWisconsin will feel so cold…Appalachia too. Last night I had a dream that I woke up and we were all packed in a bus going through Sylva NC. I looked out recognizing the place and said, “It’s F!@&*ing green”. Everyone laughed real loud yelling out that it’s “F!@&*ing green”. We went into a tunnel and it was a dead end, there is no tunnel in Sylva. I’m wondering why were in Sylva, we have to go out process at Ft. McCoy first…Then were up high on a mountain riding a train. I shrugged and thought to myself, it doesn’t matter, I’ll get home…

Home…Appalachia…Where as my friend Ed say’s, “I am who the hell I am”…Just a matter of fact statement…I leave here with nothing to prove to no one, I go home the same. I can look back over my experiences here and grin to myself…Chuckle. Shake my head and wonder…

A Col from the MNSTC-I J4, Baghdad was here and asked me, yesterday, what was my biggest disappointment and what I felt was my biggest accomplishment. I surprised myself spitting out the answers to him. I didn’t have to stop and reflect, didn’t have to think it over. I knew…Of all the issues I worked, I knew. I don’t leave here empty handed on a professional level. So, I look back at the reality of a long, frustrating year and I grin to myself…Chuckle. The next time I post here I will be in my house in Transylvania County NC where, “I am who the hell I am” and I will have my own reality.

CHOI TO THE WORLD!

The Appalachianist

11 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The "Welcome Home to the US" mat is out. Hugs, Love and good cheer is just waiting for you.

Come on home, Soldier!

4:29 PM  
Blogger Stan68ar said...

as a former soldier assigned to MNSTC-I and now Retired Reservist - congratulations to you on making it through a year and thanks for serving - we appreciate it!

7:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well done! Looking forward to that next post!

8:49 AM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

Janie, Stan68ar, Alwaysquestion, Thank you. We'll all catch up later.

1:13 AM  
Blogger sage said...

Great to hear that you're on the way home. Thanks for your post--you provided a personal insight into what's happening in Iraq.

12:24 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cool... way, way cool!

11:43 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My goodness, a tree and grass. It's waiting green as it ever was . . . a little dry, but it's still green. Take care comin' home. I don't know why my other post didn't post, but here's one that says what everyone else is saying: "Welcome home, soldier." Always Bill

3:26 PM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

Sage, Gunner, Bill, Thanks!

9:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

YIPPEE! Glory Be! and Hallelujah!

Thank you for your service, thank you for your blog, and thank you for being YOU!

Happy Trails and Godspeed

8:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

From a guardsman and a resident of Jackson County NC - Thank you for your service.

The mountains have greened up and await your return...

9:13 PM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

Thanks You'll. Who ever you are.

7:06 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home