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.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Occurance

You’ll think I complain. No, I say it as it is. You think I’m not thankful. I am. Sixty days ago I was in Iraq, going to chow, waiting for a bird to come and take me away and was following a sewer truck that was slamming on breaks with 120mm mortars coming in front of us. Thinking of it, I knew I have just come home from a war. Now it occurs to me that I have just come home from a war.

I am home.

The Appalachianist

15 Comments:

Blogger sage said...

Again, welcome home!

9:36 AM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

Thanks Man.

2:10 PM  
Blogger Ramblin' Ed said...

I am nobody. A Florida cracker. A wise ass. Not much other than that. But I sit and reflect on a lot of the things I've done and realize that not only is it more than a lot of other people have done, people with stronger attitudes about stuff they know nothing about, but it has also made me who I am. I think a big part of why we can just shrug off the idiots and walk away is because we know that despite their exaggerated feelings of self-importance, well, there are just other things to worry about. And take care of. Life's to short to acknowledge ignorance.

Don't you find yourself overhearing a conversation and just shaking your head to yourself. I mean, you packed up your ditty bag (or the Army equivilent) headed over there to take care of the business that you could and then came home. Meanwhile, they sat here, shaking their fist at the sky and spouting opinions. Screw 'em.

Enjoy the now. It occurs to me that you deserve it.

3:49 PM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

i claim to be nothing special in that category myself. just because i don't talk doesn't mean i have nothing to say. i have done and seen myself. i aim to enjoy it. i have done nothing not to.
thanks ed

9:04 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I thought I felt a brief shift of wind the other day. It was just a short change in the wind that I usually notice a little later in August . . . in early August before the middle of the month. For me, the wind lets me know that there is a turning toward the fall. Pehaps it is all in my mind, but I like to think of it as a time of moving toward fall. It is in the fall that you will know you are home. You will suck in the air and look around and thank God you're home. It will be a thought and a smile and a feeling of pride and thankfulness and kowing and you won't have to say anything, and God will know because He always knew, and as an aside to ramblin' ed, it is all we are because at the end of the day none of us are very much more than anyone else so to speak. The mountains help me know some things.

8:20 PM  
Blogger Ramblin' Ed said...

Been listening to Dexateens on my Pandora radio. You know what I'm gonna say next: Great lyrics, decent well worn feel to 'em, but.... more crunching guitars, please!!!

4:17 AM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

Annon, you know, we're in Dog Days and everything is kind of stagnant during this time. The shift is coming soon. Don't know who you are, but thanks for stopping by.

Ed, they could use the smashing guitars more, Have you heard "Diamond in the concrete"? Absolutely groovy.

As of today, 21 years in the Army.

.

7:07 PM  
Blogger A.G.T. said...

And again, thanks for going! The majority of your fellow citizens feel that way. Their voices get drowned out by the loud minority.

11:54 AM  
Blogger Ramblin' Ed said...

Haven't heard Diamond in the Concrete, but can find it easy enough on Pandora. I did hear one called Naked Ground which was suitably crunchy.

Ever hear of a group R.U.B.A. ?

4:00 PM  
Blogger Lee Ann said...

I am so glad you are home...safe and sound.
Oh....you are funny!
The picture of that guy on my blog was not Howard. That was a guy named Green that had tagged me. If you are over at the Castle and click on his picture, it will take you to his site!
~xo
Lee Ann

8:22 PM  
Blogger Rosie said...

Welcome Home!

You know, we are all so proud of you guys.

Love your gun porn!

10:08 PM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

Gunner, most everyone "thanks" me for going, but, didn't want me to go in the first place. Everyone thinks it's BS. And, they have that right.

No, Ed, can't say I have...Time for Google.

Well, alright, Lee Ann, at least you didn't turn the boy sideways.

Hey, Rosie, great of you to stop by. Done coated the gun, looks much different. I'll have to post on it.

Nice of all of you'l to stop in.

6:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, looky here, the gangs all showin' up and postin' comments, and as the sayin' goes, "It's all good." and it is. I came by to read this morning before I went for a walk . . . a quick trip to the mountains. Hope I survive raftin' down the Ocoee this weekend . . . too much excitement for a flatlander . . . well, the piedmont really. Bill Sipes

6:17 AM  
Blogger Hill Billy Rave said...

Me and a co worker were just talking about the Ocoee yesterday.

6:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Now it occurs to me that I have just come home from a war.


...and it's gonna keep occurring to ya. Soak it in.

9:46 AM  

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