COUNTERCOLUMN: All Your Bias Are Belong to Us

As I write these words, a hurricane watch has been posted for Broward and Dade counties in South Florida. Palm Beach county will, no doubt, be close behind.

My battalion--indeed, all three infantry battalions of the 53rd Infantry Brigade (Separate) are just recently returned from Iraq deployments. The soldiers of my entire battalion were just mobilized again on August 13th for operations in relief of Hurricane Charley. I finally released the company from state active duty on thursday, the 26th of August, to return to their homes, families, schooling, jobs, and civilian careers. That was less than a week ago.

Behold Hurricane Francis.

We will respond. The soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry will put their civilian jobs, their educations, and their families aside once again, and move to the decisive point, just as soon as emergency officials can discern where that decisive point is. The men of 2nd and 3rd battalions, also recently returned from Iraq, and many of whom are late of Hurricane Charley operations, will do the same.

The hurricane will make landfall in Florida sometime late Friday or early Saturday. My unit will call in soldiers from all over South Florida to muster in the teeth of the storm. Some of them themselves will be leaving damaged homes, damaged businesses, and families in all manner of crisis--as will emergency workers throughout the state of Florida. As our emergency workers always have.

I cannot speak specifically for other units in the Florida guard, as I do not know their schedules or their specific situations. But a here's a word about the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry regiment:

The 1-124, the "Hurricane" battalion, is nicknamed after the sports program of the University of Miami. The battalion is based in Miami, and has companies in Miami, Opa-Locka, Hollywood, West Palm Beach, and Cocoa. Like all reserve component units, a sizeable number of its soldiers enlist, in part, for the excellent educational benefits the guard offers. It's a good deal. The kids get free tuition at state schools, and the Army gets to leverage the service of these terriffic, smart, upwardly mobile soldiers who are ambitious and intent on furthering their educations.

Their ability to think on their feet, their ability to absorb the intricacies of a foreign culture, and their ability to grasp the political endstate in Iraq and excercise restraint in the use of force where warranted saved lives and furthered US aims in Iraq. Their intellects, in short, were invaluable. And the fact that we had such troops available for service in Iraq is a direct function of their demographic. We need to attract kids who want to go to college, and who GO to college, because their smart, college helps them get smarter, and smarts save lives on the battlefield.

Now, think back to September 11th, 2001. The fall semester had just started. But in the wake of the WTC attacks, most of the battalion was mobilized that month and early in October, and sent to provide security at south Florida airports. The mission went on for months, finally terminating in the spring of 2002.

Our college students had put off their schooling for an entire year.

As a result of the change of mission, the battalion, having been scheduled for a JRTC rotation at Fort Polk Louisiana the following year, had to play catch-up in its training. Which required additional time in the field after the units were released from their airport security missions. A series of extra unit training assemblies on Friday nights pulled soldiers away from their jobs early. HHC soldiers were frequently absent from their jobs all day on fridays before drill weekends. Because available training areas were generally located 5-7 hours' drive away, HHC convoys frequently did not return until sunday night, and sometimes didn't release until 10pm. These soldiers then showed up sleep deprived and worn out for their civilian jobs. I remember I was in danger of losing mine for a time, as a result.

Some students had to put off their civilian schooling for the summer semester of 2002.

The unit returned to normal until the end of 2002, with the mobilization of 2nd and 3rd battalions immediately after Christmas. My battalion was mobilized on January 15th, and I was on my way to Ft. Stewart with the Advanced Party on the 17th, with the main body just a day behind, not to return for over 14 months.

So our college students put off their educations for spring semester 2003, summer semester 2003, and fall semester 2003. Although we had originally been slated to return to home station in December 2003, we recieved official word in September that we were being extended for a full year "boots on the ground."

So much for spring semester 2004.

No one complained about deploying to Iraq. We understood it, and knew that was part of the deal. There was a lot of complaining about the extention, but the troops adjusted expectations and dealt with it like soldiers. Very disappointed and pissed off soldiers. But they executed like the pros they are.

No one complained about deploying for Hurricane Charley, either.

Our state needed us, we came, that's that.

But our college students were antsy to get back to restart their academic careers, which they had now put off for two full years.

After some intense juggling, and some heroic efforts on the part of Florida Power and Light to restore power to Charlotte County and Punta Gorda to enable the guard to stand down early, we were actually able to contract operations enough to release our college students early so they could attend school. Older soldiers and those who weren't enrolled, of course, picked up the slack.

Now Hurricane Francis is coming, and it's big. It could be huge.

Our original plan was to mobilize without the college students, and leave them be and allow them to finish school.

But the more we learned about hurricane Francis, the more serious it's clear the storm is going to be.

Sustained winds at the core are hitting 140 mph. Gusts will be higher. Hurricane force winds extend 80 miles to either side. Tropical storm winds extend another 100 miles. The storm's girth is simply massive.

And it's closing on a much more densely populated area than Hurricane Charley hit. And it's going to wallop the state of Florida with a fist 360 miles wide.

As Roy Scheider said to Robert Shaw, "We're gonna need a bigger boat."

And so, after much deliberation, and with heavy hearts, the decision was made to mobilize our college students. And cause them to miss yet another semester of school.

All told, their academic careers will be set back by 2 1/2 years, as a result of their status as part-time soldiers.

The decision to mobilize them was made above my pay grade, but it was the correct decision.

We'll need every soldier.

So when you see my soldiers, and those of the 53rd Brigade on the streets next week, and possibly into next month and more, in Miami, in Palm Beach, in Melbourne, Vero, Daytona, or St. Augustine, or even inland, tell them thanks.

I got my degree years ago. And it's not like I have a real job: I'm a freelance writer and musician. I'm my own boss. My sacrifice is comparatively small.

But my E-1s through E-5s, my 20-somethings, have been giving and giving and giving. And so have their families and employers.

I try to tell them I appreciate it. But I'm also the one telling them they have to show up, that they have to give again. And again.

They need to hear it from you.

Because they're enlistments expire soon. But our need for them, and soldiers like them, who can close with and kill a vicious enemy in Iraq, then turn around and man an ice distribution center in Florida, and all the time pursue a civilian career and hold down real jobs and contribute to our nations economy--and perform all three functions with professionalism, competence, and class--will never expire.

Splash, out

Jason