On War

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/supreme-court-takes-up-stolen-valor-case/

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/new-study-gives-scope-and-cost-of-combat-related-conditions-among-veterans/

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/reading-into-the-state-of-the-taliban/

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/16/at-war-shout-back-the-sergeant-the-strain-of-war-and-a-call-for-your-thoughts/

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/pentagon-says-u-s-citizens-with-terrorism-ties-can-be-targeted-in-strikes/

Of course, very few people will be interested in reading about this stuff, which is a big shame considering just how much issues with war, veterans, and the military affect the larger public, even if they don't perceive a direct correlation.

On Tal Afar

March 2nd is when I left Tal Afar, September 4th, 2011 is when I left Iraq, and September 11th, 2011 is when I landed back in the States - that means that it's been about six months since my tour ended, and a year since I helped (not to take all the credit) shut down the PRT branch office... crazy!

On Family

To be honest, I've never really been close to my extended family - cousins, uncles, aunts, whatever. I think a big part of that was growing up in the Midwest and being the only family in Michigan, while everyone else was on the East Coast at one point in time, before a few families moved to the West Coast. Since I joined the Army Reserve, I've had a lot more opportunities to visit family during training and whatnot, and I traveled on my own to the DC area before and after my deployment to Iraq... probably more in the past three years than the rest of my life combined!

Last week, me and a few buddies stopped by a Chinese restaurant a family member works at... and he pulled out all the stops - complimentary pop, discount on our bill, etc. to make us really feel welcome. I'll admit, I felt a little uncomfortable with the hospitality... is this what extended families do for each other? I don't really know, since I haven't really had that experience on a regular basis. It was really nice, and definitely an incentive to move to the DC area when I'm able.

On Fighting

This past week, I got my ass handed to me.

A lot.

It was a LOT of fun though, and I never thought I'd be interested in learning more about martial arts, hand to hand combat, and all of that stuff until I took Level 1 of Army Combative training. I'm by no means an expert but I've definitely learned a lot of useful stuff that'll save my ass, or at least prolong it, in a bare knuckle fight.

It was also really interesting, tapping into my raw aggression and adrenaline in a way that I don't really think I have, at least not for a while anyway. It's something we kind of hide or frown upon as a society, but isn't it really an integral part of the human experience?