Gay Pride Month!

Yeah, I know... I waited until the last day of Gay Pride month to post a blog about it.... *slaps self on wrist*

I was reading through a post by my friend Homestyle Mama, when I clicked on another post she'd done about Same Sex Marriage.
Man....once I read the Jesus-loving part, I thought it was going to go downhill real fast, and make me not like her too much anymore.
Boy was I wrong!
Go read it, if you haven't already.
I'll wait
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Done yet?
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Its amazing how  much our views are similar.
I am always telling my soldiers and other leaders not to judge someone.  Who are you to judge them, anyway?
In my career I have run into my fair share of lying/adultering homophobes.  It sickens me that these lying, deceiving adulterers thing they are somehow better than someone else, who obviously understands real love a hell of a lot better.
My sister is bisexual.  She dates someone who catches her fancy, be it a guy or a girl.  Love knows no lines, be it gender, race, age, etc
I had a good friend who was asexual.  Didn't feel that she wanted/needed a husband/wife or kids to fulfill her life.
To each, their own.  As long as your life decisions don't adversely effect others, you should be allowed to do as you please.

I know, as long as we are morally upstanding (Loyal, Dutiful, Respectful, Selfless, Honorable, Integrity-bond, and Personally courageous) then we will do fine in our final judgement.....with whomever it may be with.

Patriotism contest-ends July 14!

Doesn't matter what nationality you are!  Show your Love of Country, and you could win Hank!^^

The "cock"iest entrant wins, so show off your spirit!

Integrity is key in this contest!  

If it is not your photo, don't post it!

  

If you do, I will ban you!

You must be a fan of my page to participate.

Contest will end July 14th, so be sure to post your picture on MY PAGE 

Modern Slavery

Slavery still exists.  In the Unites States, in fact!

slav·er·y

noun

1.

the condition of a slave;  bondage.

2.

the keeping of slaves  as a practice or institution.

3.

a state of subjection like that of a slave: He was kept inslavery by drugs.

4.

severe toil; drudgery.

Slavery, bondage, servitude  refer toinvoluntary subjection to another or others. Slavery  emphasizesthe idea of complete ownership and control by a master: to be soldinto slavery.

slave

— n
1.	a person legally owned by another and having no freedom ofaction or right to property
2.	a person who is forced to work for another against his will
3.	a person under the domination of another person or some habitor influence: a slave to television
4.	a person who works in harsh conditions for low pay
5.	a. a device that is controlled by or that duplicates the actionof another similar device (the master device)

2.	a person who is forced to work for another against his will
3.	a person under the domination of another person or some habitor influence: a slave to television
4.	a person who works in harsh conditions for low pay

In the modern world, with the way corporations have taken over society and the economic field, slavery is in full swing, and most people don't even recognize it.

A lot of people today hate their jobs.

But with mortgages, kids/family, health insurance, car payments, bills, and taxes, most folks can't afford to quit their job.

That job that you started at out of high school or college, before any complications in your life, seemed like a good plan at the time.

As time progresses, you come to like/dislike coworkers, get a feel for the boss and Uppers, and find your little niche.  The pay is low, and you are everyone's bitch (secretary) but you have a lot of potential, and no responsibilities.

A few pay-bumps later, you get engaged, start saving for a house.  Living sparingly, because you have a wedding and a house to plan for.

With all the big plans, leaving your job is NOT an option.  Even as those annoying habits of your coworkers start getting to you, and your boss has you working longer hours, and doing a lot of bullshit work.  You have to suck it up, and fake a smile.

You're married now.  Just put a down payment on a house.  You CANNOT quit your job, or get fired.

You are living semi-comfortably.  You and your spouse make enough to pay all the bills, and start a nest egg.  Work is sucking, as you have proven to be a reliable person, and your boss's bosses have noticed.  You are working longer hours, more responsibility, and less opinions.  That paycheck isn't seeming as worth it anymore, but you have to suck it up and fake a smile

You consider switching jobs, or going back to school.  With option #1 it'd be less money for a while, but greater potential.  With option #2 it'd be a tight budget for a while, but manageable.

NOT AN OPTION!

You two just got that "+".

you NEED your health benefits, and your paycheck.

You are stuck exactly where you are, and you have to suck it up and fake a smile

Now you have another mouth to feed. And babies ain't cheap!

Spouse has been working fewer hours the last few months, and with a new baby at home, they are home too.  Less money, more mouths.

You can't even afford to take the sick days, to catch up on lost sleep......suck it up and fake a smile!

You do manage to get a promotion somewhere in there.  Crappier work, but more pay.

You are pretty much your boss's bitch.

You've been with the company long enough to be noticed, but not long enough to matter, in their eyes.  You've got the sucked-up smile down-pat.

You have two kids now, with another on the way.

You need a bigger house.  And with three little ones, daycare is too expensive, so your spouse is going to be staying home for a while.

You start working extra hard, for that promotion they are giving to one person.  Late nights, long weeks, just to prove you are worthy of a few extra bucks, and many extra responsibilities.  You never get to spend much time with your kids, but you've learned to suck it up and fake the smile well.

You get it!

You can finally afford to live life.

You get a new van for the spouse and kids to stay safe and get out, cause the 4 kids outgrew the sedan.

You can have those family vacations, and your kids can have the latest video games and toys.

All you have to give up is 70-80hrs a week.  Smile!

Your youngest is diagnosed with a disability.  You now are using your insurance to its full capacity.

Spouse is taking on special advocacy, and money is going to learning about everything, and adapting to life with new challenges.  Special needs are expensive when you want the best for your kids.

Middle school and high school come with clubs, sports, and lots of fees.  Kids are getting out, getting involved in the world, and that takes money these days.  Smile as they empty your wallet!!!

Then your kids get ready for college.  And you just about have a heart attack at tuition prices.

Your spouse needs to go back to work to help pay for it, but they've been out of the workforce for 15 years.  They get a retail job that doesn't pay nearly as much as yours, but helps chisel down the bills.

You help them relearn to fake the smile.

Then comes the downsizing.  

You have a choice: 

A) Get fired

B) Take a drastic pay cut

No one else is hiring.  Any job you can find is paying nowhere near as well as yours, even with the paycut.  And you'd have a 6mo reset period on your health insurance, which you can't afford because you have a Special Needs kid, and a kid in braces, and all of them wear glasses.

The years are also catching up to you, and your health is declining.  You only go to doctors appointments that can be fit into your lunchtime, or after work.  You can't give the company any reason to fire you.  You work hard, ignoring your health as usual.

Until the day comes that you wake up in the hospital, attached to all sorts of tubes and wires, lucky to be alive.

You are broken.

Damaged goods are useless to the company.  They don't tell you flat out, but after a while they inform you that your uselessness to them can't continue (its bad for profit margins!)

You are fired.

You have no choice but to sell the big house, the nice car, the club memberships.

You move into a small fixer-upper, and struggle to pay for your much-needed health insurance.

You know that if you have to find new insurance, it will be a lot more expensive, and wont cover everything.

You throw yourself back into the workforce, for shittastic pay, no benefits, and crappy hours.

You work several jobs, because none offer enough hours or money to sustain your family.

You are "too old" to appeal to jobs similar to your old one, where corporations are looking for young bucks with fresh ideas.  Your experience won't outshine your age, or your perceived set-in habits.

You die, broken, broke, and never having gotten the chance to truly enjoy life.....

Being a Leader

There is nothing quite as unsettling as a call in the middle of the night.  Now, put that call in Afghanistan, to a leader with several soldiers outside the wire, many more soldiers on the FOB, and an extended family in the rear, with a variety of health issues, including a pregnant wife, and you've got a guy bolt-up in his bed and answering as fast as possible.

I've had two such phone calls this week.

The first one was one of my junior leaders.
His convoy had been hit by sniper fire.
Fortunately, the "bulletproof" glass held, and the round didn't pierce the cabin... It would have taken off the TC's head.
The poor kid has only been here a month or two, and he received our first enemy contact this season.

The second phone call was not as simple.
Soldier calls, and first thing they say is "I'm alright"
....I'm fully awake now....
Their convoy.... Their specific vehicle....was hit during an ambush.
The impact rattled the vehicle a bit, but thankfully the vehicle did its job.  It saved their lives.
The worst injury was a cut to the face, and a small one, at that!
I was sooo very relieved to hear that!
The hardest part about being a leader is having soldiers you look after.  They are your "kids", and it is your responsibility to keep them safe, and get them home safely to their families.
That can sometimes be hard to do, especially in a war zone.

I should know, I lost 6 of my guys during my first deployment (including my leader).

I am thankful of the higher powers for the blessing of safety....
I am thankful of the Chaplin for blessing the convoy before it left, vehicles included....
I am thankful that the impact didn't destroy the vehicle...
I am thankful it didn't hit the gunner...
I am thankful my medic was able to stay level-headed, and do their job amazingly during their first true "test"...
I am thankful their weapons aren't as sophisticated as ours....

...And I am thankful for every new day I get to be with these amazing folks.  As we say goodbye to the ones leaving us, and we welcome in their replacements.  As we continue to run missions, and stay safe.  And as we finish up this deployment and return home to our families.  Together.