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poop beetle: sarah 2
2.2004
Sarah's in the National Guard just like George W. was.
You know how everyone's talking that he joined the Texas National Guard to stay out of Vietnam? That was a way to stay safe and stateside and all that? (and how he jumped to the top of a list of 500+ to get a spot as a fighter pilot and how he got that training- 1,000's of 1970 something dollars worth of training then transferred to a desk position in Alabama- and then didn't even show up for that?)
And people who have a problem with that, they're really just trying to denigrate the National Guard- write them off as military lightweights "weekend warriors", etc. etc.
Oh, and that Max Cleland guy- running around (well, wheeling at least)- trying to make republicans look bad with his missing limbs, well the real story there, is he just picked up a stray grenade in Vietnam. A stupid accident could have happened to anyone- and he wants you to think he's a hero. Ha!
Stupid accidents- scared to death 18/19/20 year old kids running around with high explosives- bouncing and scrambling around in the "theatre"- there's a whole other post.
Anyhoo- Sarah and Sarah's family we all did think it was a weekend warrior deal- that "national" meant stateside. This was a year before 9/11- Sarah joined and made it through training (she got some kind of honor/award on marksmanship- she learned to drive and care for huge military vehicles- she got up at 4am and ran multiple miles and learned to deal with bigotry and sexual harassment and people screaming in her face and lots and lots of other kinds of dehumanizing pettiness) and did her weekend stints and was ready and willing to stack sandbags in flood areas, truck in fresh water to areas ravaged by hurricanes. National disasters, protection and etc.
I think that's what we thought. I'm pretty sure that's what she thought. She trained to drive a truck. She didn't want a military career (the recruiters wanted her to go to officer training and still do, being that she's mostly college educated, charming and bright and I think it looks good for them to have women officers). But she just wanted something different. Something bigger then her regular day-to-day life- a physical challenge. I believe she did want to serve some "greater good"- but was not all rah, rah military or anything. Something different and something good- beyond the "what am I going to do with my life?"- business.
So, her unit being activated was a shock. She went for her regular guard weekend thing and was told to go home and pack up her life- return for further orders in 8 hours. A little more information- go home- report in 12 hours. This happened over the course of a few days. Lots of driving, from apt. to parent's home back to base. Stunned, shocked- everybody.
Yesterday my mom mentioned that there might have been a clue early on, when she first enlisted. Sarah received a huge sign-on bonus. She didn't know the exact amount till the paperwork was being finalized. Her recruiter was surprised about the amount and commented that it was more then normal, but had no idea why- "ah well- Welcome aboard, kid!"
This particular unit goes wherever there's something going on. There are complicated reasons why- having to do with politics and leadership and maybe because they do too good of a job. They went to Somalia. They went to Kosovo. They were among the first units called up at the moment GW was giving Hussein "one more chance" to come clean on the WMD's.
You'd think a person making this kind of commitment would know this. You'd think a unit with this kind of history would be proud of it- heck, there're lots of gung-ho types that would join precisely because of this. It sounds weird- it is weird. Another weird thing- Sarah thought she was joining for 4 years and just recently found something with fine print that told her, in truth, she'd agreed on 6.
Can she pull a GW- and get out of it? I asked my mom.
We asked the same thing back when she was being activated- whispered it actually; can she get out of it?
She might have, but she wouldn't. Not being "rah, rah" military- but pride, dignity and a connection to her fellow unit members. She wasn't going to bail on herself or them. She was very aware that she'd made a commitment and while she had no idea what it would mean, she wasn't going to run from it.
There were those that did, from her unit- and it was tragic, completely understandable, but very sad. There are a lot of poor people in the military. Poor people from small towns- people who've never so much as flown on an airplane. People who only left their tiny little county that one summer they did basic training in South Carolina.
People went AWOL- simply didn't show up. One guy smoked pot hours before they were to ship out and then got right up in the commanding officer guy's face. Desperate, sad acts of scared, scared people who were not prepared for this- had no idea what was going on- don't know where or what Iraq is and what it would be like to leave their homes- and panicked.
No one looked down on these people. Nobody pointed fingers or patted themselves on the back for walking like zombies through the inoculation lines. It was surreal.
Another odd little surreal thing at this time- was the local news fixated on my mom and my sister. Pretty blond girl- pretty blond mom. My mother was interviewed repeatedly.
Some big deal state level Guard General guy- picked Sarah out of the unit to approach and congratulate- and turn to smile for the camera at the moment he shook her hand. My sister the photo-op. I remember footage of her loading trucks- so cute; we love our cute blond soldier girls, don't we?
Sarah hates speaking in public and it helped that upper-ups, noticed the media attention and coached her on what not to say. She didn't want to say anything to anyone- so that gave her an out.
My mom tried to be encouraging and supportive- but mostly focused on hoping they would be safe. One particular reporter wanted to get her reaction on every little thing that happened. At first my mom thought this was a helpful thing- the reporter was helping the families stay in the loop, help get info. that wasn't always easy to get.
I answered the phone once when this reporter called. Within two minutes she'd told me all about her own daughter dying of leukemia. How sad- how odd she's telling me this. She thinks I've got something to say. Guess what lady, I've got to live here- can I take a message?
A few months later, my mom finally bowed out of being the coming up at 11- human interest story- when this reporter wanted to come film my mom and dad as they watched one of Bush's state of the union addresses- catch their reaction at the moment his words came out of his mouth.
Naaa- my parents both decided. Nothing to be gained by that.
