It seems so long ago when the Sorority Soldier and I were bitching about waiting on our promotion orders. Many in the unit went before a promotion board in December, and didn’t get orders until the middle of March. It was absurd. I recently submitted my second promotion packet inside of a year. The board was held on September 8th. I was the only one to receive maximum points from the board and my promotion orders to staff sergeant were cut two days later.

I am now a staff sergeant in the United States Army.

It’s pretty ridiculous when I think about it. There’s no way a soldier should come into the year as an E-4 and then leave the year as an E-6. It’s possible since the minimum standard is 8-months time in service, which I just hit on September 1st. I couldn’t have done this if my leadership and my NCO’s above me believed I wasn’t a good NCO.

Now the 343rd MPAD has 5 broadcasters with 5 staff sergeants. That kinda defeats the purpose of the military rank structure, but who am I to question the wisdom of my leadership when it gets me more rank?

I also spent September 11th in Iraq. I can’t say that this day didn’t have any more meaning for me than it does any other day when I think about it. I want to say there will be some serious introspection as a country when we are out of Iraq. I know most people made up their minds about our invasion some time ago. I know I’ve changed my mind since I reenlisted and since I’ve been deployed to Iraq. Not in a way where I’d say we never should have invaded or in a way where I say we should treat this country as another colonial possession. I am glad I deployed because I know my country needed me. Whether this whole excursion was right or wrong, once it was all in motion, I couldn’t stand by and just let us fail here. Have I contributed to the success, probably not. Have I contributed to the failure, probably not. At the very least, I hope I kept another soldier from having to deploy for a third time in six years. That’s ultimately what allows me to sleep at night. I remember when I came back from leave with the wife in Germany I thought, “I came back here to help the 34th Infantry Division build a video scrap book. I left my wife for this?” That was a tough two months until I got the job with the 17th Fires Brigade.

I remember how I felt on September 11, 2001. I will always remember.

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