Deployment

Hello,

Well I missed all last week and do not quite know what the topic is so I decided to write my own topic, mine is what I think about my pending deployment to Afghanistan with the 216th Engineer Battalion. After a week of train ups at Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin in which we practiced urban warfare, breaching, IED simulators, live fire lanes, combat stress, and combat trauma among other things it really makes me think of the decision I made to join up. Four years ago I was just graduating high school and now I am preparing to go to war with a primary mission of convoy security and to find and disarm IEDs as a combat engineer. It just rocks my mind, but I definitely would not be preparing to graduate college if it was not for the army or I definitely would not be the man I am today with the morals and values that I strive to hold if it was not for the army. It is at times a love hate relationship and yes I am a little nervous about this being my first deployment to the most hostile spot on earth but I am ready to take that burden and live up to what I signed up for.
A lot of men and women have died in this war on terror that the US has waged in the middle east for the past 10 years and I like to think that they did not die in vain. Ultra liberal media and groups like the Westboro Baptist Church just freaking make me sick. I have no idea how these people call themselves Americans when all they do is down talk a country that has literally gave them everything in the world. I am just not sure how people like that live with themselves. I am proud of what I am about to do, and if means taking a life well its better him then me because I am coming home in 12 months. I love this country, this land, and its people and I will be damned if I let some punks in the mid-east stray us from our day to day living.

Citiizenship

I am a member of many groups that promote being a good citizen and it makes being a good citizen easier when you have many examples around you to look at and model yourself after and go to for advice. I am becoming a more effective citizen in the groups I'm apart of just by being an active participant in the groups activities, I believe just by showing people that you care enough about that organization then makes you a good citizen, because you care enough to participate and have discussion on your groups direction.
No I can not really think of a time that I thought of citizenship differently, I have been instilled on the good way to be a member of society from an early age from my folks.
My current approach to citizenship is a little different I guess with the idea that I want to be a goo citizen by being more involved in all of my organizations that I am involved with by taking a more active role and voicing my opinion. Showing your values and what you stand for are important values to have to show good citizenship and really portray what you believe in.
I believe the members of my chapter think about citizenship in a way similar to me. They are active members in their own family communities and here in the AGR and Ohio State community. They are leaders to others and always rise to the occasion when needed, which I believe is another good aspect of being an citizen. I really cannot provide any concrete examples of how good citizenship is being carried out, I just know that they are not being bad ones, I think that you can tell people who are not being good citizens a lot easier than the ones that are doing what are suppose to do. I think a lot of being a good citizen counts on the small unnoticed acts of kindness that one does and others notice and carry out.