Kelly Smith Weblog Aficionado: Just a guy vs. Life

Embrace the suck... Being in a theatre of combat "sucks", but as a soldier quoted in the New York Times, trying to smoke a cigarette in a sandstorm. "Sometimes," he said, "you have to embrace the suck." That is a military expression that is employed to keep yourself and your comrades from becoming too hopeless about a situation. Crude as it may be, it is indeed a powerful phrase to live by. It doesn't mean, by any stretch of definition, to give in, or give up on a situation. It simply means that you have to acknowledge that you are in a bad situation and deal with it the best you can. Sometimes you may have the means to change the situation, and other times you have to endure. As I was running during my lunch break I started up a hill, and the wind began to gust straight at me. As I began to break stride I thought, "This sucks.." , but I kept going, pumping those harms, and leaning into the hill and before long I was at the top...

Shock and Awe... These are the buzz words that senior military commanders and government officials stated in describing the effect that ANGLICO, Bombing, and Close Air Support would have on the Iraqi infrastructure. True enough Iraq has sustained quite a bit of damage, and in some places the people have shown signs that they are "sick of him". But, the number of casualties sustained due to friendly fire, accidents, and enemy fire has shocked the American people. The level of resistance experienced has surprised everyone, everyone that is aside from the troops on the ground. Any war historian, or for that matter, anyone who read anything about the first Gulf War would have seen that this war would be more costly in both logistics and casaualties. The objective is much more different, and the Iraqui nationalism was grossly underestimated by some Senior Planners. Although I personally feel that the war is a worthwhile effort, the problems that we are experiencing only ...

Crossing the river.... CNN DOT COM has an article about the 3rd Infantry Division crossing the Euphrates River in a sandstorm. Back in 91' the 24th Infantry Division crossed the Euphrates River in a sandstorm as well. I was 19 years old, noteably shorter and skinnier than I am now, and I remember thinking, " Jesus Christ.....we are getting awful close to Baghdad...when the hell are we going to stop? " At the time we had been taking what they call "sporadic" or "intermittent" fire as the 45th Republican Guard scattered and retreated. Some of the section sergeants were telling us that if we went to Baghdad, " All hell would break loose ." We knew that the Regulars had been bombed for 6 months and they were hungry and tired, but we knew that those that refused to surrender would fight to the death if we went to Baghdad. Baghdad is pretty much the Capital of the Arab World. Long before the Gulf War, and the Iran vs. Iraq war, pretty ...

Well my favorite college basketball team, UK , dispatched IUPUI with relative ease as expected. The game was a pretty easy one, so I did not bother to watch. Routinely I peeked in to CNN to see what the score was, but my mind was a million miles away. I am dreading bad news about any American casualties, I can't imagine what some of the families of the soldiers must be going through. I suppose the worst part is the not knowing. I hope that this can be wrapped up soon with a minimal loss of life. Perhaps as more and more ground is gained and the situation becomes more and more hopeless the Republican Guard will give up. I certainly hope so.

The Soldier goes to School... You would know him when you see him, but if you saw him you probably wouldn't speak. He is from the projects, the trailer park, the mountains, and the farm. He is nineteen years old, and he has a girl that loves him real good, or maybe he just says he does. He didn't like where he was for a bunch of reasons, but mainly he wants to be thought of as a man. Everyone that knew him liked him, even though he could be a little wild. They say the military is the best thing for him. "He'll grow up, get a chance to see the world". Mama didn't like that idea, though she would never discourage him, he is her only baby and will never stand in his way. He stood up so proud and strong when he left with the recruiter. What Mama didn't know as she cried herself to sleep that night, was that her baby was doing the same. But, Mama couldn't have been more proud. A week turned into a month, and a month into six, he is an inc...

My body betrays me... I am sitting here in an Excel 2 class, (Much more interesting than the introductory level), and my head is spinning. I went down to the YMCA and took a body conditioning class. The instructors name is Laura, and if I didn't know any better she was also an instructor at the U.S. Army Ranger School. The abdominal, leg, and arm workout that she prescribes is merciless. Although I do appreciate what she is doing, and am anxious to see the results, Laura surprises me by not being the spectacular physical specimen that you would imagine. While she does look healthy, she does not have the cut arms and typical "aerobics instructor physique". On the contrary she looks like a soccer mom. As a matter of fact if I saw her getting out of a minivan with 3 or 4 kids trailing behind her I would not be the least bit surprised. But when it comes to endurance, she can exercise forever! She is still doing the leg lunges, or sitting on the wall, or doing c...

"They are invading Iraq" It is so amazing to watch world events unfold on CNN. It seems as if you have a ground level view of what is going on. But "We" are not invading Iraq, "They" are invading Iraq. "They" are the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces who are following through on the oaths of enlistment, and the oaths of office. It is so easy to say, "We" are doing this, and "we" won. But unless you are over there on the ground, or have a loved one or dear friend who is over there, the terror of this event is not real to you. I don't agree with all of our policies, and I may not personally agree with every thing that the President and Congress do, but I fully support the President in this campaign. I believe that people have a right to protest and show dissent, but now is the time to get the message to our troops that "we are in your corner". Despite the fact that I served during th...

Time is running out.... In just under five hours the deadline for Saddam Hussein and his sons to abdicate their positions as leaders of Iraq will expire. From that point on we can only expect all hell to break loose. I haven't been able to relax all day.....

Mea Culpa....kind of. It seems that Naomi Judd of the famed singing duet "The Judds" has come under fire for making racist remarks on Star Search. Apparently she told a dancer that he was "a funky monkey robocop", and gave him two stars after the other judges had given him a minimum of 4 stars each. Of course she may not have been a big fan of that sort of dancing and that sort of music. Additionally she praised a dance team for doing tap. She said that she liked to see good tap, "especially when white people do it." Trent Lott made remarks lauding Strom Thurmond on his 1948 gesture toward winning the Presidency by saying that, "If he would have won we would not be in the mess we are now." Shaq responded to Yao Ming's insistence that he would shut him down by saying, "Tell him I said, "waakaaaa yoooooo yeeeee yyyy chooong" or something like that. The thing that all of these people have in common is the fact that t...

The most damning part of making a verbal faux paus is rendering an appropriate apology. Trent Lott can tell you that humbling yourself and saying you are sorry may sometimes bring more backlash. In these particular events I found the explanation/apology to be seriously lacking. Shaq claims to have been making light fun of Yao and his name and said that he figured Yao would take it in stride. Trent Lott says that he was making a toast to a retiring statesman and was sorry if his words were taken out of context. Naomi said the same thing that she was sorry if someone took her words out of context......hmmm. I am sure that they are sorry, but sorry does not always mean remorse. Sorry is a word that means, remorseful, it can mean that something is in a sad state, and it also means "I don't like the fact that." So undoubtedly Trent Lott says, "I am sorry that people feel this way." I believe that is true. But if you are sorry someone feels a certain way, yo...

So many emotions... Sometimes we don't know what to think or feel at all. And after last nights address by President Bush, I kind of feel the same way. Some of the key statements are still resonating within me. I don't know what information is out there that is bringing us to this moment, but I also realize that I, along with other Americans are not, and should not, be privy to such information. Although this is frightening, it is quite an experience to know what is going on. During the last go round in the first Gulf War I was over there on the ground and did not have the benefit of CNN to know what was going on. Believe it or not, the Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines only know of their specific mission, and probably do not know as much of the Big Picture scheme as we do. I pray for strength and wisdom of the various commanders in the region. I pray for perseverance, strength, and bravery for our service people in theatre. I pray for the safety of each and ...

Sunday Morning The weather today couldn't be more perfect. The sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky, and UK is playing in the SEC tournament. This morning I made a big batch of my world famous sausage & cheese salsa dip, so I am primed for game time. I haven't been looking at the news much this weekend, but this story kind of caught my eye. Apparently a French golfer has been ordered some extra security while he takes part in a golf tournament sponsored by Honda in Palm Springs. It would seem that some of the anti-french sentiment has spilled over into the sports world. While I am somewhat frustrated by France and some of the other european countries regarding the situation in the Middle East; I do not think that some of the "nationalism" expressed by Americans is founded.

Nationalism is a great thing when you think about it in a rational sort of way. I don't mind countries that have sort of an isolationist point of view when it comes to the world stage. If you want to worry about your own interests and not the interests of others, then you are certainly within your right. If Nationalism entails pride in culture, history, and accomplishment, then that is a good thing as well. However, when Nationalism spurs you to denigrate, marginalize, and demonize an entire country, continent, race, or population, then perhaps you have gone too far. I do think that France has quickly forgotten what inaction can result in. Though it was a mere 60 years ago when their borders were overrun and they were invaded by a German Army that could have easily been crushed by their forces a few years earlier. But now, I see Americans exercising the Patriotism by renaming fast-food side items, (Freedom Fries please, not French Fries), making French jokes, insisting upo...

Opine for the unpopular.... I am going to hold my opinons to a minimum on the whole war on terrorism/War on Iraq detail. I have found that my viewpoints on the Middle East are spectacularly unpopular to some people. I am, however, happy to see that in the article linked above, the protest has been thoughtful and considerate of soldiers. At one of the recent rallies a counter protest in support of the war began chanting, "We Support Our Troops!", and the protestors responded with "So do we!". Happily enough it seems that the GI is not going to bear the brunt of the feelings of angst that people have regarding this situation. Vietnam vets really go thte shaft during the 60's and 70's. Just imagine being spit upon by someone because you chose to serve and did not run to Mexico or Canada? I was also kind of puzzled to see that some of the protestors were saying, "Oust Saddam--Free Iraq!" I do wonder whether or not people know that the probl...

Speechless... I absolutely can't believe that someone would do this. I just spoke about this in my previous post and now I see this . God, these kids are with you now, and they will know no more suffering.

Today I don't feel very well today.

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:3-5 I woke up this morning before the alarm clock went off and went about my morning routine. I woke the boys up and laughed as they pulled their "mummy risen from the dead" routine. As Robbie walked by me he paused to hug my leg and say, "Mornin' Daddy". Devon said good morning and started brushing his teeth. Once I had seen to it that they were doing what they needed to do to prepare for the day I woke up Alexandra. I took her out of her crib and carried her downstairs. She fussed a little bit, but fell back asleep as I descended the stairs. I lay her on the bed and began changing her diaper....for the longest time she just stared at me with her ...

If at first.... If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again. Whoever said that must have always been successful on the second try.....

Training.....YUCK... Today I am sitting in an Excel 2000 class. Why I took the level one class I have no idea. The instructor is basicallysaying things like. "This is a computer monitor, you must look into the computer monitor to see the data you are working with. This is a mouse, this is a spreadsheet." Well, it isn't actually that basic, but you get the whole idea. I am trying to be a good student and pay attention, but I have yet to see him cover something that I am not familiar with. Perhaps I will take level 3 next instead of level 2. I just want to make sure that all of my Windows skills are up to par. In this economy being on top of your game at all levels is a must. I had a great weekend last weekend. I went home to visit my parents and saw my oldest, bestest, friend in the world for the first time in over a year. I know that the last adjectives aren't really words, but that is the best way to describe him. I met him when we were in the 2nd gra...

Opine for the unpopular.... I am going to hold my opinons to a miimum on the whole war on terrorism/War on Iraq detail. I have found that my viewpoints on the Middle East are spectacularly unpopular to some people. I am, however, happy to see that in the article linked above, the protest has been thoughtful and considerate of soldiers. At one of the recent rallies a counter protest in support of the war began chanting, "We Support Our Troops!", and the protestors responded with "So do we!". Happily enough it seems that the GI is not going to bear the brunt of the feelings of angst that people have regarding this situation. Vietnam vets really go thte shaft during the 60's and 70's. Just imagine being spit upon by someone because you chose to serve and did not run to Mexico or Canada? I was also kind of puzzled to see that some of the protestors were saying, "Oust Saddam--Free Iraq!" I do wonder whether or not people know that the proble...

BE ALL YOU CAN BE...Just pass the Motrin...... Yo. Man, I am so tired and sore. I had drill this weekend with the National Guard . I am finishing up OCS, I have three more drills to go and my Phase II training and I will officially be an Army Officer! Dang I can't wait! Of all of the things that I ever wanted to do with my life it was to be an Army Officer. My father served in the Army for 30 years and retired as a Chief Warrant Officer. I never wanted to be anything else except like him.....well, that is a whole other story right there. I can brag to you about how awesome my dad is another time. Anyway, getting back to being sore. I went down to drill on Friday night and ended up having to low crawl through the mud for like 45 minutes.....it sucked...it was cold, wet, windy, and dark, but somehow I got motivated. (Don't ask me why, maybe I have been eating too much red meat lately). We woke up about 4:30 this next morning and went on a four mile road march ...