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Fifth Job of Bob - Army Part V - Forgotten in an outpost of paradise; American soldiers in Europe?
This entry was posted on 6/30/2010 1:55 AM and is filed under Jobs of Bob.
Years after I got out of the Army, I came up with the term "Outposts of Paradise." I don't remember now where I came up with it; perhaps, I was inspired by the famous line in the movie, A Few Good Men (1992), when the character under scrutiny in court blurted out, "You can't handle the truth." That now infamous line was blurted out by Colonel Nathan Jessep (played by Jack Nicholson). It was in regards to the rigors military service members must endure in the damnedest places and what they really do to survive. In Jessep's case, being party to the death of one of his Marines. The incident in question in the movie took place in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where the United States has maintained a Naval Base for over 100 years - much to the chagrin of a less than friendly Cuban government.
I have told the story often enough over the years. Often to less-than-interested ears. I had only been in my German duty station a few weeks. We often worked in our white t-shirts. Ol' Lieutenant "J" came up to us and said, "We got a quick task to do up by the border. You should be back by supper." About a dozen of us loaded on a Duce-and-a-half cargo truck and headed up north - still in our t-shirts.
Five days later, we got back late for supper. The small task took days, and eventually more men. Each group that came in continued to bring warm coats and pants. Finally, on the third day, I ended up with some one else's stinky field jacket coat.
Germany is much like Wisconsin - perhaps why so many Germans settled there in the 1800s. The summer days are warm; but, even summer nights can be frosty. We all froze our asses off. I never trusted Lieutenant "J," or the Army again.
There we were up by the then Czechoslovakian boarder, which was a hostile border with the communists at the time. I was a long forgotten potential hot-war zone in the American pop culture psyche.
Later that same summer, our benevolent, yet rather dufus Captain insisted we all see the World War II Dakau Concentration Camp Museum near Munich. It was a solemn journey and visit. We were walking around the grounds in our uniforms and berets.
An American lady from a tour group with a New York accent, dressed in up-scale cloths, with lots of jewelry said, "Who are you people?"
"American Army, Ma'am," some of us said, I suppose subconsciously expecting some nod of appreciation.
"Americans?" she said with a quander. "I thought the American Army left here in 1945. You jokers are French and I don't think your joke is funny. If it weren't for the United States, France would be speaking German now."
Welcome to, "The Outposts of Paradise."
Note: This blog "Jobs of Bob" Category does not list the jobs chronologically - I write about the experiences as they pop up in my memory and I often revisit an older job. Go to the Cooldadiomedia Web site and the Jobs of Bob Page for an ordered chronology.
Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
(each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)
Army Private First Class Grant A. Dampier, 25, of Merrill, Wisconsin, died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Monday, May 15, 2006, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat patrol operations. Private First Class Dampier was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, out of Fort Carson, Colorado. Dampier was one of two soldiers killed in the incident. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentioned Grant Dampier was born in Wisconsin Rapids; there he wrestled in grade school; he came to Merrill when his family moved about the time he was beginning high school. He joined the Merrill High School wrestling Bluejays; competing at a weight of between 150 and 160 pounds. He graduated in 2000. The Journal Sentinel quoted Dampier's wife as saying he was very fond of his children and took great joy in taking his girls fishing on the Wisconsin River. He also took his wife's 7-year-old cousin under his wing and treated the boy like a son. Before joining the Army, Grant worked for Marathon Electric in Wausau. He enjoyed the Green Bay Packers, hip-hop music, and the Crandon Brush Run off-road truck races in Forest County. He joined the Army in September of 2004. Dampier was deployed to Iraq in December of 2005. The Wisconsin 2007 Assembly Joint Resolution 44 indicated Grant had been promoted to Specialist E-4 and was serving as a gunner during combat operations in Balad, Iraq. At the time of his death, Grant Dampier was survived by his wife Heidi; three daughters Alexis, Starr, and Kylee; mother Karen Goulee; stepfather Pat Goulee; father Richard Dampier; stepmother Gwen Dampier; brother and sister Jamie and Rae Ann Dampier; and, five half-brothers and one half-sister. Specialist Grant A. Dampier was laid to rest on May 26th, 2006, at the Merrill Memorial Park Cemetery in Merrill, Wisconsin. Grant Dampier was the 56th Wisconsin military service person to be killed in Iraq since the spring of 2003.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
96,813 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
9,519 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,408 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
1139 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
746 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
31,860 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
6,355 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
102 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
19 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
142 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
21 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
Wisconsin military service person special mention of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org; Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; and, icasualties.org.
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