Due to a request, I'm replaying one of my stories from last Christmas...about my Christmas in Bosnia. I've added a little to the story to make it a little more clear. )From the Soldier side: OK, I've been going on about Iraq too much... Well, I mean My Bosnia deployment was really much better...even though we all got arrested and all.
What? Say it ain't so...the CI-Roller Dude is a cop in civilian life, how could he get "arrested" in Bosnia and just before Christmas?
Well, our jobs required us to go outside the camps.... usually everyday. I'm not sure if some people stuck on the camp resented that or what...but rumors from things the last rotations did spread and got mixed with things some of our teams might have actually done...I don't know for sure. I know I did my job and stayed out of trouble.
So, just before Christmas, all the outer teams were called back to the main camp. We had to turn in our weapons, ammo and badges...and we were told we were restricted to the camp.
CID (Criminal Investigation Division) interviewed us all...those of us whom the command felt were good soldiers were interviewed first...then cleared and told to go back to work.
I felt sorry for the CID agent who had to "interrogate" me. I sat in front of his desk, read everything he had sitting out-- I can read upside down, a skill I learned from being called into the Chief's office many times. So I read all his notes and what he planned to question me about. I also saw he had a picture of a motor Cycle on his desk. OK, I had my plan formed. Counter attack before he could get anything on me. (I really did nothing wrong, but with CID, they try to twist things around and he was a dumb fu-- anyway.)
So, I questioned him about his motor cycle...how long have you been riding. Have you had any training...pretty soon, he forgot what he was supposed to question me about... we spent 20 minutes talking about riding motor cycles.
I felt bad for him, so when he was done, I asked if there was anything I could help him with...he said: "no, I'm sure you did nothing wrong, so I'm clearing you to go back to work."
However, we sat at the main camp through Christmas...and all our mail and packages from home were sitting at the outer camps we were assigned to...so we didn't get to open our Christmas packages until well after Christmas. Screwed again by the Army and the lack of decent leadership.
Who was finally charged after all the investigations? Most of the officers and some senior NCOs. A former team leader of mine was later investigated for something else, relieved of his command and it was given to me... of course without a promotion.
(Updated: My buddies in Kosovo right now say they are having some of the exact same leadership problems now....same problems, just a different face or two. )
So, I hope you didn't mind the updated re-run.
Have a great Christmas...I don't say "happy holidays" because this time of year it's all about Christmas...and if you're some anti Christmas person, guess what I got to say about that...
CI Roller Dude..
10 comments:
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Thanks for the Christmas story, D. ...didn't mind the re-run at all. I love re-runs at Christmas.
I can't help but laugh at what you did to the poor agent. Imagine someone like you reading upside down and changing the subject... hmmmm.
I hope you have a great Christmas...and get everything you want. You're a good cop/soldier tht deserves much better than what you've had to deal with.
1. My experience with interrogators has been that the good ones already knew what you were going to say and were just checking off boxes as you rattled off your account. The bad ones -it didn't matter anyway.
2. Wanted to say a couple things.
3. On going to war: As young troop, all through training, en route to VN, even after orientation and joining my unit, I expected SGT Rock and a group of supermen to show up and take me on patrol. Had little regard for the troops I trained with and not much more for my NCO's.
4. The first time I saddled up and went outside the wire, I went with the same sad crew I'd been hanging with all along.
5. Feel better about them now than I did back in the day. Got to see some troops from other places (VN doesn't count) -and as bad as I felt we were -they were far worse.
6. The troops I met at BWI Airport, going back to Iraq after R&R, were a lot like the supermen I expected to materialize way back when. They were bigger, fitter, confident and actually looking forward to rejoining their units.
7. In VN, if they'd let us take our R&R week in CONUS, a lot wouldn't have come back. (Hawaii was available for officers and staff ncos to meet wives)
8. Second topic: You are pretty bitter about frustrations on Cop side and Soldier side.
9. I can match you on bitter but there's another element that plays for me. Am out of the game for good and all and have to thank both police and service men for protecting me.
10. That's what happens once you cross the line. Like that even less than all the frustrating stupidities that caused me to grind down my teeth when I was on active duty.
11. Maybe you're smarter than me and have good plans for your time after retirement. If not, watch that first step....
12. Have a Merry Christmas and hoist one for the boys out earning their pay the hard way.
V/R JW
Hi, I am a veteran and I just want to say that your stories realy ring true and touched me deeply. Christmas is realy hard time for me, I get so down thinking about all my buddies over at the NNCV and all the PPSTs. It is so nice that you get to spend time with your famely and loved ones. It is must have been tough to come home after all that, how did you deal? I come home and nobody wants to hear my stories anymore, like their annoying or something.
I think it's always good to tell your stories...you never know who is listening.
There probably is a fine line between being really bitter and just feeling the need to speak the truth of something so frustrating. But I say it's good to get it off your chest.
Bitter is bad when you eat it and swallow. ...but if you can just let it roll off your tongue and put it in it's place...someone else might just relate...and that can be helpful. Then it can keep the next ship from sinking instead of sinking the ship.
CI-Roller Dude, Thank you for keeping all our spirits high during these cold winter months in Kosovo. These funny stories keep us all guessing as to what is oing to happen next in the life of the Roller Dude. Keep em comming! When I get back to the real world you will have to let me and some of the boys take you out for a cold one if we are ever in the same place at the same time.
Thanks Man! And please keep all the whacky adventures of the roller dude coming!
What are NNCV and PPST?
NNCV = National Nut & Control Vehicle,
PPST- pissed person stress team
I have no idea, that's why the CI Roller Dude avoids acrnymeeesss things. Half the people I talked to in Iraq who were active duty left me totally confused when they talked...I'd always say "hey, can you speak in plain English?"
And Howie Feltersnatch== what a good name, but I think I figured out who you are,,,and I'll track you down and buy you a beer or a Bier.
How about me do I get a beer?
Mya Buttreeks, to obtain your free welcome home beer, first you have to come home, then come up to our place and I'll buy you all you can hold.... unless your buttreeks too bad.
Great stories, I enjoy them. As for your Christmas greeting, I was never an anti Christmas person until some people became so militant about insisting that it is only about Christmas and nothing else. Now I say Happy Holidays, Happy Hannuka, Joyful Solstice, Happy New Year, as often as I can!
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