My last mission...

From the Soldier side: My Last AT. This was the Last “AT” (National Guard 2 week Annual Training) I will attend. It was both very good and very sad. Good because they put on some really good training- which I didn’t even have to help plan this time…and sad because I’m really going to miss it.


"Miss it?" You might ask. Why would anybody miss working/ training for 16 hours on some days. Getting up early in the morning in a room with 19 other soldiers (half of which snore like a chain saw with a bad spark plug). Having to wait in line for a shower and sink to shave in.

Standing in line for breakfast chow. Going to classes and training that in many cases will do nothing to benefit you for your civilian life. Going to meetings and briefings when you should be resting or going to bed. Trying to go to sleep when 19 other soldiers wanna' talk all night long.

Getting into a training exercise that starts at 0800 hours and makes you stay up until midnight. Having to explain how we are supposed to do the job to those who outrank you but have never been deployed and have no clue as how to actually do the technical parts of the job and try to re-write everything instead of adding on to what has been done in the past that works.

…and getting woken up early for random urine drug test.



Oh, after thinking it over, maybe I won’t miss it. But I’ll miss the good soldiers I worked with. In my company.  Any of these folks would drag you from a fire, and do anything they could to help each other.  A bond that many will never know or fully understand. 
I’m one of the last “multi deployers” who went to both Bosnia and Iraq. We were some of the first to deploy on the “Global War on Terror” and now over half of those left have never deployed at all. But I know they’ll do well. As a matter of fact, the last “field team” they assigned me for training was actually better than some of the soldiers I deployed with to Bosnia or Iraq. They will do well!

From my CO and last 1st Sergeant