Running With the Devil

"I did not smoke while writing this.

A note on timing: I usually write an essay the day something happens while the dialog and events are fresh in my head. If I can't, I take notes and write later. I usually write the essay and then sleep on it. The next day, I read it again and edit it. This helps me prevent OPSEC violations and prevents me from posting something out of anger or spite. When I finally get to the MWR center, I post the essay and edit it again. Then I set a trigger for posting so that a fresh essay appears about every three days. Sometimes I post two or three essays at a time that are stacked up like planes landing at Newark Liberty. Each essay comes in on its own glidepath every two or three days. So the events depicted did not necessarily happen on the day that they were posted.

I say this because of that sappy, tearful crap that I wrote yesterday. I posted that about an hour after the squad leader left my room. That was a reflection of how I felt at that moment. I can’t lie, I wanted to pour my heart out to anyone who would listen, but I couldn’t do that because a leader has to have this façade of fearlessness. Later I called my wife and dumped everything out on her. Then I dumped everything on you. I have a policy never to remove something that was posted, and only make edits after posting for spelling or grammar. This is why you go from one fearful, crappy post to an upbeat, happy essay like today.

But yesterday you got a treat: ten minutes of uncensored, unedited ramblings in the mind of an infantry platoon sergeant who suddenly realized that the Fobbits are really the lucky ones.

So anyway, here’s the essay:"
Big Tabacco