Has anyone every witnessed a deployment before?

[d.mcc]

I was just in North Carolina this weekend at Camp Lejune watching some of our nations finest depart for a combat zone. Now, those that read my post know that I am not necessarily the most nationalist guy, but there is something to be said about the personification of war...

I guess I was just wondering if anyone else had any experience with a deployment or a loved one overseas and wished to share a story or two. I know from what I saw this weekend I have, not exactly a new respect for soldiers, but I think it helped my understanding of what family members and the soldiers themselves go through.

*DISCLAIMER* This is not my first Deployment, been through a few before, this was just the first I had gone to the base to witness.

[d.mcc]

*bump* for more entries

[Islandman]

Does being in the deployment count?

[MoparDan]

Does being in the deployment count?

Good question. When active duty, I witnessed fellow squadron members being deployed for Desert Storm.
As a guardsman I was deployed for Hurricanes Katrina & Dolly, so I technically I didn't witness it.
Here's another one...does being deployed stateside count? I'm really not trying to be a smarta$$ here, but it does make you wonder.
In all seriousness, they can be heart breaking scenes, particularly where the Army & Marines are concerned because they're literally facing the spectre of death up close & personal.

[d.mcc]

Good question. When active duty, I witnessed fellow squadron members being deployed for Desert Storm.
As a guardsman I was deployed for Hurricanes Katrina & Dolly, so I technically I didn't witness it.
Here's another one...does being deployed stateside count? I'm really not trying to be a smarta$$ here, but it does make you wonder.
In all seriousness, they can be heart breaking scenes, particularly where the Army & Marines are concerned because they're literally facing the spectre of death up close & personal.

A deployment is a deployment, you're away from family and friends, so if you have stories, by all means. I am thinking of compiling them sometime if I can get enough. I know that with this particular deployment, communication is going to be VERY difficult. No phone calls, no emails, snail mail only.

[ccbatson]

Not to be critical, but we have an all volunteer army, surely participants were aware of this possibility when they signed up.

[MoparDan]

A deployment is a deployment, you're away from family and friends, so if you have stories, by all means. I am thinking of compiling them sometime if I can get enough. I know that with this particular deployment, communication is going to be VERY difficult. No phone calls, no emails, snail mail only.

The military is cracking down where Internet usage & emails are concerned. To have any web based email blocked is nothing unusual. In addition social network sites such as MySpace & Facebook are blocked as well. The DOD has created alternatives for the troops such as allowing them to have an email address they can track or military-based social networking sites. All that Communications & Operational Security stuff. A co-worker was called up by his Army Reserve unit a few years ago & he was able to send an occasional message through his military email address.

My deployments were humanitarian in nature, so anything I can pass along is not going to have the impact someone who has experienced a firefight could share. That is if they would want to. Unless you want my take on the New Orleans' neighborhoods I went through that were complete write offs. Or how disgusting it was to clean out the hall we were assigned to at the Convention Center. I have pics I took as well as some taken by other members of my unit. Some of them are pretty interesting.

[ddaydetroit]

MoparDan This post is coming from the Middle of Afghanistan and every internet center I have been to has what seems to be about half the browsers opened with either Myspace or face book.
From what I have seen there is no set standard and what is acceptably today may not be acceptably when the next commander comes in many of the marines also can get their cell phones to work out here or go through a local Afghan phone company.
The other thing that may surprise a lot of people is in the calling centers many of the people calling home are speaking spanish.
As far as useing my military email for me its not even an option I wont use it for my personal emails.

[MoparDan]

MoparDan This post is coming from the Middle of Afghanistan and every internet center I have been to has what seems to be about half the browsers opened with either Myspace or face book.
From what I have seen there is no set standard and what is acceptably today may not be acceptably when the next commander comes in many of the marines also can get their cell phones to work out here or go through a local Afghan phone company.
The other thing that may surprise a lot of people is in the calling centers many of the people calling home are speaking spanish.
As far as useing my military email for me its not even an option I wont use it for my personal emails.

Thanks for the info & hope you are in good spirits there. Maybe it's an Air Force thing as far as these sites being blocked & where email addresses are concerned. Although when I did a TDY to Arizona a few yrs back, the Comm Squadron there allowed us access to our webmail. As you state, there seems to be no actual set standard.