You know what? It's finally happened. My intent with the blog had been to share what life is like here on the FOB (seeing as how I'm a FOBbit and all) and generally keep folks up to date on what's going on. But it's happened. I'm crossing the line into using this to disseminate, to some degree, what happens to me day to day. First, some information. I am in charge of badging. What that means is, all of the non military types who work here MUST come to my folks to get a badge. In the process of obtaining said badge, I must eventually approve it and sign off on it, literally. That's a goodly amount of responsibility, which I don't take lightly. People may or may not be assigned privileges (PX access, eating at the chow hall, etc) based on their contract. So far so good. So one of the reps gets into a pissing contest with one of my soldiers. An aside - I don't take this lightly. Normally I try not to throw the oak leaf around, but when a civilian starts to mix it up with one of my soldiers, move over. Anyhow, this guy's being a jerk and doing so in email no less (most unwise). So, my specialist sends me the email chain. I read it. I respond. Hey, I have no issue giving full access to folks to whom it's entitled, but I must have a contract, period. No contract, no privileges. Finally he comes back with the basic statement, "oh, I suppose you guys need the contract that shows this support relationship." You think??? Maybe?
It keeps life interesting.
I especially like the Iraqi Army folks. We have some pretty hard and fast guidelines on badging these folks. It's written that way. So this dude comes in for a badge renewal and I change his badge color. Another aside - most of these folks associate badge colors with a certain level of respect or influence. It's like, the "better" the color, then the more important they must be. Honestly, it's all about the regulation and the contract. Anyhow, this guy is PISSED. Not just garden variety, either. Walks off after stating, "I talk to general about this." You do that. Comes a call from the general's office this morning (fast service). Boss & I go up there. Seems they have checked with the folks in Baghdad (NB, this would be the folks I talk to daily) and they refuse to give this cat his original badge color back. I recall mentioning that yesterday, oddly enough. So we had that minor drama to contend with, which helped to break the GHDE (GroundHog Day Effect).
Sometimes I swear I'm back in my high school classroom listening to arguments about the length of prom dress hemlines.
One person demanded - demanded (this was a civilian, mind you, which implies that I am armed and he is not) - that I give him a brown badge. Went on and on about how waiting 45 minutes while he's searched going from one FOB to the other is such a burden to him. It was embarrassing. And it hit me just as I returned from a meeting or lunch or some other event that had absolutely nothing to do with his 45 minute wait.
We all get upset, this I know. Throughout this deployment I have begun to learn how to both choose to not grow angry all the time and to understand that a distinct difference exists between those things I can, ought and should change and those things, over which I truly have no control. Some complaining about the latter is to be expected. Going on a rant about it is something I have had to work at avoiding. Human nature is to pick out the traits in others which bother us the most in ourselves, and I am no exception. I know I don't like it when I go off about silly stuff, and really don't like it when others do the same.
Enjoy!
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