Fort Irwin used to be a place that soldiers come to for a break from the high optempo. You could always rely on the predictability of this post. You were always either preparing for, carrying out, or recovering from a rotation. It was a huge cycle: Week 1: Rotational Prep, Week 2: Force on Force exercise, Week 3: Live Fire Exercise, Week 4: Rotational Recovery. Yeah, it’s in the middle of one of the hottest places in the US, but the predictability and family friendly environment made up for that.

With the deployment of the 11th ACR back in November and January to Iraq, those things have changed. Fort Irwin is still a wonderful post to stationed at. If I had to go to war with anyone (Besides the 3rd Infantry Division), it would be the 11th ACR. This is a unit that trained month after month to ensure that the rest of the Army was trained the best they could be. But, Fort Irwin is a small community. With the 11th ACR gone, we’re all on pins and needles. We lost another soldier a coupld of weeks ago. He was injured during a mortar attack almost a month ago and just wasn’t able to make it through. I didn’t know SFC Randy Collins personally, but he is a brother.

As I walked around the National Mall this past weekend, watching all the veterans from Vietnam, Korea, and WWII, a deep sense of pride filled my heart. Those guys are responsible for the parade going on all around us. The thundering sounds all hundreds of thousands of motorcycles rolling down the street suddenly felt like overdue applause for those vets. Memorial Day takes on a whole new meaning when you’ve been on the cusp of death and seen your buddies killed before your eyes. One of the things I mentioned a few times during my interviews in Maryland was that this past weekend wasn’t about me. It was about those soldiers that would have loved to have been at that concert with me, but didn’t make it back to attend.

Anyway, it’s sappy, but the memorial is today, so I’m reflecting.