--=Wot a...D.a.Y=--
Wow...Been a few days now hasn't it? Terribly sorry about that but life has managed to be busy yet horribly uneventful at the same time. Until today that is, the hours of light and then darkness were packed with new and exciting things for me to experience. Today was my 'Stand-by' day which boils down to a quasi-day-off where we don't have to work persay but still have to be available in case something comes up. Well, today something came up. The word came down from on high that we needed two of us SF types to provide security for a mission bound for Afghanistan, which in itself isn't too horribly uncommon, but this one was alittle more of the rare sort. The primary goal of the mission was to provide security for the plane and it's crew -from- its cargo. Yes, from it's cargo. For this wasn't ordinary cargo, no, it was an EPW or 'Enemy Prisoner of War.' So cool, that was interesting and all. 'John Doe' was your average looking terrorist. Dirty, hairy and smelly. This isn't the first time doing this type of mission but the reason I bring this up is because I was contemplating my job here in this distant part of the world. My thoughts drifted in the direction of the drastic comparison between my job now and my job before the military.
What is my role exactly? Well, let me digress into an explanation. The Army MPs are responsible for keeping this guy under control and our plane isn't set to land in any hostile areas where we would have to jump out and watch out for bad-guys so why do they need me and my fellow SF on the mission? Well, our responsibility was something we call 'Cockpit Denial.' This means that it is our objective is to monitor the going-ons in the cargo area and in the event of anything happening we are to deny entry to the cockpit by any means necessary to protect the crew and there by protecting the plane's mission. It just wouldn't do to have Mr. Taliban take a gun off one of the MPs, cap his keepers and then storm the cockpit in a murderous rage. That would be bad. But that isn't what revelation was about. The thought that startled me is the fact that my job routinely places me in situations that could easily become a 'kill or be killed' moment and that fact doesn't bother me. A couple years ago if I would have been put in that situation while I was driving nails for a living in Boston it would have been a serious mind-fuck.
So then I asked myself 'Why is that? Why doesn't this disturbing reality disturb you?' I think my answers where at least semi-correct.
A) A military lifestyle and a daily dosage of modern weaponry has de-sensitized me to some of this and...
B) I think I have a protectorate streak in me. It is not as if I am out stalking through the desert looking for 'skinnies' to kill or flying a jet loaded with bombs, no, I am performing duties in which I am set to protect things. People, assets, and places, they are all re-active duties, not pro-actives. 'You doing this cause me to do that' kind of things...
I know, I know...whatever helps me sleep at night. Whatever....enough of the deep thoughts though. Back to my original topic. My day. Umm....yes, another interesting bit. I was in physical contact with one million U.S. dollars for a couple hours. As luck would have it on one of the legs of our journey we were transporting currency. I had my hands on 4 suitcases containing a quarter million dollars apiece. Blew my mind to say the least. Low and behold before me was more money in cash than I will probably ever make in my lifetime. And I had to be the great and wonderful troop who made sure it got safely from point A the point B. Needless to say I am glad their is no such thing as the Thought Police and that I am not stupid enough to do what the voices in my head tell me to do. Mwahahaha.
Well, I will end here not because that is all that happened today but that is all I can relay here on a LJ entry. I am feeling motivated still though so perhaps I will post another song I have been working on. --=Friends only=-- of course...
Good day mates.
-4-
What is my role exactly? Well, let me digress into an explanation. The Army MPs are responsible for keeping this guy under control and our plane isn't set to land in any hostile areas where we would have to jump out and watch out for bad-guys so why do they need me and my fellow SF on the mission? Well, our responsibility was something we call 'Cockpit Denial.' This means that it is our objective is to monitor the going-ons in the cargo area and in the event of anything happening we are to deny entry to the cockpit by any means necessary to protect the crew and there by protecting the plane's mission. It just wouldn't do to have Mr. Taliban take a gun off one of the MPs, cap his keepers and then storm the cockpit in a murderous rage. That would be bad. But that isn't what revelation was about. The thought that startled me is the fact that my job routinely places me in situations that could easily become a 'kill or be killed' moment and that fact doesn't bother me. A couple years ago if I would have been put in that situation while I was driving nails for a living in Boston it would have been a serious mind-fuck.
So then I asked myself 'Why is that? Why doesn't this disturbing reality disturb you?' I think my answers where at least semi-correct.
A) A military lifestyle and a daily dosage of modern weaponry has de-sensitized me to some of this and...
B) I think I have a protectorate streak in me. It is not as if I am out stalking through the desert looking for 'skinnies' to kill or flying a jet loaded with bombs, no, I am performing duties in which I am set to protect things. People, assets, and places, they are all re-active duties, not pro-actives. 'You doing this cause me to do that' kind of things...
I know, I know...whatever helps me sleep at night. Whatever....enough of the deep thoughts though. Back to my original topic. My day. Umm....yes, another interesting bit. I was in physical contact with one million U.S. dollars for a couple hours. As luck would have it on one of the legs of our journey we were transporting currency. I had my hands on 4 suitcases containing a quarter million dollars apiece. Blew my mind to say the least. Low and behold before me was more money in cash than I will probably ever make in my lifetime. And I had to be the great and wonderful troop who made sure it got safely from point A the point B. Needless to say I am glad their is no such thing as the Thought Police and that I am not stupid enough to do what the voices in my head tell me to do. Mwahahaha.
Well, I will end here not because that is all that happened today but that is all I can relay here on a LJ entry. I am feeling motivated still though so perhaps I will post another song I have been working on. --=Friends only=-- of course...
Good day mates.
-4-