Introducing Myself.

[bristlehead]

Welcome, Athanasius and Damien.

Athanasius, that's quite a handle.. did you choose it because you feel alone against the world, just like the original saint?  Well, you're not alone here, brother.  Keep yer head down and powder dry and get back safe and whole.  We'll leave the light on for ya.

Damien, I echo a previous poster's advice.. oathkeepers is a good place to start.  My brother, who's a retired Air Force sargeant, read a book describing what steps the military has taken to desensitize soldiers to killing; the book claims that realistic military style shoot-em-up computer games have done the trick, or are doing the trick.  I'm curious about your take on this.

[Damien]

Well, as a Naval Officer my experiences on the pointy end are pretty few. I have, however, had numerous opportunities to train for VBSS (visit, board, search, and seizure) missions. In that training we engaged in plenty of shoot house, close quarters combat training...and I think, although it was training that was very serious in nature, it did have an element of insouciance to it that was intended to make us fearless...or maybe, insensitive to the plight of those on the receiving end of our fire?
In general, whether the military is at fault or society through its choices of entertainment (shooting games, gratuitous violence in movies, etc), I would have to say that the level of sensitivity to the horrors wrought by war has fallen. All that said, I would not hesitate to defend my family and home/property from harm...

[username]

Hi Athanasius,

I'm a fellow seeker, who like yourself has yet to make the jump to Wyoming.  Our plans for a road trip over the Valentine's weekend are shaping up nicely, however and I'm looking forward to connecting with a handful of you if possible.

Stay safe during your tour!!  Thank you for doing your part to ensure our liberties are in the best hands possible.  Unfortunately, I'm afraid that your sentiment isn't terribly widespread (regarding defending liberty, rather than corporate tyranny as it were), but it is nice to hear it first hand from a soldier who believes in what they stand for.

Again, good luck!!

JP & Victoria Bernier

[Athanasius]

@bristlehead:
I picked the name for several reasons: He is my favorite saint for his defense of the Incarnation against Arius. He did stand against the world-- and sometimes, it feels like that's what happens in my life as a Christian.

"Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: The requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world--No. You move."

-Mark Twain

Also, his book De Incarnation Verbi Dei is fantastic.

@Damien: Hmm. See, in Afghanistan I did route clearance-- looking for and neutralizing IEDs. So my job on a day-to-day level was to 1) Protect myself and my fellow soldiers, and 2) make the backroads of Afghanistan a little safer for the Afghans themselves (as a bomb is no respecter of persons-- something I've seen firsthand). While over there I had seen and heard enough horror stories (such as my interpreter explaining why there were no girls at a school we passed-- "The Taliban will kill them if they do.") to justify what I did and why I fought who I fought. And I also saw how we made the lives of the Afghan people a little better.

Maybe I read a little too much Ivanhoe and Superman when I was a boy, and I'm merely tilting at windmills. I dunno. What I do know is that seeing the concetrated evil of the Taliban made me realize that America is a bubble, safe and secure from the rest of the world. When that bubble is punctured, the results end up on the nightly news. Seeing the wolves out there made me realize that there are wolves here, and that I don't want to be a sheep. So... it took me going overseas to wake up?

Kinda rambling again, and I apologize.

[Boston]

Welcome Athanasius!

Thanks for the kind comments about Molôn Labé!
It's heartening to read of its effect on yet another Wyoming future relocator.

Stay safe, check 6, and see you soon in the Cowboy State!

Boston

[Paul W. Allen]

 ;)Athanasius, actually Wyoming will be an easy transition after Afganistan except we don't normally shoot at you. Terrain is very similar, of course we don't have Al Qaida in Wyoming, you just have Wyoming in all it's glory. Thank you for thinking of us. We're not quite Memphis but I think you'd be very happy here. Here "Life is as you make it, not what is expected". Thank you for the vocation you have chosen and may God be with through your tour, I know that my family sleeps better even if they don't know it. You won't be dissapointed in Wyoming if you truely belong here, Paul.

[Damien]

@Bristlehead - thank you for the words of advice. Re Oath Keepers, I have been following them the past few months. I like what they stand for. I also follow/belong to a number of similar groups...the more I learn, the more I feel compelled to join like-minded groups.

@Athanasius - as one service member to another, my sincere thanks to you for your service in the various sandboxes... :-) My duty in the various gulfs onboard USS Ustafish was admittedly less arduous and visceral.

I do, whole-heartedly agree with you that our fellow Americans have indeed lived in a bubble and are, in a manner of speaking, sheep, awaiting the arrival of the wolves, My disheartening fear is that too many of them are happy to be sheep and are simply unwilling to take any action against the impending danger of the wolves...and yes, the wolves are already in the pen. So do they merit protection or do they deserve to be awakened from the their slumber? My duty, as is yours, is to protect them...my inclination is, as with any indulged child, is to awaken them to the truth and freedom of personal responsibility and self-reliance.

It is a tough row to how...

Cheers -
Damien

[MANUMIT]

...yes, the wolves are already in the pen. ...

Just curious, are those foreign or domestic wolves??

A foreign wolf doesn't care where we live, work, play or worship.
A foreign wolf doesn't care how much we make, spend or save.
A foreign wolf doesn't give a crap about us EXCEPT
that our domestic wolves are running in HIS territory.

What would you do to protect yours?

MANUMIT

[Damien]

At this point, it would seem almost irrelevant to distinguish between the two as they are basically two sides of the same coin. The enemy you know versus the one you don't really just points out that they are both your enemy! :-)

As to what would I do?...whatever it takes to ensure that the wolves do not maul our liberty... On a more concrete note, I plan to be moving myself and my family to WY within the next 3 years...we'll take it from there.

[MANUMIT]

Roger that!!

Plan for three but execute ASAP...we're sure glad we did!!

MANUMIT

[Damien]

Believe me...the family and I are wishing it could be sooner than 3 but I need to finish my last tour of the duty with the Navy. If the Navy is willing, and we can swing it, we will be there in 2 years. One of my most pressing concerns is the solvency of our economy, and to an extent, our country...I don't want things to go to hell in a hand basket before I have moved us to WY. If things head south before then, things may become orders of magnitude more complicated... Hopefully not.

[Athanasius]

Our economy is preoccupying me as well, Damien. But things being as they are right now, I can't leave where I'm at in KY; I figure I'm stuck here for at least 2 more years. If SHTF, I may stick it out here depending. If things get really bad, I'm driving/rucking/fighting my way to WY.

So I guess I'm hoping for the grace period to last just a little longer..

[Damien]

Athanasius - you and me both brother. My final tour is a 3-year stint in Korea. I am praying for that grace period to last long enough to get the family and I to WY without any major hassles... Obviously, should the SHTF, the logistics of getting the family from overseas to CONUS becomes, um, challenging! ;-) I am laying my plans though, making sure that I am as prepared as can be for whatever contingencies may arise.

On a different note, what is your MOS? I was a Navy Supply Officer (Quartermaster for the Army-types) but transitioned to Foreign Area Officer (FAO). I had planned on staying in a bit longer but given that I am hitting my 20 next year, coupled with the serious uncertainties about our nation's future, I figure it is probably time to pull chalks. Obligations in the military being what they are...3 years is what I owe to square the books. After that, WY, here we come!

[Athanasius]

My current MOS is 21B (Combat Engineer), though I've considered staying in, going to OCS, and picking infantry. I'd certainly like to bone up on all that stuff, and I suck up all my explosives and small-unit tactics like a sponge-- Just like to learn, I guess. Though to be fair, I'm in the Kentucky National Guard, not active duty-- I wanted to finish college and I've always found the idea of the "citizen-soldier" to be a bit cool.

I am, I admit, getting tired of being told what to do. It grates on me.

[Damien]

Athanasius - I am prior enlisted (6 1/2 years) so I certainly hear ya when you talk about being told what to do... Best of luck with your decision-making process re OCS. In some ways it would seem to be a no-brainer, go-for-it, kind of choice. But on the other hand, it brings up a host of other issues such as extending your length of service and delaying your move to WY. Lots to think about eh?

Oh, and for the record, even as an officer, you still get told what to do...admittedly by fewer people, but still! It really is the same stuff, just a slightly different flavor. 

Out of curiosity, where in WY are you thinking of going?