Thursday, December 31, 2009

Words With Friends...

Who has it (iPhone people)? Let's play! User name: GIKate.

Monday, December 28, 2009

330-11.

My sleep pattern is totally messed up. Why was I up until 3? I looked at Etsy for hours and didn't buy anything. Anyways, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. My Christmas was amazing. I spent it with my family, my boyfriend and his family who I love to death. I’m officially out of the Army! I spent the night with friends and celebrated at a reunion show my friend Seth put together. There is nothing like seeing your favorite band from nine years ago!

Question: How does the military or war turn a boy into a man? Can a male soldier explain this to me? Or do you think it’s a bunch of bullshit? (This question isn’t out of the blue…I’m working on something.) Thank you!

Here are a few photos (taken with my iPhone) from the last day at my Army unit (completely bored), Christmas and the show. Check out the gingerbread house I made.






Thursday, December 24, 2009

Military to scrap pregnancy punishment.

Just read this on Reuters...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military in Iraq will scrap a policy early next year that has led to the punishment of some soldiers serving in Iraq for becoming pregnant, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq said on Thursday.

General Ray Odierno said the new, Iraq-wide guidelines would take effect beginning January 1, lifting rules enacted by the U.S. commander in northern Iraq, who reports to Odierno, that laid out possible punishments for pregnancy among his soldiers.


Read the article here.


Thoughts?

(I will write more on this topic later. Right now I have to wrap presents. Hope you're all having a nice Christmas eve! Merry Christmas!)

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

December 26th!

I will officially be out of the Army. Madness! My good friend Seth put together a reunion show with some of Albany's best bands. If you live in Albany or near Albany please come out! We will be celebrating the end of my eight year run in the Army Reserves and enjoying a night of great music. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! xoxox


(And people are already trying to send me money for my first drink as a civilian!)

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo III bans pregnancy.

Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo III, the Army general commanding U.S. forces in northern (commands Multi-National Division-North, including Balad, Kirkuk, Tikrit, Mosul and Samarra) Iraq has added pregnancy to the list of prohibitions. The policy makes it possible to face punishment, including a court-martial and jail time, for becoming pregnant or impregnating a servicemember.

Check out my piece here at VetVoice.

Monday, December 14, 2009

VetVoice...

has welcomed me to the family. What is VetVoice? “VetVoice is the online home of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. It is for Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard members, as well as for veterans, their families, and their supporters. VetVoice is where we can come together to sound off on the issues that concern all of us. VetVoice aims to be a nexus for information and opinion on war news, war politics, deployments, optempo, veterans' issues, troops' families' issues, and more.”

I will be a front page contributor for VetVoice. My rants about the wars, the media, and politics will most likely appear on there. I am very honored to be part of this online community. They are amazing people and I couldn’t be more excited to be working with them.


VetVoice Welcomes New Front Page Contributors.

I took a leave of absence.

My semester officially ended on Friday. My papers are all handed in and I took my German final. So, I’m back.

What have I missed? 30,000 troop surge in Afghanistan? Check. A plan for the 30,000 troops? Hmm not so much…no check. Tiger Woods flooding the airwaves? Double check. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi punched in the face? Ouch. Check. Copenhagen climate meeting - 200 arrested. Check. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "I would still have thought it right to remove him (Saddam Hussein). I mean obviously you would have had to use and deploy different arguments, about the nature of the threat." Blair will be questioned next year at an inquiry into Britain's role in the 2003 conflict. So, former President Bush hanging in Texas while Blair is being questioned for his support for the Iraq War? Check and I’ll check the bullshit box while I’m at it.

What I’ve stumbled upon today.

Back from combat, woman struggle for acceptance.

A great article on what life is like for returning female veterans.

“Female service members have much higher rates of divorce and are more likely to be a single parent. When they do seek help at VA medical centers, they are screening positive at a higher rate for military sexual trauma, meaning they indicated experiencing sexual harassment, assault or rape. Some studies have shown that female veterans are at greater risk for homelessness.”

Vanity Fair article: Tycoon, Contractor, Soldier, Spy By Adam Ciralsky

“Erik Prince, recently outed as a participant in a C.I.A. assassination program, has gained notoriety as head of the military-contracting juggernaut Blackwater, a company dogged by a grand-jury investigation, bribery accusations, and the voluntary-manslaughter trial of five ex-employees, set for next month. Lashing back at his critics, the wealthy former navy seal takes the author inside his operation in the U.S. and Afghanistan, revealing the role he’s been playing in America’s war on terror.”

If you’ve ever had any doubt about what Blackwater really did in Iraq or Afghanistan this article will set you straight. Was I surprised when I read it? Not so much. I figured Blackwater did a little more then drive around in up-armored SUVs and act as security guards. They walked around base like they were Heaven sent and never uttered a word to anyone. After all, a private military that was paid $100,000 plus a year really were in their own league…I mean, why even have the “really” Army in Iraq if you can just use these superheroes for everything?

I have some sad news to report, “Xe Services’ (formerly Blackwater) contract with the C.I.A. was reportedly terminated by C.I.A. director Leon E. Panetta.”