Christopher Windham
I joined the Texas Army National Guard as a chaplain assistant in order to gain money to go to college with the plan to become a military Chaplin. Before that goal could be accomplished, our unit was activated and deployed to Iraq in 2009 with me not being deployed as a chaplain assistant but rather as a Military Police (they deemed my M.O.S. unnecessary excess and changed it).
Throughout our training and up through the deployment I witnessed the incompetence and carelessness of our leadership. When we got to Iraq and our mission was manning entry control points, check points and detainee operations. I quickly realized that this was no "war", the people did not want us there and our presence was in vain. We were transitioning hand off to the Government of Iraq and it did not take long after that transition that everything we were seeking to "accomplish" fell apart. Most likely, because it was arrogantly thrust upon them.
After returning, I anxiously waited my discharge from the National Guard and looked for any way to justify or find honor in my service. I could find none and grow frustrated at the mass number of individuals that daily join the ranks of Americas military daily through false advertisement, not to mention the populace that blindly glorifies Americas war machine.