3 Days and a Wake Up.

In three days, my niece will board a plane and ship off to Army bootcamp. Considering the current situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, this will almost certainly mean that she will get deployed to a war zone upon completion of her training.

I’m not sure how I feel about her shipping out. Fearful, of course. But also proud that she has made a decision with (almost) full knowledge of where she’ll go. The job she got assigned will hopefully keep her out of the most dangerous situations in Iraq according to my sources. Afghanistan is a different situation entirely.

The worst part about the whole thing is the MOS she got: Parachute Rigger. Now those familiar with the Army know that there are only 2 units that jump from airplanes: the 82nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg, NC and the 101st Airborne out of Fort Campbell, KY. My friend V, who I interviewed in an earlier post, reports that riggers in Iraq didn’t do a hell of a lot outside the wire. Mostly, he states, they serve as escorts on base to contractors and the like. If that’s the case, then things look a little better for her if and when she deploys.

We go to her going-away party tomorrow. I’ll do my best to allay her fears and give her some insight into what to expect.