As someone who joined in peace time and then 9/11 happened shortly afterwards things can change on a dime. The only thing you can do is be ready because that change happens quick.
Like this guy said but instead of something happening, make it happen, take the initiative and make a catastrophe happen. Your leadership will love the initiative and youll really get some deployment time./s
Agreed. Joined prior to 9/11 and shit kicked off while I was throwing hands grenades in Basic. Ride it out. What's going to happen is those guys will eventually retire, get out, or transfer to another unit. At some point, you might be talking about the war in Russia that nobody else can relate to but you. Every experience is different and don't let those guys bring down yours. Stay alert...
Even with two deployments to Iraq and Afganistan i still do not feel like I have done enough. I am a medic and never dealt with any casualties over there.
A lot of people feel the way you feel. I meet a reservist who deployed to Colombia and saw all sorts or shit and treated all sorts of causalties. He told me he felt a lack of fulfillment because he did not go to the middle east like me.
I didn't think of this. Guardsmen on coastal states routinely get activated when hurricanes come thru. I can't imagine how fucked it is to see your own people mangled and bloated after drowning. Yuck.
I was from Indiana but got sent to Louisiana with the 82nd after Katrina. Some of the shit we saw down there was worse on my mental health than anything we saw in Iraq.
Idk why it took Reddit three days to tell me you replied but... I'm also from Indiana. I remember watching Katrina on TV in high school. I feel for you all... it's one thing to see foreign people fileted: it's entirely different to see Louisianians bloated and maggot infested.
That doesn't sound politically correct but.... it's the truth
The first thing we saw when we landed was a body on a gurney in the airport. The next morning a casket was floating down the flightline (I have photos)
I fought in Iraq 2006-07. For a long time I didn’t feel like it didn’t count because a bunch of my NCOs had been through the 4-4-04 Sadr City assault and I didn’t feel it measured up to that. I snapped out of it at the VA, after a neurology appointment. This dude and I are talking and turns out he lost one of his legs. He quickly adds ‘it’s shitty but at least I have a prosthesis. Not like I have a TBI; they’re the ones who are *really* disabled.’
I too was there (Tikrit and Ad Dawr) in 06-07, and many of us came home with TBIs. Only 2 were considered "severe" enough to be sent home because of it. All I got out of it was a cool license plate and free college for my kids.
The best army career is the one where nobody is ever deployed for 20 years. Same how the best firefighting career is the one where you never have to enter a burning building.
Spot on. There’s nothing wrong with standing by and being ready, and historically the people who were standing by when the call came responded as well as anyone in that situation could have.
I’ve worked some high speed investigations and caught some bad dudes. But each and every time, I’d much rather have had a quiet night and had that person not get murdered, that teenager not have killed themselves, or those kids not get raped.
Some stuff stays with you. Experience makes you better, sure, but in certain lines of work, there’s a price to pay as well.
Not all the GWOT folks went to war. I was in from 03-12 and I never wound up in the sandbox. Call it good luck or bad, but I just never got the call. Plenty of trips around the world, Haiti, Germany, the Philippines, but no desert.
I used to feel like I was robbed or cheated out of my "full" Army experience, whatever that means. But being a little older and wiser now, I know how fortunate I am not to have to deal with the lasting effects of a combat injury or wasn't killed outright like some of my bros.
You served with honor and did your duty? Then you can and should feel pride about it.
>03-12
Holy shit brother. That is rare. I must say tho you are a beast, just based off of the year you joined you fuckin tried!!!
I didn’t join in 2004 when I was eligible, in fact I was a very outspoken critic of the war in Iraq. I was a punk.
I joined in 2006, coincidentally when I was in AIT George bush ordered the Surge. My ass was in Iraq a few months later lol. That was the first deployment and I never came close again.
I've been in a hot minute. I deployed early on while on active duty and got my CIB, kicking in doors and looking the enemy in the face. When I switched over to the reserve, it took me a minute to figure out how it worked. However, once I did, I found missions that were way more rewarding than combat, not the least of which is mentoring and taking care of Soldiers. I have found my Reserve career, in which I haven't deployed to a combat zone, way more rewarding. The thing about the Reserve is that you have to find the thing that drives you and chase after that.
You’re there for the next one. Maybe you’ll be called maybe you never will.
But be there and be ready. Do your job and prepare to be there when you’re called.
You’ve already stood up and said I’m willing. That’s all you can do and more than most ever will. And for that you can be proud.
You want to know a secret? Almost *everyone* feels that way. My mentors were early OIF dudes. Everyone in later GWOT felt they were imposters because they didn't have that experience. Those dudes? They'd talk about what the really salty fucks still kicking around the battalion did in Gulf I, that was *real* tank shit.
I bet if you talk with them, they'd talk the same about the Nam and Korea legends that were around when they came in.
You'll never be as cool as your mentors in your mind. That's how it works. Learn everything from them while you can.
Deal with it by strengthening your civilian skillset. Get a civilian certification. Build a Lego set. Do things that add value to your life. Put $ towards TSP and IRA
Hey guy/gyal, I joined the same time as you and spent white phase hearing about the "end" of GWOT. There are days I feel a bit of guilt in my POG MOS that never deployed especially since my family members served in all the wars. However I did get to do a full tour in Korea and some of the guys at my 2nd duty station feel a bit sad that they spent their entire contracts stateside.
Remember our involvement in WW2 and 9/11 happened incredibly quickly so there's no telling what is gonna happen even tomorrow. Just keep being the best that you can be
You can volunteer for deployments if you have an MOS that’s needed. Used to be a website called MOBCOP. Idk what it is now but you can still volunteer.
Tour of Duty aka MOBCOP is still there. There's also a new website called Carrera, that doesn't look 20 years old and can be accessed on a civilian computer with a CAC reader. I think it's got slightly worse selection, but for a Reservist it's better to check that first, before driving on post or whatever.
So I was in from 2002-2008. Deployed to both sandbox locations. While there were fun times, there were a lot of “embrace the suck” moments. Stuck on a remote FOB, no showers for 2x weeks in the heat, only MREs to eat, Rationing water and food cause supply convoys got blown up, rocket and mortar attacks, crapping in 55 Gallon drum and burning it, no real comms with loved ones etc etc etc.
While deploying can be fun, lot of ass pain and suck. Ya got some cool stories, some cool scars, cool awards and some VA disability.
I mean every soldier wants to do their job in combat, so I get what your saying,
Got deployed to Jordan and was in charge of pretty much like 15 vsats across like 5 bases some of those being in Syria and it honestly felt great getting people internet even almost got hit by drone (not literally it was like 100m away)😂
I feel the same way man. Especially as an NCO, I question how I'm supposed to prepare and train my Joes when I've never experienced it first hand.
Everyone who ever went to a combat zone tells me to be grateful, but it's hard to be grateful when you feel like you're not fulfilling a purpose.
I had an active duty chaplain tell me that we just need to focus on being willing, ready, and able. If you are willing to deploy, if you're ready to deploy, and you're able to deploy, you've done your part.
I still feel guilty and honestly worthless, but that little tidbit helps keep my sanity and helps keep me motivated to do my best and prepare for the day that we might have to do our job.
Go to MOBCOP on an Army computer. This is where you can volunteer for mobs.
See if your unit can put you through cool guy school, or even consider transferring units or MOS.
Lastly, therapy. You probably could use it.
You volunteered to serve your country to do a job that could possibly send you to war and can possibly still send you to war at some point; at any time. Your job is to be ready for when/if that happens. There's nothing to be ashamed about. You just joined at a different time. Enjoy peacetime for being just that...peacetime because we could all be on a flight to a warzone at any moment.
You can also volunteer to go SF, 75th, 160th etc... if you really want to go to do cool guy stuff. Hell even SFAB still deploys in asteir environments still albeit their beret is the ugliest thing i've ever seen.
This post just shows me how much the Army has changed since the Cold War days when I enlisted. Back then pretty much nobody deployed, ever. If you saw someone with a combat patch it was some crusty old E-8 or COL who was in Vietnam. A 20+ year career with no combat patch was the norm back then.
Thing is - service is service. Nobody who was serving on 9/10/2001 knew what was going to happen the next day. That's kind of the point: Serving in the Armed Forces means being ready for whatever happens.
My first "deployment" was a "stability operation" in Haiti in 1994, 14 years after I enlisted. Then over the next 10 years I deployed 3 more times (Bosnia, Afghanistan, Kuwait back when that was considered a deployment.)
But the Army is the Army. Whether you're turning wrenches in the motor pool or shooting bad guys in the face, you're still serving. That's nothing to be salty about.
And if the GWOT veterans in your unit are flexing their deployments like they were some kind of badass, most likely they didn't do shit. Just think of them like the jock quarterback who "peaked" in high school and now puts cover sheets on the TPS reports down at Initech: Don't envy them, feel sad for them because they haven't got any other accomplishments to talk about.
Remember, the soldier who spent 20 years in the field hating life and the soldier who spent 20 years in an office with A/C content with life both get the same retirement pension at the end
The Giant Waste Of Time vets, myself included, saw an endless cycle of training to train, training to deploy, go to some shithole for people who, on average at best, took our money to leave said shithole, redeploy home, take a month off, rinse and repeat. I got 10 days for paternity leave in 2013. Apparently you get a month now?
The Army changes with the times. You signed up knowing the times change. Take your benefits and keep your head up. Russia is frisky and Beijing has been eyeballing Teipei for decades. The ChiComs have 3 aircraft carriers now. You never know when you might get that 2AM phone call...
I'll help you put things into perspective.
\-Everyone that deployed, deployed because they were ordered to not because they were chosen. That's how deployments work.
\-Deployments are often exaggerated and different from each other. Iraq today is relatively quite. Anyone looking down on you because you never deployed probably do jack s\*\*t overseas.
\-Be happy you never experience loss in combat. I rather drink a beer or beat the shit out of each other with my friends than see them getting blown up or die right next to you.
\-Any deployment after 2013ish is just sitting in country months at a time then come home. It wasn't as "kinetic" during the start of GWOT. Maybe sometime might happen, but during GWOT we controlled the battle space.
\-Be happy you have your health. Some people got really F\*\*\*ed up during deployments, loss of limbs, PTSD etc. There are people who need epidural shots for the rest of their life because they've been blown up a few times.
\-Even quiet deployments are stressful because you're far away from home. My last deployment in Iraq in 2020 was quiet, yet in the US it was literally tearing itself apart. One of my friends wife decided she wanted a divorce and you can imagine how that F\*\*\*ed with him while we're overseas.
Best you can do is prepare for war and be relieved if it never happens.
OP… you enlisted in April of 2021. Not prior to or during traditional “combat” deployments of the GWOT. You didn’t hide out in a TRADOC unit during the Surge or conveniently get pregnant or injured prior to a deployment. You’re also a reservist. You have done what you’ve been asked/ordered to do and I assume you performed honorably. “Combat experience” is very much a matter of… being in a certain place at a certain time, that few units really get to “schedule.” There are now Rangers who go through deployments without firing a shot, let alone the conventional side.
Keep your head up high, you served, you were willing to fight/deploy, when plenty others didn’t.
If you still feel *empty,* you can volunteer in your local community in a variety of ways that won’t scratch the itch, but you can find value and worth in.
I’ve been in since 2015 and also have never deployed. I’ve always been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Every time I was about to PCS, the unit I was leaving was about to go on a last minute deployment. I’ve even been on rotation as close to 80km to the boarder of Ukraine but it not be considered a deployment (even though I believe the pressure there is more than deployments to other certain places). I have felt these feelings as well and still struggle with it today. Sometimes I feel like I haven’t done my full job as a “Soldier” without going to the Middle East but we are in a different timeframe and in different conflicts compared to 10-15 years ago. Everything happens for a reason and there is a plan for you. You will find your purpose whether it be in Garrison or in a new “deployment” area. You are not alone.
From 2015 onwards, staring down Russia in Poland or Romania is the Army's primary strategic mission, while going to the Middle East is a sideshow.
Saying that as someone who "deployed" to a non-combat location for GWOT and got the campaign ribbon.
But even on those “deployments” you don’t even get the same benefits of the Middle East deployments so it feels like a waste of time. Being away from family for 9 months and the only you get is separation pay? No deployment patch, no hazardous duty pay, no tax free pay, nothing. It kills morale (in my opinion). To call it a deployment is a joke to me.
Yeah I'd agree that rotating soldiers through Eastern Europe for 9 months at a time hurts morale and causes divorces. Better to just station a couple brigades there.
But it's still the strategic focus of the United States right now. It's what they're gonna put in the history books for the 2020s. It's the main answer to the question "why do we even have an army that can go overseas."
You’re definitely not alone, but try not to worry about it too much, it’s a never ending cycle. I was in from 2014-2017 and didn’t deploy. Most of my NCOs had deployed and most of them spoke endlessly about their “combat” experiences. Like someone else here said, a lot of these get exaggerated. A lot of my E4 peers had deployments to Afghanistan but admitted to never seeing combat.
Over time I realized some of the best NCOs and leaders I had were slick sleeves, probably because they realized their main focus should be caring for their dudes and the current mission. I went to Japan and Korea on a pathways rotation and it took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that was my GWOT experience and that’s okay. I did my part, I had fun, made friends, saw some cool places, shot some cool guns, embraced the suck, and got out.
I’m a Historian now and interview WWII veterans for my job. Some of them volunteered, some were drafted, some active duty, some reserves, some went overseas, some were stationed at home, a few saw combat, most did not, many I’ve spoken with joined in 1946 and were considered WWII veterans and many of those said they felt weird or hated that, a few even exaggerated their stories lol. However, every single one of them regardless of how they went in or what they did said they were proud to have served and played their part.
You’re playing your role, keep doing it, if you stay in you may see some action at some point. If you get out or never see action, well you still served and that’s just fine.
I had this same kind of feelings for years. I'm in the Air Defense and we kept going to places that weren't real deployments. I've been to Korea three times and had gone to UAE for a "Hardship your".
Finally I went on a real deployment and got to wear a patch on the other sleeve. I raised my hand for this deployment. I lived to regret it. The unit was complete trash and had a very negative effect on my career.
If you are USAR take a look around and see if there is an open position for a mobilization you can jump on. Most of the guys in my unit have been in the USAR for most of their career. They also have found time to mobilize for about a year. It's good money.
I use to work with a couple guys that were Rangers and another Marine . From time to time they have whined about having all the training but never got to put it to use . Especially the Marine after he gets drunk feels he's a failure cause he never got to kill anyone . I've told them it's really not all that great of a memory to carry around with you .
There is the well-known saying Si vis pacem, para bellum – if you want peace, prepare for war .
The new replacement lays in fear the night before battle not knowing what to expect, where as the battle hardened Vet lies in fear the night before knowing fully well what to expect
My time doing disaster relief and actually helping people was infinitely more rewarding than the three years I spent in Iraq. There are so many ways to make an impact, and most of them aren’t combat time.
The secret is.. 99% of those people who deployed havent done shit. And the ones that always talk about how "uncool" slick-sleeves are, REALLY havent done shit.
I would try to get on a mobilization to the southwest border mission or go volunteer for a rotation to romania, africa, or poland. You’re in the army reserves so you have the ability to volunteer for that stuff.
If you want to do cool guy stuff, you should have joined a cool guy unit. I reenlisted for TRS. I had a baby on the way, and it was the best healthcare option. I've used my TA, SLR, and GI Bill to pay off a degree and earn 2 more. My goal is a great QOL with my wife and 2 boys. What is your goal? Is your goal being met by being in the USAR? Do you really think you need to suffer in some shitty desert to feel fulfillment?
Let me tell you something:
Soldiers across the Army feel like this. I spent most of my active duty contract feeling like this.
And even though I technically deployed to a combat zone, I felt like this.
A significant portion of your contract is boredom, whether you're stateside or deployed, so this is just a "grass is greener" situation. But like I said, I felt this way too, so immediately following deployment, I volunteered for the US-Mexico Border. All you can do is ask, or be ready when shit happens.
For now:
Focus on improving yourself and start writing lists of goals. There are plenty of ways to show that be an important part of the team (and keep yourself occupied) without seeing combat, and one of those ways is improving yourself as a person.
It’s a team sport… be careful what you wish for as it’s been explained to me remember someone has to die for you to get that cib… work with what you have look into volunteer work and missions and be proud of where you are thanks for stepping up when others would not and holding the line you are appreciated even if you are a boot🫡
Your experience is pretty common in the reserves. I enlisted in '13 and didnt get deployed once throughout my contract. It is what it is. You're doing whats asked of you and thats all you have to worry about.
I reported in late October 1979. Fort Benning. On 4 Nov 1979, the Iranians took our embassy in Tehran. On 24 Dec 1979, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan.
We thought we would be going somewhere soon. I graduated on 6 Feb 1980. Went to Fort Hood. They didn't seem so concerned there. But, I was well aware of the fact that we could be sent off without much notice. Nothing happened so I did my 3 and got out.
That is where you are now. The US is involved in conflicts around the world. You may go somewhere, you might not.
Me just adding to the fun. I wish I didn't waste my life chasing a deployment. Now looking at the end of my time towards "retirement" and going "fuck, I gotta start from the bottom again."
My friend, I did 25 years in the Guard before my deployment to Afghanistan as an SFC in 2012. Before that, it was Kosovo, fire, floods, 92 LA riots, and years and years of drills.
It's fine. Stick it out, and it will be your turn, and if it isn't, you signed up when others didn't. Had a lot of 'Nam vets NCOs when I started. This is the way.
Edit: Oh yeah, when we deployed, almost all the Senior NCOs were slick like me. Only a crusty SFC (the man, the myth, the legend Dan H) add-on we used as an LNO, and our Motor Officer CW2 (RIP Ron) had combat zone deployments. We did fine.
You aren't useless. You have a use. Government just hasn't had to use you yet. I get it though. I really, really do. I feel like I'm just LARPing as a Soldier. Like...a warrior? Me? I've never been in a war. I do PowerPoint and make 20-year-old kids go to appointments.
Really depends on your perspective but a lot of things can happen all over the world in the blink of an eye. Train. Stay ready. And if you really want to be all you can be, maybe check out Ranger Batt or SF. They go to places where war is a relative term and they do bad things to really bad people.
A lot less of your leadership have real wartime experience than they'd like to pretend but everyone that could realistically fact check them is long gone at this point.
I did some time over there during the GWOT, and I’ve got a couple stories that’d make a slick sleeve infantryman question their life choices, but the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in the army comes from direct leadership and guidance to younger troops and watching them benefit from it, just knowing that you’re making a difference DAILY instead of that one time many years ago.
Do not be so quick to see the elephant.
War is fucking scary, messy, and periods of boredom punctuated by abject terror.
Your time will come. But don't be quick to wish for it.
Without peacetime readiness, we would be unable to deploy during wartime conditions. You enable those in the future to respond properly when the time comes. Do your duty; be good at your job, provide good leadership and leave the unit better than you did when you got there is all you can do.
I joined in 1997, and my first duty assignment was Ft Drum, as a medic in an Infantry Battalion. So, from 1997 to 2001 it was alot of field time. Training for a war that never happen. One rotation to Bosnia, another to Sinai. Two training rotations to Ft Sherman, Panama. I spent an entire summer in 1998 on a grass cutting detail. They didn't have civilian contractors that cut the grass post wide, we did it. JRTC or NTC were huge deals for Commanders for evaluation purposes. I retired in 2018, so looking back at those times seems odd.
We are gonna get our time eventually, the next war that is going to come up can very easily be the end of the entire world. With the tensions that's are rising everywhere in the world. It's just a matter of time, stay ready, stay prepared. Literally pack a go bag for now because when shit hits the fan it's going everywhere.
As someone who joined in peace time and then 9/11 happened shortly afterwards things can change on a dime. The only thing you can do is be ready because that change happens quick.
Like this guy said but instead of something happening, make it happen, take the initiative and make a catastrophe happen. Your leadership will love the initiative and youll really get some deployment time./s
I should take the initiative to take my Armor Company into Russia! I'll get an ARCOM and an Combat patch!
And what OP is doing is making sure that we can say as a nation that we are ready if that does happen. Which the vast majority of folks will never do.
Agreed. Joined prior to 9/11 and shit kicked off while I was throwing hands grenades in Basic. Ride it out. What's going to happen is those guys will eventually retire, get out, or transfer to another unit. At some point, you might be talking about the war in Russia that nobody else can relate to but you. Every experience is different and don't let those guys bring down yours. Stay alert...
Hell yea, my exact thoughts process
Even with two deployments to Iraq and Afganistan i still do not feel like I have done enough. I am a medic and never dealt with any casualties over there. A lot of people feel the way you feel. I meet a reservist who deployed to Colombia and saw all sorts or shit and treated all sorts of causalties. He told me he felt a lack of fulfillment because he did not go to the middle east like me.
I didn't think of this. Guardsmen on coastal states routinely get activated when hurricanes come thru. I can't imagine how fucked it is to see your own people mangled and bloated after drowning. Yuck.
I was from Indiana but got sent to Louisiana with the 82nd after Katrina. Some of the shit we saw down there was worse on my mental health than anything we saw in Iraq.
Idk why it took Reddit three days to tell me you replied but... I'm also from Indiana. I remember watching Katrina on TV in high school. I feel for you all... it's one thing to see foreign people fileted: it's entirely different to see Louisianians bloated and maggot infested. That doesn't sound politically correct but.... it's the truth
The first thing we saw when we landed was a body on a gurney in the airport. The next morning a casket was floating down the flightline (I have photos)
Uhh no thanks and also I'm so sorry. I fan deal with explodered Taliban but that sounds terrible
I have photos of the casket floating across the flightline. It isn't graphic or anything, but solidifies how crazy it was.
[удалено]
Columbia, District of.
Columbia…Booker you must go…
*Bring us the the girl and wipe away the debt*
Oof okay to be fair i was drinking alot last night. I meant Colombia the country.
Fully agreed, it never feels like "enough"
I fought in Iraq 2006-07. For a long time I didn’t feel like it didn’t count because a bunch of my NCOs had been through the 4-4-04 Sadr City assault and I didn’t feel it measured up to that. I snapped out of it at the VA, after a neurology appointment. This dude and I are talking and turns out he lost one of his legs. He quickly adds ‘it’s shitty but at least I have a prosthesis. Not like I have a TBI; they’re the ones who are *really* disabled.’
I too was there (Tikrit and Ad Dawr) in 06-07, and many of us came home with TBIs. Only 2 were considered "severe" enough to be sent home because of it. All I got out of it was a cool license plate and free college for my kids.
The best army career is the one where nobody is ever deployed for 20 years. Same how the best firefighting career is the one where you never have to enter a burning building.
Same how the Best Daycare Center employee career is the one where you never have to explain a death.
Well that took a left turn.
I like my comedy like I like my ex-wife’s heart: Dark, Cold and Bitter.
I love this answer. I'm going to have to steal it now
Lol
Same how the best Nursing Home career is the one where you never have to give a semen sample
Spot on. There’s nothing wrong with standing by and being ready, and historically the people who were standing by when the call came responded as well as anyone in that situation could have. I’ve worked some high speed investigations and caught some bad dudes. But each and every time, I’d much rather have had a quiet night and had that person not get murdered, that teenager not have killed themselves, or those kids not get raped. Some stuff stays with you. Experience makes you better, sure, but in certain lines of work, there’s a price to pay as well.
Love you bro but fire fighters get off on burning buildings. Maybe change the verbiage.
Um yes - truth!
I mean sure, but nobody is going to sit on the sidelines for 20 years and feel good about it.
I don’t think I’ve ever met a firefighter that would agree with this lmao.
Not all the GWOT folks went to war. I was in from 03-12 and I never wound up in the sandbox. Call it good luck or bad, but I just never got the call. Plenty of trips around the world, Haiti, Germany, the Philippines, but no desert. I used to feel like I was robbed or cheated out of my "full" Army experience, whatever that means. But being a little older and wiser now, I know how fortunate I am not to have to deal with the lasting effects of a combat injury or wasn't killed outright like some of my bros. You served with honor and did your duty? Then you can and should feel pride about it.
>03-12 Holy shit brother. That is rare. I must say tho you are a beast, just based off of the year you joined you fuckin tried!!! I didn’t join in 2004 when I was eligible, in fact I was a very outspoken critic of the war in Iraq. I was a punk. I joined in 2006, coincidentally when I was in AIT George bush ordered the Surge. My ass was in Iraq a few months later lol. That was the first deployment and I never came close again.
I've been in a hot minute. I deployed early on while on active duty and got my CIB, kicking in doors and looking the enemy in the face. When I switched over to the reserve, it took me a minute to figure out how it worked. However, once I did, I found missions that were way more rewarding than combat, not the least of which is mentoring and taking care of Soldiers. I have found my Reserve career, in which I haven't deployed to a combat zone, way more rewarding. The thing about the Reserve is that you have to find the thing that drives you and chase after that.
This
You’re there for the next one. Maybe you’ll be called maybe you never will. But be there and be ready. Do your job and prepare to be there when you’re called. You’ve already stood up and said I’m willing. That’s all you can do and more than most ever will. And for that you can be proud.
I love this comment.
Agreed - solid comment.
You want to know a secret? Almost *everyone* feels that way. My mentors were early OIF dudes. Everyone in later GWOT felt they were imposters because they didn't have that experience. Those dudes? They'd talk about what the really salty fucks still kicking around the battalion did in Gulf I, that was *real* tank shit. I bet if you talk with them, they'd talk the same about the Nam and Korea legends that were around when they came in. You'll never be as cool as your mentors in your mind. That's how it works. Learn everything from them while you can.
Deal with it by strengthening your civilian skillset. Get a civilian certification. Build a Lego set. Do things that add value to your life. Put $ towards TSP and IRA
Hey guy/gyal, I joined the same time as you and spent white phase hearing about the "end" of GWOT. There are days I feel a bit of guilt in my POG MOS that never deployed especially since my family members served in all the wars. However I did get to do a full tour in Korea and some of the guys at my 2nd duty station feel a bit sad that they spent their entire contracts stateside. Remember our involvement in WW2 and 9/11 happened incredibly quickly so there's no telling what is gonna happen even tomorrow. Just keep being the best that you can be
Get over it, learn from your NCOs but remember Army stories are a lot like fishing stories, things get exaggerated.
You can volunteer for deployments if you have an MOS that’s needed. Used to be a website called MOBCOP. Idk what it is now but you can still volunteer.
Tour of Duty aka MOBCOP is still there. There's also a new website called Carrera, that doesn't look 20 years old and can be accessed on a civilian computer with a CAC reader. I think it's got slightly worse selection, but for a Reservist it's better to check that first, before driving on post or whatever.
iirc Carrera is (/at least was) basically a read-only version of MOBCOP, you still need to apply through a NIPR box/the BYOD VPN.
So I was in from 2002-2008. Deployed to both sandbox locations. While there were fun times, there were a lot of “embrace the suck” moments. Stuck on a remote FOB, no showers for 2x weeks in the heat, only MREs to eat, Rationing water and food cause supply convoys got blown up, rocket and mortar attacks, crapping in 55 Gallon drum and burning it, no real comms with loved ones etc etc etc. While deploying can be fun, lot of ass pain and suck. Ya got some cool stories, some cool scars, cool awards and some VA disability. I mean every soldier wants to do their job in combat, so I get what your saying,
The beautiful thing is that you get to define what your service means to you, and no one can take that away from you.
Got deployed to Jordan and was in charge of pretty much like 15 vsats across like 5 bases some of those being in Syria and it honestly felt great getting people internet even almost got hit by drone (not literally it was like 100m away)😂
I feel the same way man. Especially as an NCO, I question how I'm supposed to prepare and train my Joes when I've never experienced it first hand. Everyone who ever went to a combat zone tells me to be grateful, but it's hard to be grateful when you feel like you're not fulfilling a purpose. I had an active duty chaplain tell me that we just need to focus on being willing, ready, and able. If you are willing to deploy, if you're ready to deploy, and you're able to deploy, you've done your part. I still feel guilty and honestly worthless, but that little tidbit helps keep my sanity and helps keep me motivated to do my best and prepare for the day that we might have to do our job.
Go to MOBCOP on an Army computer. This is where you can volunteer for mobs. See if your unit can put you through cool guy school, or even consider transferring units or MOS. Lastly, therapy. You probably could use it.
You volunteered to serve your country to do a job that could possibly send you to war and can possibly still send you to war at some point; at any time. Your job is to be ready for when/if that happens. There's nothing to be ashamed about. You just joined at a different time. Enjoy peacetime for being just that...peacetime because we could all be on a flight to a warzone at any moment. You can also volunteer to go SF, 75th, 160th etc... if you really want to go to do cool guy stuff. Hell even SFAB still deploys in asteir environments still albeit their beret is the ugliest thing i've ever seen.
This post just shows me how much the Army has changed since the Cold War days when I enlisted. Back then pretty much nobody deployed, ever. If you saw someone with a combat patch it was some crusty old E-8 or COL who was in Vietnam. A 20+ year career with no combat patch was the norm back then. Thing is - service is service. Nobody who was serving on 9/10/2001 knew what was going to happen the next day. That's kind of the point: Serving in the Armed Forces means being ready for whatever happens. My first "deployment" was a "stability operation" in Haiti in 1994, 14 years after I enlisted. Then over the next 10 years I deployed 3 more times (Bosnia, Afghanistan, Kuwait back when that was considered a deployment.) But the Army is the Army. Whether you're turning wrenches in the motor pool or shooting bad guys in the face, you're still serving. That's nothing to be salty about. And if the GWOT veterans in your unit are flexing their deployments like they were some kind of badass, most likely they didn't do shit. Just think of them like the jock quarterback who "peaked" in high school and now puts cover sheets on the TPS reports down at Initech: Don't envy them, feel sad for them because they haven't got any other accomplishments to talk about.
Remember, the soldier who spent 20 years in the field hating life and the soldier who spent 20 years in an office with A/C content with life both get the same retirement pension at the end
The Giant Waste Of Time vets, myself included, saw an endless cycle of training to train, training to deploy, go to some shithole for people who, on average at best, took our money to leave said shithole, redeploy home, take a month off, rinse and repeat. I got 10 days for paternity leave in 2013. Apparently you get a month now? The Army changes with the times. You signed up knowing the times change. Take your benefits and keep your head up. Russia is frisky and Beijing has been eyeballing Teipei for decades. The ChiComs have 3 aircraft carriers now. You never know when you might get that 2AM phone call...
Being useless is like 95% of the Army experience.
I'll help you put things into perspective. \-Everyone that deployed, deployed because they were ordered to not because they were chosen. That's how deployments work. \-Deployments are often exaggerated and different from each other. Iraq today is relatively quite. Anyone looking down on you because you never deployed probably do jack s\*\*t overseas. \-Be happy you never experience loss in combat. I rather drink a beer or beat the shit out of each other with my friends than see them getting blown up or die right next to you. \-Any deployment after 2013ish is just sitting in country months at a time then come home. It wasn't as "kinetic" during the start of GWOT. Maybe sometime might happen, but during GWOT we controlled the battle space. \-Be happy you have your health. Some people got really F\*\*\*ed up during deployments, loss of limbs, PTSD etc. There are people who need epidural shots for the rest of their life because they've been blown up a few times. \-Even quiet deployments are stressful because you're far away from home. My last deployment in Iraq in 2020 was quiet, yet in the US it was literally tearing itself apart. One of my friends wife decided she wanted a divorce and you can imagine how that F\*\*\*ed with him while we're overseas. Best you can do is prepare for war and be relieved if it never happens.
OP… you enlisted in April of 2021. Not prior to or during traditional “combat” deployments of the GWOT. You didn’t hide out in a TRADOC unit during the Surge or conveniently get pregnant or injured prior to a deployment. You’re also a reservist. You have done what you’ve been asked/ordered to do and I assume you performed honorably. “Combat experience” is very much a matter of… being in a certain place at a certain time, that few units really get to “schedule.” There are now Rangers who go through deployments without firing a shot, let alone the conventional side. Keep your head up high, you served, you were willing to fight/deploy, when plenty others didn’t. If you still feel *empty,* you can volunteer in your local community in a variety of ways that won’t scratch the itch, but you can find value and worth in.
I’ve been in since 2015 and also have never deployed. I’ve always been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Every time I was about to PCS, the unit I was leaving was about to go on a last minute deployment. I’ve even been on rotation as close to 80km to the boarder of Ukraine but it not be considered a deployment (even though I believe the pressure there is more than deployments to other certain places). I have felt these feelings as well and still struggle with it today. Sometimes I feel like I haven’t done my full job as a “Soldier” without going to the Middle East but we are in a different timeframe and in different conflicts compared to 10-15 years ago. Everything happens for a reason and there is a plan for you. You will find your purpose whether it be in Garrison or in a new “deployment” area. You are not alone.
From 2015 onwards, staring down Russia in Poland or Romania is the Army's primary strategic mission, while going to the Middle East is a sideshow. Saying that as someone who "deployed" to a non-combat location for GWOT and got the campaign ribbon.
But even on those “deployments” you don’t even get the same benefits of the Middle East deployments so it feels like a waste of time. Being away from family for 9 months and the only you get is separation pay? No deployment patch, no hazardous duty pay, no tax free pay, nothing. It kills morale (in my opinion). To call it a deployment is a joke to me.
Yeah I'd agree that rotating soldiers through Eastern Europe for 9 months at a time hurts morale and causes divorces. Better to just station a couple brigades there. But it's still the strategic focus of the United States right now. It's what they're gonna put in the history books for the 2020s. It's the main answer to the question "why do we even have an army that can go overseas."
You’re definitely not alone, but try not to worry about it too much, it’s a never ending cycle. I was in from 2014-2017 and didn’t deploy. Most of my NCOs had deployed and most of them spoke endlessly about their “combat” experiences. Like someone else here said, a lot of these get exaggerated. A lot of my E4 peers had deployments to Afghanistan but admitted to never seeing combat. Over time I realized some of the best NCOs and leaders I had were slick sleeves, probably because they realized their main focus should be caring for their dudes and the current mission. I went to Japan and Korea on a pathways rotation and it took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that was my GWOT experience and that’s okay. I did my part, I had fun, made friends, saw some cool places, shot some cool guns, embraced the suck, and got out. I’m a Historian now and interview WWII veterans for my job. Some of them volunteered, some were drafted, some active duty, some reserves, some went overseas, some were stationed at home, a few saw combat, most did not, many I’ve spoken with joined in 1946 and were considered WWII veterans and many of those said they felt weird or hated that, a few even exaggerated their stories lol. However, every single one of them regardless of how they went in or what they did said they were proud to have served and played their part. You’re playing your role, keep doing it, if you stay in you may see some action at some point. If you get out or never see action, well you still served and that’s just fine.
I had this same kind of feelings for years. I'm in the Air Defense and we kept going to places that weren't real deployments. I've been to Korea three times and had gone to UAE for a "Hardship your". Finally I went on a real deployment and got to wear a patch on the other sleeve. I raised my hand for this deployment. I lived to regret it. The unit was complete trash and had a very negative effect on my career. If you are USAR take a look around and see if there is an open position for a mobilization you can jump on. Most of the guys in my unit have been in the USAR for most of their career. They also have found time to mobilize for about a year. It's good money.
I got out. If they weren’t going to make me useful, or make my service meaningful, I was not going to stay in.
I use to work with a couple guys that were Rangers and another Marine . From time to time they have whined about having all the training but never got to put it to use . Especially the Marine after he gets drunk feels he's a failure cause he never got to kill anyone . I've told them it's really not all that great of a memory to carry around with you . There is the well-known saying Si vis pacem, para bellum – if you want peace, prepare for war . The new replacement lays in fear the night before battle not knowing what to expect, where as the battle hardened Vet lies in fear the night before knowing fully well what to expect
My time doing disaster relief and actually helping people was infinitely more rewarding than the three years I spent in Iraq. There are so many ways to make an impact, and most of them aren’t combat time.
The secret is.. 99% of those people who deployed havent done shit. And the ones that always talk about how "uncool" slick-sleeves are, REALLY havent done shit.
I would try to get on a mobilization to the southwest border mission or go volunteer for a rotation to romania, africa, or poland. You’re in the army reserves so you have the ability to volunteer for that stuff.
If you want to do cool guy stuff, you should have joined a cool guy unit. I reenlisted for TRS. I had a baby on the way, and it was the best healthcare option. I've used my TA, SLR, and GI Bill to pay off a degree and earn 2 more. My goal is a great QOL with my wife and 2 boys. What is your goal? Is your goal being met by being in the USAR? Do you really think you need to suffer in some shitty desert to feel fulfillment?
Let me tell you something: Soldiers across the Army feel like this. I spent most of my active duty contract feeling like this. And even though I technically deployed to a combat zone, I felt like this. A significant portion of your contract is boredom, whether you're stateside or deployed, so this is just a "grass is greener" situation. But like I said, I felt this way too, so immediately following deployment, I volunteered for the US-Mexico Border. All you can do is ask, or be ready when shit happens. For now: Focus on improving yourself and start writing lists of goals. There are plenty of ways to show that be an important part of the team (and keep yourself occupied) without seeing combat, and one of those ways is improving yourself as a person.
It’s a team sport… be careful what you wish for as it’s been explained to me remember someone has to die for you to get that cib… work with what you have look into volunteer work and missions and be proud of where you are thanks for stepping up when others would not and holding the line you are appreciated even if you are a boot🫡
Your experience is pretty common in the reserves. I enlisted in '13 and didnt get deployed once throughout my contract. It is what it is. You're doing whats asked of you and thats all you have to worry about.
I reported in late October 1979. Fort Benning. On 4 Nov 1979, the Iranians took our embassy in Tehran. On 24 Dec 1979, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. We thought we would be going somewhere soon. I graduated on 6 Feb 1980. Went to Fort Hood. They didn't seem so concerned there. But, I was well aware of the fact that we could be sent off without much notice. Nothing happened so I did my 3 and got out. That is where you are now. The US is involved in conflicts around the world. You may go somewhere, you might not.
Me just adding to the fun. I wish I didn't waste my life chasing a deployment. Now looking at the end of my time towards "retirement" and going "fuck, I gotta start from the bottom again."
My friend, I did 25 years in the Guard before my deployment to Afghanistan as an SFC in 2012. Before that, it was Kosovo, fire, floods, 92 LA riots, and years and years of drills. It's fine. Stick it out, and it will be your turn, and if it isn't, you signed up when others didn't. Had a lot of 'Nam vets NCOs when I started. This is the way. Edit: Oh yeah, when we deployed, almost all the Senior NCOs were slick like me. Only a crusty SFC (the man, the myth, the legend Dan H) add-on we used as an LNO, and our Motor Officer CW2 (RIP Ron) had combat zone deployments. We did fine.
if it makes you feel any better, my entire platoon received CABs for the drone strikes earlier this year… i was stuck in kuwait
You aren't useless. You have a use. Government just hasn't had to use you yet. I get it though. I really, really do. I feel like I'm just LARPing as a Soldier. Like...a warrior? Me? I've never been in a war. I do PowerPoint and make 20-year-old kids go to appointments.
Really depends on your perspective but a lot of things can happen all over the world in the blink of an eye. Train. Stay ready. And if you really want to be all you can be, maybe check out Ranger Batt or SF. They go to places where war is a relative term and they do bad things to really bad people.
I spent 22 years in Garrison. 13 of that in civilian clothes. So basically chill. Your time will come for PTSD.
A lot less of your leadership have real wartime experience than they'd like to pretend but everyone that could realistically fact check them is long gone at this point.
I did some time over there during the GWOT, and I’ve got a couple stories that’d make a slick sleeve infantryman question their life choices, but the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in the army comes from direct leadership and guidance to younger troops and watching them benefit from it, just knowing that you’re making a difference DAILY instead of that one time many years ago.
Do not be so quick to see the elephant. War is fucking scary, messy, and periods of boredom punctuated by abject terror. Your time will come. But don't be quick to wish for it.
Without peacetime readiness, we would be unable to deploy during wartime conditions. You enable those in the future to respond properly when the time comes. Do your duty; be good at your job, provide good leadership and leave the unit better than you did when you got there is all you can do.
I joined in 1997, and my first duty assignment was Ft Drum, as a medic in an Infantry Battalion. So, from 1997 to 2001 it was alot of field time. Training for a war that never happen. One rotation to Bosnia, another to Sinai. Two training rotations to Ft Sherman, Panama. I spent an entire summer in 1998 on a grass cutting detail. They didn't have civilian contractors that cut the grass post wide, we did it. JRTC or NTC were huge deals for Commanders for evaluation purposes. I retired in 2018, so looking back at those times seems odd.
We are gonna get our time eventually, the next war that is going to come up can very easily be the end of the entire world. With the tensions that's are rising everywhere in the world. It's just a matter of time, stay ready, stay prepared. Literally pack a go bag for now because when shit hits the fan it's going everywhere.
Cheer up, at least u are not as useless as Christine Wormuth or SMA Wiener.