<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
    <channel>
        <title>Comments for What did you do in the war, Daddy?</title>
        <description>We&apos;re the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost.  All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT,  and KA 2003-2010</description>
        <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/11/what_did_you_do.html</link>
        <atom:link href="http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/11/what_did_you_do_rss.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />

        <lastBuildDate>Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:25:48 Z</lastBuildDate>
        <generator>Movable Type 4.12</generator>
        <language>en</language>
        <copyright>Copyright 2012</copyright>
        <docs>http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification</docs>

        <item>
            <title>What did you do in the war, Daddy?</title>
            <description><![CDATA[For Patton's joke, the answer was &quot;Well, I shoveled sh*t in Louisiana.&quot;

This war has a different punch line.&nbsp; From Lieutenant Commander Joe Honan, the Castle's Sailor in Iraq, a final missive as he prepares to go home.&nbsp; He picks up the narrative from here.

Well, it&rsquo;s been an interesting ride here for about nine months, but we are down to days now before we head home. I&rsquo;m sorry for the lack of updates, but I moved from the glamorous job of engagements with the locals to the equally important but unglamorous job of working with the camp mayor, making this FOB livable for the men and women still going out.

&ldquo;What did you do in the war daddy?&rdquo;

&ldquo;You know&nbsp;the SEAL teams, who go out and do high speed tactical missions?&rdquo;

&ldquo;Yes&rdquo;

&ldquo;I once delivered two Port-A-Potties to them.&rdquo;

I don&rsquo;t really have a wrap up to it all, but I can say that it&rsquo;s been quiet, even the celebratory fire has pretty much ceased. In nine months I&rsquo;ve done about sixty engagements in town and my only worry has been if I&rsquo;d brought enough candy for the kids we met. We were rocketed maybe three times, and my biggest threat was getting run over by an MRAP on the way to the gym.

I&rsquo;ve met a lot of really good folks over here, and while it will take a while to sort out my feelings about the Iraqis, for every day I felt like we were living Kipling&rsquo;s &ldquo;White Man&rsquo;s Burden&rdquo; with sloth and heathen folly ruling the day, there were many more when I new what my Union Army forebears felt like watching former slaves start new lives in the south.

The best thing however has been how the average American has been a great role model for the Iraqis. Not just the military going out and being their usual outstanding selves, but the folks back home have been fantastic. There is not a service member on this base or kid out in town that doesn&rsquo;t have something donated by some American because they wanted to help out, and I&rsquo;ve had Hollywood stars and great musicians give up high paying gigs to come out and be here with us. My biggest regret is that I was never able to satisfy every school, scout group or church that wanted to help a bunch of strangers. You people have been fantastic, from the friends and neighbors who have bent over backwards to help my family back home to the ones that have never refused a request for something from me. You have all been great and made this a very easy deployment.
&nbsp;
Heh.&nbsp; &ldquo;I once delivered two Port-A-Potties to them.&rdquo;&nbsp; No stolen valor, here.

But, the reality is - what the shooters enabled was to create an environment where Joe could do his thing.&nbsp; Be a naval officer assigned to a Marine unit and acting as an agricultural specialist... which, oddly enough, was apparently just what they needed there in Ramadi.

Keep your SA up until you hit the land of the Big PX, sailor.

As for those of you covered here:

My biggest regret is that I was never able to satisfy every school, scout group or church that wanted to help a bunch of strangers. You people have been fantastic, from the friends and neighbors who have bent over backwards to help my family back home to the ones that have never refused a request for something from me. You have all been great and made this a very easy deployment.

Well done!]]></description>
            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/11/what_did_you_do.html</link>
            <guid>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/11/what_did_you_do.html</guid>
            <pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:43:53 -0600</pubDate>
        </item>

        
        <item>
            <title>Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-11-07</title>
            <description>
                You must be talking &apos;bout the Air Force or something there, J(NTA).
            </description>
            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/11/what_did_you_do.html#comment-80201</link>
            <guid>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/11/what_did_you_do.html#comment-80201</guid>
            <pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:07:16 -0600</pubDate>
        </item>
        
        <item>
            <title>Comment from John (not the armorer) on 2008-11-07</title>
            <description>
                <![CDATA[Well Done, shipmate!<br />
<br />
It is important to remember how the Navy operates.&nbsp; Unless there is a regulation that says&nbsp;sailors cannot do something, they assume it can be done.&nbsp; (Or find a way to sneak around the regs, if necessary).&nbsp; Many of the other services operate from the doctrinaire position that unless they have a piece of paper authorizing something then they cannot do it, and need to seek permission or soething like that.<br />]]>
            </description>
            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/11/what_did_you_do.html#comment-80200</link>
            <guid>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/11/what_did_you_do.html#comment-80200</guid>
            <pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:56:08 -0600</pubDate>
        </item>
        
    </channel>
</rss>


