Good Luck and Godspeed, Greywar

Come home safe

Published on January 19, 2005 By chiprj In Blogging

Should have posted this sooner, but I really wanted to get my thoughts organized on this one.

I have been in the military for over 12 years now. During almost that entire time, I have had various friends who were stationed/deployed in countries all over the world in varying degrees of safety. There have been times when I was that guy, living and working in a foreign land, far from family and friends, but always close in their thoughts and prayers.

There are very few people that I can say I have known my entire career. Greywar is one of them. We were students in the Korean Basic Course at a similar time. He was a few classes ahead of me. We really didn't know each other at the time all that well. Being in different platoons in a company of 250+ people, a couple classes apart, and he was married while I was single, all made it so that we moved in different circles during that time. It wasn't until shortly before he graduated, or maybe right after, that we had a day of Army fun at the Ft Ord obstacle course. We had a relatively new company commander that had just branch changed from Armor to MI and it wasn't pretty. While I think he was genuinely a good commander, he made some serious waves upon his arrival.

We had several injuries on the confidence course (obstacles build confidence). Greywar broke his arm and ended up not PCS'ing to Goodfellow Air Force Base with his class to continue his training. Or, maybe he PCS'd and waited there to heal. I don't remember exactly. It was 11 years ago and I'm getting old. He ended up starting training with my class at Goodfellow and that is where we became friends. I do have one of the rare photographs in existence of Greywar from that time, yet even it is a bit hard to see.

After Goodfellow, he went to Korea and I went to Hawaii. It wasn't until a few years later that we briefly crossed paths at Goodfellow again. He was just finishing a course that I was getting ready to start. But we were both headed to the same place and same unit. I looked forward to knowing that when I got there, I'd know for sure that there would be a friendly face.

When I got to Korea a few months later, we were assigned together in the same platoon, along with Different Hanja. There are too many stories from those years to even touch on here, so suffice it to say, the three of us (and others too) worked together under some of the best and worst circumstances, saw some of the best and worst of each other, held each other up, smacked each other down, and became all the closer for all of it. I was the first of the three of us to leave, and I still miss both of them like I miss few others today.

Like I said, my entire career has been made up of times when someone I know is deployed/stationed far away and overseas. On very few occasions has it been someone I've known for so long, consider to be so close a friend, and be to a place that can hold real danger no matter where you are. I spend a few moments each day offering prayers and thoughts to all the service members deployed and at home, but I also spend a little extra time thinking of the individuals that I count as friends.

I ask that you take a moment to stop by Greywar's blog and wish him well if you haven't already. Also, check back and read his updates and let him know that you're thinking of him from time to time. I know, it's odd that I'm trying to give the rub to his blog when he has a much bigger reader base, but it's important to me to say it anyway.

You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers daily, Greywar. Take care of yourself and stay safe.

Good luck and Godspeed.

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Comments

shadesofgrey

on Jan 19, 2005

v. touching blog, chiprj!

oleteach

on Jan 19, 2005

Thanks a lot for saying all these great things about my son. I thank you for being his friend and for the prayers you say for him. I know that you enjoyed his latest blog from Kiwait. Please, God, don't let the incompetence of others cause harm to come to him or to any other soldier.He will come home safe and sound. God bless you, chip.

greywar

on Jan 20, 2005

Thanks bro.

Sturgee

on Jan 25, 2005

A little after the fact (of greywar's deployment at least), but this is a GREAT post Chip. I too count my true friends on less than 2 hands, and oddly enough, more than half of those friendships go back to DLI or Korea. I think that we've been blessed to have crossed paths with some of the friends we have, and to have such a close-knit community is pretty amazing. The only other guys I've seen that are this tight as a community come from the SOF domain. Thanks for wearing that uniform every day for the rest of us schmucks that gave up. Some of us try to contribute in other ways these days, but the service and sacrifice you guys make day in and day out, year after year, is not lost on us. Thanks.

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