Sometimes You CAN Go Home Again
They say you can’t go home again. Most of us never try. Once in a while, though…..
A couple of months ago, one of my former companies contacted me to see if I would be the guest speaker at a dining out. They didn’t ask me because I was anyone special; they asked me because I was old, a former member, possibly wise and most likely, no one else was available.
They unit is preparing to deploy overseas in a few months. The First Sergeant asked me to talk about history.
It was a great evening. My wife, my daughter and one of her friends and I went to the dinner and met the Company. The First Sergeant and one of the Platoon Sergeants had been in the Company during my last tour, other than that, everyone was very young and new to me. But they were all soldiers looking forward to a soldier’s mission. I talked for fifteen minutes and then got out of their way.
A few weeks later, I got another call from the First Sergeant. He had been tasked by Battalion with finding a speaker for their dining out, as theirs had cancelled. Since I already had something to talk about, I agreed to go, this time with just my wife.
There were more people that I knew at this dinner but times had really changed. Every Major that I ran into, excepting one, had been a Lieutenant the last time I saw them. The Battalion Commander had been our Headquarters Company Commander, a Captain. But they were old friends and it was another great evening. I tweaked the talk away from one company for a more inclusive view.
It pays to stay in touch. Even though I’m retired from the military, it’s good to be around the young guys once in a while.
Here’s the original script slightly adjusted to correct a couple of mistakes:
Good evening. I was asked to talk a little bit about history, because it’s not something we do real well in the National Guard and it helps to know where you’ve come from.
The first account I could find of an actual State call up of the militia was for the Rogue and Umpqua Indian campaigns in the 1850s. The first out of state mobilization of Roseburg or Oregon militia was for the Modoc War in Northern California during 1872-73. Interestingly, California didn’t mobilize any militia for the Modoc War but Oregon did.
The Second Oregon Volunteer Infantry was formed as a response to the call for volunteers in 1898, when the Battleship ‘Maine’ was sunk in Cuba. That heritage rests with the 162 Infantry . that the regiment was the first one in the country to fully assemble and report ready for duty. They became part of the Second Oregon and served in the Philippines for over a year during the Philippine insurrection.
In 1903 the old militia way of doing things fell by the wayside and the National Guard was formed. Things got more formal and organized. When the United States entered WW One, they needed a lot more troops, so they called for Guard troops to mobilize. The 1st Oregon Infantry Regiment became the first National Guard unit in the country to be mobilized for service during World War I and the first to recruit to full wartime strength. The motto “First to Assemble”, carried by 162 Infantry, comes from this fact. Guard Regiments began being formed into National Guard Divisions. The 41st Infantry Division was formed in early 1917. It included Guard troops from Oregon, Washington and Idaho, and Montana. After training, the Division deployed to France where it was raided for replacements for other units. Oregon Guardsmen went to war but not in their own unit.
Between WWI and WWII things were pretty quiet. Unless you were on the rifle team. In the 1920s/1930s, most Guard units had rifle teams. There were frequent matches and a lot of bragging rights went with doing well on the range. The 186th Infantry always did VERY well. They did so well that when the Army started replacing the old bolt action Springfield rifles with the new M-1 Garand just before WWII, the 186th was one of the first Regiments to get them. BEFORE most of the active Army. The 186th has a history of excellence, even though most of us on the inside are frequently convinced that things can’t get any more messed up.
The National Guard throughout the country was mobilized in September 1940 for one year of training, then extended past that. The Japanese Navy hit Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and the ‘Greatest Generation’ was at war. Barely four months later the 41st Division landed in Australia to help defend that country, because most of the Australian Army was in North Africa. They developed a close relationship with the Aussies and they maintained that relationship when they went into combat in Papua, New Guinea and the Philippines.
The 41st was the FIRST Division, active or Guard, to go to the South Pacific theatre.
The 41st entered combat in January 1943. For comparison, five Divisions went into North Africa in November and December; The Big Red One, the 3rd and 9th Infantry Divisions and the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions. The first American Army Division in combat anywhere, though, was the 32nd, another National Guard Division.
Other ‘famous’ Divisions? The 82nd Airborne didn’t get into combat in Sicily until six months after the 41st. The 4th Infantry and the 101st ‘Screaming Eagles’ went into Normandy 17 months after the 41st, and the 10th Mountain was a full two years later.
The 186th has always been ready for duty, we’ve always done a good job aaaaand usually been in trouble with higher on and off. What often makes things worse is that usually, we’re doing the right thing.
Pilots on Mokmer airstrip on Biak filed one complaint with the Corps Commander because of what they called ‘promiscuous firing’ by the infantry near the airstrip, which had disturbed their sleep and sent them into foxholes to escape ricochets. The General’s planned punishment didn’t happen, though. When he went up to the front, he discovered that the Intel and Recon section of the 186th had broken up a major enemy attack and actually saved the airstrip. And the pilots.
After the war, things stayed pretty quiet for the Oregon Guard. We’ve done State mobilizations for floods and fires. This battalion has sent people to train overseas a number of times. Charlie Company spent one Annual Training period in England, while the Battalion hosted a company of Scots here.
The Oregon Guard sent a heavy Maintenance Company to Kuwait during Desert Shield/Desert Storm but the 41st wasn’t called and didn’t go, even though we were originally on the list for the initial 100,000 call up.
When 9/11 came, the Active Army started gearing up for combat and wanted the Guard and Reserve to fill into some of their missions, freeing up units for combat. The 1/186 Infantry was considered to be the best infantry Battalion in Oregon at the time, so they were selected to be sent to the Sinai in July 2002 for the Multinational Force and Observers mission as (non UN) peacekeepers, replacing an Active Army unit.
Nearly a year later, the invasion of Iraq. After the invasion, Oregon provided three rifle companies from 1/162 for security. They served in Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia while things were still relatively quiet. 2/162 replaced 1/162 in late 2003, and included a composite company from 1-186. They arrived just as the country started sliding into civil war. Some of those people are in this room. During a period of intense combat, they upheld every expectation that anyone had of them.
Three years ago, the 41st Brigade went to Afghanistan for a year. Again as a composite of many units, the Brigade worked at training the Afghan Army and then came home again.
So, we’re up to today and you’re getting ready to go to Iraq. Instead of listening to someone talk about history, you’ll be making a small part of it. What are you going to be doing in Iraq?
Probably not what you think you’ll be doing. If you’ve paid attention to the news over the last few months, you may have noticed that you hardly ever hear about Iraq any more. That’s because there aren’t too many ‘dramatic’ news worthy things happening there anymore. They recently had another round of elections; without a single bombing or other violence during election day.
The war in Iraq is “over”. That’s not just my opinion; even the New York Times has said so. Iraq has a government that’s taking more and more responsibility for their own country and the U.S. is backing off, especially off of combat operations. Make no mistake, it’s still a dangerous place but it’s not real likely that you’re going to be doing much, if any, kicking in doors and chasing bad guys.
So the things you’ve been trained for and really know how to do well aren’t likely to be what you’re doing. That means that whatever you end up doing, it’s likely to be something you wouldn’t choose. It may be base security or convoy duty. Ignore the temptation to lower standards because the ‘threat’ has gone down. Don’t get complacent and make sure you know the Rules of Engagement, because we have a new Status of Forces Agreement with Iraq. They probably won’t allow you to drive the wrong way down the highways anymore. You’ll have to live within the new rules.
You might be out working with Iraqis, helping rebuild the country. This is where things can get really hairy and not because anyone’s shooting at you.
You’re on a mission to evaluate the security and problems of Anah district in Anbar province. The local sheik is upset because the Iraqi Army came through last week and ran over some sheep with their HUMVEEs. He wants you to get some sheep to replace them. Oh, by the way, his great nephew on his third wife’s brother’s side has been arrested for hiding a weapons cache, but he’s perfectly innocent of course and can you kindly bring him back out of jail to us? And the district center needs a new generator, now! All American soldiers are considered to be the source of STUFF. And everyone wants it. The Iraqis, our allies, the bad guys, everybody.
Your mission is to evaluate the security situation, not solve all of his problems. But alienating him may well make security more of a problem, so you’re going to need to find some middle ground that keeps him happy and doesn’t get you in trouble with your command.
Suddenly, you’re a diplomat. And so are your most junior soldiers. Even if that’s a dirty word to you. You are the face of the United States. Everything you do will be analyzed and, if it impresses them, may be copied. Your suggestions become important and your conduct is under the microscope. And you may hate yourself in the morning because you aren’t acting like a high speed infantryman.
I have seen Corporals and SP4s dealing with village elders and District staff. NCOs dealing with Provincial Governors. Officers are often considered to be equal to the sheikh himself.
There isn’t a whole bunch of good training for situations you may find yourself in, though the Army is getting better at it. Think flexibility. Breathe professionalism. Maintain situational awareness. Keep your soldiers thinking about possibilities.
In Australia, the 41st Division needed to conduct amphibious training. What they got was three cabin cruiser type of boats and some small barges to represent landing craft. Thinking about possibilities, they armed the boats; then used them for both training and running anti submarine patrols outside the Great Barrier Reef. When the Division went to New Guinea, the ‘Infantry Navy’ went along.
The 41st kept thinking outside the box in the Philippines. Instead of trying to bash straight through Japanese defenses, they perfected the amphibious end run and used it to cut off local defenders. You should think outside the box for taking care of each other, too. Big Army tends to be pretty impersonal and the only ones you can truly count on to care about you overseas are your brothers in arms. When the Division began its movement from Australia to New Guinea the only food provided for the trip was C rations. The 2/186 Battalion Commander used his own money to send the S4 out for groceries. A lot of groceries. Brothers in arms find ways to take care of each other. Like most families, you may not like all the other members but you’ll still stick up for each other.
I’m not too concerned about your ability to kick in doors if needed, or to defend yourselves, it that should be needed. I think you’ll do just fine with whatever mission they hand to you, be it convoys, training Iraqi soldiers, working with civilians or government officials. I know you’re a good Battalion and I know you’ve got good leadership in the companies, the battalion and the Brigade. So you’ll do well.
67 years ago, the military and families of what everyone calls the ‘Greatest Generation’ was thrown into WWII. I don’t think it was the ‘Greatest’ generation, though they were certainly great. Portions of the Korean and Vietnam generations were pretty great. Portions of the current generation has been doing some pretty great things for the last eight years. Whether you’re in uniform to go overseas or in civvies and supporting them, the new ‘Great Generation’ is in this room tonight.
Thank you for your service.
Ladies, families and supporters, thank you for all the support you give. They couldn’t do it without you.