Frontlines
is a collection of real life essays from Wayland Baptist University students, devoted to military life and service. Some
have seen combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some support
those missions. Some are Army, some are Air Force, and
some are National Guard. Others serve the Navy, Marines
and Coast Guard. Some are career soldiers. Some are not.
All serve the citizens of the United States of America, and
these essays are a historical marker and testimony to that
fact. Frontlines and Wayland honors the sacrifice and service of these men and women.
“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the
soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and
scars of war.”
~ Douglas MacArthur
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O
ur airmen have experienced a turbulent journey over the
past decade. When the army was short on soldiers, the
Air Force Chief of Staff made an unprecedented statement when he declared, “We are all in.” Most were unaware of the significance of his statement at the time, but they quickly realized it was
profound, as nearly all faced their first deployment to the front line of a
combat zone. Some were hesitant about deploying, especially those absorbed by the negative news, reporting to an unknown location for an
unknown army mission. They had joined the air force, not the army.
Others were eager to employ their wartime skills—their purpose—to
serve their country during a time of crisis and not from behind a desk
during times of peace. However, nearly all shared a new appreciation
for their experiences. For those who came back safely, they returned
with priorities, perspectives, and leadership abilities they could never
understand or learn behind a garrison desk.
Garrison duties across all the military branches share many similar
priorities; they develop strategic plans and train for the current and future crisis and wars. Military leaders battle an endless sea of paperwork with strict standards; they track training requirements and
document duty performance, awards, decorations, and of course, a justified and balanced budget executed under a quarterly straight-line. Indeed, garrison duties are not glamorous, and priorities can be fluid,
similar to a firefighter who knows there will be more fires but unsure of
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their depth and scope. The preponderance of time is devoted to countless meetings under the safe confines of a secure building and behind a
desk to address the administrative fire of the typical duty day lasting
eight to twelve hours. While not the most effective means, training is
often conducted from behind a computer terminal, since that is the
cheapest method of reaching each individual and the easiest way to
track their mandated requirements. However, priorities quickly change
when deployed.
Our military services share similar deployed duties focused on
common priorities, i. e. developing tactical plans and conducting combat operations to achieve the combatant commander’s intent. Specifically, time is devoted to assessing battlefield damage, mission
effectiveness, and recommended changes to the battle rhythm. While
many consider their deployed duties glamorous because they are finally
exercising their wartime skills, they are also dangerous. Subjected to
unexpected mortar attacks signaled by the distinctive sound of the
klaxon alarm, it is clear it is no rehearsal. The depth and scope of the
deployment fires require body armor and at least one weapon on your
person at all times. The fire is real; mortars, bullets, and improvised
explosive devices are just a few of the weapons in the enemy’s arsenal,
not to mention how the cowardly terrorist often influences children to
conduct their craft. There are no weekends and no holidays; war means
that training for the deployed warrior is a constant priority.
Most spend over a month under the guidance of professional instructors who develop muscle memory techniques and situational leadership skills that determine life and death when engaged with enemy
forces or an unexpected crisis. While deployed to Iraq in December of
2006, one airman witnessed a Marine helicopter crash land in a lake.
He credited his deployment training as the decisive factor, enabling his
team’s rescue of 10 passengers from the frigid waters. Another airman
used his training to defeat an attack on his convoy operating in northern
Iraq near the city of Mosul. For his heroic efforts, he saved over a
dozen soldiers and received the Bronze Star and an Army Commenda-
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tion Medal with Valor. Shortly after his return, he requested another
deployment back to the front line. Life from the garrison perspective
was just not something he could embrace again.
The garrison perspectives focus on evaluating morale, good order,
and discipline while correcting negative trends. Nobody is perfect, and
errors in judgment range from the occasional sleep-in, failure to meet a
mandatory appointment, and arrest for driving under the influence. No
surprise, these errors result in more administrative paperwork in the
form of documented counseling. Attention to detail is normally not as
crisp, because there are many distractions driven by personal and professional demands. Pulled in multiple directions, several have additional duties or they have two primary jobs, meaning they have two
bosses, hence, competing urgencies. Others are balancing the duty day
with their college education or family demands. Finally, some are joint
military, meaning both spouses serve, and life quickly becomes out of
balance and unorganized when their partner deploys.
Deployed perspectives also focus on evaluating morale, good
order, and discipline while correcting negative trends with one vast difference. A lack of attention or an error in judgment can cost lives—
your own, your team, or innocent civilians. Discipline is usually harsh
on the front line because of the extreme consequences of a poor decision; a reduction in rank, imprisonment, or discharge for bad conduct
often prevails over the gentler forms of garrison-style counseling and
paperwork. Attention to detail is normally crystal clear while deployed
because risks and distractions are rare; you are isolated from distractions and the demands of administrative paperwork and computerbased training. Most take a break from their college education during
deployments because of the unpredictability of their location and unreliability of communications required to complete online classes. Leaders must sense and address such issues before they become a distraction
to the airmen and mission.
However, leadership methods are adapted to deployed locations,
especially when airmen are scattered across the country. Deployed su-
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pervisors barely know their airmen and an open door policy is not an
option. I personally traveled over 8,000 miles via air and land during
my 6 months to meet with airmen in Iraq and quickly became a fan of
the Blackhawk helicopter as the preferred mode of transportation.
Spending countless hours waiting for airborne support that never arrived because of mechanical failures or the unpredictable ferocity of
sand storms or monsoon-like rainstorms were the norm, but I was never
deterred from completing battlefield circulation missions to meet with
the airmen.
Some of the airmen in Iraq conducted missions “outside the wire,”
a term used to clarify they were operating outside the security perimeter
of their forward operating base, commonly called “FOB.” I was fortunate enough to join a few of those teams and astounded at the demands
of their mission. We rolled outside the protected FOBs with Army
Combat Brigade teams and conducted operations up-close and personal
with the locals, who welcomed some teams while improvised explosive
devices targeted others.
One female airman was a favorite of the female children located at
a small village in central Iraq, just north of Baghdad. They would run
and gather around her, asking for her hair braids and various questions
about her American lifestyle. After learning how to pronounce her last
name displayed on her uniform, they would welcome her returns to the
village by cheering, “Bee-Nah! Bee-Nah! Bee-Nah!” She admitted
that was a special memory she would take home with her. Some airmen were not as fortunate. One traveled through the filthy, humid
streets of Basra, a large city in southern Iraq. The locals were not as
friendly, occasionally throwing Molotov cocktails at their convoys;
there missions often required airborne security support from the army’s
most intimidating attack helicopter, the Apache. By following these
fearless airmen, I quickly understood their missions, responsibilities,
and related to their experiences.
Nobody in the military prays for war, but it’s our purpose; our military personnel train in garrison and stand ready to defend our country
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during crisis and war. No longer jaded by the public perception from
over-sensationalized media stories, airmen are grateful to witness the
reality first hand. Most are eager to return to the front line because it’s
more meaningful than their garrison duties; they liberated a country,
positively influenced the children, and enabled their parliamentary elections. Warriors return with a new sense of priorities, perspectives, and
leadership skills.
About the Author
Having been in the military for close
to 26 years, Dale Armstrong is currently
serving active duty in the Air Force and recently moved from Denver, Colorado to
Dayton, Ohio where he is stationed at
Wright-Patterson AFB. He was born and
raised in Ohio, the Buckeye state, and his
favorite hobby is enjoying an Ohio State
football game at "The Shoe" in Columbus.
He and his wife, Anna, who is a Chef, specializing in pastries,
have been married for 23 years with three sons, one married and living
in Australia, another lives with grandparents in northeast Ohio, and the
youngest is a freshman in high school and plays the viola in the orchestra. As well, Anna and Dale supported over a dozen foster children
during their assignment in Hawaii.
The Armstrongs have enjoyed the military experience, living in
Hawaii, Florida, Maryland, and Colorado before reporting to Ohio.
Dale has also been deployed to several locations across the globe, including Cuba, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Italy and Turkey. His favorite assignments include Crete, Greece and Hurlburt Field, Florida where he
worked with Special Operations.
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