Cruise Control

I, by no stretch of the imagination, am no virgin to deployed holidays. After joining the Navy in 1997 as an undesignated airman e-nothing stationed in Japan, deployments had become second nature. Almost always away from home, and many times away from homeport, I had gotten used to being away from those I care about while serving my country. This year is no different being half way around the world and still eating the same processed roast turkey, mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing and salty turkey gravy. Back then, it was tolerable as I was away with my coworkers.. Men and women I'd gained a working relationship with over many many hours of sweat, blood and tears. Nowadays, being the only deployed member of my beloved 148^th Fighter Wing Civil Engineering Fire Department leaves me a lot of time to myself.. I don't seem to fit in well with everyone.. I like to stay separated from the cliques that seem to form between the other units here.. Active guys hang with active guys.. philly guys with philly guys and so on and so forth… it's like trying to fit in on a baseball team.. You've got guys that have worked with each other for years.. I feel like an outsider.. I feel like I don't belong, like I'm the little brother who's just tagging along. Don't get me wrong… I'm not depressed, just on cruise control.

-Damien

There’s always one

You know this person… You've worked with them before.. There's always one of them around.. The one that snaps your head off when you say good morning, or the one that finds their rank empowering and therefore finds you nothing, or the one that reeks of arrogance and ignores you when you address them. I'm sick of this shit. I'm tired of the attitude. How much longer will I take the abuse that comes with biting my tongue? I've come to believe that I had been raised well. Taught about respect, honesty, trust and integrity, yet the harder I bite, the more I want to lash out. People are just getting antsy to get out of here.. stuck with the same people for 4 months, with no alcohol and.. well I won't say anymore..

 

-Damien