Signposts to Afghanistan - 2011

A former Afghanistan intelligence analyst looks back at his military years, and at dreams gone by.

Although I created this piece in January of 2007, I am surprised at how well it stands and reads today, how germane it remains in the harsh light of current events. I once served in Military Intelligence as an Afghanistan Analyst with the US Army (1970-71) and I can't help but compare those years with the situation today. This story is part history, memoir, essay, and personal lament. It also voices my heartfelt and public concern over the opportunities and quality of life issues that face all of our current and future veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These have been tough years for soldiers. How does a young family survive, financially and emotionally, through tours of duty with numerous combat deployments? What dreams do these veterans harbor for themselves and their families in the life that follows after military service?

Read Signposts to Afghanistan at the link below

Signposts

Laudizen

Signposts to Afghanistan, two years on....

Today, December 31 of 2008, is the second anniversary of the genesis of my story, 'Signposts to Afghanistan', written in early 2007. That story meant a lot to me at the time, and it still does today. It was the first time I had put down into words my motivations for joining the Army in the time of the Vietnam War, how I recalled my experiences gained during those service years, and how I came to follow the path I did after I was discharged from the Army.

Today, one year after writing that story, I am every bit as distressed over our presence in Iraq, and at the horror we have allowed to continue in Afghanistan, as I was then. After having served a year in Vietnam, I was an Afghanistan Analyst for Military Intelligence at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. I fell in love with the country of Afghanistan, and I dreamed of visiting it one day. But life didn't work out that way.

What is going to happen to the current war veterans and their families of today, what with the stresses of multiple deployments and separation, the interruption of careers. I fear that America is going to pay a fierce price for this war and their service. In this day of the assault on the middle class, and CEOs making billions in bonuses by shipping work off to foreign shores, what opportunities await the foot soldier here in America after three tours in Iraq?

To read the entire story follow the link below.

Signposts to Afghanistan

Laudizen King

Saxby Chambliss, Elected but Guilty

As all America looks at the cheaters and swindlers that have brought us to where we are, we ought to take a fresh look at Saxby Chambliss. He is the Republican that accused Max Cleland of failure to defend the Constitution. The three limbs Cleland sacrificed in Vietnam wasn't enough. When it is time to make the CIOs of AIG and other financial institutions that have gone bust accountable for their actions, it is high time to look at this Cretin for the lies and deceit he has spread on the honorable service of others

That the hollow Sarah Palin became a part of this spectacle in Georgia is not surprising. Ambition aside, every time she opens her mouth she reveals the ugly truth about herself: aside from ambition, she offers naught but ignorance and hate.

Real veterans will remember.

The Manchurian Candidate

Special to Swift-Boat-Veterans-for-untruth-and-lies-who-can-utter-any-falsehood-they-want-because-they-use-the-words-veterans-and-truth-in-their-name:

Watch the new 'Manchurian Candidate' starring John McCain as Sgt Raymond Shaw and Sarah Palin as the vile VP candidate John Iselin. Watch as McCain slowly loses his mind as he toys with the queen of diamonds and the evil VP candidate tears at the democratic ideals of the country under the guise of being pro-American.

There is a certain undeniable truth to this parody. McCain seems to be slowly losing control of himself as the election nears; for someone who says 'Country First' and lauds his own heroic service he certainly seems ready to despoil and vilify anything and anybody who gets in his way. And what contempt he has shown the American people with his choice of running mate. What happened to respect and consensus, and caring about what the majority of the country feels?

Rather than 'Country First', the Republican Party motto should be 'Hate and Ambition', for that is how they act out their drama. Their message is "Hate as much as me" and "Revile institutions and individuals as much as me and we can be mutual partners in destroying what is good and decent in government and people."

He is the Manchurian Candidate, and in a way that is far more subterranean and nefarious than the characters envisioned by Richard Condon in his 1959 novel.

Signposts to Afghanistan

As our attention turns from the war in Iraq to the conflict in Afghanistan, I revisited this piece that I wrote in 2006. It recalled my Army years when I served as an Afghanistan Intelligence Analyst, and the dreams I had as a young man in the Army and as a new civilian making my way in the world. I also voiced concerns over our Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans, and the challenges they and their families face after returning to the States.

That piece seems even more relevant today, as the country seeks answers and questions what our mission is and ought to be. Follow the 'Signposts' link below to read the entire piece.


Signposts

Laudizen King

Burial Detail

Here is a Memorial Day story that recalls a time when, at Fort Bragg, I served on a Military Funeral Detail as part of the Honor Guard. The year was 1971, and the actual experience was totally different than anything I had expected.

To read the story of that Burial Detail, follow the link below.

Burial Detail

Laudizen King
Memorial Day, 2008

Signposts to Afghanistan, one year on.....

"It is December 31, 2006, and on this morning in Los Angeles, on the last day of the year, I am enjoying a good cup of coffee while reading the Los Angeles Times. I read the articles on Iraq and Afghanistan with concern for the military men and women serving there, and for what they all must experience and endure. There is one article in particular that catches my attention. It describes in some detail the Ring Road, a road shaped like a circle that lies within the borders of Afghanistan and connects the major towns and cities. I read the article with some interest; there was a time when the country of Afghanistan played a major role in my daily life. That was many years ago when I was a young man in uniform, serving in turbulent times, while an unpopular war was polarizing the country. However, today is, after all, the day for the remembrance of things past, so I sit back and relax and let my thoughts drift back in time."

Above is the opening paragraph of my story, 'Signposts to Afghanistan', written in early 2007. That story meant a lot to me at the time, it still does today. It was the first time I had put down into words my motivations for joining the Army in the time of the Vietnam War, how I recalled my experiences gained during those service years, and how I came to follow the path I did after I was discharged from the Army.

Today, one year after writing that story, I am every bit as distressed over our presence in Iraq, and at the horror we have allowed to continue in Afghanistan, as I was then. After having served a year in Vietnam, I was an Afghanistan Analyst for Military Intelligence at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. I fell in love with the country of Afghanistan, and I dreamed of visiting it one day. But life didn't work out that way.

What is going to happen to the current war veterans and their families of today, what with the stresses of multiple deployments and separation, the interruption of careers. I fear that America is going to pay a fierce price for this war and their service. In this day of the assault on the middle class, and CEOs making billions in bonuses by shipping work off to foreign shores, what opportunities await the foot soldier here in America after three tours in Iraq?

To read the entire story follow the link below.

Signposts to Afghanistan

Laudizen King