Interview with a Soldier

When I was 10 I founded the Pickle Club and solicited memberships from everyone I knew. In the end I converted only one member, my 5 year old brother B.J.C. That must be when my special friendship with him began. So you can imagine my happiness when he returned home safely from Afghanistan last week. Even though his contract with the Army ended in January, all soldiers are required to serve an additional 90 days after returning from combat. So this exclusive interview with B.J.C. comes from Ft. Brag, where he is still jumping out of airplanes and playing war games.


Where were you stationed in Afghanistan? We were in the Paktika province, which is like a state. I lived in 4 different locations in that province, the majority of the time on small fire-bases with about 30 U.S. and 10 or so Afghan border police. We could see Pakistan out our front gate. That's about as specific as I can go with that.



Your platoon's responsibilities? COIN (counterinsurgency) operations in our assigned sector. Basically separating the enemy from the local population and getting the people to understand that we are there to help them and the Taliban is not. The less they support the Taliban, the more we help them.

Your responsibilities? I'm a team leader in charge of 3 to 4 guys. Responsible for everything they do and everything they know. It's my job to monitor their health, keep them proficient at their jobs, lead them in combat, and bring them back. Over there the biggest thing was never letting them quit or let their guard down, and having a good attitude. I also assisted higher leadership in mission planning and execution, supervising base security, and training the afghan border police.

B.J.C. is the one standing up

What surprised you the most about Afghanistan? Honestly, I knew there were poor countries out there butI never would have imagined the way people live there. That may sound kind of ignorant, but the majority of how they live is the same as it was at the time of Christ.



Your best day? Tough one. Either when I realized I would be home for my little sister's wedding, or the day I changed squads and took over Alpha team. I had been in charge of my previous team for like 18 months, so I was ready for a change.

Coolest thing you did there? Well there is nothing cooler than a firefight. The craziest roller coasters in the world can't touch it. One night we were in a huge firefight and we called in 2 apache helicopters. It looked awesome in the dark when they fired their rockets and machine guns.

What will you miss the most? We had a couple dogs that we raised from the time they could fit in two hands. Belle and Lexie. I really love those dogs, we all did. They really were the center of our morale. Every time I came back from a mission they would run up and greet us as soon as we got out of the trucks. No doubt, that's what I miss the most.



Best part about coming home? The day of - seeing mom and dad. In general - the food, the amenities, accessible technology, pretty females that you can actually see cause they're not covered head to toe in burkas.

How have you been treated since joining the army? Good in general. Most people I meet are very appreciative. Every once in a while I talk to someone who says they're sorry I do what I do or they're sorry I have to go to war. I can't stand that. Don't tell me you're sorry I have a job i volunteered for.

Has your opinion about war or U.S. foreign policies changed since Afghanistan? Oh boy. I could go on all day about this and it wouldn't be what you'd think. Bottom line, as a soldier our perspective is so different that politics is obsolete. My opinion about war has not changed. This type of war is far beyond the average citizen's understanding, but my platoon's motto is 'sic vis pacum para bellum.' If you wish for peace prepare for war. Foreign policies? We're helping a lot in both countries. How can that be wrong? Until you've been there and seen those things you will never fully understand that. They need us. Taking casualties sucks. But to keep it simple, if it's about whether or not us being there is good or bad, it's good.