Sgt. Jack William's Essay

The following essay was written by my good friend Jack Williams.  It has been printed by a few newspapers (mostly armed forces papers, but also a few smaller community newspapers).  It is reproduced here with his permission.  


He and I discussed getting his message out via the internet.  Please link to this post and share it with others.  Jack's perspective is that of the soldier at the tip of the spear.  It is important for folks back here (in the states) to hear how many in Afghanistan feel about their mission.




By STAFF SGT. JACK A. WILLIAMS

U.S. Air Force

As an active duty, Air Force medic, my four years' time in service, serving on the ground with the Army in Zabul Province, Afghanistan, has changed my perspective on combat, military sister services and my role as an Airman.

As my team approaches the halfway point of its deployment, I've been given an opportunity to demonstrate that an Airman on the ground can be a strong asset to the joint expeditionary team.

Here is my story.

The past four months have been both challenging and rewarding. I have learned and applied a lot of skills, leadership and personal restraint. I have performed cricothyroidotomy's (an emergency surgical opening, in the neck, used to establish an airway), needle decompressions, MedEvac'd critical patients following attacks, covered the bodies of my friends and leaders, performed detainee exams on the people who were responsible, pulled security on dismounted patrols, trained on a .50-caliber machine gun, treated both U.S. and Coalition soldiers, all on top of executing the mission of a Provincial Reconstruction Team.

Kindle

I pondered the decision to buy an e-book for several months. I am a closet bibliophile and wasn't (and am still not) comfortable with the idea of not experiencing the printed word printed. There is something about the feel and smell of a good book. And I like the practice of sharing or giving away my books.

As I get older, I am recognizing the need to shed some of my material wealth, my stuff. I even did spring cleaning twice this year, just to get rid of clothes and other junk that has accumulated in my closets and other spaces. Compound this desire to not accumulate any more clutter with the rising costs of books, and you can understand why I committed what I thought was a sacrilege. I bought a Kindle. The Kindle 2, to be more precise.



And I love it! It is as thin as a pencil, fits in my book bag, can hold more books than I could haul in a car, let alone a backpack, and (thanks to e-ink technology) holds a battery charge for almost a week. E-books are generally cheaper than the book store price. And the Kindle uses cellular network to download books to my Kindle. Anywhere I can get a cell signal (in the United States), I can order and download a book. Immediate satisfaction.

I did make some concessions. I decided to justify the initial expense by banning myself from Borders and not buying any real books for four months. (I was spending around $150 a month at Borders. By not spending that money, I have made up the expense of the Kindle) I have also had to accept that I won't be able to share my books with others. E-books cannot be shared (legally) with other Kindles.

Another benefit of the Kindle is the subscription services to periodicals. I would never spend the money to subscribe to a National Newspaper like the Washington Post or the New York Times. It would be to expensive and the paper waste would rub against the few "green" nerves in my body. Kindle allows me to get the Washington Post at a very reasonable price without the waste or annoying advertising inserts. Currently, you can try a trial 2 week subscription of any of the periodicals offered on Kindle.

Biggest disappointment - within weeks of me getting my Kindle 2, Amazon came out with the Kindle DX (a 9.7" screen vs a 6" screen). It is more expensive and has some new features. I would have liked the new features. I'm not sure I mind having a smaller screen. My Kindle 2 'feels' like a paperback because of it's size. I think the bigger Kindle DX would remind me of a text book. And, although the cost difference was not prohibitive, I probably would have opted to save a few dollars and stay with a model I can chuck into my book bag.

Check the Amazon site for more details on the Kindle. I looked at several other e-books and settled on Amazons Kindle for many reasons, but I encourage you to do your own research. If your looking for a device for just reading e-books, the Kindle is it.

Darrell Scott Poem

I finished reading "Against All Odds - My Story" by Chuck Norris. Of course, it was about Chuck Norris. The first item in the book is dedication to Rachel Joy Scott. Rachel was one of the victims of the Columbine shooting. (Rachel Scott Dedication Site).

Her father, Darrell Scott, wrote a poem that Chuck Norris included in the opening of his book. With school starting in just a week, I though it would be appropriate to post it.

Your laws ignore our deepest needs
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage.
You've outlawed simple prayer.

Now gunshots fill our classrooms.
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere.
And ask the question "WHY"?

You regulate restrictive laws.
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand.
That God is what we need!

Yep - I'm going to try the NaNoWriMo again. 50,000 words in thirty days.

I only made it to 15,000 words last year. I had kids at home all the time. This year, the kids will be at the program center until 7 four days a week, so I should be able to find more time to write.

If you are interested, you should check out the website. If you decide to write, let me know so we can suffer together.

Athletic Shorts

Chris Crutcher returns to some of his characters from other books. This collection is a quick read. Crutcher shows that he is able to capture the same intensity that he does in his novels in short stories. Read the other books first.

I read the book today. I did skip one of the stories with a character from another one of the novels, 'running loose', until I get a chance to read it.

It was a wonderful day to lay outside and read. I read the first half of the book this morning while sitting on my porch. I finished reading the book at the Selinsgrove pool.

Went to a friends for dinner. All-in-all, A real kickback kinda day.

Whale Talk

I have always been a fan of "Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes" by Chris Crutcher. Whale Talk has a far stronger emotional punch. I cannot recall the last time I read a book that had me in tears as I finished reading it. I often look for the characters I identify with when I read a book. In Whale Talk, I also found myself identifying my real students with the characters in the book.

Maybe my view on this book is skewed by my own life circumstance. I will say it is the best book I have read this year. Cheers to Chris Crutcher.

Order of the Pheonix

Went to see Harry with Jerry and his girl, Ms. Hedder, and Ang. We saw it at the Campus Theater in Lewisburg and it was a good crowd. Applause at the end of the movie.

The movie was well done. Being the largest of the novels, I didn't expect that it would have every part of the book in the movie. It didn't. But it may have been the best movie yet for catching the 'feel' of the book. Umbridge's character was very well played. The movie kept a brisk pace. It wasn't as thrill packed as Transformers or Die Hard, but it never lost my interest.

The sets and effects captured the magic of Harry Potter perfectly. The movie transported me to a different world for over two hours and entertained. Well worth the ticket.

The Tan Man is a poet

Nicole's son Tanner wrote a piece of poetry. I asked if I could share it. Here it is!

If I Were In Charge Of The World

I'd cancel long school days,

Music classes in school ,

Unnecessary doctors appointments,and also

Nasty tasting broccoli.

If I were in charge of the world

There'd be extra food in school,

A lot more gym,and

Dolphins for pets.

If I were in charge of the world

You wouldn't have household chores.

You wouldn't have any harmful animals.

You wouldn't have homework,

or "wake up it's time for school."

You wouldn't have mean brothers (only nice ones).

If I were in charge of the world

There would be no more war.

And the countries would be united with one name.

And a person who has a cold,

And is really getting old,

Would still be allowed to be

In charge of the world!

Red Candle on Camp-K Blog

I have, with a lot of help from Dan and Steve, posted the Red Candle story on the Camp-K Blog. Dan wrote the story and Steve had kept it archived over the past few years. They were nice enough to share the story with me. Check out the story at this link - The Red Candle.

God and Equus

I have been reading "The Language of God" by Francis Collins. Collins was the key researcher and program leader of the Human Genome Project. The book examines the evidence, both intellectual and scientific, for a belief in God. Then, I see Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is getting naked for his role in a revival of "Equus".




I had to get the play and read it. Equus is a complex play by Peter Shaffer. It was originally written and performed in 1973. It remains as valid today as it did in 1973. It was interesting that I came across it when I did. It dove tails nicely into the thoughts presented in "Language of the Gods" and what is going on in my life today.

Shaffer, in his play, portrays how materialism and convenience have ruined societies capacity to worship or see God in our world. This thought works in well with the material presented in Collins book.

The shrink in Equus must weigh the decision to 'cure' his patient and, in the process, destroy the patients passion. Dysart (the shrink in the play) must choose between two bad decisions. He must decide which bad plan is less bad. I know this dilemma.

Both the book and the play are good reads. I recommend them both.