Saturday, August 9, 2014

Death of an Orthodox Soldier

For those of you who don't know my time in the military is coming to an end.
I have been having a lot of back pain since I returned from my second deployment which was determined to be a type of arthritis on my lower spine. Because of this the National Guard has decided that I am unfit for duty, and of course they are trying to get out of giving me medical benefits.

This actually comes at a time when I was questioning my service anyway. I'm proud to have served my country, and I will always respect those who serve in our military, but I don't think I could have continued serving our government in its current state; I saw the possibility of war in Syria with us fighting the Syrian government - or war in Russia/Ukraine - and I couldn't bear the thought of killing (directly or indirectly) other Orthodox Christians.

The more I think about it, the more tired I am about the politics of being in the military. It seems there are fewer and fewer leaders worried about those under them, and more and more just worried about their own career.  I can't remember how many times I heard that I needed to stop worrying about others and just look out for myself.  I got really tired of having to kiss ass just to get things done.

That being said, it's not all bad. My unit is trying to look out for me. They are trying to fight for my benefits, and during this transition stage make sure that I have some kind of income for my family and me to live off of.

Any way, seeing as how I am unfit for duty and I am going to be kicked out on a medical discharge I don't feel right calling this blog Life of an Orthodox Soldier any longer.

I am open to suggestions for new titles for my blog. Please leave any suggestions you have in the comments.


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