Spent the morning at the dealer getting stuff done on the truck…

Ended up sitting next to an Army Major (Ranger/Airborne), just back from downrange.  We got into a rather in-depth conversation about what is going on in the Army.  He’s just back from downrange, was the G-2 on a Batt staff…

This was his SIXTH deployment!   He’d had both platoon and company commands downrange, and admitted he was promoted out of zone (early) and has his first in zone look at LTCOL this year.  He said he was in ‘limbo’ right now, trying to find out if he was going to be retained.  Of his four friends from college days, he said he was the only one left.  One had been killed, one got out as a captain and the other two were both RIFed in the last six months (as majors).  He’s pretty worried as they have three kids, the youngest a 6 month old little girl.  He said at this point he’s just hoping to hang on for 3 more years to get to 15 years, “In case it all goes south.”  But in any case, his wife has already gone back to work as a translator since they are both fluent in Spanish, and he said they are putting every dollar they can aside…  He also said that he really doesn’t want to go back to El Paso right now, with all the crap going on down there.  Either his parents or hers have a store, and they’ve been robbed multiple times in the last year by ‘gang’ members (he thinks probably MS-13).

I feel for he and his family, and I think the way they are being treated just plain SUCKS!!!

They deserve a hell of a lot better than they are getting!!!