Combat Vets vs Fobbits vs Non-Deployers

A lot of joking around happens, thats just the nature of the military, i have done some of the joking. In reality and in the grand scheme, everyone plays an important role to the overall mission success and with everyone, regardless of their role, doing their job, the different pieces of the pie dont function.

wtf is a fobbit? is that like a pog?

The only things that truly bothers me is when those who haven't seen combat or haven't even deployed talk themselves up like they have, especially around civilians. I can almost always tell a true "war story" from a fake one, even if the fake one is being told by an actual veteran. Or when someone doges deployments. You joined the Military, regardless of the branch you are expected to do your job and lay down your life if you need to. However, if someone just misses deployments that is another story. I deployed as a 12B under a SGM who had never been to a combat zone before. As far as I know, he never tried to get out of deploying, it just never happened to him because of circumstance. but then that would lead to a debate on whether he should even have been promoted to that rank especially in a combat-centered MOS, that would derail the conversation. So I guess it really all just depends on circumstance for me. As a general rule, I don't like to think that I am better than anyone because I have deployed, been blown up, shot at, etc. but sometimes when I talk to other service members, the way the present themselves and act when talking about the fact that they have never did anything like I did can cause me too feel anger and resentment, and yes I am better than those people.

A combat veteran is someone who deployed to a combat zone and earned hazardous duty pay. So if you deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., you are a combat veteran. The majority of people who deployed were like you. I was the same. I had to volunteer for three of my overseas tours and never was shot at or attacked by an IED. I tried to get off base as much as my duties allowed me to. I do have a special place in my heart for the combat Infantrymen and one regret I have is that I never earned a CIB. But as a LTC, my duties required me to spend most of my time on base. You are a combat veteran and should be proud to be one. Most Americans do not understand what we have done or do. What frustrated me more than anything though was seeing senior officers in the USAR get promoted without a deployment. I have no time for them when I volunteered 3 times at the expense of my career.

We all raised our right hand.

Everyone has a purpose, inside or outside the wire.

Sailors get the shortest end of the stick in my opinion.

"Did you ever deploy?"
"Yes I did."
"Where to?"
"Pacific, Gulf of Aden, Strait of Hormuz, etc."
"So just the ocean, not Afghan or Iraq?"
"Just the ocean."
"Oh"

So what are we?

How did that old saying go? For every combat soldier there are 10 support soldiers who enable him to do his job?

I don't spend anytime thinking about this; you either served or you did not.

We are BROTHERS and SISTERS. As a combat vet I was appreciative of all support roles from ammo humpers to mess hall cooks. I do wish I had been issued a pair of clean, dry socks for every 10 gooks I killed. I remember calling in mortar fire on my own position and crawling, sliding backwards in the mud until my fatigue blouse was full of mud and pulled loose of my web belt... :-)