Being the New Guy

I was contemplating the other day, as I am prone to do, on my time in the Army and the numerous challenges...and challenging people...I had to deal with and overcome. My thoughts formed the obvious question, what was the most challenging thing I did in the Army?

Was it the 4 years of ROTC? Any one of my 3 Iraq deployments? Losing one of my soldiers?

It occured to me that while all of these challenges were certainly difficult, the hardest thing I ever did was join a unit that is already deployed; something I had to do twice.

My first unit, the 502nd Military Intelligence battalion, was already in Iraq when I got to FT Lewis and after spending roughly 2 months with the rear detachment I was sent over with a handfull of other soldiers to join the organization. While our mission was not inherently dangerous, it was still a combat zone and here was this brand new 2nd lieutenant that had to be trained and brought up to speed on the units operating procedures and ways of doing things. I'm sure I frustrated a lot of NCOs because not only was I very green, but I also held a position of authority. The First Sergeant had the patience of a saint at times. A few of the other NCOs? Not so much.

During my second deployment I was moved from the Support Battalion where I had been for over 2 years to join 1-23 IN as a much needed assistant battalion intelligence officer. When you spend 2 years with an organization you get to know people quite well and they get to know you, especially when much of that time was spent in the field, at the National Training Center, and over the course of a deployment. As the battalion intel officer I had earned the respect of my coworkers and understood what was expected of me.

All that changed when I joined 1-23. Suddenly I was an unknown entity, hell the battalion S1 (personnel officer) thought I was brand new to the brigade. When the battalion was sent south from Baghdad for a short time to help 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division I was waiting in the planning office with my gear and one of the other officers asked if it was my first time outside the wire (leaving the base). The look I got when I told him that this was my second deployment and that when the brigade was in Mosul I was leading convoys was priceless. However, it was yet another sign that I was starting all over and despite having been in the brigade for awhile, I was the new guy in that battalion.

Looking back, the year I spent with the 502nd and the year I spent with 1-23 were by far the most difficult times for me in the Army. It always sucks being the new guy, it sucks more when there is an enemy trying to kill you.