Society...
I will never be good enough for those who claim to love me,
They feign interest to gain trust,
Wait till they think no one is looking,
Then daggers into my heart are thrust.
Reguardless of which mask They want to see,
Everyone expects a monster in me.
I have faced monsters, reluctantly.
Monsters donning the masks of Men,
Dark intentions soil their aura with Sin,
I am labled"outcast" because I see where they have Been...
Eam told my ways are twisted and wrong,
Chemically imbalanced, unloved too long.
I say no.
I struggle to do right each moment of each day,
I do what I think is right. Not what They Say.
Say or Do? You choose, Here and Now.
Damn the minor Details like When and How.
Reply
Hello to all the family and friends of the Iron Horse Brigade! Things have been mighty busy here in the Kandahar Province in the cold and wet of February. Here is your monthly SITREP through the eyes of 1-22 IN's own Scout platoon. We continue to travel Kandahar proper and its outlying communities visiting our brothers and sisters and supporting operations as they unfold. The Raider Brigade has one of the largest area of operations in theater, but that seems to have little impact on the success we continue to achieve day in and day out. We escorted General Patreus and General Terry so they could see the gains made in the Argendab Valley, such as better relations with the local nationals and improved infrastructure. All continues to go well as we carry out our missions day to day. Recently we have began running air missions into our ever expanding area of operations in preparation for new projects and responsibilities. We love and miss you all but will remain steadfast and loyal until our duty here is done. This is SPC JJ saying...SCOUTS OUT!
Reply
Seems as though reguardless of how I try...I just don't fit in...I have decided this isn't a "bad" thing...as long as people respect me as a man, I will return that same respect. It are the ones who insist on intimidating me into agreeing with solutions that I KNOW are not the best choice, those are the ones I take issue with. There really are wolves in sheep's clothing...so don't cry wolf too often, hope you know that story...
Reply
My oh my how things have changed in the past four months...I'm not sure if I've expressed this else where, but is really of no consequence if I have or not because it occupies enough of my mental and emotional energies that I'm sure there will be multiple entires on this matter! I would have never imagined that I would get a second chance to share life with my soulmate, but it seems as though that possibility is becoming more and more real daily, I have been living on love since the first week in April. To be fair to myself though, I have most definitely experienced notions that things were going WAY too good for me, completely out of the ordinary type shit, so I entered a hyper vigiliant state, analyzing and disecting situations and events even MORE than usual. I returned to Ft. Carson to finish the job that I started about four years ago. It was then that I truly left everything...my family, my friends, my reputation as a hot headed drunk who worked just as hard as he drank. It is difficult for anyone to embark on such a journey but also necessary if one is to fully appreciate themselves in my humble opinion. You can think you know yourself, or you can test yourself and have confidence beyond a shadow of any doubt. For an American raised in the bible belt of Irish decent I felt as though I owed my country some of my time, even if I did ruin many of the oppurtunities by being me in my youth. The ironic thing is, that by being myself I grew to appreciate who I was, right or wrong, learned the value of empathizing without being played for a fool, standing firm to what I believe yet being reasonable, trusting my insights and gut while recognizing that I know very little.....
Noah J. McPaine
Reply
The Scout Platoon of 1-22IN spent their Christmas Eve having a cookout. The menu included sausages and steaks for those of a less adventurous culinary disposition. There were also sheep kabobs and flat-bread that our linguists secured for us to enjoy during our holiday celebration. While the food was being prepared there was a football being tossed around our truck line to keep the “youngster's” occupied. After the meal was completed there were many phone calls home to wish a merry Christmas to family and loved ones back in the states.
There were also some fun activities for the soldiers living on Camp Nathan Smith to participate in for celebrating New Years. The most memorable would have to be the spitting camels that local nationals were charging $5 per photo op. The personnel at the dining facility did an exceptional job preparing a new year's meal to ring the new year in right. Even though the Raider Brigade has entered the new year we continue to be steadfast and loyal to the people in and around Kandahar City by helping them secure not only their homes, but a brighter future as well.
Noah J. McPaine
Reply
Noah J. McPaine / Blog
Society
Society...
I will never be good enough for those who claim to love me, They feign interest to gain trust, Wait till they think no one is looking, Then daggers into my heart are thrust. Reguardless of which mask They want to see, Everyone expects a monster in me. I have faced monsters, reluctantly. Monsters donning the masks of Men, Dark intentions soil their aura with Sin, I am labled"outcast" because I see where they have Been... Eam told my ways are twisted and wrong, Chemically imbalanced, unloved too long. I say no. I struggle to do right each moment of each day, I do what I think is right. Not what They Say. Say or Do? You choose, Here and Now. Damn the minor Details like When and How.
Reply
News Letter
Hello to all the family and friends of the Iron Horse Brigade! Things have been mighty busy here in the Kandahar Province in the cold and wet of February. Here is your monthly SITREP through the eyes of 1-22 IN's own Scout platoon. We continue to travel Kandahar proper and its outlying communities visiting our brothers and sisters and supporting operations as they unfold. The Raider Brigade has one of the largest area of operations in theater, but that seems to have little impact on the success we continue to achieve day in and day out. We escorted General Patreus and General Terry so they could see the gains made in the Argendab Valley, such as better relations with the local nationals and improved infrastructure. All continues to go well as we carry out our missions day to day. Recently we have began running air missions into our ever expanding area of operations in preparation for new projects and responsibilities. We love and miss you all but will remain steadfast and loyal until our duty here is done. This is SPC JJ saying...SCOUTS OUT!
Reply
Today
Seems as though reguardless of how I try...I just don't fit in...I have decided this isn't a "bad" thing...as long as people respect me as a man, I will return that same respect. It are the ones who insist on intimidating me into agreeing with solutions that I KNOW are not the best choice, those are the ones I take issue with. There really are wolves in sheep's clothing...so don't cry wolf too often, hope you know that story...
Reply
14July11
My oh my how things have changed in the past four months...I'm not sure if I've expressed this else where, but is really of no consequence if I have or not because it occupies enough of my mental and emotional energies that I'm sure there will be multiple entires on this matter! I would have never imagined that I would get a second chance to share life with my soulmate, but it seems as though that possibility is becoming more and more real daily, I have been living on love since the first week in April. To be fair to myself though, I have most definitely experienced notions that things were going WAY too good for me, completely out of the ordinary type shit, so I entered a hyper vigiliant state, analyzing and disecting situations and events even MORE than usual. I returned to Ft. Carson to finish the job that I started about four years ago. It was then that I truly left everything...my family, my friends, my reputation as a hot headed drunk who worked just as hard as he drank. It is difficult for anyone to embark on such a journey but also necessary if one is to fully appreciate themselves in my humble opinion. You can think you know yourself, or you can test yourself and have confidence beyond a shadow of any doubt. For an American raised in the bible belt of Irish decent I felt as though I owed my country some of my time, even if I did ruin many of the oppurtunities by being me in my youth. The ironic thing is, that by being myself I grew to appreciate who I was, right or wrong, learned the value of empathizing without being played for a fool, standing firm to what I believe yet being reasonable, trusting my insights and gut while recognizing that I know very little..... Noah J. McPaine
Reply
December 2010
The Scout Platoon of 1-22IN spent their Christmas Eve having a cookout. The menu included sausages and steaks for those of a less adventurous culinary disposition. There were also sheep kabobs and flat-bread that our linguists secured for us to enjoy during our holiday celebration. While the food was being prepared there was a football being tossed around our truck line to keep the “youngster's” occupied. After the meal was completed there were many phone calls home to wish a merry Christmas to family and loved ones back in the states.
There were also some fun activities for the soldiers living on Camp Nathan Smith to participate in for celebrating New Years. The most memorable would have to be the spitting camels that local nationals were charging $5 per photo op. The personnel at the dining facility did an exceptional job preparing a new year's meal to ring the new year in right. Even though the Raider Brigade has entered the new year we continue to be steadfast and loyal to the people in and around Kandahar City by helping them secure not only their homes, but a brighter future as well.
Noah J. McPaine
Reply