On the Troops

The Best Part of the Military

Howdy,

I should’ve probably started this entire Substack with a post like this.

I love the military. Seriously. The people. Oh man, amazing. So many engaging Americans serve their nation. They are gunslingers and logisticians. Fliers and mechanics. Some jump out of airplanes while others hand out much-needed medication. They’re all, however, on the same team.

Everyone is there for different reasons. I joined after 9-11. It was my war. The 9-11 generation of servicemembers: we did some good things. I served beside some real heroes. Some of my best friends wore or are still wearing the uniform.

(And, yes, there will always be a few sh*t bags. Bruh, I know)

The institution has its issues. And anyone with a semblance of honesty would say that, even if it’s behind doors.

But the people. Amazing. There are so many different stories. My Airmen were freaking brilliant. They could speak multiple languages, some of them fluently. While that might not be a big deal to most of our European friends, it is a rarity here.

The Soldiers I spent too much time with stuck inside HMVEES/MRAPs/etc - hilarious. I will miss eavesdropping on their conversations on sports, girls, sports, girls, and fighting. Serve me up a good heaping of that, my friends.

If you want some injection of optimism, hang with some young troops. They come from all walks of life. Believers, non-believers. Gay, straight, transgender, and everything in between.

There are also immigrants and refugees. Go hang out with a first-generation American serving their country for an hour. Watch the pride bounce off their face when they describe what it means to wear the uniform.

It’s motivational, to say the very least.

When I was a commander—zzzzzzzzzzzz—the best part of my day was my chance to shoot the shit with the troops. Hanging with them made dealing with the national security state’s bureaucracy tolerable.

(There is no bureaucracy like intel bureaucracy because intel bureaucracy don’t stop.)

I wasn’t the best commander. I was above average. Because of my unit’s mission, I wasn’t invested in ops. By 2021, it was too late to make me a prototypical Air Force intelligence officer. I didn’t know shit — and still don’t—about Air Force intel. Not my bag.

But—and here’s the thing—I just let a competent operations officer run ops. You know. It seemed like his job. It’s right there in the title—Director of Operations. And, of course, he rocked.

Do you know the type of leader he was? He would ask an Airman to call their parents so he could brag to them on the phone about their kids.

Ladies and Gentlemen, that’s how you solve the recruiting crisis. Young officers and commanders should understand this one thing: give a shit. He did and will go very far in the Air Force and life in general. He also ensured that more Airmen stayed in the service because of his leadership.

Anyway, back to my troops. Because I didn’t get all hot and sweaty over the mission, I spent most of my time getting to know the Airmen. I would walk the halls and stop in to say hello.

Every week, no matter what, I tried to clock at least 3-4 hours just talking to the troops.

I miss that very much. I miss them. Not the JOB. Pass. But the troopies? Oh, hell to the yes.

They are the very best in this country. Any officer or commander worth their salt should be motivated by the people serving with them. Their spirit should encourage them to be their best every day because America’s mothers and fathers invested their most precious gift to the country. And you, you’re the lucky one to lead such motivated people.

And if that doesn’t scare the shit out of you while also giving you an immense amount of pride, then take off the uniform, bro, and do something else.

I’m going to spend a lot of time hitting “the military” for its many sins. I’m going to rage against the machine.

But the people, especially the troops, they’re amazing.

Until next time