One Stupid Company Commander

Today my unit had a family party at a local park and it was exceptionally good in almost every way. The ladies from Family Support worked really hard to make a wonderful event. They had a nice barbecue, a Jump-House for the kids, activities for the teens and a dessert bake-off for the wife’s. They even had a raffle with some great prizes for any willing participants. The event started off well and everyone was happy.

I must admit that I was feeling a little guilty for not inviting Mrs. Grouch and the kids, as I devoured some tasty barbecued pork, while sitting in the company of old friend. The day was perfect, which is a rarity for any party sponsored by the military. That is why I seldom invite Mrs. Grouchy and the kids to such events. During 19 years in the military, I have learned a few things. One is that when it comes to unit parties it is best for Mrs. Grouchy to stay home. This is because the day usually ends with Mrs. Grouchy being completely disgusted and frustrated with the military.

Over the years, some notable disgust has been from the following observations: excessive alcohol use among young soldiers, improperly cooked food that produced unwanted results, awards programs that were designed to stroke the egos of overpaid officers, and parties that were planned during Sunday morning church services.

Today I was pleasantly surprised with the unit party until the Commander stood up and said he had a quick brief he wanted to give us while we ate. I should have known things were about to get bad when the ladies from Family Support immediately wisked all the small children away for a preplanned game.

After some beating-around-the-bush by my fine Commander, he told us the topic of the brief. It was Suicide Prevention for soldiers. Wow, what a quick way to spoil my appetite. Try listening to 30 minutes of statistics, perceived causes, ridiculous solutions, and warning signs for suicides. Then to top it off, he had to rehash a suicide which recently occurred in our organization.

The Captain made it sound like he knew and understood this guy who died, but it was apparent he didn't. This is when I wanted to say “Hey Captain, you don’t know jack-sh*# about this soldier. Just sit down and shut up."

Let me tell you his story. Gus was a guy who had everything going for him. He had a good civilian job, a nice family and a promising military career. Then the Army decided to send him to Iraq. While in Iraq, he went through some events that changed his life and caused him to have long-term problems we call PTSD. After his time in Iraq, the transition back to civilian life didn’t work out so well. Gus had problems that caused him and his wife to separate.

Then the Army decided to send him on a short-tour to South America. While he was away Gus made a big mistake, he became romantically involved with a local gal. After he returned to the States, a soldier from his unit decided to tell Gus's wife about the affair. This caused a divorce and limited visitation rights with his kids. After the divorce Gus lost his civilian job.

Then the Army went one step farther and barred him from reenlistment. He lost his family, job and military career after a 14 month deployment to Iraq. My friend Gus committed suicide only a few days before he was to be discharged from the military.

Fortunately for me, today I kept my thoughts to myself as I listened to a stupid officer talk about someone he didn't know or understand. At the end of the brief, I took my unfinished meal and threw it into the garbage. I left the party early and spent the rest of the afternoon at a local sporting goods store before I returned home to my family.

I'm just glad that I did not invite Mrs. Grouch to the party!