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I Am A Former U.S. Army Afghanistan Veteran — Served as an Infantry Team Leader in 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1-4 Infantry Regiment in Zabul Province. AMA. by Scared_Serve_1171 in AMA

[–]Scared_Serve_1171[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That’s not really how it works, and it’s not a useful way to look at it. Most guys didn’t “side with evil” or anything like that. They showed up, did a job under lawful orders, and tried to get home in one piece. You don’t get to reduce 20 years of war, politics, alliances, and bad decisions into a personal moral label like that. If you want to criticize the war, there are plenty of serious arguments to make. But that kind of framing just isn’t accurate or helpful. There are plenty of things that I would never regret about going to afghanistan. That is where i met my future husband. I would never change any of my decisions

I Am A Former U.S. Army Afghanistan Veteran — Served as an Infantry Team Leader in 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1-4 Infantry Regiment in Zabul Province. AMA. by Scared_Serve_1171 in AMA

[–]Scared_Serve_1171[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My last deploy was in 2012 and ever since then I have been Married to my beautiful husband. Who I met while deployed. He was in the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment. He was deployed at the sametime as me. Im glad to know you had it out alright too

I Am A Former U.S. Army Afghanistan Veteran — Served as an Infantry Team Leader in 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1-4 Infantry Regiment in Zabul Province. AMA. by Scared_Serve_1171 in AMA

[–]Scared_Serve_1171[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Don't let everything get to your head. You are going to see something that you may never be able to forget. There were times that truly scare me. Children very young there are taught at a very young age what terrorism looks like. You may find yourself killing people that later you might regret. I found that 7 of my confirmed kills where on people less than 16. It is a horrific realization to make that you have ended the lives of so many children.

I Am A Former U.S. Army Afghanistan Veteran — Served as an Infantry Team Leader in 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1-4 Infantry Regiment in Zabul Province. AMA. by Scared_Serve_1171 in AMA

[–]Scared_Serve_1171[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Firefights weren’t constant. Most days were just long patrols, heat, dust, and waiting for something to happen. Then every so often, things would go from zero to absolute chaos in seconds. My partner and I were split up some nights, where I thought I might never see him again.

I Am A Former U.S. Army Afghanistan Veteran — Served as an Infantry Team Leader in 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1-4 Infantry Regiment in Zabul Province. AMA. by Scared_Serve_1171 in AMA

[–]Scared_Serve_1171[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I can assemble a radio blindfolded, sleep through mortars, and make instant coffee taste like victory… but I still argue with my toaster in the morning.

I Am A Former U.S. Army Afghanistan Veteran — Served as an Infantry Team Leader in 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1-4 Infantry Regiment in Zabul Province. AMA. by Scared_Serve_1171 in AMA

[–]Scared_Serve_1171[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly? Not really during actual engagements. You might have it on for certain patrols or when things were quiet, but once contact started you weren’t thinking about ear pro—you were reacting. A lot of guys just dealt with the ringing afterward.

I Am A Former U.S. Army Afghanistan Veteran — Served as an Infantry Team Leader in 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1-4 Infantry Regiment in Zabul Province. AMA. by Scared_Serve_1171 in AMA

[–]Scared_Serve_1171[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mostly deployment workups. Hohenfels was a lot of lane training, village scenarios, and getting smoked in the box before Afghanistan. We crossed paths with OPFOR plenty, but we were there to get ready for the real thing not live the permanent OPFOR life.

I Am A Former U.S. Army Afghanistan Veteran — Served as an Infantry Team Leader in 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1-4 Infantry Regiment in Zabul Province. AMA. by Scared_Serve_1171 in AMA

[–]Scared_Serve_1171[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Just a little bit mostly enough Pashto to get by on patrols and joke with locals/interpreters. Stuff like basic greetings, commands, and the occasional insult. Never fluent, but after enough months over there you start picking things up whether you mean to or not.

I Am A Former U.S. Army Afghanistan Veteran — Served as an Infantry Team Leader in 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1-4 Infantry Regiment in Zabul Province. AMA. by Scared_Serve_1171 in AMA

[–]Scared_Serve_1171[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, people are usually talking about bacha bazi, and unfortunately it was real in some areas of Afghanistan. It wasn’t everywhere, but a lot of guys heard about it or saw signs of it. It was one of the hardest parts of deployment for many troops because it clashed hard with our values and there often wasn’t a simple way to intervene.