The Oregon National Guard (41st Infantry) is scheduled for active duty in Iraq and they leave tomorrow. It's the biggest deployment of the Guard here since WWII. The Guard is holding deployment ceremonies all over the state and guess where they decided my local unit's ceremony will be. Over two hours away by car. The could have done it in Portland along with their units, which is a 15 mile drive, but no. The 2-162 D Company will have their going away party someplace I can't get to tomorrow. I've seen my neighbors and friends off before and I always make a point of attending deployment ceremonies for them, so this really pisses me off.
"We're from the government. We're here to help you." My sympathies. I know it takes a lot to make you angry, and this certainly qualifies. You're trying to do the right thing, and being penalized for it.
I'm down to just annoyed this afternoon. A whole lot of real life crap kept me busy last night and this morning so this issue kind of got moved to the back burner. But I am going to either write a letter or email the General of the ONG. There's absolutely no reason for my local company to have their deployment ceremony that far away. The other local units are all using Portland's Memorial Coliseum, which seats over 10,000. The Guard certainly could have squeezed another company in there and saved all the moms and kids this kind of trip.
To be honest with you, I'd be happier seeing you come back (alive and in one piece) that seeing you leaving!
In the grand scheme of things it isn't. These guys are going to be a lot further away pretty soon. I just resent the fact that our town's unit got singled out to be the one moved two hours away. Like garamet said, it's the principle of the thing.
I'm the opposite myself. I always hated being in big formal ceremonies. You have to put in many hours of practice. Watching one might be fun I guess, but when you're the one in it it's a big tedious goat-screw most of the time.
