In the beginning he was just a young man who had a dream of serving his country. He wanted to make the Army his life and his career.......................................
On January 12, 2007, Jared Kent was taped to his bed by 3 soldiers of the Battalion Mortar Platoon where I was positioned as the section sergeant. That night PVT. Stockton, Colkmire, and Kirmsi were arrested for the assault of Jared Kent. On the 16th of January 2007 I was pulled from class, arrested, shamed and embarrassed and escorted to the MP station. During this time prior to now I have type II degenerative endplate changes, disc bulging in 3 discs, hyper-intense lesions on 2 Vertabras; I just know my back hurts really bad, even more so after clearing Kent in 2 days aggravated by the fact I cannot drive. I also suffered from a right clavicle break with many displaced fragments. I was interrogated after my statement to MPI by CID. I was denied a break for food and water, chew and or smoke, I was not allowed pain killers I was reliant on to get through the day. I was told to give them what they wanted and then I could go home. It turns out they lied. I was placed in D cell made to sleep on an unsatisfactory mattress on the floor. Everyone in my chain of command who swore to do all in their power to help me if I needed help left me. They left me to plunge to a deep unknown by myself. The only person who stood by my side constantly through all this was my wife of the last 3 years who my command also ignored and left as a leper of biblical times.
The picture was clear to me and my wife that we were alone. A few friends, loyal friends gave their support and prayers, but could do nothing more. I was called guilty before my trial and at times believed their accusation of guilt by the constant way my wife and I were treated by everyone who forgot I’m still a warrior, a soldier of Iraq and Afghanistan. So on 24 May 2007 when I was court marshaled, judged by a jury of not my piers, but high ranking people from Caserma Elderly in the 173rd Div, I was susceptible to the actual fairness of the trail. I believe the amount of rumors spread and constant tales on post of January 12, had made this jury very biased towards me and their intent was to make an example of me in an attempt to crush all further hazings in the 173rd.
I keep reflecting back to all the reasons why I reenlisted when I did, (twice). I will remember and will never forget that I was going to honor those I served with who did not come home alive and honor their families who became as close to me as my own family. I wanted to finish what became known as the “Global War on Terror” even though there was no end in sight. Everyone I knew and know who’s deployed were and are getting out faster than replacements are coming in before the next deployment. We are left with many to train and few who can train. I told myself that someone needs to stay, lead and teach these new recruits what they need to know from someone who has been there and knows the hardships they are going to endure that they do not learn at “Basic Training” or “Advanced Individual Training (AIT)”. Someone needs to make sure they all come home alive, but that 3rd chance was taken from me.
So when I was found guilty of conspiracy, soliciting, dereliction of duty, forging false statements, breaking and entering and assault; sentenced to two years in prison. I was reduced to an E-1 from an E-6 and a bad conduct discharge, I can not explain the shear pain and upset that shot through my heart. They say right before you die your life flashes before your eyes, well that’s exactly what happened to me, and I thought my heart stopped beating. Every memorable event in the last 6 years of duty was a speed reel before my eyes. I couldn’t see the court room, just deafness and flashbacks, the more I think about it now, the more confused I get about how I should feel. I feel like I was cheated out of my destiny, to be one of the few proud and willing to serve soldiers to deploy for as long as I would have, another part of me says thank you, I do not want to die. I have a wife of 3 years I hardly know and a family back home, nephews and nieces I would like to watch grow up and for them to know me. Serving my country has been a dream of mine since I was 3 years old. So when I came home needing my parents consent to enlist when I was 17 years old, they were not surprised. Even now I try to think what I will do when this is cleared up and behind me. Would I want to return to duty and continue to serve the leaders who swore to do anything for me; to help me in and through the trouble but left me to fight my own war, or will I go home and start over somehow a new life away from the only life I know? I can’t answer that question yet, but it’s always on my mind. I feel like a victim of a different war being fought inside our Army. But just like the “Global War on Terror”, you will not see an end to the war on hazings. As long as college athletes, evil minded jokers and young kids and new recruits taking on the world, someone will always be hazed and a NCO will always be there for Privates to point the finger at. I was a scapegoat for being the Angry, Tough Headed, Dry Bitter Humored Veteran that no one understood. A Staff Sergeant with 6 years of service, 2 years being in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan who is hard on soldiers because I know what lies ahead for them in war. My temporary squad leaders at the time were also war veterans who knew just as well what awaits these new hot headed soldiers down range. So if our PT is too tough, our mentality is too crazy and mommy’s little angel who just didn’t know what he was getting into goes AWOL, then so be it. My job is to lead and train soldiers to be warriors, not feel sorry for the weak. I did not cry when one of my soldiers in Iraq got his brains blown all over my flak vest, I’m not going to cry when one soldier feels like he is mistreated because airborne infantry combat veterans expect him to grow up and be a man.
There is only going to be one victim in this case. It’s not Jared Kent who went AWOL, it’s not the 3 soldiers who got scared and made deals to point the finger at their sergeant, and it’s not me: It will be the families of the dead soldiers who got killed because we failed to train them to be the best they could be. I blame officers and politicians looking for political gain: handicapping the Army so we can not win as combat leaders, trainers, disciplinarians and soldiers.
Just know that if you want to survive a war and the hard living conditions that you will face, then expect to be held at a standard higher than what you set for the new soldiers of today, making things easier for them so they will enlist is not doing them any favors.
| 
