The Army’s Equal Opportunity Policy states that the US Army will provide equal opportunity and fair treatment for military personnel, family members, and DA civilians without regard to race, color, religion, gender, or National origin, and provide an environment free from sexual harassment. (Armystudyguide.com)

I believe in this policy whole heartedly. I’ve been faced with racism my whole life because of the type of family I grew up in. Racism is defined as a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others. (dictionary.reference.com)

My mother, father, and biological siblings are all Caucasian, as am I. When I was only three years old my parents adopted a biracial, African American and Caucasian, baby girl. From that moment on my parents continued adopting and foster parenting children of all races, colors, religions, genders, National origins, disabilities, and backgrounds. I now have 15 siblings, most of which are biracial or African American.  This has taught me to be what I call “color blind”.

I grew up learning about things many people don’t learn about until much later in life. When I was young, I knew what it meant to accept people rather than judge them. My family accepted foster children who were blind, deaf, mentally retarded, terminally ill, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, African American, and biracial. A lot of them eventually became a permanent part of my family. I love them no differently than my biological siblings.

In my opinion, racism comes from people’s ignorance of another race’s culture or beliefs. Ignorance is defined as the condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed. (dictionary.reference.com) Or, maybe someone who is racist had some sort of bad experience with someone of a difference race, which caused them to form a stereotype of that race.

A stereotype is defined as a generalization, usually exaggerated or oversimplified and often offensive, that is used to describe or distinguish a group. (dictionary.reference.com)

Whatever the reason behind a person’s racist beliefs, the US Army’s EO Policy states that it will not tolerate discrimination toward any race. Not only does the EO Policy state that all Soldiers deserve fair treatment, but the Soldier’s and Noncommissioned Officer’s Creed does as well.

 The Army’s Noncommissioned Officers Creed says…”All soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership. I know my soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own. I will communicate consistently with my soldiers and never leave them uninformed. I will be fair and impartial when recommending both rewards and punishment.

 The United States Army promises to be fair and impartial, which makes me proud to say I am a Soldier. I believe that what my family has taught me about acceptance will bring success to my Army career. I am an American Soldier and I am a warrior and a member of a team…a team made up of different races, genders, and religions.

………

~January 15, 2009 : my boots hit the concrete in the sandy suburbs of Baghdad, Iraq…..This is what I saw:
 

Checkpoints…t-walls… palm trees…speed bumps made from tank tracks… ID checks… search points, the sound of helicopters hovering overhead, billowing smoke in the distance, bright blue skies, concrete, dust… … ..sand… …sand… ……and more sand. Iraqi’s walking the streets, driving their mopeds, trying to make it to wherever they’re going on time. Inshallah. (God willing) These are the things I am surrounded by daily. It’s become my life. Imagine the things you’re so used to that you may not even notice anymore. Maybe such things as the sound of a plane passing, stopping at a red light, or even only having to walk a few feet away from your bed at night to use the restroom when “nature calls“. These things, my American ways of life, have now been replaced by the new mundane reality here in Baghdad.

When I imagined this deployment to Iraq, a “war zone”, I never sat down to think about all of the little life adjustments I would have to be willing to make. I never thought about things like having no more privacy, walking a tenth of a mile or no less than three minutes to use the restroom, or going through three checkpoints before making it “home” safely at night after work.

I guess I did what every soldier does when they hear they’re getting deployed. I became mentally prepared for this “war zone”  on a larger level and neglected the thought of such little changes. I put all of my effort into training on my soldier skills, preparing to face death and destruction. Now that I’m here I realized that these little things are what is making such an impact on me.

I’ve yet to hear any fire fights, come across improvised explosive devices, or see this “death and destruction” I had prepared for.  So when I look down onto the right shoulder sleeve of my Army combat uniform I almost feel a little guilty for wearing this combat patch. But then “nature calls” in the middle of the dusty Iraqi night, and I walk those three minutes to go to the restroom. I then remember that everyone here in Iraq or Afghanistan have all made sacrifices, small or large. Regardless of what our mission is on this deployment, I know that once I get home I will appreciate the little things that most people don’t even give a second thought……

traffic laws…brushing my teeth with water out of the sink,… civilian clothes…choices….moderately clear skies…HOME.

An update:

In the short couple of weeks since I’ve been here, I’ve:

1. learned a few phrases in Arabic and Spanish
2. learned how to play Dominoes
3. completed my taxes
4. completed about four Army Correspondence Courses
5. set up a savings plan for myself
6. tried new things: Hookah and Iraqi tea
7.  had a ‘hard mass’ removed from my foot
8. developed confidence in my public affairs skills
9. got promoted to Specialist

And last but not least:

   10.    made life-long good friends

So, for a few weeks now I’ve had a little dilemma……”Betty”.  Let me explain.

I’ve had a hard, mobile piece of something (we’re still unsure of its composition) floating in my big toe joint in my left foot. People in my unit joked and said it could be my unborn twin or something insane like that, so they named it “Betty”. Whatever it was, it constantly rubbed against the tendon that ran all the way through the top of my foot causing serious pain and irritation after running or walking long distances. “Betty” had to be dealt with.

Well yesterday, February 3, 2009, I went to the 10th Combat Support Hospital here in Baghdad to see if the good Army doctors there could figure out what “Betty” really was and what they could do about “her”.  After going to the outpatient clinic and mesmerizing the doctors there, I was sent to the orthopedics specialists to see if they could uncover this medical mystery. There I met LTC Sands and her team of soldiers. Surely they could help.

After examining the x-rays and finding no fractures or obvious answers, LTC Sands suggested it could be a simple cyst. She said if it was there was nothing that could be done about it. She explained to me that the only way she would know for sure is to numb my foot and stick a large needle into “Betty” and see if clear gel/liquid would drain from “her”.

“Have at it ma’am,” I said. So…she stuck about three needles into my foot and numbed it. Then, she stuck a larger needle directly into the mass in my joint and tried to extract the clear fluid, she  explained ; it would drain out if it was in fact a cyst. Nothing happened….nothing drained….nothing.

She was puzzled. She said that usually here in Baghdad they don’t remove “foreign objects” from the body because of the heightened risk of infection (te water here isn’t exactly the cleanest in the world). But, after having already numbed my foot she decided to remove “Betty” after all.

I laid there and watched some of the movie “Spanglish” while LTC Sands cut my foot opened and removed “Betty” for good. It was, to say the least, a strange experience. After being at the hospital for a total of around an hour and a half, I was ready to go back to work……without “Betty”. Once again, another surreal experience to add to the list.

Now I sit here in my office at the Combined Press Information Center restricted to desk duty for about seven days. Not bad. So now I am going to go take my moment of silence for the long lost “Betty”. “She” is on her way to a lab to be tested so we can all  find out what it really is. Until then………farewell Betty.

We’ve are now technically about two months into our deployment, but we’ve only been in Baghdad since Jan 15.  The time has been flying by. It’s still hard for me to believe I’m in Baghdad. I use to hear about this place on the news constantly, but it never even crossed my mind that one day I’d be here in an Army Combat Uniform. And I really never imagined that I’d be driving around the streets of the International Zone after only being out of AIT, advanced individual training, for seven months. It’s all very surreal.

When we arrived here in Baghdad on the 15th after our short flight from Kuwait, we basically hit the groud running. We dropped off our bags into our transitional sleeping tents, slept for about 2 and a half hours and then headed to work. Since then we’ve been going full speed ahead. Recently, we all moved into our CHUs, containerized housing units. Sounds inviting huh? They’re actually not that bad. It’s a two-man (or woman) trailer with twin beds, wall lockers and little metal night stands. It felt good to unpack our many duffel bags we’d been living out of for what felt like forever.

Not far from our CHUs there are many local shops to browse around in. Most of them sell rugs, jewelry, hookahs, journals, cheap bootleg DVDs and about a million other things. We’ve discovered a cafe that sells Iraqi tea for a dollar and will let you smoke hookah for only three bucks. Lee, Thurston, SGT Leech, SGT Miller and I usually go and play dominoes or Uno. It’s a nice place to unwind after a long day at work.

So far my feelings about this deployment are nothing but positive. My job has been going great. I’ve met media from all over the world. My living arrangements aren’t bad at all. I bought a tv to watch movies and play my Wii on. So things are good.

Hopefully, this time continues to fly by. I do miss my family and friends but I know that this too shall pass. Please continue to keep all of us in your thoughts and prayers, and before you know it we’ll all be back home safely.

(MODERATOR’S NOTE:  You can read more about hookah at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah.  Although the site says you can smoke different things, the soldiers of the 314th are smoking only herbal fruits or tobacco.)

My emotions are officially on the roller coaster ride to Iraq. It’s hard to explain exactly what that means. Trust me, I know. I’ve tried to explain to my friends how hard this is. I’ve tried explaining how it feels in the pit of your stomach to know your’re going to a place where our nation’s been at war for well over five years now. There are no words to explain the feelings I have right now. I know my friends are trying to be there for me…well most of them. I understand that they have no clue what all deployment entails. Some of them complain about going to work period. How are they suppose to understand how it feels to know you’ll be working ten and twelve hour shifts and not go home at the end of the day. No more nice dinners with friends and family. No going out to the club and drinking the night away. No calling in sick and sitting at home with a hangover. 

But on the other hand, do they know the pride we take in our jobs? Do they pity us? Maybe. But why? Although my nerves are shot and my emotions are all over the place right now,  I know I’m making at least a small difference in the world. I know that my job isn’t just a dead end. I have job security. I’m the one that took the oath. I volunteered the join the military. It has taken joining the Army to make me more appreciative.  To each its own. I’m not knocking my friends back home. I just wish some of them would try a little harder to understand what I’m going through.

Most of my friends have been great and I would like to thank them! Thanks guys; you know who ya’ are!

Also, certain people in this unit have really been here for me lately. First off is Mary Lee. My best friend from back home. She and I joined the Army together and I couldn’t have gotten this far without her. Thank you Mary.

Next is SPC Thurston. Roshonda, you’re my battle and I’ve always got your back. Whenever you get down just remember that Mary and I are always here for you. Keep your head up and you’ll be home before you know it.

Last but not least is SPC Hope. Autumn, thanks for always letting me vent. I’m glad that you joined our unit and that we’ve had the chance to get closer. If you ever need anything, just let me know.

This same time last year I was preparing to return home from basic combat training for Christmas just as I am anxiously awaiting my return home this year.

Interesting:

 I was on an Army base with no cell phone and no contact with home except through the old technique commonly referred to as “snail mail”. This time is somewhat similiar….hardly any cell phone service. I feel a little frustrated with how slow time is passing and my internet connection is so slow that I’ve started referring to it as “snail mail”.

There are a few differences though between this time last year and right now. Doughnuts……doughnuts and coffee.  Of course in basic training there is no caffiene, sweets, cigarettes, soda, chewing gum, phones, or even tweezers allowed. This time I sit here at my desk with a cup of joe, I’ve eaten my doughnut, plucked my eyebrows, I have fresh breath, and between bad cell service I’ve kept in touch with my friends.

This is by no means a blog about my complaints. It’s just a comparison of 2007 and this year. I never could’ve imagined that I would be in this position so soon after my enlistment into the army.  In a way I’m greatful. I have the opportunity to not only advance in my military career but also start building an amazing resume for my civilian career.

So I’m ready for my Christmas leave. Then, give me some caffiene, a doughnut, pencil, paper, camera, and media credentialing equipment and send me on my way. I’ll be home again for Christmas next year!

Credentialing media, making press badges, taking pictures, and filling out paperwork…..answering phones, listening to briefings, yes sir, no sir, yes sergeant, no sergeant. This has been my day. All in a day of the life of PFC Gardner.

We started our Public Affairs three-day training today at noon. This morning I set up our biometrics equipment: laptop, digital camera, fingerprint scanner, and iris scanner. My job? I’m the first soldier the media sees when they walk into our facility. I basically make sure they are who they say they are. I enroll them into a system that will help keep track of their information. Imagine what the lab looks like on an eposide of Crime Scene Investigation. The equipment on my desk reminds me of something like that.

Anyway, this very first day of training was definitly used for trial and error. There were obviously hiccups but as the Army has taught me: I faked it til I made it, remained calm, and found that I really did know exactly what I was doing. I pushed through, developed confidence, and I actually found myself enjoying it all.  I realize that this training is suppose to prepare us for the year ahead. Well, I’ve also realized how stressful this could be if I hadn’t already mentally prepared myself.

I guess what I’m saying is this is good army training. Now, is it time to go home for Christmas???

   Hygiene, breakfast, formation, a long day, dinner, physical training, and repeat. Can’t complain about having nothing to do I guess…. Our days here at Fort Dix are all pretty much alike at this point. My mood: ready to take on whatever is next. My motto? Go with the flow. I think that has to be my motto right now. I have never deployed before, so I really don’t know exactly what to expect. All I know is I’m ready to do whatever needs to be done.

   Today was just another step in becoming ready for this deployment.  As a result, tonight my arms feel as if they’ve been through battle. Okay…maybe that’s a little extreme. But they are sore. In my left arm I have my smallpox vaccination site, the bandage from where I had blood drawn, and the TB test site. My right arm bears the spot where they stuck me with the second Anthrax vaccine. That one hurt…I felt like my arm was on fire. Okay, that too is a little extreme. Anyway, today was a long day.

   And so begins the process of preparing. Now it’s on ourselves to mentally prepare. I’m doing that by laughing like I always do, joking like I always do, and keeping in touch with my family…as always. I’m ready for whatever’s next.