tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-385579532011-04-21T21:29:33.627+03:00Where family, friends, and strangers can come to follow the life of a soldier as he tours the globe.Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-8821677677264015572009-02-04T10:10:00.004+03:002009-02-04T10:21:13.318+03:00

Hello readers,I just put up three OpOrders from my time in Iraq. This was the end of the soft story stuff for me. I was working in the Sal Ah Din Province near Tikrit until just before Christmas, when I got moved to Mosul to be part of "The last stand of Al Qaeda." I will post some of those stories in the next few days.In the meantime, please enjoy these stories.For those of you who follow this

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-80614129461739493962009-02-04T09:37:00.004+03:002009-02-04T10:09:50.196+03:00

By Spc. Eric A. Rutherford115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment December 12, 2007TIKRIT, Iraq – While the holidays may just be another day in a war zone, this year World Wrestling Entertainment gave a special Christmas gift to the troops by spending three days with them.Wrestling superstars took their show on the road for the fifth straight year to spend time with Soldiers in remote areas who

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-91033307281976192002009-02-04T09:13:00.003+03:002009-02-04T09:37:25.301+03:00

By Spc. Eric A. Rutherford 115th Mobile Public Affairs DetachmentNovember 28, 2007TIKRIT, Iraq – Iraqi army soldiers led a raid into an area of Ad Dawr with Iraqi police and a small contingent of U.S. Soldiers, Nov. 21, to put a stop to insurgent activities there.The 1st Battalion of the 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi army led the pre-dawn raid into the area to capture insurgents and disrupt illegal

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-22497337741300795852009-02-04T08:51:00.005+03:002009-02-04T09:13:03.856+03:00

By Spc. Eric A. Rutherford115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment Novermber 19, 2007TIKRIT, Iraq – Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines have a lot to worry about in a forward-deployed combat zone. Besides roadside bombs, sniper attacks, and ambushes, they also have to worry about their families back home who may have emergencies arise while the service member is away. That is why the Red Cross

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-69084491775075891382007-10-22T12:59:00.000+03:002007-10-22T14:17:01.444+03:00

October 1, 2007Iraqis, Soldiers Get To WorkInitiative to train Iraqis gets under wayMulti-National Division – North PAOBy Spc. Eric A. Rutherford, 115th Mobile Public Affairs DetachmentTIKRIT, Iraq – In Salah Al-Din Province, where 2.3 million Iraqis live, few people have reliable electricity, and even fewer have running water. U.S. Soldiers have teamed up with local Iraqis and U.S. Government

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-34900592104799868322007-10-22T10:49:00.000+03:002007-10-22T12:59:06.035+03:00

October 1, 2007Flight to MeccaIraqis and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers build terminal, opportunitiesMulti-National Division – North PAOBy Spc. Eric A. Rutherford, 115th Mobile Public Affairs DetachmentMOSUL, Iraq – During the last month of the Islamic year, more than a million Muslims make the pilgrimage, or Hajj, to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This year, local Iraqis here can make the pilgrimage more

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-69850009859128917672007-09-25T18:13:00.000+04:002007-09-25T20:54:58.860+04:00

Putting Iraq Out Front: Soldiers aid Iraqi Police with missionsMulti-National Division – North PAOBy Spc. Eric A. Rutherford, 115th Mobile Public Affairs DetachmentQAYYARAH, Iraq – A joint Iraqi police and Coalition Forces operation netted a counterfeit document production facility in Qayyarah, Iraq, Sept. 13.The site included a printing press, printer plates, gold leaf used to reproduce official

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-14781526344986176952007-09-17T21:45:00.000+04:002007-09-17T22:13:02.897+04:00

Making Progress: Unit relationships with Iraqi locals pays offMulti-National Division – North PAOBy Spc. Eric A. Rutherford, 115th Mobile Public Affairs DetachmentSAMARRA, Iraq – As the much anticipated Iraq Report was released this month, one unit is finding that they are making progress.An Iraqi teenager who was an informant for coalition forces in Samarra was kidnapped by insurgents and held

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-24480737630805693022007-08-14T11:31:00.000+04:002007-08-14T11:54:04.082+04:00

Well, we all made it here safely. It is hot, and we haven't seen much outside the wire. Just a quick update. The average daily temp is around 115 degrees. It took us a couple days longer to make it due to some dust storms in Kuwait. I have yet to see the infamous camel spider, death walker scorpion or the Persian viper thing we hear so much about. What I have seen for the first time was the

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-73450136908330543562007-07-20T17:57:00.000+04:002007-07-20T18:04:25.830+04:00

I wrote another story. It got published in the Fort Dix "Post" paper. Hope you enjoy. Time is short here on Fort Dix, so I might be even further between posts for a while.Citizen-Soldiers Answer the CallTroops from A Co., 1-175th prepare for Iraqi deploymentStory by Spc. Eric A. RutherfordFORT DIX, N.J. – Santa brought Brian Tarr a special kind of present this year – a present that he wasn’t

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-25048864399079228232007-07-01T05:39:00.000+04:002007-07-01T06:10:59.091+04:00

I wrote a piece for the Fort Dix "POST" paper. I actually think the story sucks, but it is what I wrote, and they liked it enough that the posted my story on the front page below the fold, and my photo above the fold! I think it is pretty cool. I wrote this story as the first piece in a three-part series. Hope you enjoy.Jumping Across the PondBritish paratroopers train on Fort Dix for Afghanistan

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-5119894450935389932007-06-29T04:40:00.000+04:002007-07-01T05:39:01.916+04:00

Sorry it has been a while since I last posted. We have been busy. We are doing mission specific training, which means that I am having a chance to finally do my public affairs job. Here are some pictures I have shot around Fort Dix.PFC Matthew Mikolas pays attention during a safety briefing prior to beginning Individual Movement Techniques training for mobilization at Fotf Dix, N.J. Mikolas is

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-12320584859523754532007-06-11T05:22:00.000+04:002007-06-11T05:44:24.419+04:00

Well, I'm here. Fort Dix. Sorry I haven't posted lately -- I have had the time, but not the energy. The training is good, but tough. The weather is anything but friendly -- often near 100 with a high 80% humidity. Obviously I can't talk in any detail about what we are doing here, but we are doing some cool training. We did reflexive fire with the M-4's, and unarmed combatives. Tomorrow I

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-82381434891626490542007-05-15T06:39:00.000+04:002007-05-15T06:58:12.942+04:00

Well folks, four more days and I will be home! I have managed to pass my classes and I will graduate from here on Friday. It has been a long, difficult and amazing time here. I have made several friends that I am sure I will be friends for many many years to come. I have suffered through copious amounts of B.S., and shared some of the most amazing experiences with one person who has made an

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-74270004569095253832007-04-23T06:05:00.000+04:002007-04-23T06:49:21.919+04:00

That's right -- just under a month left here in Maryland. Of course, I come right back to the East Coast for Iraq training about a week after that, but at least I will get home for a little while.This weekend was pretty stinking good. I had a four-day weekend, which allowed me to do some sightseeing and enjoy the weather. A friend of mine came to Baltimore for some Army training, so on her day

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-15035210226702124582007-04-09T06:31:00.000+04:002007-04-09T06:58:06.918+04:00

The last few weeks have really flown by. I haven't had a chance to do much writing outside of class, and I really haven't done much of anything on the weekends except catch up on much needed rest. Here is how my typical day goes. I wake up at about 3:50 a.m. and head to PT formation at 4:30am. PT lasts until around 6 a.m., after which I eat breakfast until about 6:30 and head back to my room to

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-92093861951959407222007-03-13T05:29:00.000+03:002007-03-13T06:32:55.913+03:00

This was a pretty darned good weekend. The weather here was awesome, and I was able to get out among the civilians and do my own thing as well. I think I am coming down with a cold, which sucks, because I can't miss any school or I risk getting recycled (rolled back to a later class). I have been doing quite well in school, except today I bombed a test bad, but it was only a 10 point quiz, so I

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-24325246259615871832007-03-08T05:23:00.000+03:002007-03-08T05:26:22.094+03:00

I have been getting some complaints that my comments are not working correctly. They should be fixed now, so please, feel free to post away! A few guidelines for posting: This is an unrestricted audience, so please keep it relatively clean. If you post and are not a blogger, please enter your name instead of anonymous. I will delete comments that are inappropriate, or that I do not like. I

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-72939365084879040082007-03-06T04:57:00.000+03:002007-03-06T05:56:15.463+03:00

One of the greatest things about the military is that you can meet a bunch of perfect strangers on a Monday, and by Friday night you are hanging out with those strangers as though you have known each other for a decade. That bond will always be there. No matter where I go or do after this--I will always have a kinship with any service member that no other sector of our society will ever

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-23372411413144107502007-03-02T07:12:00.000+03:002007-03-02T07:20:44.774+03:00

I will make this post brief. Not because I want to, but because I have to. I made it to Fort Meade, Maryland safe and sound, and even managed to smoke the entrance exam for my school. The school (Public Affairs Journalist) is one of the harder enlisted courses to get into for the Army. I am fairly proud of my accomplishment, and thankful for the opportunity to serve on active duty again, even if

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-38370771587906174862007-02-23T12:31:00.000+03:002007-02-23T12:43:28.571+03:00

Today I received my orders for my upcoming school. I will be gone for several months starting in the near future. I am going off to school to learn the job I will be doing once I am deployed. Several of you have asked me to lay out a time line of events, and what I will be doing over the next few months. Since I am still not sure what I can and cannot discuss here, I will be as vague as

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-13756486791468888482007-02-19T08:28:00.000+03:002007-02-19T09:41:18.771+03:00

Since I set up this blog, I really haven't expanded on what it is all about. Sorry about that, I have been super busy. So, some history is in order. A little over ten years ago I began a journey that I thought would never go the way it has. Matter of fact, I had no idea how it was going to go. I joined the Army in January 1997. I was an artilleryman for my four years of enlisted service. I left

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38557953.post-50287827699906857122007-01-15T09:35:00.000+03:002007-01-15T09:52:10.066+03:00

This site is intended to be a chronicle of one man's journey as he transitions from being a National Guardsman into an active soldier, trains up, and heads for a year long deployment in Iraq as a photo journalist. I will post as much as I possibly can. I will write personal stories about my adventure, from my new job training, to the combat train up stateside, and into my deployment into one of

Gunslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954431264355780241noreply@blogger.com3