Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 2/25/2008

Question
QUESTION: I am a national guard infantry officer who just completed ranger school and am now being deployed to Iraq. I really can't stand the military and it was the biggest mistake of my life. Is there any way of getting out? I am considering somoking pot to piss hot. Are there any good options?

ANSWER: Dear Dave --

If you hate the Army, why in the world did you attend Ranger School?  You owe the Army for that training, and they are going to get their year out of you.

Since you are an officer, you will not be treated gently like an E-2, 19 year-old for smoking pot.  Your chain of command will throw the book at you for a violation like that.  You could well end up with time in confinement.  That will not be enjoyable for a former officer.

Clearly you are not a conscientious objector, or that would have been your first thought rather than breaking the law.  

You could get a deferment of your deployment if you have a health or family issue that requires you to remain in the US to help handle the problem.

You could volunteer for a different "undesirable" job and get your orders changed.  Service in Latin America or South Korea come to mind.  I recommend talking to National Guard Bureau, and seeing if they have a different hard-to-fill job you could take instead of a tour in Iraq.

Good luck to you.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: the problem isn't that I don't want to go to Iraq it's that I don't want to go to Iraq with the poag unit I'm with. If I would have been in ranger battalion then I would like it. I just hate the army for what they have done to me. They have made me a desk jockey and all the infantry guys laugh at me. Is there anything I can do?

Answer
Dear Dave --

As the XO of a LAIG unit you will not be a desk jockey.  Those poor LAIG units are doing the door to door fighting and city clearing that is making a huge difference in security in the cities in Iraq.

But those units need mature leaders who have had the kind of training you have had, so they also have other option for quelling unrest, not just fighting.  You could bring that level of experience to help improve not just your Soldiers and your unit, but the welfare of the Iraqis in your zone.

But as I mentioned in my previous note, if you really cannot stand this idea, volunteer to work for a deployed Ranger unit, with a "as soon as I can go" attitude, and you will likely get orders to that unit.

I wish you the best of luck.  You've worked hard to get where you are, don't let a SNAFU mess up your future.

Please let me know how things are going, and write back, if I might be able to help you.  Best of luck...