1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

About treeman's service... (with pics)

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by treeman, Jun 10, 2014.

  1. treeman

    treeman Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 1999
    Messages:
    7,146
    Likes Received:
    261
    So I've had quite a few posters recently question my service - accuse me of lying about serving in the military and in Iraq. For the most part I couldn't care less what anyone here thinks of me, but I do find accusations of faking military service to be pretty insulting, because to me that is a pretty serious infraction.

    A while back SamFisher accused me of faking, and I challenged him to a bet. I reached out to Clutch (who knows my real name) to see if I could send him documentation and have him vouch for my service, but he never responded. I suppose he's busy and completely uninterested in getting in any way involved in petty debates here. I don't blame him, and I probably wouldn't have responded either. So I have been left with no way to prove my service...

    I know that SamFisher is a troll, and one troll is easily ignored, but lately it seems to be a trend among liberals who disagree with me at the BBS to question my service, and it is getting annoying. Call me names, hate me, disagree with me, call me insane or deluded - I don't care. But I do take issue with being called a liar where my military service is concerned.

    I am not a bada$$ or a hero or anything like that - I simply felt like I had to do something in the wake of 9/11. After 9/11 I signed up in the Texas Army National Guard as a 13F (Fire Support Specialist, otherwise known as a forward observer). I did a CONUS homeland security Title 10 activation and was activated for various relief missions on State AD like hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It was all pretty boring stuff, frankly, and not what I enlisted for. My enlistment contract was up in Dec 2007 (standard 6+2 contract), and I still hadn't done anything that I felt was important, but for the most part you go where the Army tells you. So I extended for a year, got my E5 (Sergeant) rank, and went with another unit to Iraq. I wouldn't be doing what I was trained for; the mission was detainee operations. Not exactly a hardcore mission, but I wanted to do something before I got out. (I wasn't planning on reenlisting, as by this time I had a family; I was single when I first enlisted)

    This is what I left behind (taken at the poorly named Ft. Blss in El Paso):

    [​IMG]

    Fast forward to Kuwait. Me at Camp Buehring:

    [​IMG]

    About to fly into Iraq:

    [​IMG]

    My new temporary home, Camp Bucca, Iraq:

    [​IMG]

    This was during the height of the surge. Camp Bucca at its height housed approximately 30,000 detainees, ranging from fairly moderate common insurgent footsoldiers to the worst of the worst hardcore Al Qaeda in Iraq takfiri – the sort of people who could never, ever be released. (most of whom were broken out of prison during the July 2013 prison break at Baghdad Central Prison, and who are now running the wars in Syria and Iraq).

    continued... wait for it...
     
    7 people like this.
  2. treeman

    treeman Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 1999
    Messages:
    7,146
    Likes Received:
    261
    Our unit oversaw Compound 23, which was split into two “quads” (yes, I know, but it’s the Army). One side housed approximately 400 moderate Sunnis, the other housed just under 400 Al Qaeda in Iraq monsters. The AQI guys rioted soon after we arrived; this was their quad after the riot, during which they burned down all of their tents:

    [​IMG]

    Here’s what it was supposed to look like – the moderates’ quad next door:

    [​IMG]

    The dividing line:

    [​IMG]

    This was a fairly regular occurrence for us. We had two main issues to deal with: Rockets and riots. All in all it was a pretty tame deployment, much easier than what many others had to deal with, but still not without its dangers. Perhaps my favorite time there was when we got to work on QRF. The “Black Helmets” as we were called (for obvious reasons) were feared by the detainees, because we didn’t take any crapola when the detainees misbehaved. Me while on QRF:

    [​IMG]

    “Old Tunnel” was my nickname over there. There’s a story behind it I won’t bore you with here.

    We even had to do PT over there:

    [​IMG]

    Me before going on duty, wearing CW gear (it got quite chilly during the winter months in the desert):

    [​IMG]

    A bit more...
     
  3. treeman

    treeman Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 1999
    Messages:
    7,146
    Likes Received:
    261
    For the most part it was a fairly uneventful (if you don’t count the rockets and riots… they were pretty “eventful”) deployment. My NCOER upon release from Active Duty:

    [​IMG]

    Some have accused me of lying about working as S2 while there. I was the alternate S2 and worked that position for about half of the deployment; they made me work S2 because our unit had no MOS-trained S2, and my platoon sergeant and the unit commander knew I had a degree and some knowledge of Arab/islamic culture. I got to talk to lots of Iraqis in this capacity, detainees included. Part of my job was trying to get them to snitch.

    My DD214 upon release from Active Duty:

    [​IMG]

    I am sure that you understand if I don’t throw *ALL* of my personal information out on the interwebs; I don’t think you guys really need my social security number. It is sufficient for you to know that I was Sergeant Burke in another life. (there are lots of Sergeant Burkes’ in the Army, so I am OK with putting that out there, and there are a few famous people with my name so good luck trying to find me…)

    This is me 6 years and a few extra pounds later. Today, actually. Behold, the face of EVIL!

    [​IMG]

    I am no longer in the Guard – as I said, family takes precedence, and family and the military don’t always work so well together unless you are willing to put family second. I wasn’t. My kid was mad at me when I got home… Four year olds don’t understand war, they just know that Daddy’s not home.

    So there it is. I am certain that some of you will still accuse me of lying. Whatever, this is as all you get.

    Mods feel free to lock or move as necessary, not sure this is the best place for it…
     
    1 person likes this.
  4. AroundTheWorld

    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2000
    Messages:
    66,728
    Likes Received:
    44,510
    Thank you for posting this, treeman - and thank you for your service to the free world. Some keyboard warriors here might not appreciate it, but I do. No matter what people think of your political opinions, at least they should respect that you risked your life to defend your country (and freedom).
     
    1 person likes this.
  5. DwightHoward13

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2013
    Messages:
    690
    Likes Received:
    20
    Good for you. Thanks for your service!
     
    1 person likes this.
  6. larsv8

    larsv8 Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2007
    Messages:
    21,663
    Likes Received:
    13,913
    Thanks for your service!
     
  7. Granville

    Granville Member

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2009
    Messages:
    4,555
    Likes Received:
    925
    Sam Fisher is a d-bag. Don't worry what he and the other liberal backslappers say. If they had any character, they'd apologize


    Thanks for your service.
     
    1 person likes this.
  8. bigtexxx

    bigtexxx Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2002
    Messages:
    26,917
    Likes Received:
    2,259
    Powerful.

    Great stuff, and thank you for your service, treeman.

    Nothing could put the liberals in their place more than this powerful post.

    NUFF SAID
     
    1 person likes this.
  9. val_modus

    val_modus Member

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2010
    Messages:
    1,792
    Likes Received:
    289
    I respect the courage you had to take up arms in the name of the nation that provides the grounds for your family to live a prosperous life. As a new poster in the D&D, I hope to engage in some thought provoking discussions with you, despite our differing idealogies.
     
    1 person likes this.
  10. Classic

    Classic Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2007
    Messages:
    6,101
    Likes Received:
    608
    Glad your family got their dad/husband back. Best part of all I think.

    Thank you for the service.
     
  11. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2002
    Messages:
    55,911
    Likes Received:
    47,625
    No one will care about your service if you continue to insult anyone who disagrees with your particular position on a political/ military issue.
     
    1 person likes this.
  12. ROXTXIA

    ROXTXIA Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2000
    Messages:
    20,024
    Likes Received:
    11,694
    Not all liberals all alike. Just as not all conservatives are alike.

    I'm fairly liberal on most counts but I served five years in the military and don't regret a moment of it. Then again, I was never stationed in a place so desolate or near the front lines as treeman. During Operation Desert Storm, I guarded off-duty pilots in a hotel in Crete and also jets at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily...but that's as close as I got to the Middle East; and still too close for comfort for my family.

    Treeman, thanks for your service to our country. Kinda weird anyone would question it; I've met more than a few people who've served in Iraq.

    I guess some people do need to push away from the keyboard and go get some fresh air. The Internet brings out all the dumba$$es, conservatives and liberals alike.

    Too many way-far-left and way-far-right posters on here. It's like we have FOX News commentators on one side and writers for salon.com on the other.

    *sigh* It never ends.
     
    1 person likes this.
  13. Mr. Clutch

    Mr. Clutch Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2002
    Messages:
    46,550
    Likes Received:
    6,131
    Very cool.

    Thank you for serving.

    The closest I've gotten to that is playing Call of Duty from my couch.
     
  14. CometsWin

    CometsWin Breaker Breaker One Nine

    Joined:
    May 15, 2000
    Messages:
    28,028
    Likes Received:
    13,046
    Yes, the Commies, the Marxists, and the traitors all salute your service.
     
  15. AroundTheWorld

    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2000
    Messages:
    66,728
    Likes Received:
    44,510
    Who in the D&D doesn't do that :) (it is demanded from us in the forum description!)
     
  16. da_juice

    da_juice Member

    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2009
    Messages:
    9,315
    Likes Received:
    1,070
    I don't agree with just about any of your political positions or your views on Middle Eastern conflict - but thank you for your service.
     
  17. AroundTheWorld

    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2000
    Messages:
    66,728
    Likes Received:
    44,510
    Haha, are you showing us the finger? :grin:
     
  18. treeman

    treeman Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 1999
    Messages:
    7,146
    Likes Received:
    261
    Purely by accident, I assure you. ;)
     
  19. Baba Booey

    Baba Booey Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2012
    Messages:
    2,516
    Likes Received:
    822
    While I disagree with virtually everything you post, claiming that you are lying about your service is just not cool.

    I would still advise you to lower your outrage meter quite a bit, treeman. It's exhausting just reading your posts.
     
  20. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2002
    Messages:
    55,911
    Likes Received:
    47,625
    [​IMG]
     
    1 person likes this.

Share This Page

  • About ClutchFans

    Since 1996, ClutchFans has been loud and proud covering the Houston Rockets, helping set an industry standard for team fan sites. The forums have been a home for Houston sports fans as well as basketball fanatics around the globe.

  • Support ClutchFans!

    If you find that ClutchFans is a valuable resource for you, please consider becoming a Supporting Member. Supporting Members can upload photos and attachments directly to their posts, customize their user title and more. Gold Supporters see zero ads!


    Upgrade Now