I had to remove Tom Sawyer's address from the blog. If you need it, email me or call me. Sorry for any inconvenience. Operational Security, in theory, is a simple thing. OPSEC in action in today's world of social media...well, not so much. Tom Sawyer and I have scrubbed quite a bit of identifying personal information from our Facebook pages, and you will notice other changes here in that same vein. I certainly don't want to frighten anyone, but Tom Sawyer is in a not-so-nice place with some not-even-remotely-nice people. He wants to keep himself and his men safe, and he wants to keep all of us back here safe too. He doesn't want connections between himself and his loved ones back here all over cyberspace for theoretical compilation and nefarious use by the enemy. I know it all sounds very conspiratorial and far-fetched, but "better safe than sorry."
I spoke to TS on Saturday. He sounded tired; fatigue is but one variation of normal over there. He rarely has much that he can talk about when he calls because so much of his daily operation involves sensitive or even classified information, so he mostly listens to me and Things 1 and 2 ramble on about hats inside boa constrictors and other true matters of consequence.* As such, I don't have anything exciting or inspirational to share right now. As far as care package requests, I have nothing new to report. Many people have asked what they can send, and I will continue to refer all back to my prior post about mail. I know that probably isn't the answer some are looking for, but it is the only answer I have. The men are in very close quarters with limited-to-no personal space for superfluous "stuff." There are very limited means available to secure personal property; theft is not uncommon.
I wish I could tell you that all theft happens at the hands of personnel from other nations. Some does. As our population of service members has always consisted of a representative sample of our total population-at-large, theft and other sins do occur by our own, as well. I think that one of the best deterrents to theft in situations like this (and this is PURELY opinion formed from anecdote) is for us folks back home to keep our own supplied with plenty of "pogey bait." Most soldiers are willing to share. Selfishness in our culture is frowned upon already, but selfishness in a place where a quick trip to the "shoppette" isn't an option and regular mail delivery just doesn't happen...well, that's borderline criminal...only slightly less abhorrent that stealing.
Keeping our own supplied with the things they deem most wanted hopefully allows for sharing to take place. When Soldier A finds himself running low on his own stash, Soldier B is likely to share, in the interim, if Soldier B is confident that his own folks back home will keep it coming. It is even better if Soldier B is confident that Soldier A's folks are doing their part as well, because Soldier B might find himself on the short end of the stick of irregular mail service, and need to rely on Soldier A's willingness to share from his stash at a later time. Bear in mind, there are always a couple of guys who end up just flat-out neglected. Remember, these guys CAN'T just go buy what they need whenever they feel like it, not because they have no money, but because they have no access. They are lucky to make it to the FOB once or twice a month, and even then, they probably won't find what they really want or need. These, especially, are the guys who come to rely on their buddies, and on the generosity of their buddies' loved ones. These also are the guys who are less likely to find their buddies to be forthcoming in sharing because the buddies know there is probably no chance of reciprocity. Theoretically, the risk is essentially a sad sort of experiment in social Darwinism that can potentially run counter to unit camaraderie and cohesion.
No, I am not becoming a Marxist, so don't even go there. (In fact, I am still trying to reconcile Ayn Rand's Objectivism with the Gospel!). No one is going to compel you by force of law to send a care package, nor will any jackboot officer order a beaugeois soldier with an abundance of care package booty to share with the proletariate of the neglected and forgotten. I like to think of it as insurance...a wise investment toward enhancing security and cohesion within the platoon...theoretical risk management. Besides, it just FEELS GOOD to support my soldier in a way that I know trickles down into support for his whole platoon!
*Reference to one of my favorite books, The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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