The eternal pissing match

Most people would imagine that all soldiers at war, regardless of unit or job skill, form a mutual respect and are bound by a special camaraderie. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes it is more difficult to get along than you’d think.

Different units, depending on what their job is here, are responsible for different sectors. One group might be in charge of security for an entire town while another may be tasked with patrolling a certain road or series of routes. Before long individual units become pretty possessive of their areas. The line is often blurred when it comes to deciding who should react to what situation, and where. Power struggles are pretty frequent around here, and resentment and hostility intensify as different units fight to maintain their jobs and territories.

Not long ago we were on a patrol when it was reported that gunfire was coming from a civilian vehicle nearby. Though we were the closest unit, the vehicle was a few hundred meters outside of our sector. Instead of allowing us to respond, the task was given to another unit miles away. Undoubtedly, by the time the other unit was able to get there the bad guys were long gone. To many of us, passing a mission off to someone else sounds just fine. I’ve got to be here a long time yet, and I’m not looking for trouble. Whether I like it or not, within the next year trouble will find me often enough. But there is a certain satisfaction from doing your job and doing it well. We have spent more months than I care to count training to do what we do. Strange as it may sound, we have a certain amount of pride invested in this and it’s hard to stand by as you are marginalized and undermined by the politics and bureaucracy of war. Resentment toward other units that infringe on our space while keeping us off of theirs is unreasonable, and yet there it is. I realize that it seems petty and that ultimately we are all on the same team, fighting the same enemy, but in a world where emotions and stress run high that point is often overlooked. In the end you just have to be content with the fact that another day has passed and that before long this mess will be behind you.