Good Luck, Billy-boy

I mentioned back in July that a good old buddy of mine had gone back in the Guard. Now he’s about to get his boots dusty.

I first met William Hartman in the fall of 1990. He was fresh off of three years of active duty as an infantryman and starting at Texas A&M when he enlisted in my unit. We’ve been friends ever since.

Here’s a pic of us in transition training at Ft. Hood in May 1993 as the Texas Guard moved from the M60-A3 to the M1. Bill, by then an ROTC cadet and SMP (Simultaneous Military Personnel, or “Dot” for their cirle rank insignia), is on the right and yours truly is on the left.

Since those days, Bill graduated and received his commission. After becoming a tank platoon leader, he talked me into transferring into his new unit and serving as his gunner. We crewed together until I left the Guard in ’99. Shortly after that, Bill moved laterally to a scout platoon leader position.

A few years later, I crewed with him once again as one of his groomsmen. Not long afterward, 1LT Hartman resigned his commission, devoting himself to his civilian life and family and, to be honest, bored with the idea of the eventual staff-officer position that was looming. Staff work just isn’t his style.

Civilian Bill, doing well in sales and enjoying family life with a beautiful wife and three young children. But there’s always the news.

The stories can eat at a former soldier. The guilt can gnaw. Believe me, I know.

Last May, Bill informed me that he was back in the Guard. Rather than go through all the hoops required to get his commission back, he went in as a sergeant based on his last enlisted rank of E-5 as a cadet.

A voicemail from Germany this week told me where he is now headed.

My friend Bill, along with a large contingent of the Texas Army National Guard, is going to Iraq.

But Bill isn’t going quietly into that sandy night. A quick search found this story about the deployment, and SGT Hartman is mentioned and quoted extensively. No real surprise, knowing ol’ Billy-boy.

For any athletes, constant practice and teamwork can make the difference between winning and losing a big game. But for the soldiers of the 36th Infantry Division’s 56th Brigade Combat Team, the intense combat training that they are performing here in preparation for their deployment to Iraq is no game, because losing can mean the difference between life and death.

The call-up of about 3,000 Texas citizen-soldiers for duty in southwest Asia to support Operation Iraqi Freedom is the largest mobilization in the state’s history since World War II.

After half a century, the 36th Infantry Division, formally the 49th Armored Division, was reactivated to help transform the Texas Army National Guard into a more mobile and lethal fighting force that will see a new generation of soldiers wearing the “T-Patch” committed to helping fight the global war on terrorism and carry on the proud legacy established by their predecessors.

….

Some of the Guardsmen had to learn to re-think how to perform their mission and adapt to fighting the guerilla-style tactics the insurgents use.

Sgt. William J. Hartman, an M1A1 Abrams main battle tank crewman, said that he and his fellow soldiers have a steep learning curve that they must overcome in just a few short months before they are sent overseas.

Hartman explained that tankers are trained in armored warfare and are accustomed to fighting fast and striking the enemy from a distance in their tank. He said that reverting from an armored role to an infantry role presented a challenge in a number of different areas.

“We as tankers have a comfort zone in that we are used to operating as a team inside a 63-ton vehicle that is our own little protective capsule,” Hartman explained.

Hartman emphasized that they will have to think outside of the box and learn to adapt to infantry tactics because they are going to operate in an urban environment. That places a greater emphasis on the level of focus into the training that they perform.

“We all believe in what we are doing and why we are here,” Hartman said. “When it comes to the training, our Soldiers know the importance of it and they want to get damn good at it, because we have a real-world mission ahead of us. Our lives and the lives of others depend on how well we learn our jobs and how we execute it.”

But that’s not enough for Bill. The story can also be found here. And here. And here. And here. He even got face time, specifically the picture below (Bill is the one on the left), in the last two links, including this ridiculously large version.

My friend Bill is going to Iraq. I can’t believe he’s going to war without me.

Good luck, Billy-boy, and be sharp — it’s a younger man’s game. Happy hunting, my dear friend.