A Flavor All Its Own

An Army Post has a flavor all its own.

Most civilians don't take two seconds to think about the history of our military, or the everyday perils of defending our country, unless it is to criticize our leaders. The Army makes sure that remembering is a part of a soldier's everyday life.

As you drive around Ft. Bragg, home of the 82nd Airborne, you are reminded of all the many battles our soldiers have fought to defend our freedom. The streets and neighborhoods have names from famous battles: Corrigador, Anzio, Ardennes, and Normandy to name a few. Some streets take on famous soldier names and some take on names of other objects: canopy (of course named after the parachute canopy) and glider (from the gliders flown into battle in WWII).

Medical clinics and hospitals are named in honor of soldiers too--remembering those brave souls who served, not just our country, but other soldiers.

The landscape is changing all around the Post. As the old wooden buildings that served as barracks, offices, and motor pools are being torn down, modern multifloor buildings, looking more like resort hotels, take their place. The old antiquated buildings being replaced by the more modern is representative of the old Army being replaced by the new modern Army.

Soldiers risk their lives for us every day in lands far away and they don't do it without thinking about the chance of not coming home; counting for the numerous chapels scattered around the Post.

The muffled sound of weapons fire calls out from the distant ranges. Parade fields serve as grounds to set up artillery, tanks, and other armored vehicles for training. C-130 aircraft cross the sky in the distance, ferrying airborne soldiers to drop zones on the ranges.

The stark reality of what our soldiers are having to face really hits home for me when I see the tan Humvees sporting signs in Arabic warning locals to stay away from the vehicle. Although I've seen them in photos in Time magazine or on TV, these are real.

If you've never served in the military, or haven't had a spouse serve, this brief tome may not do much for you. I'd love to take photographs and pass them around to give you some of the real flavor, but I'm sure if I ran around the Post taking photographs of everything, I'd be writing this from the Post jail.