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What if my son doesn't know who I am?

 

Having spent more than a year in Afghanistan, Maj. Green's return home was greatly anticipated. That three hour drive home must have felt like an eternity, especially when the body is in shock from adjusting to the time difference. As he entered his home, his two-year-old son was asleep – his question was left unanswered until morning.

 

Maj. Green's commitment to the military motivated him to learn self-discipline and led to two tours in Afghanistan as part of a special forces unit. The first tour was in 2003 and the second occurred between 2005-2006. Duane Green enlisted in high school, joined the reserve and then became part of the ROTC program at Ouachita Baptist University.

A CALL TO ACTION

During high school, the financial aid was Green's motivation for joining, but during basic training at Fort Benning his perspective changed. There was something special about the officer core that caught his attention, which lead to his decision to join ROTC and pursue the career of becoming an officer. “I think ROTC prepared me in terms of discipline, just being able to conduct myself on a day to day basis”, said Green. During the seven years between completing ROTC and being on active duty overseas, those lessons were reinforced as Maj. Green went through training and became part of the reserve National Guard “In a lot of ways, that takes more discipline because there's not someone telling you all the time that you have to do these things; you have to prepare yourself and you have to be self-motivated”.

 

The War on Terror is typically depicted as "conventional warfare"; tanks and opposing forces lined up for battle. Green and the special forces unit was a part of “unconventional warfare”; the goal is to integrate with the population in order to expose terrorist networks and their bases of operation.

DISCIPLINE AND TRAINING

Some people cope with being at war by throwing themselves into mission after mission, others think of home and who they are fighting for. Green believes the years of discipline and training help him push through when times were difficult. “ I disciplined myself and I trained myself to be ready and to handle the rigors that were involved in the day-to-day”. Officers in a special forces unit spend a year and a half training. Not only is the process physically draining, but also can be mentally exhausting. Rather than being shocked or stressed when circumstances occurred, he was able to cope because of all that year and a half of mental and physical preparation beforehand.

 

There is much more to war than just combat and hatred. Maj. Green saw first hand how interacting with the community bridged the gap caused by cultural barriers. “I was there less than a year and a half after the war started and they were already pretty Americanized... it wasn't as crazy as a lot of people think”. The Afghan-is were just as understanding and accepting of the soldiers' differences.

 

Rather than alienating himself from the town, Maj. Green embraced his surroundings and accepted the culture – food and all. “ A lot of guys wouldn't eat stuff they got in town but I'd always stop at restaurants or whatever

in town”.

THE UNBREAKABLE BOND

The battlefields have changed since the foxhole days. While the heat of battle is inexplicable, there are times of rest. “The amount of commendatory that you develop within each other and your relationship is a bond that's not easily breakable”. The unit essentially becomes a family who sees each member through the worst of times. Maj. Green describes that those relationships run deeper than most. Years after the tour is complete, communication may fade but if they ever saw each other again unit members may fall out of touch but of a unit will still embrace each other regardless of the last time they spoke.

 

RETURNING HOME

Duane Green was finally home. The morning after his flight, the time difference had him up way before his family. Through the exhaustion and change, the question remained: What if my son doesn't know who I am?


“I remember him getting up and when he saw me he started crying. I don't know if that's because he didn't know who I was and was afraid or what, but I think we kind of had that bond and that was good for me to see him and see the reaction and everything”.

 

Since returning from active duty, Maj. Green is an ROTC officer who also trains the cadets. His experience in the field makes him an excellent leader for young cadets to respect. “I try not to be a big war story guy, I don't want to inundate them... I think all of it shapes you, just because you're not telling war stories doesn't mean that it's not part of you forever”. Green's philosophy of self-discipline is passed on to his students; the ROTC helped him become a man of character and determination.

 

Transforming from a cadet to head officer, Green recognizes the value of ROTC and what a rewarding experience it is to guide others through the program.

 

 

by Emily Coles

 

 

Duane Green

"Not only is it grueling at times, it just weighs on you mentally, that kind of time and effort that you have to put in" 

 

-Duane Green

Being involved sent a much needed message to the community: “we're with you”. Investing time leads to trust and support, both very necessary during war. Additionally, Green was out in the public to gain respect. Units are stationed in certain places because of potential threats. While being friendly with locals establishes trust, Green also took it as a time to send a message. “I didn't want them to think I was intimidated by anything”. Something as simple as going in stores and becoming acclimated to the cultures shows fearlessness and establishes some type of authority.

provided by Maj. Green

 

 

provided by Maj. Green

 

 

provided by Maj. Green

 

 

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