Following the tuff guy comments of talking head blogger Kevin Craver, made in support of Gen. Mattis, TKID4 decided to review Mr. Craver’s war record. Anyone with the guts and machismo displayed by Mr. Craver in his article surely cultivated those traits on the battlefields of Fallujah, Tikrit or Mosul. Here's what TKID4 discovered:
In January of 2002, Kevin was planning to visit his brothers in Washington, DC, and Princeton, NJ, when his U.S. Army National Guard Unit, based in Aurora, IL, was called up for deployment. The assignment: An eight-month tour of duty in Europe.
His vacation plans shattered, he reported to training for his deployment.
Craver lamented, “Instead, that whole week was a drill. I had to get my shots and get my paperwork in order to show who gets money if I get blown into a million pieces.”
He was now a member of Charlie Company, First Battalion, 178th Infantry, part of the U.S. Army 66th Brigade. According to Craver, he and his company were “trouble shooters,” adding “We find trouble and we shoot it. We’re the guys that do the dirty work. We make wars as personal as a punch in the face.”
Before deployment, Craver was commended for his heroism displayed during war games staged in the Mojave Desert. He discussed the training. “We got dropped off in the wrong place under attack,” Craver said. “We had to be on top of a hill at a certain time for this attack. These guys humped nine kilometers. We took a hill under fire...Our CO got a standing ovation from the regular Army guys.”
War-Torn Europe
Craver was based out of Heidelberg, Germany. He and his comrades were always on alert however, and were told they could deployed anywhere in Europe at anytime. At the time, he felt his mission in Europe would involve security and counter terrorism.
“Security is an active kind of job such as search and seizure or rapid reaction teams,” he said.
While stationed in Heidelberg, Kevin sent this heart-wrenching email to a more civilized place, his home in the States:
From: Kevin Craver
Date: Fri, Jun 21, 2002, 9:00am (CDT+7)
Hey, all:
Again, sorry about not dropping a line sooner. I received your package -- thanks for the re-supply of gumballs. I've restarted the annoying habit of chewing my fingernails to shreds, unfortunately. I went about two months without doing it. Nothing much to report here aside from the usual day-to-day craziness. Actually, one guy got moved because they thought he was indeed going crazy (that and he kept punching people out over an extremely ugly female PFC), but no other section 8s.
I'll be heading to Normandy in a week, marking my third trip to France (after Paris and Strasbourg). But in a month or so we'll be heading home, on or about early August we'll be released, barring any kind of catastrophe. It's time to go again. I'm not blowing you folks off, but aside from small trips, this job is really not worth reporting about. I'll catch you guys later,
- K
Second Deployment
Craver had just returned from Europe, having displayed incredible sightseeing bravery among the battlefields of Verdun, Omaha Beach, and the Somme when news came that he was to be re-deployed.
This time, the assignment would be even tougher. He was going to a third world shit hole: Louisiana.
His unit was based in the backwoods of central Louisiana, at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, LA. It was here that Craver trained fellow troops for duty in Iraq.
The men and women in Craver's unit played the "bad guys," AKA the Iraqi insurgents. Troops simulated life and death in Iraq nonstop over five days. Dramatic photos of life at Fort Polk can be seen here:
http://www.nwherald.com/ExtraSection/289940252439255.php
(WARNING: Contains graphic scenes of fake blood)
Next Deployment
The Future for Mr. Craver is unclear. There appears to be no standing down for the U.S. military at present in Iraq or Afghanistan. As Carver learned in Europe, nothing is for certain in the Army. One day you may be sun bathing on a Normandy beach, the next day, sampling wines in a Parisian Bistro. But one thing is for certain, wherever he goes, TKID4 knows Craver will have Internet access and a story to tell.
