It seems I am growing all the more busy while still feeling bored. It has been a hot minute since I did an entry and I have found a warm minute to sit and get some of the news out. 

     I did complete a move to South Dakota from NYC. I was expecting the train to continue rolling past my home-state but due to several reasons I hopped of in the 605 and now plan on working from here for an unknown length of time. And I still have many shirts and plan on getting some unique one's made as soon as I have the space for all my little tools of the trade. And I am almost on the ground running in The Iraq Veterans Against the War which should get me moving in many directions, all of which I am excited to go.

     I was also able to attend a great show in Omaha that my friend Sean played and had a great night catching up and meeting people as I do wherever I go due to my outgoing nature, my high metabolism and a few High Life pounder's. It was a much needed night in this slightly confusing times.

     Month of August will be filled as well with travel,networking,speaking, and family engagments. In just a few days I will be fortunate enough to be in the presence of a new nephew or niece. This is the first one I have actually been in South Dakota to take part in and am excited for it as any uncle would be :)

     For now the website will look the same until I am able to get some time to really start working. Till then I am off to live the dream.

    Dakota Joe

    Hello to any loyal fans lol who actually read my blogs. I think my family is the only one's at this point that have any interest in this. But I can't help but feel like doogie hauser wit these little diddie's of how my day/week/life has been. Shirts are on hold for a sec. If your read the earlier blogs.

     I did attend a great show a few nights ago and met the musicians which was surreal as it sometimes can be. Dakota Joe was armed with shirts and cards . So I did get my shirts to some people who I hope where it and maybe remember where it came from. I did get Chris Palko a nice black pocket tee that had one of my yellow "I like you your different". I hope he took that as in I don't want to go home with you. But I do know he had a rough life and it is somewhat a nice saying to anyone who might not feel cool with society.

   But my mind has been getting ready for this IVAW convention and our upcoming move. As everyone knows moving sucks a fattie. So my plate is full like everyones . I just have napkins all wrapped underneath for when my cup overflowith. Which happens to many all the time I am sure. MANY MINI MOUNTAINS!!!!!

                        ARMY BULLSHIT

 

  Now my old roomie was what you called FAILED BY HIS RECRUITER!!! you know. Heavy set with a thyroid problem. Not an ideal person to send to training and Units that he will obviously not fit in.  But he was given a number and joined the army a few months before I did. So I know where he went to basic but wasn't with him or in his Troop. BUT I can about guess what basic training was for him. If he was treated like the heavy set kids in MY troop he was degraded on a daily basis and had to do much, MUCH more physical training then say an athletic person like myself.

  In basic we both had been woken up the night we started bombing Baghdad. The Drill Sgt. loved it cause this was another avenue of fear for them to control us under. So it did make the job we were training to do VERY important and it was obvious  A lot of these young men I trained with and Keith did as well were headed STRAIGHT from basic to War. Not to much time to really train. I'm sure that provided  a lot more fear for the one's who did go . Keith was one who went to a unit and went straight to Iraq.

  I did a one year stint in Korea training and training. In the jungle's that are wet,rainy, and balls cold in winter.. For a dessert war. I seen irony in that as some did as well. Most training we did there was not anything that could get you ready for ACTUAL close quarters battle. (CQB) So I guess I missed one tour in either place by getting placed to train in Korea. I met MANY great friends their and a lot of us keep in contact as well as situations permit. I can be thankful for that. VERY thankful.

  As the story goes I go to FT. Campbell as a 19D Cavalry Scout to be placed withing already existing Infantry Companies. 5 brigades in the 101st Airborne Division. I was the FIRST Cav Scout enlisted member to walk through the doors of the 3rd Brigade , 187th Infantry Regiment doors. At the time I didn't realize what the big deal was. The big deal was this regiment has A LOT of history and was known as the "Lost Ranger Battalion" I was told while infantry Sargent's had me doing push-ups because I was NOT infantry. I WAS A SCOUT.

   Silly I know, but in the army, silly is the name of the game. So I trained while more and more Scouts started to come to the unit until we were the majority of this unit. The change-over was as well planned as a fat chick that fucks footballs. And this is where me and Kool Keith cross paths.

   Set us up in rooms right away with mixed Infantry and Cavalry. They changed it so all scouts were in one area. This is when me and Keith became roommates. Kind of like the odd couple. I was a party animal at this point. Tired of the ARMY BULLSHIT and rules for this and that. Keith was a very quiet and serious at times with his dry sarcasm of how "well" our Troop was being run. It was a joke for real. Unfortunately that JOKE was our job and it was a straight mess. I was rarely fucked with because everyone knew I didn't take to much shit and no reason making me do push-ups when i can do more then the SGT that makes me push. But people like my roommate Kool Keith were public enemy number one for these wanna-be gods who only have stripe's because time and service and race and religion blah blah blah. ALL BECAUSE HE DIDN'T HAVE THE COMBAT BUILD !! Or because he finished late in a 2 mile run.

   So I felt for him the whole year and a half we lived together and traded gripes and complaints. And some stories of random drunken time's of yours truly in Nashville. He did enjoy hearing these stories cause he didn't go out much and wasn't the party type. He just enjoyed driving back to Kansas to see his Girlfriend and family. Maybe do a little hunting. But through all the army fuckfest he had a smile and loved to toss some negative army banter back and forth. I had it pretty easy, except when I got myself into trouble THEN I was pretty much owned COMPLETLY by uncle sam for those 45 days or 60 days of whatever. AND they take money and rank which equals a LOT less money in your account. 

   But Keith didn't get much of a break the whole time he was with the 101st. But he never really took it to heart when they called him fattie, or whatever. Maybe he did. But we both did the OIF 5-6 tour with the 187th Infantry in the unit Alpha Troop, 1-33 CAV. Isn't that FUCKING HILARIOUS they call service in Iraq or ANY where else a TOUR. Like we signed up for this cruise. In a way we did by joining, but TOUR. How about "I just finished my 4th BULLSHIT in Iraq."

   I was 1st platoon predators. Sick consider I am pretty sure my Platoon leader was a Pederass and PHYCO as fuck. He loved the to talk about some of the most horrific things ever , and he did it with this sick sinster smile...  FUCK HIM.. If I ever see him I will give him a high five for him going to HELL. 

  Kool Keith got put into headquarters platoon which were a lot of soldiers who were injured or in Keith's case "to fat" to serve on a line platoon. They still went out the wire quite a bit. But not the daily patrols of the other 3 Platoons. They were the communications and Intel for us while we are outside the wire being the up armoured bait we were. But when we got hit, they got us the care we needed and the other logistics behind immediate recovery of a disabled vehicle's,weapons,sensitive items and or casualties and all that good jazz.

  We had hard times, harder times, and some flat out surreal times while we enjoyed our "tour" of Iraq. But our troop was very close , very well trained, and very important in each mission we did. A lot of our jobs were LITERALLY get the bad guy. And we did do that on several occasions. We also had confusing days where something might not have happened like it was supposed to.

   But the brothers who made it back will always remember MANY of the moments as each of the individual heard/saw/felt. If I knew how easy it is to lose touch when it comes to individuals in the military. I would have had a sit down with every one who was on that tour with me and shared contact info. But once you are HOME from combat that is the LAST thing on anyone's mind for days/weeks/months/years/life. But I do remember the excitement of ALL the soldiers getting out of the army soon. This would be me and Keith as well.This was some of these people last dance with Uncle SAM. Others would be called up later in civilian life.Some would become cops or security. Didn't matter. Uncle Sam's choke chain was coming off

   This is where me and my old roomie lost our crossed paths. I did not go far and had a less then enjoyable exit from that shithole job. They kicked me out of the barracks while i was clearing and left me to live in hotels for a few weeks. I know right. You would think a good friend would help out. Funny thing about once you are out of the army and your friends are still in, they kind of don't have your schedule.Or anything in common with you anymore OTHER then you just returned from a deployment. My boy Jugs Hooked me up for a couple weeks. BIG UPS JUGS IF YOU EVER GET BACK IN CONTACT WITH ME!!!!

    Kool Keith from what I knew went back to his hometown I believe, married his girlfriend and was planning to become a cop or a Park Ranger. That is what I remember hearing while we did our peace out.My plan was NONE. BUT PARTY A tad bit.

 

     

SMOKE A CIGARETTE

 

   Next thing I hear Keith's marriage is ended months after it began by a car accident. I wish I had the foresight to get a number but like i said. Some people leave the friends behind when they leave that phase of their Army career. Some lose contact cause we we just WANTED OUT of that place and Army.

  But again, July 6th I get word Keith died in March in a car accident as well.  This was fucking crazy. I couldn't believe both his marriage and his life would be cut short by such a thing as an automobile.

 

Minute later I get a different word. My old roomate Kool Keith died from wounds susutained from a handgun. A handgun he apparentley turned on himself. 

 

This is where I smoke my cigarette

 

 

    News to me. Confused to me. BULLSHIT to me. I knew the Kool Keith pre-wife's death. But who or what HOSPITAL should have been in contact with him AFTER he loses his wife. THIS is where is failed again. Once by his recruiters. This time by peers, roommates, so called friends. Maybe no body could help him, I have no idea. But I noticed since I knew him and the time where my good friend took his life, he had been wanted on charges of breaking protection orders and other things. SO NOT ONLY had he had a traumatic 4 year army stint. He also had a VERY tragic loss of a wife AND was in legal trouble!!!!!

   Anybody else see those as red flags. If you don't you are probably in jail or wanted at the moment. HOW was no one around to do SOMETHING for him. He was in the National Guard at the moment for Fucks sake. No leader or Sargent could help him. He even lived with one. Not sure if he was in the guard with him. But i would enjoy a conversation with him one day. I am sure after you lose a wife you are in a bad place and I am sure they could grab some other demons to bring up as well.

   Like the awards he earned his first tour BUT were being witheld from him DUE TO HIS PHYSICAL SHAPE. That cannot feel good. This is truth. I seen the truth of his training at the 101st and he has some demons and I know some of their names.

 

          Not much was mentioned about his heroic deeds in the Obituary or newspaper articles. Those were overlooked as well due to HOW HE DIED! Wish I could have been there the 20th of March when he was laid to rest. I had only GREAT memories of Keith. Maybe I could of built them into a tree to overshadow the fact he was not getting the help he obviously needed.

 

    This is all new to me but i do know this adds fuel to my tank for stopping this war and stopping media from making this war back-page news.

BUT

My tank was already full Keith.

 

 

Didn't need and more fuel buddy.

 

 

And you will be missed and you ARE a big hero in my eyes Kool Keith.

 

F.T.A FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!

 

See ya when I get there....       

 

 P.E.A.C.E,

DJ