Hillah, Iraq.

The regional commander for the Green Berets has decupled their required paperwork, which had a profound impact on our operational tempo. The administrative requirements of our mission formerly consisted of mission proposals and after action reports. Now the Green Berets are required to fill out forms, submit reports, and reports summarizing the reports, weekly activity reports, etc. This has little impact on me administratively, as my duties are entirely operational. However, we have actually had to scale back our prosecution of the war to allow time to keep up with the paperwork. The real rub is that I have less to talk about, as one can only put so many variations on the recurring theme of “sat around then swam”, and I am challenged to keep things interesting.

Concomitantly, the new leadership has taken a particular interest in the more martial aspects of participating in the war, most notably things like uniform standards. Special Forces are allowed certain liberties with things like uniforms, haircuts, and the like. The Marines have only assimilated so much (it is the Marine Corps, after all), but as the sole Navy guy, I have wholeheartedly thrown myself into doing as the Romans. This attention to form over substance has always chafed me, not just in the military. When I worked as an engineer, my boss once told me to ‘work more hours’. I asked if my work was unsatisfactory, and he replied that my work was fine, but for what I was being paid, I should be at work more hours. This newfound zeal for uniform regulations sends the same message: appearance, not performance.

Actually, I will admit this is a bit of hyperbole, as there are certain requirements to military service, not the least of which is a uniform appearance. But there is still much grumbling about little things that we liked to do that made us feel like commandos: wearing unit ball caps with uniforms, non regulation sunglasses (now also not allowed to be on top of the unit ball caps), relaxed grooming standards (no ‘circus mustaches’ was the actual term), longer hair, and the like. Honestly, most of these items will only be tightened up when the Major and Sergeant Major are around. Their visits are pleasantly infrequent.

In the end, it really doesn’t matter as I have no career aspirations anyway. I am in no danger of being promoted, which allows a great deal of freedom from worry. And right now my unregulation, orange lensed sunglasses are perched on top of my unit ball cap, from under which pokes my long, sun bleached hair.