When Steven Stehling saw his final days in Iraq soon reaching an end, he wrote an article counting down his last hours in the war torn country. He had anticipation about the last week, which would be filled with countless forms that examined his tour and everything that was involved with it. This would mean a psychological profile as well as any physical injuries that may have been sustained. The most interesting form that would need to be filled out is called Right Finish, a briefing that is commonly known as the “Don’t Return to Your Home and Rape Your Partner” form. In this small briefing, the military services contend that anyone that rapes their wife after finishing a tour of duty will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Needless to say, Stehling was not looking forward to this form.

When most soldiers and military personnel discuss how they will behave once they return to their home, most say that they will do what they want and that they will not make any plans for the immediate future. For Stehling, the only plans he made were to buy a new suit and maybe visit a new city, possibly Chicago or somewhere in Arizona. His idea was to go to someplace and rediscover himself by being in a familiar country, but not a familiar place. In this manner, he believed the integration process back into society would be easier to complete. If he had chosen to go to Arizona instead of Chicago, then he would have been able to visit his younger brother and his family.

As nice as the future sounds to Stehling, the reality is that his last week in country would be quite trying. Instead of an easy and relaxing week, he must work for a superior that is trying to garner accolades before he reaches the age of retirement. This means that he asks for many projects to be completed, the majority of which have no real function or purpose. Stehling jokes about the intelligence of his commanding officer, stating that the man is the worst prognosticator in the history of man. When a person needs some advice regarding a particularly tough subject, they should visit the CO and do exactly the opposite of what he says. The officer uses newscaster language, stating that every project is a chance to create a lasting legacy for generations to come. However, he is still the boss and his orders for the munitions crew to work nonstop around the clock cannot be avoided. Stehling contends that this work will amount to nothing but a medal for the boss.

Stehling is worried that the excessive work has taken its toll on his body. His shoulder blades ache and he has discovered a large knot has developed towards the top of his spine due to the heavy armor that he must wear while doing his work. He knows that it will need to documented by an official medical person at the military clinic because many soldiers fail to document the injuries they receive and therefore cannot receive health coverage once they have returned home. This is a common occurrence and anyone employed by the military must make sure to note all of the problems they encounter, even if they seem like only something small at the time. Stehling admits that has time in Iraq has been hard and he is more than ready to return to the U.S. to enjoy some much needed rest and relaxation. He was finally counting down the days before going home and the days were passing by pretty fast.