for any and all to read.....if you still do so.
what can you do when you feel like a year of your life is taken away? sure, i may have come out of it with 20,000 dollars. but for a whole year? 12 hours a day with NO weekends? and it's only that much because it was tax free. hell, ALOT of people make more than that in a year. and THE ONLY reason i have that much accumulated is because i can't exactly go anywhere and spend it all in the desert.
sure, i'm "fighting for my country". but what the hell am i doing? a year spent in two places. the airfield where i fix helicopters, and my four-man room. luckily, we bought a satellite early on which enabled us to have internet. but thats my PRIMARY means of connection to the outside world. the computer. sometimes, even when i have looked at everything on the net, and visited all the usual websites, i will stay on, overlooking the same things in the hopes that i find a new message, or email, or comment on my page. i want so badly to have my normal life back. but the sad realization of this is that it won't be normal until my contract with the Army is OVER.
i just found something out the other day. apparently, from germany alone, there are 80 people who are changing duty stations in my job alone. the army has nowhere to put them (considering my job is in small numbers). so.......my chances of PCS-ing (permanent change of duty station) to a unit deploying to iraq within TWO months is EXTREMELY HIGH.
i don't like those odds. another option is taking a "hardship" duty tour in south korea. that is a big fat NO. i've heard the WORST things about korea for people who are married. NO thank you. It's hard enough spending a year in a combat zone.
and also, in afghanistan, since the WHOLE time we've been here after september 11th, has been the bloodiest year of fighting for BOTH forces.........out of all the other years COMBINED.
i honestly don't know who i am going to be when i get back to "the norm". i mean, i came home for two weeks and everything just fell into place. but that was only two weeks. not really an extended period of time. my life consists of three things. work, eat, sleep. 12 hours of work (and these helicopters fly so much they break all the time), and 12 hours off. eat in between. so much of my time is taken up by working that when i go to 8 hours of work A DAY, PLUS weekends OFF, i don't know what i am going to do with myself. you truly don't realize or appreciate the things you have until you do not have them. i don't get weekends out here. i worked through summer, thanksgiving, christmas, new years, all of that. you would be astounded at how much time you actually have. how much time you can take advantage of.
i won't just be sitting on my ass, i can tell you that....i'm actually gonna make something of myself. i don't plan on leaving the army at 24 with just an "honorable discharge" in my pocket. i need more out of life.
to my wife whom i never get to see....EVER. you are always in my thoughts and in my heart. i love you.
sure, i'm "fighting for my country". but what the hell am i doing? a year spent in two places. the airfield where i fix helicopters, and my four-man room. luckily, we bought a satellite early on which enabled us to have internet. but thats my PRIMARY means of connection to the outside world. the computer. sometimes, even when i have looked at everything on the net, and visited all the usual websites, i will stay on, overlooking the same things in the hopes that i find a new message, or email, or comment on my page. i want so badly to have my normal life back. but the sad realization of this is that it won't be normal until my contract with the Army is OVER.
i just found something out the other day. apparently, from germany alone, there are 80 people who are changing duty stations in my job alone. the army has nowhere to put them (considering my job is in small numbers). so.......my chances of PCS-ing (permanent change of duty station) to a unit deploying to iraq within TWO months is EXTREMELY HIGH.
i don't like those odds. another option is taking a "hardship" duty tour in south korea. that is a big fat NO. i've heard the WORST things about korea for people who are married. NO thank you. It's hard enough spending a year in a combat zone.
and also, in afghanistan, since the WHOLE time we've been here after september 11th, has been the bloodiest year of fighting for BOTH forces.........out of all the other years COMBINED.
i honestly don't know who i am going to be when i get back to "the norm". i mean, i came home for two weeks and everything just fell into place. but that was only two weeks. not really an extended period of time. my life consists of three things. work, eat, sleep. 12 hours of work (and these helicopters fly so much they break all the time), and 12 hours off. eat in between. so much of my time is taken up by working that when i go to 8 hours of work A DAY, PLUS weekends OFF, i don't know what i am going to do with myself. you truly don't realize or appreciate the things you have until you do not have them. i don't get weekends out here. i worked through summer, thanksgiving, christmas, new years, all of that. you would be astounded at how much time you actually have. how much time you can take advantage of.
i won't just be sitting on my ass, i can tell you that....i'm actually gonna make something of myself. i don't plan on leaving the army at 24 with just an "honorable discharge" in my pocket. i need more out of life.
to my wife whom i never get to see....EVER. you are always in my thoughts and in my heart. i love you.