Thoughts on 12 Years in the Army
So, two days ago was my twelfth anniversary of service in the U.S. Army.
In 1998, I dropped out of the University of Oklahoma, following some soul-searching when I realized I had no hope of obtaining a degree in electrical engineering, since math beyond elementary calculus held little understanding in my brain. I chose enlistment in the Army because I was offered money to pay back my college loans, a cash bonus, and the chance to train on a specific job. I chose to become a signal intercept linguist, and my scores on a language aptitude test sent me to learn Arabic in Monterey, California, following basic training at Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri. I attended three more schools after language training, including Airborne school, before heading to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, where I worked with 5th Special Forces Group as a special operations linguist. I worked with 5th Group for 3 years, deploying to Kuwait and Jordan for peacetime exercises, and to Bagram, Afghanistan in the first wave of troops in what became known as the Global War on Terrorism. While in Jordan in late 2002, I re-enlisted for an additional term of service, as I had decided that I enjoyed the Army, and I still had no idea what I would do if I left service. My re-enlistment offered another cash bonus, and the move to Savannah, Georgia to work at Hunter Army Airfield, one of the most plum assignments in the continental United States. My first five years in service had already flown by.
I spent a year in Savannah, working, hanging out at the local bars, and generally enjoyed the bachelor life. Nearing the end of 2003, I received an invitation from fox_c to attend her wedding to another friend from my college days, raayat. She and I conversed over IM about the wedding, and she told me, in response to my question about single women attending the wedding, that her "personality twin" would be in attendance, a girl she had met since I left OU. So, as I headed back to Oklahoma for Christmas (the wedding was just after New Year's) I was eagerly anticipating meeting this "personality twin", since I was more than a little envious of raayat"'s relationship with the ever-charming, and quite beautiful, fox_c. Long story shortened somewhat, I met petite_chaton at their wedding, we hit it off, and have been together ever since.
So, of twelve years in the military, petite_chaton has been a part of that life for six. She has been with me through three deployments, Officer Candidate School, and two permanent change of station (PCS) moves. Despite being far better educated than I, she has set aside, to a great extent, her life plans, and followed me as I pursued my military career, even joining the Army herself a year ago. She has become my reason for caring, as life since becoming an officer, while financially easier, is significantly more stressful than life as an enlisted soldier.
I headed to Officer Candidate School (OCS) six months after petite_chaton accepted my proposal, and three days after we had a small wedding ceremony in downtown Savannah, attended by two military friends, and a few random passers-by. While I was still at OCS, she headed to London to pursue her Master's Degree, and returned to the U.S. just after I left for my fifth deployment, this time to Baghdad. When I returned from Iraq, we spent our longest stretch of time physically together, some 14 months, through my time as a company executive officer, and then as I completed my bachelor's degree at a local university. Following university, I was moved to Ft. Gordon, Georgia for further military training, and petite_chaton left for Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, for basic training and AIT. We were back together by the end of that year, and were together until this August, when I headed back to Iraq. Since arriving in country, we have maintained contact via Skype and email, and the occasional letter.
In all, it has been a good twelve years, with many fond memories of friends and colleagues. I appreciate the support I have from my family and my extended circle of friend, especially that special group of people who try to come together for New Year's Eve near Houston. But, above all, I am thankful to my wife, who has supported and encouraged me in this half of my career, keeping me from dumping this career, as I have dropped so many hobbies and interests over the years.
In 1998, I dropped out of the University of Oklahoma, following some soul-searching when I realized I had no hope of obtaining a degree in electrical engineering, since math beyond elementary calculus held little understanding in my brain. I chose enlistment in the Army because I was offered money to pay back my college loans, a cash bonus, and the chance to train on a specific job. I chose to become a signal intercept linguist, and my scores on a language aptitude test sent me to learn Arabic in Monterey, California, following basic training at Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri. I attended three more schools after language training, including Airborne school, before heading to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, where I worked with 5th Special Forces Group as a special operations linguist. I worked with 5th Group for 3 years, deploying to Kuwait and Jordan for peacetime exercises, and to Bagram, Afghanistan in the first wave of troops in what became known as the Global War on Terrorism. While in Jordan in late 2002, I re-enlisted for an additional term of service, as I had decided that I enjoyed the Army, and I still had no idea what I would do if I left service. My re-enlistment offered another cash bonus, and the move to Savannah, Georgia to work at Hunter Army Airfield, one of the most plum assignments in the continental United States. My first five years in service had already flown by.
I spent a year in Savannah, working, hanging out at the local bars, and generally enjoyed the bachelor life. Nearing the end of 2003, I received an invitation from fox_c to attend her wedding to another friend from my college days, raayat. She and I conversed over IM about the wedding, and she told me, in response to my question about single women attending the wedding, that her "personality twin" would be in attendance, a girl she had met since I left OU. So, as I headed back to Oklahoma for Christmas (the wedding was just after New Year's) I was eagerly anticipating meeting this "personality twin", since I was more than a little envious of raayat"'s relationship with the ever-charming, and quite beautiful, fox_c. Long story shortened somewhat, I met petite_chaton at their wedding, we hit it off, and have been together ever since.
So, of twelve years in the military, petite_chaton has been a part of that life for six. She has been with me through three deployments, Officer Candidate School, and two permanent change of station (PCS) moves. Despite being far better educated than I, she has set aside, to a great extent, her life plans, and followed me as I pursued my military career, even joining the Army herself a year ago. She has become my reason for caring, as life since becoming an officer, while financially easier, is significantly more stressful than life as an enlisted soldier.
I headed to Officer Candidate School (OCS) six months after petite_chaton accepted my proposal, and three days after we had a small wedding ceremony in downtown Savannah, attended by two military friends, and a few random passers-by. While I was still at OCS, she headed to London to pursue her Master's Degree, and returned to the U.S. just after I left for my fifth deployment, this time to Baghdad. When I returned from Iraq, we spent our longest stretch of time physically together, some 14 months, through my time as a company executive officer, and then as I completed my bachelor's degree at a local university. Following university, I was moved to Ft. Gordon, Georgia for further military training, and petite_chaton left for Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, for basic training and AIT. We were back together by the end of that year, and were together until this August, when I headed back to Iraq. Since arriving in country, we have maintained contact via Skype and email, and the occasional letter.
In all, it has been a good twelve years, with many fond memories of friends and colleagues. I appreciate the support I have from my family and my extended circle of friend, especially that special group of people who try to come together for New Year's Eve near Houston. But, above all, I am thankful to my wife, who has supported and encouraged me in this half of my career, keeping me from dumping this career, as I have dropped so many hobbies and interests over the years.