One last inspection

During the last week of basic, you have an inspection where the Command Sergeant Major (CSM) comes down.  For this inspection, each soldier has to be in their class As and have all of your gear that you used over the last nine weeks laid out and ready to be checked. 

We were all standing by our bunks waiting for the drill sergeants and CSM to come in one of the other females noticed one set of my boots had been bumped and fell over.  I did the logical thing and reached down to fix it, as I did I heard a loud rip and the room went silent.  My dress pants had just split completely open.  I stood up and asked one of the other soldiers how bad it was and even though she told me it would be okay - I could see in her face that it was BAD! 

I stepped out of the room desperately looking for a drill sergeant, finally I saw one of the female drill sergeants who yelled at me for not being by my bunk.  I snapped to parade rest and explained to her what had happened.  She proceeded to tell me to turn around so she could see if it was a big deal.  As I turned around, her eyes got huge and she rushed me back into the room. 

About that time, we could hear the CSM stepping into the hallway to check our stuff.  The drill sergeant got a panicked look on her face and told me just to make sure I didn't turn my back to anyone and we would deal with it after the inspection.  The CSM came in and checked our gear and uniforms.  The whole time I ensured that my back stayed to the wall.

After the CSM left, the drill sergeant came back in and I changed quickly into the other pair of dress pants.  Thankfully, the second pair fit.

BRM

BRM or Basic Rifle Markmanship is the beginning for most to learn how to fire an M16.  For a lot of people entering basic, this is the first time firing a weapon.  Besides shooting two clay pigeons, this was the first for me as well.  There is a list of basics that take place that you have to become proficient at to be successful at this.  These basics took me a little longer to master. 

The day we went to the range was a challenge for me.  Anyone who had taken a while to zero their weapon had to start out on the firing line first, since they knew they would also probably be the individuals who were going to have to attempt to qualify more than once.  I was in the first group.  After my first go at it, I found myself back in line to attempt to qualify again.  This happened a few times...before one of the drill sergeants, whose MOS was Infantry came up and offered some advice.  Since these were pop up targets you didn't have very long to aim and shoot before they laid back down.  With him kneeling there, he called out the distance for each target as they popped up. 

There are a couple of sequences during the pop ups that two targets come up at one time.  One of those times, I got the perfect shot.  The 150 m and 300 m target both popped up at the same time.  I established my breathing, aimed and squeezed the trigger - both targets fell with the one shot.  At first I thought that I had taken too long and the had both timed out, but the drill sergeants looked up to the tower who had just seen the same thing.  They verified that I had hit both targets with one round.  That turn at qualifying I was finally a go. 

My shooting abilities improved significantly during my time in the Army.  Well, on the rifle at least.  The pistol is more effective if I throw it at someone than if I were to shoot it.

Battle Buddies and Blue Falcons

The first experience with battle buddies comes during basic training, as you can't go anywhere or speak to any of the drill sergeants without one.  You quickly learn that there are several people that are great battle buddies and there are some you pray that you don't get paired with.  I had a few great battles in basic.  A few, even now over seven years later, I still talk to on a semi-regular basis.  There are two I remember the most as far as getting me through the tougher times.  Since they were both in my platoon, they normally ended up right in front of me and right behind me during ruck marches.  They became my source of motivation when the blisters started or when it seemed like the march would never end. 

During those times when you have to go into the prone during the marches, you would have whispered conversations about anything and everything.  It could have been what you missed about home, or the fact that you knew deployment was pending and there was a plan of not coming home.  One of the soldiers had a plan for his little brother and that was why he has enlisted in a more dangerous job.  He had planned to have his death gratuity left for him.  We had a lot of really long talks about this thought process and each time I wondered if anything would change his mind.  Eventually, something changed his mind because he was finally convinced that his little brother needed him more than he needed money.  Those two were the driving force behind me when I was in basic and true battle buddies.

There is the negative of the battle buddy - or the blue falcon.  This is someone who whether intentional or not, messes everything up for everyone else.  We had one soldier who had been moved out of the cycle ahead of us because of issues.  Somehow he managed to get ahold of the most random stuff - like chocolate and chewing tobacco.  One night our whole platoon was pulled out of bed because they had found a stash of chewing tobacco in the ceiling tiles on the guys side of the barracks.  We spent the next four hours 'sitting on the wall', which is leaning against the wall with your knees at a 90 degree angle and holding your arms out straight in front of you. 

Of course, the same soldier as before decided he didn't like basic anymore so one night he snuck out not just of the barracks, but also off post and decided to hitch hike.  A trucker picked him up and noticed that he didn't have any unit patches, so when they were stopped at the next stop the trucker called the MPs (Military Police) and asked if they were missing a soldier.  The MPs came out and picked him up.  That was another long night for the rest of us.

Gas chamber

Christmas exodus is not a good idea during basic because people tend to lose their minds while they are home.  Which means the first few weeks after you get back it's like you are starting with the smoke sessions all over again. 

Once you get out of the initial phase of basic, you spend your time out learning skills hands on instead of in a powerpoint presentation.  During this phase is when you go to the range and learn how to shoot an M16 rifle, throw hand grenades, go through the gas chamber, complete obstacle courses and complete your first field exercise and ruck marches. 

The day we went to the gas chamber was the same day that we completed our first major obstacle course.  We were out at the course before the sun rose and spent the majority of the first few hours making our way through the course which included climbing walls, low crawling under barbed wire (and through the mud) and other random obstacles over the course of a little over 1/4 of a mile.  Once we completed it the first time, each platoon had to pick eight soldiers to compete against the other platoons... somehow I ended up in that eight - so we went through the course again and our platoon won.  From the course, the gas chamber was our next 'obstacle' for the day. 

Everyone in our company was lined up outside this small shack waiting for our turn to go into the chamber.  Once you got into the chamber you had to ensure your mask was sealed, which of course, mine didn't seal immediately.  I was already starting to snot and tear up by the time my mask was sealed.  We had to stay in there for about 15 minutes, then before you could leave you were put in groups of four.  Everyone in your group had to take their mask off, have their eyes open and be repeating a phase that the drill sergeants chose before they could leave the chamber.  The funny thing about where the chamber is positioned is there is a tree on the path immediately out of the exit.  Even without my glasses on, I managed to miss the tree coming out.  While I was 'airing' out, I watched as other soldiers ran out, a few of them caught the edge of the tree, but one hit the tree straight on.

After we had finished the obstacle course and completed the gas chamber, we were loaded back on the buses and headed back to the company.  We then were filed onto some bleachers to have our platoon picture taken.  If you look closely at the picture, our eyes are blood shot and red, we are covered in dirt and mud.  Great day for a picture!

Basic

Basic training is the beginning of proving you have what it takes to be a soldier.  The first few weeks are the most 'fun'.  Everyday is an endless cycle of 'death by powerpoint' combined with constant smoke sessions.  During this time you get the chance to learn about all the regulations and manuals that would will spend the rest of your time in the Army living by.  I was slightly amused during one of these 'powerpoint' sessions when our company commander stood up and proudly stated that Fort Jackson (where I was in Basic) was where Jessica Lynch had gone through her training.  I had to wonder what part of her situation made him proud to say that - whether it was the fact that she was a famous female soldier or if it was the fact that she failed to perform basic soldier tasks such as keeping her weapon clean. 

The smoke sessions varied in length depending on what we had done to deserve them.  Sometimes it was not standing properly in line at the chow hall or being caught up after lights out.  The worst smoke session we had was the last night before we all went home for Christmas Exodus (which although I enjoyed being able to be home with my family - exodus is one of the things that made no sense to me).  We had been learning land navigation earlier that week and that night was our official test to determine that we could successfully navigate in both day and night.  The day time went relatively smoothly, the night land nav did not.  Everyone was excited to be heading home in less than 12 hours combine that with chem lights and not being able to see the drill sergeants walking through the woods, people lost their heads and started acting up. 

Before we knew it we were all in formation. After about 30 minutes of standing at attention getting screamed at by the drill sergeants over our lack of discipline, the smoking began.  I don't remember all the exercises we did at that point, but I do remember doing 'little man in the woods'.  Imagine bending your knees at a 90 degree angle straight in front of you (like you are sitting down) and your arms bent at a 90 degree angle, hands up, straight in front of you - then jumping and opening both your legs and arms, keeping them at a 90 degree angle.  After being smoked for about an hour at the land nav site we headed back to the company area.

We were hoping that was it, but it wasn't.  We spent another three hours on the yard in front of the company doing front-back-go's, little man in the woods, pushups, flutter kicks, rolling left and right to the point where a good number of people had thrown up.  In the midst of all the smoking - to ensure no one fell out - was mandatory hydration, which consisted of drinking 1-2 quarts of water within 30-45 seconds.  By the time we were done, we were covered in sweat and who knows what else.  None of that seemed to matter the next morning as we were all dressed in our class A's ready to get on the planes to head home. 

Wearing class A's after that kind of 'workout' does not make for a comfortable bus or plane ride.

Reception

Basic training the first step after MEPS for any soldier to go through.  Before you officially are in Basic though, you start in reception. This is where you go through the initial stripping of anything civilian you have on you - from your cell phone to the pair of jeans that you wore on the flight in.  You first real interaction with a drill sergeant also takes place there. 

During reception I was issued my marshmallow suit (the grey sweatsuit with the word 'ARMY' across the chest and down the leg), my first uniforms, class A's, more shots than I can count and BCGs.  I've always been one that is hesitant of needles, well better yet, I just plain don't like them and then tend to not like me.  The initial shots are given as you stand in a line and just follow it from one station to another until you meet the standard quota.  This was going to be enough of a challenge until I was about three people from being up for my first set of shots and a female that had the first two shots already had a seizure (something interacted with her wrong, she was okay later).  My current fear level rose about three notches, but I survived - at least this round of shots.

I left for basic two days before Thanksgiving and since that wasn't enough time to inprocess, I was stuck in reception for the long weekend.  It was weird, the first time I had been away from home for any holiday and I was in a place where I didn't really know what to expect and I didn't really know anyone.  At this point in time, I was starting to wonder if this was the right choice or if I was even going to make it through whatever they were going to throw at me during the next nine weeks...

'Old Blue'

When you PCS to an overseas location, taking your car with you isn't always an option.  This was the position my husband and I were in when we moved to Germany.  He was living in the barracks since he got there a few months before I did.  When it was almost time for me to head over he bought a car since he knew we would most likely be living offpost.  Old Blue became our 'almost-always faithful'.  She was a 1989 BMW who had been passed from one soldier to another, but for the time being she was ours. 

The first major venture with Old Blue was moving all of my husband's stuff from the barracks to our apartment.  Given that we only lived 3km from post, you wouldn't think this would be a big task, except a Polizei (Germany Police) thought that the overly stuffed car was a little suspicious.  The officer pulled him over and proceeded a line of questioning, to include asking him if he had been drinking (it was 1pm) and asking if all the stuff in the car was his.  He continued to complete two breath alcohol tests and then was asked for his registration, which was in the glove box that was completely shoved shut with all the stuff in the car.  He then was asked if he had all of his emergency equipment to which he told the officer it was in the trunk...  the officer asked him to open the trunk and acted completely surprised that not only was the car full but so was the trunk.  By the time my husband made it to our house, he was so irritated.

Just a few short weeks later, a friend of mine and I had gone out to dinner.  On the way to take her back to the barracks, I came to a stop light that was red, so I stopped.  After the light turned green, I made a right hand turn (unless annotated you can't legally turn right on red in Germany) and was prompting pulled over.  Given it was 10pm on a Friday, I assumed that I would receive all the standard questioning.  This wasn't the case - they had pulled me over to ask me why I had stopped at the corner, to which I replyed that the light was red....  they then told me that there was a yield sign as well and that overrode the light.  Then they told me to drive carefully and sent me on my way.

This same car was the one I lost the car keys to when we were about two hours away from home on our first snowboarding trip - which cost us over 300 euro (or about $500) to get back in our house.  We also had many winter mornings that we weren't able to get out of the parking lot from our apartment because the incline was just too much for Old Blue to make.  Or the many times the only reason we made it up one of the hills to work was by my husband and I rocking forward and back trying to give her a little extra 'power'.  Old Blue never heated up before we made it to work, even if we started her a good little while before we left.  We packed more single soldiers than we can count into her to bring them our to our house for a home cooked meal from time to time.  And she picked up more drunk soldiers and ensured they made it home safely.

Old Blue lasted us a little over a year, got us back and forth to Grafenwohr to see each other when we were in WLC (Warrior Leader Course) or back and forth to Hohenfels when one of us was on MEDEVAC duty. 

Shortly before our second deployment, we kept the tradition going and passed her on to another soldier.  Even though we got a brand new car after deployment, we still have a special place in our heart for Old Blue.

Family Day

During Basic training you are pretty much cut off from the world...  The only information you receive is the tidbits here and there in letters from home and what the Drill Sergeants tell you, which often times isn't much.  Your world revolves around learning how to be an effective soldier.  But after the nine weeks of training and all the random stuff that you probably never would have done if you were a civilian, you get a break to get back to the rest of the world for a day - Family Day!

The day before graduation, your family can come and spend time with you.  Of course, it's not like you can go all over post and really do what you want, but there is a meal in a nicer place than you have seen for the last nine weeks where you can sit down and talk.  For me, this was the day when my parents and sister came out to visit me. Since I had worn my class A's home for exodus, this was the first time they had seen me in my BDU's.  The day starts with a presentation for the families of some of the stuff we have been doing the last nine weeks and then we are released to them.  In addition to the BDU's, my family got a nice view of what we unaffectionately called BCGs or birth control glasses.  They are the horrible rendition of glasses that no one looks good in.  My parents got to see where I had been living and just some other basics of the basic training 'experience'.  The next morning, they would once again see me in my class A's on the parade field as an official graduate of basic training.  The difference is this time, I would have my grenade badge and my rifle markmenship badge.  We would get a few more minutes with our families after graduation and then we were put on a bus or plane to take us to AIT.

'The first thing I want to do...'

When reunions are getting ready to take place, there is always the thought of what the first thing you want to do is.  This is handled a little differently on each end. 

The soldier doesn't worry about what they are going to wear since their uniform is the required outfit for the day, so their minds tend to drift to other things.  For those that are married and/or have children, they imagine their spouse or kids running into their arms and that first embrace.  For the single soldiers, they tend to think of getting free time where they can relax and watch TV or just making a simple trip to the store without having a battle buddy and without worrying about clearing a weapon before you go inside.  For a soldier, this is the moment they have looked forward to since the day they left, but also the moment that they have tried to keep out of their mind as much as possible so they can focus on the mission.

For those at home, this moment has been anticipated since they last held their soldier.  The moment that makes all the waiting worth while.  The planning for a homecoming starts weeks ahead of time with either ordering banners or getting the supplies to make your own.  There is also finding the perfect outfit, which isn't going to really matter to the soldier anyway, but it has to be just right.  You start counting down the days even though the actual arrival date will shift at least a day or two if not more.  After all the waiting, you finally get the call - they are on their way.  Emotions start going crazy now - since you know your soldier is really coming home.  Last minute house cleaning and picking up starts and you start your backwards planning from the time you have to be at the redeployment ceremony.  Even though it seems like time is getting away from you because you still have so much to do, it also feels like every second on the clock is taking forever.  A few hours out and another call comes in, they are delayed for a multitude of possible reasons, but they won't be here today.  Tomorrow another call and the whole process starts over again, but now you are actually standing in the building or on the parade field where you and your soldier are going to be reunited.  Now time is standing still - you have waited the last four, six, 12 or even 15 months for this and it's hard to believe it's really happening. 

The doors open or the bus moves and a group of soldiers marches in and you feel like your heart is going to jump out of your chest.  Anxiously, you scan the group until you find your soldier.  The funny thing is, the soldier is feeling butterflies as they have waited for those doors to open or for that bus to move for just as long.  Now they are marching and scanning, looking for their family and friends.  The speaker welcomes the soldiers home, then proceeds to give what seems like the longest speech ever before calling the soldiers to attention and then giving the command dismissed.  The soldier and the family both run to meet those they have longed for and in that moment, everything is right again.

Mail Call

Mail call first became something important when I was in Basic training.  Mail and the occasional phone call was really the only connection you had with the outside world.  While you were in basic what you received was censored to make sure you weren't receiving treats or anything else that you weren't supposed to have.  It didn't matter about not getting any 'stuff' because the letters were what really mattered, hearing something from the outside world or getting a word of encouragement.

My sister had some Batman paper/envelope things that she used when she wrote me while I was in basic.  One of the DS used it to come up with a new way to torment.  There was the time that he had me go on the other side of the room and everyone had to say 'na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na' and when I took the letter everyone yelled 'Batman!' or another time when everyone yelled 'POW! BAM!' when I got the letter.  It was the one part of basic where there was the chance to be a little silly with the DSs present. 

When deployment came around, mail became really important again.  Even though you might have had access to the internet or been able to make phone calls, there was still a huge comfort in getting a letter or care package from home.  Throughout my first deployment, I'm pretty sure my parents provided at least half the guys I worked with at least one snack a day.  I still have all the letters that I received through both my deployments.  Those letters became the link to those you loved as well as those who wanted to show their support for any soldier whose address they could get their hands on.  Having someone take that time seemed to make the time you were away from home a little more worth it.

Breaking the news..

Before I joined the Army, I had gone back and forth on enlisting.  By the time I finally joined I was 22.  I bowled with my mom on Wednesday nights on a league.  While we were bowling, I told her I had something I needed to talk to her about.  I finally told her what I was going to Kansas City the next day to do.  Then I asked her if she would tell dad...  I ended up going to my parents house that night and telling my dad.  I was really scared of what they were going to say or think, but then by the time I had sat down and talked to them I realized that I shouldn't have been scared to start with.  From that day forward, they said a long series of hellos and goodbyes as I left for basic and then came back from Christmas, etc, etc - to include a move overseas and two deployments to Iraq.  I know my parents worried when I was gone, but I also know they knew that I was doing something that I loved. 

Shaving...

I was thinking about this morning and it made me laugh a little.  During basic training, there was almost 50 female soldiers in the company I was in.  There was only five showers and on a nightly basis we had maybe 15 minutes for all of us to take a shower, which means there was nights that not everyone got to take a shower.  Given that you only had maybe three minutes in the shower, shaving your legs was not a priority.  Luckily, I went to basic training during the middle of winter so we wore our 'marshmallow suit' (the light grey sweatsuit that you wear in basic) for PT every morning so it wasn't that big of a deal.  Prior to joining the Army shaving my legs was an everyday thing.

The lack of need for shaving also comes into play as an Army spouse.  When my husband is gone, shaving your legs loses priority.  There is no one in bed to get poked with anything so you don't have to worry about it.  I guess you could say this is looking at the positive side of him being gone since you save money on razors and you don't have anyone picking on you for being a little stubby.

Strength

Recently, I had someone tell me that they didn't think they would have the strength to be a military spouse.  My response was that sometimes you just never know the strength you have until it is put to the test.  Before I had to question my ability to be an Army wife, I had to question my ability to be a soldier.  When I first thought about joining the military, I wasn't sure how everything was going to go.  I was nervous about making it through basic training, but I was also worried about smaller aspects of it like passing my APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) or making it through the gas chamber.  When I first arrived at reception at Fort Jackson, I was issued all the standard initial issue and began getting adjusted to the fact that my life was not my own anymore - I was now a last name and a serial number.  I was property of the United States Government. 

There was a lot of times through training - basic, AIT and even our pre-deployment training that I thought 'what did I get myself into?'.  But then you complete the training and you move on to the next challenge.  During those first few weeks of basic, I still didn't think I would finish - the same is true when deployment came around, but the military gives you all the training you need, and from there you often find something within yourself that helps you overcome the challenges along the way.  Don't get me wrong, not everyone belongs or will make it in the military...  I watched many individuals fall out of the ranks before the end of basic and even more fall out during AIT.  This is why the DS constantly tell new recruits that they aren't soldiers until they finish their initial training.

This same rings true on the spouse side.  I have been married to a soldier for almost four years now, but I don't consider myself being a full-fledged Army wife until I got out of the Army a year ago.  I think there are different reasons for that, but mostly because I was still a soldier and I had a different mindset than I did once I got out.  Being an Army wife or just any military life is something that will never be fully understood unless you have stood in the silent ranks.  This 'job' requires being called a dependent while knowing that you are some of the most independent people.  Military wives maintain jobs while going to school and raising children on their own for a year or more at a time - all while worrying about how their husband is doing, but not letting their children, families or husbands know they are worrying.  And it never fails that the second he leaves, whether for a couple days or for a year, that something goes wrong.  The majority of the wives that I have encountered during my time in have more strength than I can put into words.  They hold a household together, often in foreign countries, far from family and friends. 

Bottom line, strength is something that most people discount themselves on.  I know I did on both being a soldier and being a spouse and there are still times that I do, but at the end of the day I look back and often surprise myself on what I am capable of.  I think if more individuals allowed themselves to fail from time to time - they may also find themselves more challenged and stronger than what they could have ever realized.

New inspiration

I had thought about starting one of these before, but I was never quite sure if I would be able to keep on subject...  I found some new inspiration and I guess a little bit of a better way to organize my thoughts with a book that my husband got for me for Christmas.  '1001 things to love about military life' has a wealth of ideas in it.  Last night I was reading through another section of it and I found there were things I had forgotten about that I suddenly remembered.  One of them was MRE or Meals Ready to Eat.  During my Army time, I'm pretty sure I ate my weight in these things and given that they have about 3,000 calories a piece in them - it doesn't take long for that weight to add up.  It's funny though how over time you pick and choose the MREs that you want to eat not just because of what the main course is, but because you start figuring out which one has M&M's in it versus Charms candy or which one has jalepeno cheese versus salsa or peanut butter. 

I remember when I was first introduced to this new form of food.  I was about three weeks into basic training and I had a bad ear infection in one ear and the start of one in the other to the point where I looked like I was pretty well intoxicated when I was walking.  By the time I got back from the hospital chow was over, so the drill sergeant gave me an MRE.  It was a chicken breast MRE....  I don't remember much else about the MRE besides that it had M&M's in it.  Now I wasn't much of a drinker and I didn't smoke - so going without those things hadn't affected me too much by this point, but I love my sweets.  We weren't allowed to have sweets as part of the 'breaking in' process in basic, so when I saw these M&M's I knew the drill sergeant (DS) would take them from me especially since the rest of my platoon was starting to file in the room.  The DS shot me a look and gave me the 'go ahead but you better not make it obvious or share any of them' look and so I sat quietly in the back corner and ate them one at a time while trying not to crinkle the wrapping they came in.  Although the rest of the meal wasn't the greatest, having that one little sneak (approved by the DS of course) made it the best thing since sliced bread. 

One final award

One thing that I really enjoyed while I was in was working with soldiers.  After I got out I struggled with what to in order to fill that 'void'.  Tuesday night was my birthday, the first one that my husband and I had been able to spend together since we have been married.  We had something a little different happen that night though.  My hubby had kept it a secret and just let on that it was an Army function.  When I got there that night it ended up being volunteer recognition ceremony.  Throughout the course of the evening I received the bronze level (over 100 volunteer hours) President's Volunteer Award and the Battalion Volunteer of the Quarter Award, but there was another award that really meant a lot.  While you are still wearing the uniform there is a soldier award that is given to recogize soldiers who spend time volunteering.  It was submitted before I was retired and it was pending when my DD214 was completed, but after I got out it never was finished.  Well, my hubby and his LT got all the paperwork together and submitted it through the current chain of command.  So Tuesday, I was presented with a MOVSM (Military Outstanding Voluteer Service Medal).  It meant so much that my husband had worked so hard to make sure I received this award because it was something that was really important to me.  That was also the last time I will ever be called SSG (Staff Sergeant) King in an kind of official capacity.  My mom was able to be there and it was the one and only time she will ever see me presented with a military medal.  It was the perfect way to celebrate my one year since retirement.

1 year...

It seems crazy to think it has been a year since I was retired about of the military.  So much has happened in the last year and I have found that while I fully enjoy being an Army wife and supporting my Soldier husband, I greatly miss wearing a uniform.  Since I got out, I have found myself wondering from time to time if I made any kind of difference while I was in.  Although I will always have the pride of knowing that I served my country, knowing that there was some kind of impact on a smaller basis is what has meant the most to me.  Recently, I had two of my former soldiers contact me and without feeling like I'm bragging or anything - what they had to say made me feel like I had accomplished something.  When I first 'acquired' these two soldiers they were troublemakers for lack of better explanation.  I remember having to stand in front of our commander just a few weeks after being promoted to Sergeant and explaining one of them and another soldier beating the living tar out of five other soldiers.  Both these soldiers had their fair share of troublesome ways, but bottom line - they were both good soldiers.  I think they honestly just needed someone to believe in them.  Now looking back...  both of these soldiers have 'settled down' and married, one is even a father now.  Although during your time in the military, it's always nice to hear good things from your supervisors, it doesn't compare to the words and opinions from those who you supervised.  I still miss the uniform - and I probably always will, but at least I know I did something good while I wore it.

Starting out...

About a year ago I was medically retired from the Army.  During the latter part of my time in and since I have retired I have been told that I should write a book on my experiences while I was in the military.  Due to a head injury during my first deployment, my ability to keep a straight train of thought is rare so I'm giving this a try first and see how this goes.  If you are reading this and you are a female service member, service member being medically retired (going through MEB/PEB process), going through the VA process or are a military wife and there is something you have a question about, please feel free to comment and I will answer your question based on my personal experience and current Army regulations.  I hope you enjoy!