The Greener Grass

This may come as a shock to some of you. But then again some of you, if not most of you, expected it. I look back and think maybe it was just a bad month, maybe I was just burned out. But after looking at my future and my future with Holly and where we both are in our lives and where we both want to be and what exactly we both want to do; I, with some help from Holly, have decided that it would no longer be in my best interest to leave the Army.

A few months ago when I decided no longer wanted to be a part of this game anymore, I was burned out. I suppose the sun had fried my brain. I, just like everyone else at some point in their career, decided I wanted a change. I wanted to go back to the civilian life and enjoy all the beautiful things that there are out there. I wanted to go back to school and I really just wanted a change of pace.

All of that would be simple if say, I were single and planned on keeping that way. I would have no strings attached and no one else to consider. I would just have to look after me, myself and I. But that is no longer my life. I have Holly, a mortgage, two car payments and a dog to look after. If I were to actually get out of the service, if Holly were to quit her job and the two of us and Lola were to move back to Oklahoma then we would be in pretty rough shape. To go from two full time incomes and full dental and medical benefits to whatever McDonalds starting hourly wage is, would be rather harsh.

Then there is the deep down fact that, I do in fact love the Army. I love the thrill of the fight and the team that I fight with. I love being a part of something bigger and being a part of history all at the same time. I love the challenge and the stress. I love the people and the places both good and bad. I love what I do, (most of the time) and if you are doing what you love to do for a job then where are you ever going to find something better.

Of course there are days when I hate this job. There are days when I would love nothing more than to be a fry cook at Burger King. I imagine that most of you are sitting at a desk right now at a job where you will one day mutter, "I swear, one day, I will burn this place to the ground…"

I have goals that I have set for myself in life and in the Army as well. By the end of November, after I have spent close to 430 days over here I will have accomplished those goals and checked all the boxes on that list of my life. But if I were to leave there would always be that one question that would haunt me to no end.

"Would I have made it as an Army Warrant Officer and as an Army Helicopter Pilot?"

As some of you know, I was working on my packet prior to my deployment but was held up when my left eye failed the flight vision test. I was nearly 90% complete with the whole process of test and paperwork when I hit that roadblock. I am now waiting to get back home and get Lasik surgery on my eye. After that I will once again be able to press on with my flight application. I took all of the test and did extremely well, I have my letters of recommendation and I have my security clearance. I have everything in order, except my left eye. So if I were to part ways this coming summer with the Army then I know for a fact that I would be sitting there one day at my mediocre job thinking, "I wonder if I could have made it…?"

So for that and other extenuating reasons I have decided to retract my previous statement. I have changed my mind. I have seen the error of my ways and on today the 29 th day of October in the year 2007 I re-enlisted in the United States Army for another five years.

This decision doesn't come without perks though. In fact it came with 20,000 tax free perks if you know what I mean. I also was given the option to go to Airborne Training once I get back stateside, where the good people of the Army will teach me how to jump out of perfectly good airplanes. Included with all this I also received a "college option" which means the Army will allow me to pretty much take time off from being a soldier so I can attend the school of my choice within 100 miles of Ft. Hood for 12 semester hours all paid for by the Army and all while still receiving my active duty salary.

So in conclusion I am staying in the Army for five more years starting, today. I will receive a nice sized bonus of $20,000 US dollars all of which is tax free. I will get paid my usual salary to take a semester off work and attend college and I will get to jump out of airplanes for the Army. But most importantly I will get the chance to get my eye fixed up and I will get to submit my packet to become a pilot in the Army and hopefully check the next block on my list.