Cascading events
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let it Snow!
We received a few inches of snow and it was nice to get a little bit of moisture in the air.
Husband has been working in Southern Louisiana for over a week with the job. He is bored and somehow we have talked more on the phone in the last few days than we have talked in a month when we have been together, Guess life is strange like that. We are amazed that they have tailored all of the prices for the workers that are cleaning up the mess down there. He spent 27.00 on Vietnamese Food and was still hungry!
I am approaching the anniversary of a pretty significant date in my life.
In January of 1988, I made a commitment to enter in to the Army's delayed entry program. This single event triggered a chain of events that impacted my family.
The first nine years of my life I group up in rural Michigan next to corn fields and pastures. I was the only granddaughter on my paternal side and learned to make tree forts, mud pies and create havoc like the best of my cousins and brother. One "game" (I use this word loosely!) was playing war in corn fields. My brother and his cronies would create corn guns and chase me through the rows of corn stalks hoping for completely victory and annihilation of his sister. These games of war lasted for years until we moved. My brother and his friend Hans joined of dreaming the military, I was oblivious to any thought of military service until January of my senior year. I had already had some experience of wearing fatigues (I had bought a pair of awesome solid olive pants from a vintage store in Ann Arbor :)). I randomly walked in to the recruiting station and announced I wanted to join the Army. This was to much delight of my recruiter SSG L. I was an easy recruit and chose the Army based on color - I liked the idea of wearing green.
I went to MEPS in Detroit. I still think about this adventure sometimes. I sat there in a room with variety of people filling out paperwork, I was in shock. The only significant note I made on historical paperwork was that I had had my tonsils out when I was five years old. I saw women my age or a bit older with tattoos, pregnancies and various scars. I met with career counselor and chose to be a 72E, Airborne option, and station of choice. (Only later did I find out how lucky I had been with the variety of options)
Most people were completely shocked, to include my poor mom that had to sign my paperwork because I was not 18. Later after some consultation from my uncle that was a LTC in the AF that had a good MSG friend in the Army, I went back up to MEPS to change my MOS to 92Y to become a supply clerk. Everyone agreed that this role was probably better suited for me (of course this became a "challenge" for the recruiter - but all ended well). Now, this left my corn field comrades in a predicament. How could the younger sister - serve in the military before me... So, my brother made an abrupt decision to join the Marines. He tested very well and became a linguist. He left and completed his basic before I left for mine. My mom really liked the female Marine recruiter and they tried to talk me into jumping ship and promised me the world, I stuck with the Army and I am glad that I did.
Everyone talks about parents suffering from "empty nest" syndrome - my mom was faced with both of her children gone within 6 months of my DEP enrollment.
I guess the rest is history. I turned 18 in basic training and learned what it meant to serve your country and true patriotism.
I experienced eating grits, fought off chiggers in Alabama and began to fold into Army life. Hard to believe my one decision stemmed hundreds of others and changed the shape of my entire family. 1988-2006 - 18 years. More to follow...
We received a few inches of snow and it was nice to get a little bit of moisture in the air.
Husband has been working in Southern Louisiana for over a week with the job. He is bored and somehow we have talked more on the phone in the last few days than we have talked in a month when we have been together, Guess life is strange like that. We are amazed that they have tailored all of the prices for the workers that are cleaning up the mess down there. He spent 27.00 on Vietnamese Food and was still hungry!
I am approaching the anniversary of a pretty significant date in my life.
In January of 1988, I made a commitment to enter in to the Army's delayed entry program. This single event triggered a chain of events that impacted my family.
The first nine years of my life I group up in rural Michigan next to corn fields and pastures. I was the only granddaughter on my paternal side and learned to make tree forts, mud pies and create havoc like the best of my cousins and brother. One "game" (I use this word loosely!) was playing war in corn fields. My brother and his cronies would create corn guns and chase me through the rows of corn stalks hoping for completely victory and annihilation of his sister. These games of war lasted for years until we moved. My brother and his friend Hans joined of dreaming the military, I was oblivious to any thought of military service until January of my senior year. I had already had some experience of wearing fatigues (I had bought a pair of awesome solid olive pants from a vintage store in Ann Arbor :)). I randomly walked in to the recruiting station and announced I wanted to join the Army. This was to much delight of my recruiter SSG L. I was an easy recruit and chose the Army based on color - I liked the idea of wearing green.
I went to MEPS in Detroit. I still think about this adventure sometimes. I sat there in a room with variety of people filling out paperwork, I was in shock. The only significant note I made on historical paperwork was that I had had my tonsils out when I was five years old. I saw women my age or a bit older with tattoos, pregnancies and various scars. I met with career counselor and chose to be a 72E, Airborne option, and station of choice. (Only later did I find out how lucky I had been with the variety of options)
Most people were completely shocked, to include my poor mom that had to sign my paperwork because I was not 18. Later after some consultation from my uncle that was a LTC in the AF that had a good MSG friend in the Army, I went back up to MEPS to change my MOS to 92Y to become a supply clerk. Everyone agreed that this role was probably better suited for me (of course this became a "challenge" for the recruiter - but all ended well). Now, this left my corn field comrades in a predicament. How could the younger sister - serve in the military before me... So, my brother made an abrupt decision to join the Marines. He tested very well and became a linguist. He left and completed his basic before I left for mine. My mom really liked the female Marine recruiter and they tried to talk me into jumping ship and promised me the world, I stuck with the Army and I am glad that I did.
Everyone talks about parents suffering from "empty nest" syndrome - my mom was faced with both of her children gone within 6 months of my DEP enrollment.
I guess the rest is history. I turned 18 in basic training and learned what it meant to serve your country and true patriotism.
I experienced eating grits, fought off chiggers in Alabama and began to fold into Army life. Hard to believe my one decision stemmed hundreds of others and changed the shape of my entire family. 1988-2006 - 18 years. More to follow...
posted by soldierdeb at 10:30 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home