The Life of Me: Collector's Edition

Hell is a frozen tundra Part 1: Reflections

Those who are close to me are aware of the great difficulty I faced when I began to ponder life outside of the military. I did finally decide to get out, but it was a decision that was not made easily. My primary reason for staying in was to perpetuate a family tradition that began with my paternal grandfather and his contribution to the defense of the Philippines from the Japanese Imperial Army. Since then, several family members and close friends of the family chose to start their own military careers. I myself am a product of a military upbringing as a result of my father's 21+ years in the service. I was raised on stories of how the military was a good career offered many opportunities for travel and adventure.

But after serving for four years, I've come to realize that with the good comes the bad. Training exercises in temperature extremes from ranging from hot and humid Florida in August to chilly autumn evenings in Omaha--that wasn't fun. If I couldn't handle the relatively mild temperature differentials stateside, how would I fare in Iraq or Afghanistan? Not well, I'm sure. So there's the comfort factor that made me think twice about staying in. There's also the potential for abuse; me and my fellow junior officers are often tagged for duties outside of our official designation as civil engineers. We arrange distinguished guest visits from generals. We set up Air Shows, we work the CFC program, organize the blood drive, manage the self-aid buddy care program...blah, blah, blah the list goes on. Much of the time, we work issues that are far removed from our job specifications. I mean, I realize that service above self is part of the trio of core values, but come on. To have a degreed engineer organizing an air show is not the best use of human resources. So there's that issue. And then there's the increasingly rigorous deployment schedules: six months deployment every year and a half about. This is less than what the other services make their personnel deal with, but any time away from your home greater than two months really wears you out.

Anyway, these are the "big picture" reaons why I chose to get out. I realized that an Air Force lifestyle was not shaping up to what I wanted to do with my life. Conversely, I realized that it wouldn't be right to stay in given the feelings I had. I was comfortable with my conclusions and was at peace with my decision to separate.

posted by anthony fuego @ 10:25 PM