Real Good Thing!

I originally wrote this on 1 May as an e-mail to family and friends, intending to post it here as well. It got shoved off my plate by something else.

I marked the occasion of going over 19 years of total active federal military service back on April 4th (my enlistment date). I was on leave at the time and remembered it. But, I didn’t realize until lunch Tuesday that I will be eligible to retire exactly one year from today.

I was having lunch at Hard Times Café in Arlington with my minister, Kurt, and my friend, Justin. We were talking about what I might like to do after I retire when I realized the date and said that I had exactly one year left. Justin, who’s a project manager for DMJM, a huge construction firm, immediately said, “Give me your resume.” (Yeah, I love living in a town where you can’t mention you’re retiring from the Air Force without people asking for your resume!)

So, one more year. I have less time left in the Air Force than I spent in Korea. (1 year and 10 days thanks to an incompetent orderly room.) I never imagined when I enlisted over 19 years ago that I would do this for nearly half my life thus far. When I enlisted my plan was to do four years and out. I was going to learn about computers, get my GI Bill money, and get out. But something always kept me going for another tour. Sometimes it was pride in the service, sometimes it was the job, and sometimes it was just job security. And here I am at the other end of a career getting ready to move on to something better, I have no doubt.