10

Last night I was laying in bed and realized, "Hey, I joined the Army 10 years ago today." Now I really feel old. I have never had a job other than this that I have stayed with for 10 whole years. I am actually half way to retirement and only 32 years old. I could actually retire (from the Army) at age 42! (but probably will not).


Even though I've gone through 10 years including basic training, Army cook school, multiple NCO leadership courses, emergency state-duty call ups, and a tour in Iraq, there is plenty more to come. I am changing jobs and will soon be a Field Artillery Officer. With that comes about 8 months of training away from home. There will no doubt be other schools to go to like Air Assault and Airbourne, and with as much time as I have left, I definately expect another tour in Iraq, Afghanistan, or wherever the next set of jerks pop up.

This is not a slide down the hill toward retirement, but cresting the hill only to find that the peak is actually much higher up than you expected. Fortunately, this is a mountain I enjoy climbing.