JACK ARMY

What's Going On

Have I gone off the deep end?  Taken a long vacation?  Quit blogging?

No, none of the above.  Having a hard time finding things to blog about.  I've been relegated to the sidelines at work, due to my impending retirement.  Which is great!  I have plenty of time to take care of my stuff, instead of putting off my appointments, etc.  I'm running a lot now, which is what I've always wanted to do but let my procrastination/laziness/bad attitude get in the way of.  But I've thrown all that to the side and am running between 5 and 7.5 miles a day.  Ultimately, I'd like to run an ultramarathon, 100 miles.  That's a few years down the road though.  For now, I'm aiming at the Great Aloha Run in February and a half-marathon on Maui (if I can find out more about it) in March.  There's a couple of trail races in Texas in the latter half of the year and then the San Antonio Marathon in November.  Of course, all that barring injury.

So, retiring after 22 years in the Army, not sure what I'll do next but I've got a few things to look into.  I'll let you know how that goes.  Also, I intend to blog more about politics, a topic I've tended to avoid while on Active Duty.  That whole 'conflict of interest' thing, I guess.  Anyway, more to come.

Anything you'd like to see me write about?  Questions about life in the Army?  I've been doing it for a little while so I might be able to say a thing or two about it.

Running This Week

I got in some good mileage this week.  Tuesday 5 miles on the track, Wednesday 6 miles on the track.  Thursday I put in nearly 2 hours on the trail and Friday I ran 8 miles.

Needless to say, I'm pleased with myself.  Can you tell?

Update

I know, I know, I'm neglecting the blog.  Sorry, just finding it hard to force myself to post.  Ugh.

Regardless, there is stuff going, of course, so I'll give you a little update.

1. Finished several books lately that I'm eager to review, so look for that here shortly.

2. Participated in an Army blogger roundtable a couple of weeks ago, very interesting, will post about that as well.

3. Officially started my career as an "ultra-runner" and have put in a few miles on the trail.  This is my new "passion" and I'll post more on that later... may even start a blog specifically about that.

4. I have a few ideas for my advice posts, one or two for senior Soldiers as well as for new Soldiers.

5. The march toward retirement continues.  Planning on starting ACAP'ing in January, with terminal leave starting in April.  My last day in the Army should be 1 September 2010 which will put me at a few days over 22 years.  That's a long time, I don't care who you are.

So, I've got some work to do to get y'all caught up.  I'm on it, just need to plug in the ol' selfdisciplinator and get to it.

21 Years of Service

That's how much it will be tomorrow, 17 August 2009.  I joined the Army 21 years ago, a fresh-faced, eager-eyed, young buck ready to see what life had in store. Basic Training was at Ft. Benning, GA, where I learned to be an infantryman, and another two-week course there gave me the basics of the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle.  After 30 days of leave, during which I married my first wife, I winged my way over to Germany where I was stationed at Kitzingen in the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry "Can Do" as a SAW gunner.  A few months later I became the platoon RTO and soon after a gunner on the Bradley.

Next was my 30-day trip to Saudi Arabia and my measley contribution to Desert Shield/Desert Storm was to play softball and dig holes in the sand.  I had already gone to SFAS and next came the Q Course.  I failed out of the medic course, didn't really want to be a medic anyway, and made it through the weapons sergeant course, then Polish language training.  My first assignment was to ODA 066 at Ft. Devens, MA, in August, 1993, but the Group moved to Ft. Carson a year later.  I enjoyed my time in SF, but in 1997, SF Branch decided to put me on recruiting duty.

I started recruiting in my hometown, San Antonio, TX, enjoyed it and decided to stay.  After reclassing, I moved to Ft. Benning as a Special Forces Recruiter and three years later moved to Lake Charles, LA to run the recruiting station there.  Unbeknownst to me, many recruiters in that battalion were helping applicants cheat on the ASVAB, including at least one in my station.  Since I didn't catch him, I was relieved and sent back to the infantry, and here to Schofield Barracks, HI.  I've since worked in the S-3 shop, been a platoon sergeant, NCOIC of a MiTT, and now I'm the Rear Detachment First Sergeant, a job I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

So, after 21 years, it's about time to get some slack and finally cut the rope.  I've mostly enjoyed my years in the Army.  I love the lifestyle, the camaraderie, the desire to make things better.  But I'm nearly 40 years old and I'm not going to advance beyond the point I'm at.  I have a strong desire to settle down and grow some roots.  So, I won't make it to 22 years in the Army unless something drastic happens in the next several months.  I look forward to the transition, though.  It'll be like an adventure, a challenge and I'll find something that will pay the bills while I figure out what will really excite me in the civilian world.

21 years.  Goes by way too fast.

Retirement

I'm seriously contemplating retirement and returning to San Antonio soon.  While I love the Army and the Army lifestyle, my family needs to settle down.  I think.  There's so much to consider and if the decision to retire is yes then so much to do.  Anyone got some ideas on how to make the transition as smooth as possible?