The Gun Line‘s Sergeant B is an old Marine, specifically a 41-year-old Marine who is now resurrecting his military career in the Washington State National Guard.
The physical is done (I passed), the paperwork for a few waivers has been submitted, and I shoud be vaulted into the saddle within the next two week… Done deal…
I’ve given this a great deal of thought, and determined that this is the best course of action I can take for all concerned… I’ve got 13 years worth of USMC Infantry experience under my belt, which means that I’m over halfway to racking up the time needed to qualify for a retirement pension from the government (the Guard, however, works on a point system, with means that I might be able to rack up points faster, or it might take a little longer, not sure)…
But that’s not what it’s about, is it?
Not for me, anyway. This is something I should have done five years ago… I’m just a little late gettting to the starting line. There were other things that demanded my time and effort… But now, I can’t think of anything more important than to throw my hat into the ring, and get back in the fight – a fight that didn’t really exist until AFTER I got out of the Corps.
Yep… It’s the right thing to do…
Why, then, in the middle of the night, do I stare at the ceiling, my mind full of questions?
The good sarge has obviously done a great deal of meditating on this monumental decision and is kind enough to share his contemplations with us. I must say that I’ve often wrestled with several of these same thoughts also, so Sergeant B’s post hits particularly close to home for me. [Hat tip to Argghhh!!!]