ENDLESS SUICIDE NOTE

I’m in my reenlistment window. This means my unit’s retention NCO is obligated to let me know what the Army can do for me should I choose to stay in. The Army has made a fairly attractive offer, should I want to stay in my MOS. This is in spite of the Army’s decision to begin downsizing as Operation Enduring Freedom comes to a close. This is also in spite of the fact that I am a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Soldier.

While discussing my future plans I keep finding myself totally blown away by the sheer number of people who are exiting the Army with absolutely zero plan for their future.

If your dream is to be a cop, you’re golden.

However:

Many Soldiers seem legitimately shocked to find that the skills garnered in killing and/or protecting, both by force, indigenous peoples in Third World countries is not directly transferable to a high paying job in the civilian world.

A great many seem to have the preposterous assumption that just because they’ve served in the armed forces, they’re somehow capable of, and entitled to, run a multinational corporation.

It appears that many young Soldiers who are exiting the Army fully expect that a job with pay that is either commensurate to, or exceeds their current wage will fall into their lap, when they possess essentially zero skills. Despite what ACAP purports, your experiences in the Army do not automagically endow you with great leadership ability. The Army leads its subordinates, in large part, by force, with zero diplomacy. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this, as it’s consistent with the mission statement of the Army. However, this method of leadership will not suffice in a corporate setting, especially if you don’t already understand the nuances of management.

Again, if you want to be a cop, you’re golden. ACAP can make that happen.

Obviously I’m proud to have served in the greatest army in the world. However I’m not keen on remaining in a garrison army when my skills and training have been geared specifically towards a more austere environment.

I don’t plan on staying in when it finally comes time to ETS but if I don’t have a solid plan I’ll probably reenlist -___-

aaaaaand now I’m gonna go fail weight

but when my roommate randomly came home from his deployment today screaming in what was probably Gbandi I had a pretty amazing panic attack okay this has been a post.

and it get’s reblogged, it’s usually by straight teenage boys who are planning on joining the military (the phenomenon is known as “Poolees” in the Marine Corps. No such Army equivalent exists to my knowledge). I wonder what these same straight teenage boys would do if they saw my boyfriend and I holding hands. I wonder if these same straight teenage boys would admire my future right to marry as much as they admire my bouts with combat. hmmm.

lol jk. I don’t have a boyfriend. And I probably won’t ever get married.

i got casually drunk at a family restaurant and now i’m curious 

The next time I wear a military uniform it’ll be multicam. The next time I wear ACU pattern, if there is a next time, will be when I’m back stateside.