I don't usually get too much into Veterans Day because I've kind of had my fill of being thanked for my service but I do recognize the importance of the day. For all of you that served in the American armed forces, thank you for your service. I certainly don't remember all those who served here so if you served and would like to share anything at all about your service, please do.
My time in the Army was the most fun during the first half of my career. Ronald Reagan was president when I signed into the delayed entry program. I went to Basic and Infantry Training, it was all basically bundled together for us at the time, in August 1989. In January 1990 I was in Airborne School and my first assignment was to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Ft. Kobbe, Panama just months after Operation Just Cause. In 1991, just after Desert Shield/Storm concluded, I was reassigned to the 101st Airborne at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. I reenlisted for duty at Ft. Richardson, Alaska in the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment in 1993. From there, it was back to Ft. Campbell in 1997. In 1999 I was selected for a tour of duty in recruiting which would last until early 2003 at Fresno, California. In 2003 I returned to Ft. Campbell and deployed to Iraq from '03 to '04 and '05 to '06. In 2007 I was on orders to go to Germany but those were changed for reassignment to Ft. Riley, Kansas. I was planning on making the best of our first assignment to Europe but a stateside assignment was much less stressful, at least as far as the move went. 2008 to 2009 would be my final trip to Iraq and I submitted my request for retirement effective October 31, 2010.
I don't miss the military but I do miss the adventure and youth I enjoyed particularly in that first half.
Edit - The picture is from my retirement ceremony at Ft. Riley. Man I was getting fat, lol. Fortunately I'm lighter now than I was then.
My time in the Army was the most fun during the first half of my career. Ronald Reagan was president when I signed into the delayed entry program. I went to Basic and Infantry Training, it was all basically bundled together for us at the time, in August 1989. In January 1990 I was in Airborne School and my first assignment was to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Ft. Kobbe, Panama just months after Operation Just Cause. In 1991, just after Desert Shield/Storm concluded, I was reassigned to the 101st Airborne at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. I reenlisted for duty at Ft. Richardson, Alaska in the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment in 1993. From there, it was back to Ft. Campbell in 1997. In 1999 I was selected for a tour of duty in recruiting which would last until early 2003 at Fresno, California. In 2003 I returned to Ft. Campbell and deployed to Iraq from '03 to '04 and '05 to '06. In 2007 I was on orders to go to Germany but those were changed for reassignment to Ft. Riley, Kansas. I was planning on making the best of our first assignment to Europe but a stateside assignment was much less stressful, at least as far as the move went. 2008 to 2009 would be my final trip to Iraq and I submitted my request for retirement effective October 31, 2010.
I don't miss the military but I do miss the adventure and youth I enjoyed particularly in that first half.
Edit - The picture is from my retirement ceremony at Ft. Riley. Man I was getting fat, lol. Fortunately I'm lighter now than I was then.
"I would rather claim to be an uneducated man than be mal-educated and claim to be otherwise." - Wookie 03:16
