I cannot speak for the other ones, but I can say where I have been.
In 2012, as the board's attendance started to whither, I finally achieved my goal of commissioning as an Officer in the United States Army. I became a second lieutenant. They gave me my first duty assignment as Aide de Camp.
That was probably the worst mistake in my career. I was a general's assistant. They removed me from my position post haste, because I did not fit the mold they were hoping to see out of a 2nd LT. "You need to be in a Platoon with boots on the ground preparing for the front lines. That is where your talent should be placed." This came from a full bird colonel. They shipped my "squirrelly" self back into a combat engineer unit.
My first day, our commander kills himself, and I am forced to help collect his equipment back and sort through his TA-50. I knew this man when he was a lieutenant. His decision has a hold of grief over me to this day. His fiance and two kids were there while we sorted and cataloged his stuff, and it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do; I collected the equipment the armory needed back while they were watching. I poured my sympathy over them, and they received it with understanding and poise. They nodded to let me know they did not harbor any ill will against me. The boys and I scraped up a bunch of money together, and we bought his helmet from the supply sergeant and gave it to his son. It was the least we could do...
There is so much more to this story, but I am going to spare you.
Last year I was sent to active duty to be certified as an ARMY Engineer Officer. the school was about 6 months long, so that took out a lot of time to come and see the boards. The school was challenging; mentally and physically tough does not begin to describe it. I graduated in 2013OCT.
Fast forward two years, Everything seemed to be doing okay. I messed up my shoulder once more and slipped a disk in my lower back, but overall, I was still doing well. I am still at the same combat engineer unit today. I am pretty happy about this.
Out of nowhere, we get railed by fate. Both of my step grandfathers (my biological ones are already dead) are placed on hospice. They have been given a few weeks to live at most. Doctors also find a tumor in her nasal cavity. They cut it out, but it grew back abruptly, which labels it as aggressive. The doctors also received some test results back from my mother, and they have given her less than 10 years to live.
To add to all of this this, my niece took her life. She committed suicide on the 25th of SEPT. This is also my birthday. Her body was cut down before I had even known what was going on. We are burying her tomorrow.
All of this happened within a span of two weeks.
My absence at the board has been noted. I miss what it used to be, and I miss the people I used to know. These events that have transpired in my life has made it difficult to do anything, really. If I could get an RP together, it may help, but I doubt it. Hang in there killers. The board is not dead while I still yet draw breath.
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