Where Am I Going??

So here we are.  Present day, January 18th, 2004.  I have been given a COT start date of August 17th, 2004.  COT (Commissioned Officer Training) takes place at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery Alabama.  It is a 5 week journey that takes you from being a civilian to being an officer in the US Air Force.  I have heard from two people who have been though it already, Laura and her husband Scott, and both say while it is not easy, that it is not as difficult as enlisted basic training was, and that it is very rewarding when it's over.  I have been doing what  I can to prepare physically for COT.  I run every day, (yes folks, that does mean 7 days a week), for 2 miles.  I come home, and do sit ups and push ups as well.   I have also been doing what I can to prepare mentally for COT.  That is always a challenge.  I thought I had done a fairly good job preping myself mentally for basic training 14 years ago.  But I got off the bus and didn't know what hit me, or what KEPT hitting me for that matter, for the next 2 months.   After COT, I will head off to Sheppard AFB, Texas, for HSA (Health Services Administration) school.  I will spend 4 months there learning the tricks of the trade.  After Texas, I have no idea where  I will be going.  I am hoping to find out my assignment this week.  Once I find out my assignment, I will be having my commissioning ceremony as well. 

I have not told the company that I am leaving yet.  Being that I am not going until August, I felt it would be a wasted effort.  It's just too soon.   I have decided to give them a month notice.  I will tell them on May 30th that my last day will be on June 30th.   I will then take the next month and a half to sell my home and prepare myself for COT. 

My next entry will hopefully be letting you know where my assignment will be!  I am hoping for somewhere in the Southeast of the US.  Somewhere warm!

My Decision

November 1, 2003.  Today I was told I was chosen as one of the lucky few to be given a commission in the Air Force.   Being selected was a beautiful thing.  However, in the several months it took for the military to finally make their decision, my career had started to take a very postive turn at my company.  I had develped a very good rapport with some of the influencial higher-ups, and they had taken a liking to me.  My line of business executive, was making it quite clear to me that she felt I was a worthwhile associate, and she saw great things for me.  Promotions and titles were being discussed, and timeframes were even being given.  I had also acquired a sort of mentor in another line of business executive who was very generous with his advice to me on how to move up and what I needed to do.   So now, here I was, strategically placed within the company, and being offered a position with the Air Force.   The Air Force offerred me more money and stability, but I had been with my company for five and a half years.  I had an established reputation, and what looked to me like the possibility of great things in an upper management position. 

There were worse postions to be in in life, I am sure.  And there are those out there who would love to be offered a shot at ONE great thing, let alone two.  But be that as it may, I was still torn.  Maybe it's the female in me, but I crave security and comfort.  I have never been a fan of change and have never taken too many chances.   But after hashing and rehashing with everyone who would listen to my plight, I finally spoke to my sister in law, Michelle (in the above picture with my brother Chuck).  Michelle is probably the most well rounded, intelligent, sophisticated woman I have ever met.  Her opinion means a tremendous amount to me.  While she didn't tell me which decision to make, she made me see things for what they were, and help clear away the cobwebs that were clouding my judgement.  I made the decision to go back into the Air Force as an Officer.  Hooo Ya.

 

Hurry Up and Wait.

Unlike when a person decideds to join the military as an enlisted member, as an officer, one must jump through hoops.  There were applications, letters of recommendation, tests, GMAT's physicals, multiple interviews, a board review, it just went on and on.  Then you learn that the competition is fierce.  There was something like 400 applicants for 40 slots and I was competing against those with masters degrees already, people younger than me, and those who were currently enlisted.   This part of the process took a full 4 months.  I truly didn't have a clue as to my real chances of being accepted into the military again, but just in case  I was, I kept up with my walking.  The walking turned to running.  The running led to more push-ups and sit ups, and for the first time in many years, I was able to move the clothes I had kept in the 'thin side' of my closet over to the clothes on the 'fat side' of my closet.  Heck, even if I didn't get chosen, this was turning out to be a pretty darn positive experience already.   Truth be told though, I was feeling pretty hopeful about getting accepted.   I think that if I was not selected,  I would acutally be dissapointed. 

My options

Here it was, Summer of 2003, and it was obvious to me that I wanted to further my education.  I don't wish to leave this world with anything less than a Masters degree.  But what would I study?  I wasn't thrilled with business (which was my undergrad course of study), because I found it boring.  And being that I was already thousands of dollars in debt from college, I knew that if I was going to continue further into debt, that it was going to be in a different major than business.  Maybe Communications, or Psychology.  Maybe even a science like Biology or Physics.  I found all of these areas anything but boring, even enjoyable.

My mind slowly went back to that conversation with Laura earlier in the year about going back into the military.  I would have to be out of my mind.  Although, I though to myself, the military has great education benefits.  And, I would be going in as an officer instead of enlisted, which is an entirely different world altogether.   But there was much trepidation in my thoughts.  I am not 19 any more.  I am 32. I haven't run in 9 years.  If I did a single pushup, I would probably have a coronary.   After laughing at that thought, and slowly realizing that, even if I wasn't in the military, that was pretty darn pathetic, I went home from work, and decided to go for a casual 2 mile walk.   After my walk, I felt pretty darn good about myself, and decided to do a push-up.  I was sore for the next 2 days.   On day three, I did 2 push-ups and decided to call Laura. 

  

The Law Degree that Never Was

Turns out, working full time and going to Law School full time didn't look good on paper, and it didn't work out in reality either.  It was a shame too, because I really loved law school for the semester that I went.  However, it was too much and I decided not to return in the fall.  Things were status quo at the Bank and I decided to just kick back and take a long hard look at my options.

A short background

That's me in the picture. First, a little background...In September of 1990, when I was 19 years old, and with a life that was going nowhere,  I decided to fly off 'into the wild blue yonder' and join the United States Air Force.  I went through basic training in San Antonio Texas, tech school in Wichita Falls, TX for medical administration, and ended up as a security police officer augmentee for the first two years of my enlistment due to my bases extended deployment to the desert.  Which, given the events of today, I now lovingly refer to as: Desert Storm, Act I.   Just to make sure I clear up any misconceptions here, I personally was not deployed to Iraq, although at the time I did volunteer to go (feeling invincible, perhaps?).  Instead I was filling a hole that was left by those who DID go to the desert.  In the military this is known as being used 'in support of' any given conflict that might be going on at the time.   I married soon after my enlistment, and in May of 1992, I left Texas and was stationed in Germany until I got out of the Air force in 1995.  I was divorced soon thereafter, and began my life/career journey that has ultimately taken me on a winding road through a couple of jobs, college, and even a short stint in Law School until I ended up where I am today.  In a junior level management position with a major corporation. 

Early in the year of 2003, while speaking to a friend, Laura, who is actually one of only 2 people I have kept in touch with from my time in the Air Force, we were discussing my recent acceptance to Law School, and her newly commissioned status in the Air Force, and she planted the seed in my head about the possibility of going back into the military now that I had a degree under my belt.   To be honest, I  had law school on the brain and my entire focus was on that, and the challenge that was sure to be great of working full time and going to law school full time.  After all, the mortgage doesn't pay itself.  Nonetheless, the seed had been planted and I began to consider the possiblity of the JAG corps upon my graduation from Law School.