Good evening.
Today is an interesting day. Indeed, the past two weeks have been extraordinarily interesting, as I've recently discovered that this Friday, the 22nd of February, 2013, shall be my last day of anything remotely resembling Active Duty.
The circumstances surrounding my separation are for me to know and for you to remain only remotely curious about, but suffice it to say that while less than ideal, they are far from horrible. Anyway. As my service draws rapidly to its close, I sit, reflect, and discuss with my on-again, off-again friend, Jack Daniel.
On one hand, I'm a bit sad to be leaving my life as an Army Paratrooper. As much as it sucked on a day-to-day basis, we did occasionally get to do some very cool shit, and I've made some incredible friends - really just the best kind of people, even if they are vulgar, foul, loud, and entirely unapologetic... not entirely different from my civilian friends, in that way.
The logical part of my brain, however, is incredibly excited to reenter the civilian world. I'll be returning to school a full two years prior to my planned date, thus getting substantially closer to my educational and professional goals. More importantly, I'll be able to fully experience a Colorado fly fishing season for the first time in three or four years; from ice-off to the end of October, you'd better believe I'll be on the water as much as I possibly can. Furthermore, I'll be around for hunting season, which is awesome in and of itself, particularly considering the number of preference points I have... I'm seeing some awesome buck and bull tags in my future. Yet another huge plus is the fact that I'll no longer be in a long-distance relationship with my rather phenomenal girlfriend, Stephanie. We'll actually get to spend more than three days at a time together, which will substantially improve the quality of my life. I could go on and on about why civilian life will be amazing, but you get the idea.
In the end, it's been a wild ride, and an experience that I wouldn't trade anything for. I've grown a lot over the past two years - from a privileged, middle-upper class worthless college student into an airborne infantryman, which is certainly something I'm proud of. I was granted an interesting (if short) combat deployment into Afghanistan, and nothing will ever replace the thrill of running out the back of a Chinook into a remote village in the Hindu Kush, in a place devoid of Coalition presence for two years, alone with my platoon in an incredibly hostile environment, and being on the receiving end of decidedly unfriendly indirect and small arms fire. I've experienced the terrifying excitement of waddling myself out of a frozen, deafening, bucking and generally unreliable Air Force C-130 with 150 lbs of ruck, weapon, and chute attached to me, plummeting through the darkness to an uncertain landing in the miserable cold. Nothing will ever replace those experiences for me, but I've been there and done that, so now it is time to move on with my life.
Well, I'll not bore you any longer with my sentimental, whiskey-influenced ramblings. It is long past my bedtime, and I've got a busy day tomorrow.
Let it be noted - Friday, 22 Feb 2013... The Day The Beard Began.
Stay classy, motherfuckers.
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