Happy Veteran's Day

 

I do have one regret in my life so far, I've never served in the military. My brother briefly served as a member of the US Air Force until he was medically discharged and I had an aunt who served as an officer.It was something I did aspire to, it helped that I was really into Star Trek although that universe didn't really feature a military. Still there was something of a resemblance and it heightened my interest in the military.

Now by the time senior year of high school rolled around and it was really time to decide what I needed to do I wasn't so keen. In fact from senior year through at least my hiatus from Morehouse I would go back and forth with recruiters and would never pull the trigger. I'm not sure why but there were a number of factors that may have caused me not to sign up. 

To start my father died when I was 17, he had his issues that ultimately took its toll on his health. If I recall correctly he was instrumental in helping my brother decide to join the service. Although who knows how determined I would've been had he still been around.

On the other hand my mother just had college on her mind for me. I did well enough in high school she thought I would do well in college. Although, I always felt doing well in high school was always something of a fluke. Going to class in high school, I'm sorry to say wasn't very challenging to say the least. My mom didn't really start discussing the military with me until a year or two after I graduated.

Anyway, whatever excuse I can come up with I regret not serving. Perhaps ultimately I realized it wasn't for me and of course there are many ways to serve your country. Nothing says you have to join the military to serve and it's the only way. However to the many who did, I do respect. Many have more than paid their dues especially with their lives. The ones who have returned home after their service have my respect just as much. They made their sacrifices to insure that America will have their defenders when the time comes.

To the many who are still considering their futures, I hope that the benefits of the military doesn't entice you. My hope is that this is something you truly want to do, because let's not forget that this is the military you may be asked to do things outside of your comfort level. It's something you definitely have to be called to do and the many benefits such as money for college or Veteran's Affairs benefits (VA) just adds to what is provided for you for when you plan to leave the service. If you're unsure about what you are doing there's always someone you can talk to other than recruiters of course. ;)

On that note to all of our veterans, Happy Veteran's Day. I used to think of this day as a day off from school, but these days I do recognize the purpose of this holiday.