Government Issue

Long, long ago, in a far away place.. you know, back when I was a teenager, I had the preconceived notion that I would never, ever go into the military. I had a grandfather who fought in WWII, uncles who fought in Vietnam. Two brothers that spent time in the service. One for a couple of years in the Army, and one who had more than a decade of time in the Navy, and who was still in.

No, I would never be 'Government Issue', or a GI. Basically, this term means that the United States Government owns you, to do with as they please. I am not a quitter, but I like to have options... and once that contract is signed, buddy, you're stuck with whatever they give you.

Of course, eventually, high school graduation came. I did pretty well in school - although with just a little nudging, I could probably have done even better. I was able to get a full tuition scholarship at the state University. Which was around a hundred fifty miles from home. The thought of leaving didn't bother me at all... But I didn't even have a car. I had worked small jobs for a few years already, so I could have gone and worked my way through college, bumming a ride here and there. But then what? What did I want to be when I grow up? A teacher, perhaps.... Of all the people that I knew in my formative years, the ones who made the biggest impacts were my teachers.

So, I sat on the scholarship, and started working full time. This still did not buy me a car, because the bills had to be paid and food put on the table... and admittedly, I blew a lot on junk. But after working at little better than minimum wage for a few months for someone who was less than pleasant at some times, I was beginning to get restless.

Somewhere, the thought occurred to me that perhaps that military thing wouldn't be so bad after all. I talked to a couple of people at work who had been, at one time, in one branch or another. I talked to my brothers who had been there, done that. I talked to people I ran into on the street. Every person, save one, who I spoke to, said, "Go Air Force," or maybe, "If I had it to do over again, I'd have gone into the Air Force." They reputedly had the best training, the cushiest jobs, the best food in the chow halls, and the best women, as well. Oh yes, the one who disagreed? He was former Air Force, in the security police. He advised me, "If I were to do it over again, I'd have gone into the Marines. I wanted to tote a big gun..." Uhh, yeah. Right. Consider the source.

Finally, after a few months of indecision, I approached a recruiter, and started talking. One thing led to another and pretty soon they were asking, "You did pretty well on the tests. Just what do you want to do?" "Uhh... got something in computers?" And the choices were, Computer Programmer (6 to 9 month waiting list) or Computer Operator (2 to 3 month waiting list). Either was a six year enlistment, but the good side, was you get a promotion out of basic training to E-3 instead of having to wait like the 4 year enlistees.

I didn't really want to wait for more than half a year, so I became a "Communications Computer Systems Operator". I left Arkansas, flew to San Antonio, Texas, went to basic training, then flew to New Orleans and took a bus to Biloxi for technical training. Then back to Texas, this time in Del Rio, for my first 'permanent duty station'. I spent almost four years there, then to Montgomery, Alabama, where I eventually separated.

Along the way, I experienced a number of firsts. First airplane ride. First 'city bus' ride. First (actually second) contact with someone ethnically different than I (I had actually spoken to a very nice black lady during one of my summer employment sessions at the high school). I saw the ocean (yes, I consider the Gulf of Mexico to be a part of the ocean). I went into a new country (Mexico), and even ventured into another time zone once (layover in Atlanta). I even got to carry a gun as a security police augmentee.

But, despite all the firsts, after six years in the military service of our great nation, I had still not left North America (and still haven't, for that matter). More funny yet, I had never been stationed outside the central time zone, and had never crossed that Mason-Dixon line.

If I were to do it over again, would I become a GI (Government Issue)? Without a doubt. If I were a young man with no future to speak of, the military could give me training and a future career. It can take a child and form him into a man. Are there risks involved? Certainly. With the world the way it is... with our nation’s ‘war on terror’, it might be that a young man that who enlists today just might be dead next year. But, like a couple of my high school classmates who are no longer with us learned - bad things can happen at home, too. Do I, personally, have any regrets about my military career? Not at all.

Be all you can be. If that means that you need to go to school and study, or find a job and work, or join the military, for whatever reason, then so be it. Do the best you can do.