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My Boots – Part 1
My Boots – Part 1
This is the beginning of a series about my perspective of serving in the Army National Guard. This is not meant to serve as an all encompassing guide of what it’s like to be a female in the military, not even close. It is simply my story, recounted through my eyes, my own “glasses,” so to speak. Throughout this series, I hope some of you will be encouraged to share your stories, your…
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3 hours at drill and 5 group texts deep. Jesus fuckin Christ.
I'm joining the WHAT?!
For all my friends living under a rock, I am taking this upcoming school year off to train with the US Army National Guard. I leave for basic combat training (aka boot camp) at Fort Jackson, SC on Oct 4, and will head straight to job training post-bct (held at Fort Leonard Wood, MO) on Jan 9th.
There's a ton of reasons I joined, the first and most obvious being the school money. But the more I think about it, the better of an idea this seems. Yea, there's the money for tuition, books and rent, plus monthly drill pay. But I get to train to be a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Specialist. I get to leave Cali for a bit (finally), and take a much needed and overdue mental break from SD and ultimate. I get to meet new people, not live in a population of 90% AZN, and get a fresh new perspective. And if there's anything I've already gained from joining, it's that I've learned to enjoy the moment, because I don't know when I'll ever be back with the same group of people doing whatever I'm doing.
My biggest regret with this decision is missing out on my "true" senior Psycho Ultimate season (check the link if you have no idea what Psycho Ultimate is. BTW, it's AWESOME). Of course, I'll be back playing next year (and perhaps the year after?), but there's something to be said about playing with the people you've been teammates with for years. I'll be missing out on that chemistry upon returning, and most importantly, the chance to be on the field with those teammates-turned-friends-turned-family one last time. I went into SW Regionals this year knowing that tournament would be the last time I got to play with certain teammates, and it honestly crushed me. Chanting "2012" after the 2010 Regionals was all I could do to get through that particularly heartbreaking season, and yet, I won't even be there to take the field with my team. I'm going to miss out on watching the new rookies learn and grow, and the returners step up into their newer senior roles. I'm going to miss out on all the crazy team bonding and inside jokes and fun times, in general.
But when all is said and done, I know that joining the Guard is the best decision, not only for my bank account, but for me. This is something I need to do for myself, and as much as I hate missing out, there are always letters, pictures and (hilariously exaggerated) storytelling. And besides, I know the team is in extremely capable hands, college classes will always be there waiting for me (daaang it), and I'll be coming back home to my family of the 20+ best friends that anyone could have.
