Oh and for all you ppl who think you were so old when 9/11 occurred... I was 25 on 9/11/01 and was 5 days short of my 26th birthday when I shipped out to basic training on 01/16/02. Remember waking up on the couch on 9/11/01 and watching what I thought was a movie of a plane hitting the WTC.... shortly after I realized that this was no movie. I recall going over to my grandmothers house that day and talking to her... she was so sad... she said the last time she had remembered anything like this happening was when she heard about the attacks on Pearl Harbor over the radio at her parents farm in Iowa. Yes it would be nice if we all could just find a way to live together in peace.... but unfortunately if you look at the history of mankind, we have never in all of history lived in peace.
@d00b all who have served know how you feel.... I recall explaining it to a friend of mine in the first year and a half of my service... "Its like getting anally raped with icy hot. Then the army pulls it out and a few day later your like, hay that wasn't so bad. Then the ram it in again balls deep this time with icy hot. Then the back it out to just half a cock, and again your like well I guess it could be worse. Then they proceed to pull it out wipe off the lube and ram it in balls deep with no lube." I was on the phone with my buddy at the time and was with some battle buddies driving to get something to eat... they all just busted up laughing... because they all knew the feeling and couldn't help but laugh. Guess its just that sick military humor you get. But as time goes on you adjust to it and when you leave you... believe it or not end up missing it! I know you counting the days man and your telling yourself that nothing could be better than to just be a civilian again. But trust me if I had joined at a younger age I would have stayed in. I wish I would have been like some of the guys I knew that joined at 18 or 19... I see them now and they are Warrent Officers 3, E8 SF team leaders, E7's. And they all started out just like me E1. In war time you make your rank quick if your not shitting the bed on your time off. My buddy who is a team leader for 7th group has 2 years till retirement at 38! He can get out and start another carrier and retire from that and pull a double pension depending on what he does when he ETS's. Not much is better than putting in 20 with military and getting full retirement w/ pension and full health care benifits, then retiring from another job and getting retirement pension. Then fully retiring with to retirement checks, full medical, dental, and social security. Think long term not shot term buddy.