For a change I actually have plans way ahead of time for next weekend.

The lineup so far:
- Saturday morning: NCW brunch/creative meeting
- Saturday afternoon/night: Mikey & Stacey are staying over, Chris & his gf are stopping by
- Sunday: King Richard’s Faire with Mikey & Stacey (we’ve been trying to go for years!) update: Matt & Sarah are coming now too!
- Monday: So far nothing planned, but it’s Columbus Day so I’m free! Who wants to hang?

My friend Matt posted this the other day following his leave from the military and I rather enjoyed it, so I’m sharing it here with all of you:

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10 Years 1 Month & 11 Days is how long I have been in the Army. That equals to :

Eighty Seven thousand Six hundred and Fifty-Eight Minutes (87,658.1277)

Three Thousand Six hundred and Ninety-One Days (3691)

Three Major Surgeries (3)

One Divorce (1)

Two Pins in shoulders (2)

Five major bones Broken and Three Minor (8)

One Hundred and Seventy Two Stitches (172)

One Ear with 70% hearing loss (1)

Two bad Knees I have put off getting surgery on because I was “young & stubborn” (2)

One Right Leg with a permanent Limp from one of my luckiest days in Iraq (1)

Forty-One Little sisters B-days/ Holidays missed (41)

One M-249 Automatic machine Gun being dropped on my groin by a private Yobech (1)

Scars that I have that you can see (To many to count)

Friends lost (Too many that I “choose” not to count)

One Collapsed parachute (1)

Important friends and family left in California I had lost touch with (3)

Two helicopters almost landing on me earning me the nickname “helicopter magnet” (2)

One Private Yobech throwing the pin instead of the grenade right next to me (1)

Stationed in Five American States (5)

Four Mos’s (jobs) (4)

Two Major Wars (2)

One Dog named Mugzy (1)

Two fingers with no sense of feeling (2)

One Sense of humor hardened by acronyms like fubar, bohica & snafu (1)

Tears shed in Private and publicly after hearing Taps played (all of them)

But what I remember most…. are the Memories. The stories that are so unbelievable that unless you were there people doubt their accuracy all while, truth being told, that unless you were there… they would never believe it at all. So you leave out 5% just to share them. The memories of God awful moments so horrible that the only way possible to deal with them was taking that memory cutting it into equal pieces and sharing it with those who were there to lighten the grief and sharing the load placed on their shoulders put there by war. I remember this all… because today was my last day.

I turned in my Gear, handed in my Military I.D. and left after final formation… something I never considered to have dual meaning until that moment. There was the last bit of info to be put out for the following day and a final dismissal… another dual term I considered. There was no fan fair, no party but there was a few heartfelt goodbyes, handshakes, good lucks & a keep in touch. With a few “you sure you won’t re-enlist?” thrown my way as I headed out the front door. I just smiled and didn’t answer… waving over my shoulder at them. You see, not because I won’t miss it, I will, I already feel like it’s like being an alcoholic… You’ll always crave it. You just choose not to. You just need to move on… To experience everything without dulled senses and at times cloudy vision. So as I watched everyone else walk towards their vehicles or back to the Unit…. I just reached for my baseball cap out of my Uniform pocket instead of my Beret and thought to myself “that’s a good start” and headed towards my car for my long ride home.

As I left Post I realized this was my last day in uniform, full day of me teaching the younger soldiers tips and tricks that could be passed on and realized how much I would miss it as I drove past the security at the main gate. Who offered a simple smile and wave from the soldier in the guard tower. As I drove, I decided to listen to the radio to take my mind off the anxiety I never figured I would have… I mean loved the Army and its structure and rules…. just so I could break them. Cutting it short I never really conformed. But in one long ride I had to laugh as every country, rock, news or hip hop station played a song referring to the “USA, Being a Soldier, the Red, White and Blue or yes even a Hummer Commercial”. Murphy’s Law at its finest…

This definitely didn’t help that sense of “what now” I had in my chest. What was I gonna do? What purpose did I have anymore? How can I still feel like I’m helping…..? * sigh* Serve or Suffer. That’s me all right.

I looked at the trees, the surrounding areas and people as they drove by as I decided to take the slow lane home and just enjoy not having to be in a hurry. No formation in the morning, no call outs because they need a medic for this or that… Just me as Matt going home looking forward to sleeping late tomorrow. And as I drove along as it was starting to get a little dark I remembered the little boy a half hour before in the back seat of his parents car looking up at me and smiling offering me a wave and showing me his what looked to be one of his new GI Joes. So I smiled and waved back as I watched him pass me making sure I made eye contact as he kept waving through his back window.

But all that was forgotten as I saw an older lady of about late 50′s a few minutes later, who I came to find out was named Diane, on the side of the road with her caution lights flashing. So I pulled in behind her and asked if she needed any help… but before I even needed an answer I could see what the problem was. A rear back tire had blown out all the way to the rim. I asked if she had a spare while she said “it was okay …she was trying to get through to a triple A operator”. I said there was no need I could have her up and running as long as she had a spare in 15 minutes tops. “Really?” Is all she said as a look of relief covered her face for the first time since I had introduced myself.

So we began to talk, idle chit chat as I began to get her tire ready. About her grand kids and how she was off to go have dinner with her family and that she worked in a law office as a secretary and how she enjoyed it because her bosses always let her off for any night she had a family event.

And as I started to put on the spare I realized she didn’t ask me… “THE ” questions.

Have you been, you know, over there? What’s it like? Were you scared? She asked me my name. How old I was? And how she hoped I wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere. She asked me about my Job that I was leaving and how long I had been in, if I liked it. My response “well to be honest, today was my last day” as I tightened up one of the lug nuts “but the let me keep the snazzy uniform so I wouldn’t have to drive home in my birthday suit” as I nodded down with my chin as I reached for another lug.

“And how long?” she asked. I looked up at her as started handing me the rest of them to put on. I replied ” 10 Years 1 Month & 11 Days…. today.”

“Wow! You must have really liked it.” she said handing me the last one.

I smiled back and said “yup …I loved it.” and stood up rolling back the flat tire to her trunk.

“So why are you getting out?” she asked.

“Just my time I think.” Which is my only real answer. She just smiled with an understanding nod.

I told her not to drive over 60 get to a tire place but she can probably make it if it wasn’t far, but make sure she get a new tire as soon as possible tomorrow.

She said “here take this” as I looked up from wipe my hands off to her holding out some money for me to take. I just waved it off and told her to drive safe and I’d block her from traffic and for her to pull out in front of me. “Any ideas on what you want to do? Ten years is a long time.”

“I don’t know really? Go back to school start a job where I don’t have to get up in the morning so early.” Smiling. I replied as I looked around her car to see if it was safe for us to get to our cars… she looked at me one more time and said…

” … Not many people would do what you did?”

“Sure there are… lots of them… they do 20 years.”

“She nodded her head and said “I wasn’t talking about the military… I meant stop and help someone on the side of the road in the dark. Much less after probably getting up so early after a Long day wanting to go home…”

I thought for a second and joked “Well I Wasn’t in much of a hurry. And I don’t think they’ll miss me much……or expect me first thing in the morning. Now I’ll pull out for you and you be safe driving home. It was nice meeting you. “

Then out of nowhere she gave me a hug and said

“Thank you again… ….. And if they don’t miss you… Their loss our gain. WERE really glad to have you. Take care of yourself.” as she turned and walked to her car with a wave.

So what did I learn after 10 Years 1 Month & 11 Days AND 15 minutes? That maybe I can make a difference without the uniform, that all it takes is a few extra minutes talking to someone to change your perspective on life.

and mostly…

*sigh * I really need to find a job tomorrow.