A happy day for my friend
My friend is retiring today.
Today I am not with the sidekick for the morning. Instead, I am up north a bit, getting ready to see a good friend retire from the military. I got the privilege of serving with this fine officer. He has spent over 30 years of service for our nation and its interests.
What does that mean he served for 30 years in the military? So, let’s peel back that onion a bit. I think some clarification may be needed for this.
Spending 30 years in the United States Army is an incredible feat. First, he made it out alive. He gets to receive the flag instead of his family. Only careerists and family members of the fallen receive a flag. So, it truly is a prestigious honor.
Moving along, let’s see here, he most likely missed a lot of anniversaries, births, birthdays, and other family significant events that can never be replaced. Some will say, “Hey, he only missed those when he deployed, and that is understandable.” I will say that is hogwash. He missed those in preparation for war during the times when he was not deployed. Yes, a service member receives 30 days of leave, but that doesn’t mean you get to take it when you want it. It must fit nicely between the missions, especially when you start serving more than 15 years. Many that have served had to use their leave on weekends to burn those days because they wouldn’t be able to use them. That is not a fan favorite for families.
Oh yeah, the workday. So, most service members start around 0530 to kick off to work and are lucky if they get to go home at 5 pm. People who have served a long time tend to go home around 8 pm. That is the typical duty day. When they get home and are in command, their phone will ring at any moment of the night or morning. It is not uncommon for leaders to spend an hour on the phone at home and then get those glorious 0230 am phone calls over a Soldier doing something less than stellar.
Then we have the fact, as I alluded to earlier, that the family gets to play second fiddle to hmmm, let me see how to put it, hmmm, everything. That’s the military. Now everyone says they are about the family, and they genuinely mean that, but they are always about the mission.
So today, my friend will receive a simple folded flag for his service. A flag that was not given to his family for dying for his country. I am sure his family and he are truly grateful to receive that folded flag. It is time for him to enjoy life, and smell the roses. I am happy for him.
This is my Friday’s thought to ponder for the weekend.
The Vet
