I love the military and what it both taught and gave me!
Not in order of value...here goes:
The OODA Loop!
This is a problem to solution tool. Observe, Orient, Decide and Act. At COT (Officer Training), we had to learn this the hard way, through time trial and teamwork with complete strangers. The thing most humans struggle with? DECIDING! Followed closely by ACTING. Or at least acting appropriately. The OODA Loop taught me I have good common sense, not the best interpersonal skills. It also taught me to hang tight to my prior enlisted teammates - the former Master Sergeant. He was a rock and took NO BS from anyone. He could run a machete swath through he-said-she-said and make us feel like kings even after telling us what scum we were. He was so cool. The A was his ace in he hole. Me? A good observer and I pretend to orient like a CIA-employed private eye. Just don’t ask a true blue (well, actually a Red/“D”) people pleaser to make a concrete decision. Buh-leave me, motherhood is wrenching that fatal flaw outta my psyche.
'Nuff with the OODA. It all comes full circle. Always.
The NECESSITY of Friendship and Morale:
Most of life is very lonely if you let it be. As an introvert, even more so. Giving time and energy away, particularly in crowds, is a soul sucking experience. But when you are freaked out by a training error, can’t get the DoD to get their checkbook balanced and pay you (this is such a problem), have orders to move and no place to land (also a common thing), you want a friend.
None of us are BETTER but we must all be BEST:
The ranks after Captain become very competitive. Majors are some of the coolest folks you will meet with the weight of every MAJCOM on their pineal gland. Commanders while very benevolent can crush you and you won’t even notice. I am white, you are black, LT is brown and Sarge got a shaving waiver. Man, it makes NO difference. These folks were my family. And still are. We broke much bread together and if it hadn’t been for the military, my own world view would have been very narrowed by small-town middle-class white-bred viewpoint. Where we grew up thinking MDs cure, our political party shall rule, every other religion is a cult, and everyone works for the white man. Nope, nope, nope and nope. It was hard to go home for awhile, even though home was a good place. It shook and made my paradigm do a 180. I’ve seen how we are all the same and that is very satisfying. We all have joys and sorrows, strengths and weaknesses, obstacles and bounty. But if we let anything divide us, we will fail. We don’t mess with tolerance - it’s understood you just care about your fellow person. I un-learned a lot of toxic things. That was SO POWERFUL!
One must have FAITH.
One sentence: There are no atheists in foxholes.
Money is a TOOL:
Government is so slow with money (oddly, I learned about the Blockchain while on Active Duty, which made me just shake my head....tisk, tisk....pay us in BTC! But they don’t because there’s bound to be a lot of illegal gambling in Dubai...). We had to be financially fit to prop one another up. The military just re-emphasized the importance of keeping our tools sharp, clean, organized and ready. Emergencies happen and your fellow man has got your back and you’ve got his. That’s true security. 🛠🔧🔦
LOVE:
See again the one about friendship and being BEST. Without love, you don’t get past those. And we all love FREEDOM. We love the idea of it. We would all die for it. And love, well, ours was sealed for ten bucks in a courthouse during lunch one day in April, but without someone to dream about and plan for and live for, even just to call or write to? Yeah, the loneliness gets to your bones. Love and the ability to both give and receive it softens every blow and leaves you very grateful on the other side.❤️
The value of time and family:
If you lose those things, they cannot be reclaimed. This is in fact the reason we left active duty. It is so much more complex than anyone can imagine to be torn between something you love to death, something you believe in and wishing it had been you instead of your best friend that lost the battle while you came home from war. It preys on us all. But for those still living, this is why we honor the fallen.
This could get so lengthy, but as an Airman, I just want to tip my hat to the Brave and Courageous souls who went there. Before, after or with me. I still run because that is one of the Four Pillars of Resilience, physical fitness. And I always run in your honor. Always that purple ‘road warriors’ jersey.
What an honor, a great ride and I salute you for holding fast to an idea that transcends our humanity.
Stay strong and remember your purpose!
