Well, I promised you a BIG announcement (ya' know: the three of you who still take the time to read this blog!) and here it is:
As of 20080513 (March 13, 2008 for you non-military foks!) I enlisted in the NJ Army National Guard as a 68W (pronounced: 68-Whiskey) "Health Care Specialist". Better known to most folks as a Medic.
You now see why I have been so intense about the exercise and weight loss portions of my life, as well as the attitude changes. This is a huge step for me and I'm as excited as hell! I realize it's not usual for someone to join the military at age 40 but then, those of you who've been reading my crap here for the past few years know I'm not a big fan of the "usual" anyway. :-)
I ship out for training at the end of January, 2009 (Yea, I know it's a ways off but it's the soonest I could get a 68W contract.) to Ft. Jackson, South Carolina where I'll spend 10 weeks trying to keep up with 17-year-old kids in Basic Combat Training. After that, it's of to Fort Sam Houston in (You guessed it!) Texas. There I'll have 16 weeks of AIT (Advanced Individual Training) on the 68W side of things. I'll graduate from there as a fully certified EMT-B with an extensive focus on trauma and combat injuries. Who knows? When I get home, I may even join the local volunteer EMS squad!
The focus of this blog has changed dramatically (ya think?). It's no longer about my writing, instead I'll focus on the journey ahead of me, from the very beginnings of how I reached this decision and -hopefully- I'll have the time and opportunity to let you in on the "Making of a Medic" at every step along the journey. Where the path leads, I have NO idea, but for now I'm thrilled to have taken the first steps onto the path.
My upcoming posts are going to focus on how I got to this point (ya' know: how I got my fat ass skinny enough to even consider this!) and what I've done so far in my three day old military career! :-)
Stick around folks, this could be fun!
Later!
6 comments:
Wow, Jim! I'll sure be around to read. I'm still totally amazed! Good for you!!
Berry Berry Interesting
Congrats, Jim! With the preparatory work you've done, it will help a lot. I won't begin to imply it will make the transition easy, but you're doing what you need to do to make it as painless as possible.
I have a home in San Antonio, and I've just retired, so I'll be paying close attention to your journey. Once they begin letting you out, hubby and I may be able to meet you for dinner or something if you like.
I'll probably forget to tell you closer to Jan. so I will tell you now...
Good luck!
Thank you all for the support!
Jean - Don't be surprised if I take you up on that offer. I have a feeling I'm going to need some friendly face by that point! :-)
Yup. You will. :)
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