I may have nightmares about my friend trapped and burning alive in an MRAP hit by an EFP. But at least I know I'll never complain about a facebook friend not liking my status. Everything from here on out is going to be cake, and it's going to be fun because it's a zero-sum game compared to a deployment. This attitude pisses a lot of people off, though. People will measure and compare their life's tragedies to it because this belittles their struggles. Yeah, I know suffering, pain, tragedy are relative. Context, please. "but you signed up for it!" -fuck you

This is part of what I seek to gain from the army. A real fucking experience, let it shake me a little bit and give me perspective on what I should and shouldn't be whining about. I'm aware that what I'm saying may sound stupid but that's just the truth for me, it's what i want to do. Anyway I think we can be honest with ourselves and admit that it takes a few parts foolishness along with everything else to join the army.

I know West Point graduates are commissioned officers, i just didn't want to complicate my comment here. From whom I've spoken to at the USMA, it seems like getting into something like comms and even artillery corps is a popular direction for cadets who want to avoid directly coming under fire or being in a Humvee. But I'm going to be even stupider again and say that if I'm going to join i'm going to join and, granted all my ignorance and lack of grasp on the magnitude of what that decisions means etc. etc., I want to be close to the action.

I guess I'll make this a reply to iammyownrushmore as well, I just don't want to be sterile for the rest of my life and die with baby fat so to speak. I want to get dirty and get my ass kicked and know that I passed the most difficult challenges I could impose on myself. I want to be the sort of role model for my kids wherein they can look up at me and see fortitude and stoicism. It seems like this'd be the way to go for that. Even if I come out broken, that's my price to pay.