Friday, June 10, 2005
Recruiters
Recruiters do have a rough duty in a lot of ways. They have to sell kids whose biggest decision was probably what kind of beer of to drink, into making a multiyear commitment to a completely alien life. This isn't like going to summer camp for week or even like going to college - you can drop out of college without being labeled a deserter.
My recruiter was Wayne "Robbie" Roberts - even after 30 years you don't forget - and I don't hold any grudges. Me enlisting was a good choice on my part and he made it possible. I can't say he told me the whole truth. I don't think he actually lied, but there was significant stuff left unsaid. He was actually the third recruiter I dealt with. With the second, I changed my mind just before (literally just before) I said "I do." The first, a Navy recruiter just blew me off. It took a year between tries for me to actually enlist.
What is now becoming common knowledge is that once the military has your "I do" they can pretty much do what they want with you. It wasn't always that way - common knowledge I mean. The fact that the military could arbitrarily extend your enlistment or change your job "promises" or send you places other than what you were "promised" was sort of hinted at, but not really known.
In my case, I never did really get my first choice of an assignment (northern Michigan) - or even my second or third. For me, after the first couple of years, I'd volunteer for anywhere else as soon as I go to wherever I was. I ended up with about 12 assignments in 22 years. I never got my job of choice and when it was all over and done with, couldn't even retire after 20 years like I planned. But, it paid for two Associates, Bachelor's and Master's Degree and sent me to places like Rimini Italy, Oberammergau Germany, the Midlands of England, and Colorado as highs and Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Shemya Alaska, and Merced California as lows. All in all, my life could've been a lot worse.
