Thank you for your words and your service. I too was in the enlisted ranks spending 6 1/2 years in the Army in Combat Arms (Scout) and Special Operations (PSYOP) and then was granted early discharge to start fall semester at UNC in 1997.
The article does a great job with the mention of accepting diversity. Understanding ethnocentrism was one of the fundamental teachings from PSYOP and enlightened me in ways like nothing else.
Codeslush's words ring true and reflect what I would say regarding another poster's comments about capitalizing on skills. The Army allowed me to capitalize on life. My sacrifices were miniscule for what I think I gained with my service.
We are fortunate that military service today in the U.S. is voluntary and as such is a very personal choice that is often misunderstood by many (even friends and family).
Be a generalist and open to any opportunity. If you are good at what you do and are dependable you'll make great connections with all ranks whether their enlisted or officer(commissioned/non-commissioned or warrant). And if you really excel there will be plenty of opportunities to work directly for (and yes with) O-6s and higher and see an entirely different military. If you're able and willing, the world by way of the military can be simply amazing.
I have always been a techie and still remember being playfully bashed for carrying around my Sharp 286 laptop after rotation back to staging at Hohenfels in Germany. The next hot startup, the successor to Geocities -> Friendster -> Myspace -> Facebook and the next bubble will be waiting for you to provide your date of birth and phone number whenever you're ready. Social media will still be around and solutions will still need to be solved. What won't wait for you is your youth and the opportunities that are tied to it.
I would choose the same path all over again today if I was 18 (or even 30) and wondering about what life might have in store for me. Toujours Pret!
The article does a great job with the mention of accepting diversity. Understanding ethnocentrism was one of the fundamental teachings from PSYOP and enlightened me in ways like nothing else.
Codeslush's words ring true and reflect what I would say regarding another poster's comments about capitalizing on skills. The Army allowed me to capitalize on life. My sacrifices were miniscule for what I think I gained with my service. We are fortunate that military service today in the U.S. is voluntary and as such is a very personal choice that is often misunderstood by many (even friends and family).
Be a generalist and open to any opportunity. If you are good at what you do and are dependable you'll make great connections with all ranks whether their enlisted or officer(commissioned/non-commissioned or warrant). And if you really excel there will be plenty of opportunities to work directly for (and yes with) O-6s and higher and see an entirely different military. If you're able and willing, the world by way of the military can be simply amazing.
I have always been a techie and still remember being playfully bashed for carrying around my Sharp 286 laptop after rotation back to staging at Hohenfels in Germany. The next hot startup, the successor to Geocities -> Friendster -> Myspace -> Facebook and the next bubble will be waiting for you to provide your date of birth and phone number whenever you're ready. Social media will still be around and solutions will still need to be solved. What won't wait for you is your youth and the opportunities that are tied to it.
I would choose the same path all over again today if I was 18 (or even 30) and wondering about what life might have in store for me. Toujours Pret!