When I enlisted...

Lo these many years ago, I didn't have much idea what it meant to be of service. I mean, I knew what customer service was- because up until that point I had mostly held food-service jobs. I had a vague inkling that doing something nice for people not only paid but was sort of emotionally satisfying on occasion, even if the majority of the job sucked.

I joined the Air Force because I had no prospects and was tired of working as a night cook at Denny's, basically.

Now, the reason I had no prospects can mostly be laid at my own feet. Sure, sure- the man sort of kept me down too. The man being my family and socio-economic peers. The thing is, I could probably have gone on to university without having to scrape up the money, because I was good enough that I actually got a tiny music scholarship to Eastern Washington University without even applying.

And that's where we come down to why I didn't go to college: I didn't apply for any scholarships, financial aid, student loans, any of it. Oh, belatedly, as I was graduating, I mailed off a couple forms. But I never understood, and no one made it a priority to explain to me, how much was avilable for the asking.

My family was never much for using the system- more like throwing ourselves in front of the train theatrically and jumping off the tracks just in time to only lose a toe- and then blaming the system. My band teacher was the only one who worked on me to do anything along these lines, (Thanks, Mr. C) and thick-headedly, I ignored and failed to understand what he was talking about. I had no kind of future orientation, because I came from a sub-culture that lacked it. There was no barrier to my leaving that sub-culture, except for ignorance, lack of self-confidence, and laziness.

That's where the military came into my life. I never had much use for the idea of military service. I was vaguely aware that some members of my family had served, but I didn't think of it in those terms. When I finally realized I wasn't going anywhere and decided to do something about it, the military was the easiest route- not the only one, but the easiest. When you get far enough off the track, no path is easy- it takes more energy and effort to get back on track than it ever would have to stay on track. any rocket scientist or reformed criminal can tell you this.

I credit my current success in life almost entirely to my time in the military. It eliminated the nascent racism I had started to absorb at home (note: I'm STILL a cultural imperialist: never more so than now), taught me the value of understanding and following the rules, taught me about consistency, reinforced how important honour is (which had been a somewhat slippery and flexible concept up until that point) the value of planning for the future, and even (embarassingly now) better hygiene. Enlisting in the Air Force changed me from a trailer park brat to a citizen.

The only thing which I can claim as a major advantage that I didn't achieve through the military is a deep and abiding love of reading. I do thank my folks for that one.

In another country I might have been relegated to the trailer park forever, and people probably would have put barriers in my way deliberately, since I was trying to climbout of my class background. Some will point to the benign neglect we often see in America as proof that class warfare still exists. But I know better- I've seen true class and racial division in my travels around the world. I know that in America, the largest barriers to overcome are within each individual, and there are plenty of people willing and eager to show you how to overcome those barriers.

Take advantage of this gift.

Tag: Patriot's Journey (with JimK, Scott, Lil, Doug, and our fearless leader Drumwaster