Free at last....Goodbye Army! Hello civilian world!

Tomorrow is my last day. It's so hard to believe the day has finally come. It seems I've been dreaming of this moment from the day I signed those papers and raised my right hand. Well, ok, maybe not THAT early, but nearly. Ironically, during the packing of our home, I found an old journal. It was a journal from late 2002 to early 2003. In it, I wrote of my decision to join the Army, one that was suprising to many, probably most, in all honesty. "You have a degree," they'd say. "Why would you throw all that away?" They asked. Well, I didn't see it that way at all when I was considering my decision.

Looking back, I wanted to make a difference, do something "more" with my life, do something important. It was strange to go back and look at those words I had written seemingly a lifetime ago. I wanted to travel and see exotic places, little did I know what the Army had in store for me. I only wanted to sign up for 3 years, but they said it had to be 5, since I wanted to be an Army journalist - a "prestigious" job for servicemembers. Fine, I said. I just wanted to get on that plane to basic training as soon as I could.

My time in the Army was not what I expected it to be - not at all, actually. Once I got through basic training, I rode on a bus with about 30 other young soldiers, many of whom went with me to AIT (job training) to Fort Meade, Md. Little did I know, that bus ride would determine the future of my entire life. I met the man of dreams, my future husband, best friend, the most amazing man I know, on that bus. And slowly, despite the Army training we were going through, we fell in love.

We shined boots together, walked to the Post Exchange together (back in the days when we couldn't wear civilian clothes EVER), we went to the weekly movie on post together, and then one day, I received my orders sending me to Fort Hood, Texas, for my first duty station. I was sad, because I was sure it would mean saying goodbye to Dan. But he had other plans. We got engaged before I left AIT, and we were married about 6 months later, and he joined me at Fort Hood. Shortly thereafter, I received orders once again taking me away from Dan. This time thousands of miles away to the deserts of Iraq.

I did my job over there in Baghdad. I wrote my stories and took my photographs. Nothing I did was particularly astounding, nothing earth shattering, but it was the most proud I had ever been to wear the uniform. I got to meet the Iraqi Olympic team, I interviewed the Multi-National Corps -- Iraq commanding general many times, sitting alongside reporters from the Washington Times, NY Times, LA Times, etc, I wrote of a woman's shelter started by an Iraqi man, I befriended our Iraqi translator who worked with us in Public Affairs and learned so much about their culture. (I also ate a goat eyeball once, did I ever mention that? Ugh. Oh, and NO, I didn't know what I was eating.) Sometimes I was just taking group photos for different work groups who were in our palace, too. Was it exciting? No, not really. But hopefully somebody can look back and be happy they have those photos.

I went through many difficult times during my deployment, but one thing always remained constant - I had incredible family/friend support. I was constantly receiving emails, hand-written letters and care packages, and they really kept me going.

Once it was time to go home, it was hard for me and Dan, but eventually, we endured that storm and became closer than ever. I continued to work on our installation's weekly newspaper. Sometimes the assignments were exciting and new, and sometimes they were dreadfully boring, stories I could write in my sleep because I'd covered them a million times.

A year and a half after I returned from Iraq, we found out I was pregnant. We were ecstatic, waiting for our baby to arrive. I was so sad baby Welch would have to be born at a military hospital in Texas, but in the end, we were just thrilled to welcome the most amazing child into our lives. But the event was clouded by a package sent from FedEx, ironically, originating from St. Louis. The Army had thrown yet another curveball to us. Dan received orders of his own. He was going to have his own adventure. He left when Aidan was just 6 weeks old. That was the hardest day of my life, saying goodbye to him. At that point, we didn't even know where he was going. It could have been Tampa, Qatar, Iraq, or Cuba. My prayers were answered when we found out he was going to Cuba.

Now all that is coming to a close. The good and the bad. But overall, it was a good experience, and despite the many days I hated the Army and everything it stood for, I learned a lot about myself and other people. I learned I am stronger than I ever knew I could be. I feel like I've been tested so many times, even in these last weeks, my commander decided to cancel my dental surgery and reschedule it at her convenience, knowing I was going to be preparing to move, my husband was gone, and I was trying to clear the installation. So many times, I thought nothing else could go wrong, and then I found out it could and would, it seemed.

Sometimes during the midst of everything, I'd think, "Why did you waste your life? Why did you sign those papers so many years ago?" But then I have to stop myself and realize it wasn't a mistake. I wanted an adventure, and I got it - just not in the form I thought I would. Best of all, the Army esentially gave me my family, a wonderful husband and an amazing son. Now, I always tell Dan that we would have met anyway because we are soulmates, but the Army made it happen quickly.


But you know what? It's over; my time is done. Now I can just look back and *hopefully* say that I've made it through the roughest of times and came out a better person. I've always been quite independent, but I think now I've come to a point where I know I can do anything I want. So while it became more of a personal journey than a professional one, as I sit in my empty home, with my sleeping baby, knowing my husband is almost home, I don't regret it. It certainly wasn't a mistake. It wasn't a waste.

Oh, and did I mention my student loans are paid off? :)

Sorry this was so long. Hopefully somebody made it through the whole thing. In honor of my last day, here's an old photo of me before my first ride in a Black Hawk.