Sucky Anniversary to Me, to Me

As some of you know, today (June 6, 2016) is the 20th anniversary of my Got Kicked Out of the Air Force Day, and I've been pretty glum, gloomy and morbidly depressed about this coming day for months now. I could have been retiring by now, I could have made myself proud by earning a rack of ribbons the size of a license plate by now, I could have a lovely Air Force pension and VA benefits by now. But alas, I dropped the ball, I can never go back and I can never seize such an opportunity to make something of myself, not for as long as I live.  It's always "what could have been" that stings the deepest, and it's appalling how one or two bad choices in the wrong place or at the wrong time can negatively affect you for the rest of your life.  But who said that life is supposed to be fair, right?

So I'm sending off another letter to my former MetNav supervisor...an apology for failing him, while thanking him for being there for me despite me failing badly at MetNav.  Maybe after I put that behind me, I can get on with life...at least until my 30th Anniversary rolls around next decade.

Sorry for delaying the House of Ainsley campaign over my abject misery.  But if this website is going to return to livelihood, I can't carry it on my own two shoulders alone.  I'd like to see all of us pitching in to make the Vale great again.  How might we bring this about?

Ainsley, you know... you really are better than the person you were back then. we all are. (speaking about those of us who were there at the time) MetNav was not the be all/end all of your world. Hell, I doubt it would even be considered the high point of your life given what you have accomplished. Failure is not the same as defeat; without the challenge of failure, there is no drive to succeed.

If nothing else, I'm just a phone call away.

I should of responded to this earlier you are a good friend and I kinda know a little of what you are going through.  Yes it sucked that you got kicked out before you time, but let me tell you an uplifting story about how hindsight is 20-20.  

With about a year to go in my first enlistment I was sent my Career Job Reservation (CJR) paperwork so that I could re-enlist as an SP.  I wont go into all the specifics, but with 3 months to go until my reenlistment was up I was 200 on a waiting list of people to be retained in the SPs.  A number that  basically meant that I would not be able to get my CJR in time.  Also with only three months to go it was too little time to change career fields to remain active duty.  I wanted to stay active duty, but alas that was not to happen.  The only way I would be to stay in the AF was to switch to the USAF Reserves and change career fields, so I took the chance.  I was upset and to make matters worse I found out six months after I left the SPs reenlistment bonuses of 15-20k were being offered to those who remained in the SP career field.  So not only did I get gently pushed out of Active Duty, but I lost about 15-20k to boot.  

I'm getting long winded I know, but bear with me, here's the part where things begin to take a happy turn.  After spending six easy months at tech school at Sheppard AFB, TX I ended up becoming an Aerospace Ground Equipment Tech (AGE).  Being an AGE tech was harder physically than being an SP, but I found it a lot more rewarding.  Also those skills that I received have helped me out more in life that being an SP ever did.  That was the first good thing that happened to me after leaving active duty.  About three months after GD and Jazman tied the knot I met the woman who would become my wife and bless me with two (most of the time) wonderful kids.  That was the second good thing that happened to me because I left active duty.  One other thing that I will focus on it as follows.

Everybody remembers what happened on Sept 11, 2001.  If I had remained an SP I would have been deployed almost constantly for the next several years.  I don't know if would have enjoyed being deployed at such a breakneck speed.  I am also not sure if my wife would have enjoyed it either.  

Now the Moral of the story.  I strongly believe that none of the above things would have happened had I stayed active duty.  Call it Divine intervention (that's my choice), luck, karma, or fate I know nothing happens without a reason.   I don't know why you got kicked out of metnav, but there was a reason.  Maybe you have already figured that out, if you haven't it will come to you.  I do know one reason that you were in Montana was to meet and start a years long friendship with two cool dudes.  That has got to count for something.  

Hope this helps cheer you up and just like Golden Drakon, I am also only a text or phone call away.