I spent last evening with a couple of Marines talking about their futures

One is on active duty getting out, the other is a serving reservist and both of them are at a crossroads of sorts. It really is a stressful time for the guy getting off of active duty because for the better part of a decade Uncle has been his employer and now he's headed into the civilian sector.

It's a stressful time and I remember mine. At least this NCO has a job to fall into. I got out with nothing at all but 60 days of leave pay, a tipi and hopes and dreams. The first 14 years I was out I was somewhat of a mess, catching as catch can. Life didn't really begin to settle down for me until I was about 40 when I began a career as a merchant mariner.

My rise there was meteoric and I went from an ordinary seaman to an AB/Tankerman and licensed officer in less than a year, cashing in sea time from commercial fishing and sailboat deliveries toward a small license.

Although I think the guy getting out of the Corps will do well I wonder how his adjustment will be. I suppose he's going to have to learn how to be a little more of a politician than he was in the Corps, but that shouldn't be too hard.

It was fun cooking dinner for a couple of the guys, we had salmon and they snickered when I made sure the cat got fed first. Kitty always goes to the head of the chow line here. Partly because it is the right thing to do and partly to keep him from being a pain in the ass when I'm trying to eat.

I did suggest he stay in the reserves, though, as if he can retire from the reserves as a Staff NCO he'll be OK when he gets to be 60. Sometimes I wish I had done that but truth is my life was too unstable at the time.

I have to get things done today .

In other news I got a QSL card from Ecuador yesterday dated mid September 2012. I was glad to get it but in another way it irked me as I had given up on him and had QSL requests sent to another pair of Ecuadoran stations which was an unnecessary expenditure.

I would imagine that ten years after I am dead and gone that a QSL card is going to show up at this address as another ham reported that he had one finally catch up with him from over 15 years ago.










To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html