It was 51 Years ago that I signed up. To this day, I can’t be 100% certain what made me do it. With high school graduation, some commitment had to be on my horizon, though at the time it was hard for me to see beyond what I might be doing next week or even tomorrow. To join was not as much about making a decision one day as it was about a way to delay a set of decisions. It was a guarantee that I wouldn’t have to worry about making money, feeding myself, or putting a roof over my head for at least the next four years. The military would take care of all that, and educate me, and let me serve with my friends. What could possibly go wrong in the years 1975 to 1979?
It was a strange time, as we were still spinning from the 60s and trying to land the 70s with the fall of Saigon and the Helsinki Accords, Star Wars and Jaws, disco and punk, pet rocks and mood rings, Jonestown and Three Mile Island. In the military at the time, there were life lessons to be learned, but not always good ones. It was the first time I was on the receiving end of prejudice and felt the flames of hatred aimed directly at me because I was, what, a sailor. It didn’t make sense, and neither did it make sense that someone with a higher pay grade than me had absolute power over my life. Cross a higher-rank member in a way they didn’t like, and they might not only make your military life difficult but might also threaten to make your civilian life miserable with a less-than-honorable discharge. However, through it all, one of the most important lessons I drew from that period, and one that is a big part of how I live my life today, is self-discipline, and for that I’m grateful.
It took a while, but I came to realize the four years I spent actually meant something beyond those lessons. So sure, thank me for my service, but understand it wasn’t about combat missions or guts and glory; plenty of folks braver than me have literally put their lives on the line. For me, I finally figured out that it’s about setting aside four years of my life for something much bigger than me, and that I truly care about this country and what happens to it. It’s how I learned to love America.
And on this day, today, now, the American flag once again means something to us, together.
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