Retired Reservist

Wow, I have let this site sit dormant a long time. So a quick update is in order - I retired from the U.S. Army as a Civilian employee after 32 years. Retirement is great - I highly recommend it. I am still waiting for age 60 to begin drawing my Reserve Retirement and more important - sign up for Tricare Medical which is a much better deal than my current Health Insurance arrangement. My Daughter (E-7 US Army Reserve) has deployed for her fourth tour. This time she left a 2 year old child behind...

Stumbled accross this sentiment... and I found it compelling TOMORROW IS NOT PROMISED Author Unknown Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, they serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are and who you want to become. You never know who these people may be: your neighbor, child, long lost friend, lover, or even a complete stranger who, when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment that they will...

Happy New Year to all – 2009 – the Year of the Non Commissioned Officer The news about what the Army has done for this year In October 2008, Secretary of the Army Pete Geren announced that 2009 would be designated as "the Year of the Noncommissioned Officer." In noting his gratitude and support for noncommissioned officers (NCO), Secretary Geren remarked that NCOs have provided invaluable service and continually proven their dedication and willingness to sacrifice. With our nation at war...

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first two American combat casualties of the Vietnam War with a special ceremony and wreath laying at The Wall on Wednesday, July 8, beginning at 10:30 a.m., said Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Memorial Fund. U.S. Army Master Sgt. Chester Ovnand and Maj. Dale Buis died on July 8, 1959, when their compound was attacked by North Vietnamese communists. Theirs are the first two names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial...

I recieved this from a Veteran Friend in the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association (of which I am a proud member) It speaks of the bond that veterans have and serves as a primer about why we are the way we are... When a Veteran leaves the 'job' and retires to a better life, many are jealous, some are pleased, and others, who may have already retired, wonder if he knows what he is leaving behind, because we already know. 1. We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that few...

The Army is allowing the resignation of the first commissioned officer to be court-martialed for refusing to go to Iraq. The Associated press reports that officer, First Lt. Ehren Watada, will be granted a discharge on Oct. 2, “under other-than-honorable conditions,” The Army attempted to court Marshal this officer for other charges related to his missing his unit’s deployment and with conduct unbecoming an officer for denouncing President George W. Bush and the war — statements he made while explaining...

The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment’s Todd Harrison has a new paper out warning that DOD is fast approaching a difficult choice: either fund the people or the weapons they operate, it will soon reach the point where it can’t do both. Read more : This article lays out what is the perennial “guns versus butter” debate. The butter includes pay and benefit increases that have what economists call “stickiness”: they are almost impossible to rollback. The increase in pay and benefits that...

Just returned last week from the Armor Warfighter Conference. This conference is hosted each year at Ft. Knox for the Armor community to foster communication and educate on developments within the Heavy Force. It is always very informative and provides an opportunity to get updated on what is happening in my basic branch. This year was a little quieter in terms of future plans with the FCS being recently de-tuned with regard to vehicle platforms. The future of the Armor force will include a varient...