So, as I consider hanging up my boots and finishing out what has been a total of 12 years in the Army (7 active) I like to think about what the Army has given me and the first thing I think of is education.

I'm not talking about a college degree in Radio/TV/Film production because the Army didn't give me that, and I'm still paying the college loans to prove it. They didn't do the work for me. In the summer of 1999 I received my FAFSA, the thing that tells you how much money the government will give you for college, and I was looking at it trying to figure out how much I was getting and it was basically nothing but the ability to take out student loans. I'm not quite sure how that happened because my parents weren't rich, we were struggling middle-class on our best day, we didn't even own our house. I was wondering where all of this money to pay for the tuition, books, lodging, food, gas, etc.  was going to come from. So, I called the local Army Reserve recruiter and asked him what I could get for college. Remember this was pre-9/11.

I received a great deal 25k in SLRP, GI Bill with kicker, and a $5,000 bonus, for one weekend a month, two weeks in the summer for six years. Hell yeah! What a deal! (By the way that all went away when I signed my ROTC contract, ergo the student loans I'm still paying.)

The best deal were the things not listed  in that contract, the education I received in basic training alone. Discipline, teamwork, critical thinking, those seven Army Values. Not that these values were lacking in my home by any means but to have the laboratory to actually see these values in action and  to apply them as a member of team for higher mission or purpose, that's where the difference was. 

I have no doubt that without nine weeks and four days of Hell that was BCT and DS GI, DS W, DS Go and DS C (yes I still remember their names) and their harassment, prodding and pushing to make me and my fellow Soldiers better people first and in the process Soldiers, I wouldn't have had the discipline to make it through college and get my comission without it. 

And as  funny side-note, DS W was the Battery First Sergeant for my first active assignment as an Lt. in the US Army, 5 years after basic training. I learned a lesson about RESPECT. You never know who you'll run into again, it's a small Army. I confronted 1SG W and verified he was indeed the DS from my BCT company, and he was. 1SG W saluted while smiling almost to laughter and said, "I knew I'd have to salute on of you ******* (I'll allow you to fill in the blank) someday. Congratulations, Sir!"