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I have read all these accounts from the people within (Vignettes section) and I feel a pride in my chest that I miss. I served in the US Army for five years before I was Honorably discharged due to disability. My knees are bad. I find myself missing the military, missing the people, missing the structure and missing the experiences to come after those I have, due to one choice I made. To join the Army. I do not miss, however, waking at six for PT or going outside when it is raining to make sure my 5-ton was serviced, or any other number of things like being eaten alive in the field. So much peace and quiet it soothed the soul, and guard shifts at ) dark thirty in the morning. No, I can safely say I do not miss that. Too much anyway...ok not enough to go back in!

I, as many here have said as well, do not regret my decision to join at all. I was lucky though. I did not have all the trials that some women did or even do, because for some reason, maybe it was being in the Aviation field I have no idea, but the guys I worked with excepted me. Some females they did not. But they did me and I am very glad of it as I made so many friends, and lost touch with them as well due to any number of situations.

I am also glad of all the skills I learned. I had never fired a weapon before I joined the army, never even knew about first aid. Didn't know there was something called "repelling". Though I must confess that I did not enjoy the road marches, could have done quite well without them to be sure. Mostly, the material covered fun and interesting things to do and learn!

I will never forget the first time I went to the field. I was in Germany, my first duty station. We had gone to Hoenfelds (I think that's how it is spelled) and I was sitting outside on guard duty with a specialist (E-4). I was a private (E-2). I asked him where the fire was. I had brought stuff for Smores and I was anxious to dig in. I will never forget the stunned look on his face, as it took him a moment to figure out if I was serious or not. I was. He then explained to me that there were no fires when you were on duty on the perimeter. That would give away a position pretty quickly, especially at night. I had been camping and so on before I joined, so when it was cold I just assumed the Army took care of its people and they would have a fire out where it was needed most. Boy, was I wrong! For good reason too. It is times like that I miss. I also miss the nosey sergeants who ask where you are going, and never ask again when you tell them in detail, but I am mischievious that way. So many memories, some good and some bad but all great in their way.

I wanted mostly to thank all of our military members, men and women. To all you who are able to serve, Thank you. To all of us that have served and miss it, or have served and are very glad it is over, Thank you as well. God bless America, and her protectors. Best wishes to all.

When I went into the service it was still called the Women's Army Corps. I was in the next to the last class that would be called the Women's Army Corps. It was the first time I had ever been away from home. Even though I was married, we had lived close to my parents. It was a culture shock. I never knew that a bed could be made so tightly. By the time I made it through basic I had learned a lot about myself and did a lot of growing up. After basic I was transferred to Fort Jackson for AIT. When I got there I called my then husband and begged him to come and get me and take me back to Ft. McClellan, Al. I even decided that I would rather face my Drill Sergeant, Sgt. Joyner than stay at Fort Jackson. As you can tell I made it through AIT and enjoyed almost 10 years of military service. I have been places that I would never have been able to visit. I have been out since June, 1983 and still miss it. Thank you for the chance to visit your site.

I started active duty Oct "80. Even thought I signed a contract which stated somewhere in it that I would serve in accordance with the needs of the military, serving during wartime seemed a very remote possibility. I enjoyed military life for the most part, especially my tours in Germany and S.H.A.P.E., Belgium. I met my future husband during a tour at Ft. Bliss, TX. We joined the Army Married Couples program and were reassigned later together in Germany and were blessed with a baby girl not long after. Life was good. But also during this time Desert Shield was getting underway but I was nonplussed. Even when I was attending BNCOC and soldiers were being pulled from the course to return to their home stations for deployment to Saudi Arabia I remained unfazed. When we were told the Dining Out and BIVOUAC/Range Fire phase of the course had been cancelled because of the activities in the Gulf of course I was thrilled to my eyeteeth. I could deal with the field but if I didn't have to, so be it. It wasn't until my return to my home station in Germany that that would change. I arrived to work one day and at first formation we were "locked down". We were told we would be deploying in less than two weeks. It was a few days before XMAS. It was a most depressing XMAS. Reality had finally hit. While I was there my husband underwent a major surgical procedure. He was a Platoon Sergeant (a hard-headed one) and he took our daughter along with him in a backpack "papoose' style because the child care provider was giving him a hard time because of the irregular hours he now spent at work (we're at war, duh!), and his unit demanded almost all of his time. I watched my daughter's first steps on a video tape he sent me. I would stay up till around 3 or 4 in the a.m. (Saudi time) to talk to them no matter how long

the waiting time in the phone line. On 14 Feb '91 I miscarried our second child. I never even knew I was pregnant. I told no one. Not even my husband until years later. I guess I went into a semi-state of depression but worked even harder to cover up my feelings. One day I was feeling so low I took off my wedding ring and threw it as far as I could into the Arabian desert.

from the Persian Gulf on Dana's birthday I called Alaska 411 and got Dana's number. She was happily surprised and I was totally mortified. It was around 2:30 a.m. Alaska time. I had completely forgot about the time difference only thinking that I wanted to wish her happy birthday since she mentioned it in one of her letters. Yes, there were some things I wish had never happened and some things I wish could have happened during my military life but which ever they happened to be they have left an indelible impressions to this day.

Thirty Four years ago yesterday I raised my hand with my recruiter and started down a course I have never regretted. I got put on the first airplane I had ever been on and off to Bainbridge. Having never left the altitude of the Rockies, I suffered a bit of reverse altitude sickness and spent my first 48 hours shuttling back and forth to the dispensary trying to stop the nausea and vomiting and trying to convince the Lieutenant Doctor that I was not a baby looking for a way out!! I learned the Navy came first then and now. I thought (silly me) since we were scheduled to graduate on New Years Eve, they would take pity on us and let us go home before Christmas, no such luck. The surprises just kept coming - I had agreed to stay at Bainbridge for 6 months til a seat opened in DT school in San Diego, the day my orders were read found me going to Norfolk as a Yeoman. 2 3/4 years on COMNAVAIRLANT Staff led me to want to re-enlist, I wanted to be a recruiter! Well I was offered places I would not be effective at OR Pentagon duty!!. I opted to come home

and 11 months later I entered the Navy Reserve. Now I am in the twilight of my wonderful career - I have been places, seen things, met people that have enriched my life to a degree no one can believe. In 15 months I will give my son his commissioning oath and offer his services to the US Marine Corps. At that point I am not sure who will be more proud - He that his Mom is retiring or me that he is a 2ndLT. It has been wonderful.

"Reflections of My Military Life"