How things change!

Like the last post by Jaime said, it would be awhile until this post, but here it is and how things have changed. I know its a little long but if you care to know, its all pretty much here.

I would like to start with a little history in case your new to the site or just want a complete update. So take a few moments out of your day and read on if you'd like; we've had quite the roller coaster ride.

Way back in 2006 I would say I saw the writing on the wall and decided to do something with my life to better secure a future for my family. I started going back to school nights. My business, Yankee Exteriors, enjoyed a few years of prosperity but had some major set backs when three companies that we did alot of work for decided not to pay for work we had completed and then proceeded to go bankrupt destroying any hope of settling for any payments. Money lost was in the tens of thousands but I was determined not to pass my debt onto the workers and sub contractors who had bills and families to feed as well.
I paid all the company debt and payroll using my business line of credit which quickly added up to fifty thousand dollars. I laid off all the workers and Dave and I kept going with one job at a time.
Things were surprisingly working out and I was making a dent.
At this point the work started to slow down quite a bit. In order to stay in school and on the path to a new career, I sold the company vehicles and down sized to just one truck (A necessity in construction.) Things were starting to get real tight so Jaime and I decided to put the house on the market. This turned out to be the beginning of the bad housing slump.
In September of 07 we found out Jaime was pregnant. Shortly after that I found out I was accepted into the Radiation Therapy Program at NHTI, a career that was to be personally and financially rewarding. We took the house off the market in hopes of finding a way to keep it for our new growing family.

At this point work was slow but steady. In December of 07 and January of 08 we were dealt with some personal issues that prevented me from working. Dave did his best to keep the business going but it was apparent that we needed to make a drastic change in order to keep the future bright. I must say that without Dave's help, we would simply not have made it through!

Our beautiful baby girl was born in May and she definitely gave us a sense of purpose to what we were shooting for. With everything that had happened to us up to this point we were still very hopeful for the future. Then, feeding issues with Josie prevented jaime from returning to work. We put the house back on the market for a short while but the market had gotten worse.

Things were tighter then ever but they were also looking very promising. Certain things seemed to fall in line. We found a family to rent our home, we moved into a two bedroom apartment that Dave got. He took one room and me, jaime and Josie in the other, (Like I said, things were tight!)

I started school full time in August and took a part time job at FedEx providing full benefits for our family and I showed up once in while to help Dave do what little work we had for Yankee. Jaime's former employer hired her back on a part time home basis and she became an Avon sales rep.

In the nightly reports there was nothing but negative news about the economy. These current event are something that this country has never experienced. We had been struggling for a few years so it seemed as though we were used to the hardship and with a bright future in the medical field, that was pretty much recession proof, things were looking pretty good.

Going to school days and working nights and studying every moment in between while Jaime took care of Josie, the bills, the house, and working two part time jobs was definitely a huge struggle but the sacrifices we were making was going to be worth it!

Then things seemed to happen all at once. Construction jobs came to a complete stop. Bills started to pile up. Jiame's part time job at home was eliminated. And without getting into too much detail, clinic rotation at school, which was in Dover, and the fact that the course demanded more of my time and energy limiting the hours I worked at night and was becoming increasingly stressful. I had no option but to discontinue school and try to find work. This meant I would give up any hope of getting back into the program unless I went through the complete application process all over. And even then, if I was excepted again, I would not start up the program until 2011. This meant we would struggle to this degree until 2013; something my family decided against for our own sanity.

Unfortunately there was still no construction jobs to be found. I found someone to buy my truck which took a little pressure off but only for a short while. In early February it didn't look to good and I half jokingly brought up an idea to Jaime that has always been in my heart. Until this moment Jaime has been dead set against this idea so I was fully prepared to be shot down in flames. I simply said, "What if the military would take me back?" To my surprise Jaime simply said, "At this point, that sounds pretty good to me." Over the next few weeks we discussed it and went over the pros and cons and though, under normal circumstances, the apparent negatives would make us decide against it, we felt that it was a real and viable option for us under the current circumstances.

I began to talk to a recruiter while continuing the discussions with Jaime. We went over every possible option that was a real and feasible for us. Go back to school; can't afford it on a part time salary of only $160/week. Try to climb the FedEx ladder; Bad economy, even they are freezing any hiring and promotions. Everything we came up with seemed to be redirected to the option of going back into the military. But even this option had its obstacles.

The Air Force (Which I served in for six years) was completely full and not taking any prior service unless you went back to the job you held previously. I was a crew chief on F-15's and had no interest in doing that again. Come to find out I was too old to go back into the Air Force anyway. There were no jobs in the Marines or Navy that I wanted to do.... I didn't want to be on a boat for six months at a time anyway. The Army seemed to be the only option I had and they had all the jobs that I wanted to do.

In the process of re-enlisting I had to get my college transcripts. To my surprise I had 39 credits in Criminal Justice from Hesser College and 35 credits from NHTI which were mostly in general studies. So I met with Hesser and they were willing to give me an Associates in Criminal Justice after completing a few more classes. (Though I have more then 60 credits, I needed to spend a little more money for them to give me the degree.... understandable.... they just can't hand me a diploma.)

I contacted a friend on the Manchester Police Department who informed me that I was not over the age limit and that the department was conducting a round of testing in April. This was good news but something that I have been through before. Back in 1996 I passed all the tests and was ready for the Chiefs interview when I was dropped from the selection process. I have no idea why but it was probably a good thing at the time. I was still a bit immature and probably not ready to be an officer. I know I could do the job now and most people who know me think it's the perfect job for me but it wouldn't be a guarantee. I would be going up against kids less then half my age and against current certified police officers. The chance that I would be selected would be very small. My family decided that it was too big of a gamble to put all my effort into something with such big odds. I needed more of a sure thing. Having said that, I plan on taking the test anyway.... what the heck, I have nothing to lose.

So basically, I have two career paths to choose from; one in criminal justice and one in the medical field. I made a list of jobs that I would be willing to go back into the military for. My list was about twenty-five jobs in the medical field, law enforcement and a few that sounded really cool to do. (But were at the bottom of the list) Top three picks.... Surgical tech/medic, Military police and EOD (Bomb squad).

I went down to MEPS (Military entrance processing station) down in Boston about a month ago to take the physical. I was required to take the over forty physical which required a few extra tests like glaucoma a DRE and an EKG. If you don't know what a DRE is, look it up.... it wasn't pleasant for me or the doctor (I hope it wasn't pleasant for the doctor!)
I passed most of it but failed the blood test due to high cholesterol and I had to wait for my EKG results. I was told that most guys over forty fail for high cholesterol and they automatically submit a waiver request. So I basically had to wait to see if my EKG was good and if my waiver was approved. Last Monday I got the call that my waiver was approved and my EKG was good to go. I had to back down to MEPS Wednesday to sit down with a job counselor and pick a job. I waited six hours to meet with the counselor. He called my name and as we walked back to his office he asked me what job I wanted. I said I wanted something in the medical field and he immediately said, "That will not happen!"

I know the games they play at MEPS and I know they are full of crap so I stuck to my guns and had him try for something in the medical field anyway. What normally takes about twenty minutes took an hour and a half. I must say that the counselor did what he could; made phone calls, looked up army regs and requirements but could not put me in anything in the medical field. He showed me everything that was in writing and had me listen in on the phone calls with Army head quarters. I was satisfied with the fact that he wasn't blowing smoke and was in fact doing what he could.

The problem with selecting a job is that I am prior military who is going in with rank. this makes it difficult to place me in a particular battalion when it is structured in a way to accept new privates.
Another obstacle I had was the fact that the economy is so bad that the Army is getting full. There is a tremendous spike in recruitment. Plus guys who would normally get out of the military after serving a few tours in Iraq are looking at the job market on the outside and seeing the unemployment rates climb to levels not seen in fifty years, that they are scared to come out. This causes a rank heavy Army making it difficult for a guy like me going in with rank to be placed. In fact, as of next week, the Army will not take any prior enlisted people. As I sat there with the counselor it became apparent that it was now or never.

Thinking of all that we have been through over the past three years it was a decision I could not make on my own. I was given the opportunity to call Jaime and discuss with her the options I had in front of me. I guess I could say that it didn't take any pressure off me because she put all her trust in me to do what was right for my family.

So down the list I went... Next choice, military police. That was a flat, abrupt NO. For reasons stated above, this career field was completely closed to prior service.
Things didn't look good and I was prepared to say thanks for trying and walk out but instead I asked him a question. Actually I made a statement. I said, "why don't you tell me what is available for me and I will make a decision then." So jokingly he said, How about being a cook?" I didn't find it to funny so he turned to his computer and started to type away. Only two jobs came up that I could do. The first was MOS 11x, This is the job code for Infantry. Though I respect the infantry and they are in my prayers all the time, I was not prepared to join their ranks. I needed to secure a job that would benefit one of my career paths.
The next job that came up was MOS 89D..... job code for EOD, Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
Out of the twenty-five jobs that I listed, EOD was my third choice!

I called Jaime immediately and asked what she thought. She gave me her blessing because she said the sound of my voice said it all. I was excited to get a job that I wanted.
I secured the job and began the paper work.

Its not a done deal though. One benefit for my future career is that this job requires a Top Secret Clearance which will take a while to be approved. I don't see why it wouldn't be but if it doesn't I will not be going back in.

While I am in the service, I will complete my Criminal Justice Bachelors degree and have experience in EOD. That, along with my prior service will make it easier to secure a job when I get out in four years.

So if all goes well, I will be leaving June 17th. I will go to WTC which is a four week course to bring prior service soldiers up to Army standards. Then I will be going to Alabama for 10 weeks for phase I of EOD training. Phase II of EOD training is twenty-five weeks and according to Army regs, anything over six months is considered a PCS (permanent change of station) and allows your family to join you. Sooooo...... Jaime and Josie will be joining me for phase II at Eglin AFB in Florida! If class dates fall in succession, we will be spending next winter in F-L-A.

I take comfort in the fact that I can count on friends and family to help out Jaime and Josie while I am away for fourteen plus weeks.

And by the crazy chance I pass the Manchester Police tests....... Maybe they will be willing to wait four years to get a more qualified officer!

Thanks for all your support and continued prayers. Things are actually worse then ever but the future looks gooooood.