To Reenlist....or not

This post is for Aaron. As I knew it would happen, the guy who was dead set on getting out of the Army now thinks he might want to stay in. I say I knew it would happen simply because his only reasoning for wanting out was because of this place...not Alaska...but how backwards the Army is here. Its kind of like they have their own set of rules. Pretty sad for those who have this place as a first duty station because their standards are really low. The things I have seen them let slide here amaze me. At Ft. Campbell rules were strict but they had to be. That makes good soldiers. And who wants to go to war with someone who can't follow simple instructions. At Campbell...and you will hear me sat this a lot as I really miss the place...if you got a DUI you got kicked out of the Army. Here I know of people who have gotten 3! At Campbell...you yelled, rolled your eyes, or smarted off to an NCO (Non Commissioned Officer) you would regret it for the rest of your career if your career in the Army continued. Here, if Aaron dares to treat a soldier the way he was treated...they tell him to slack up on them and not be so hard on them. Are you kidding me!!!!!! These men HAVE to respect each other and they have to TRUST each other. They place their lives in each others hands. Would you get in a car with someone you thought couldn't drive...well our soldiers have to go to war with people they barely know, and pray that when the going gets tough...they remember what they were taught!

Aaron loves being in the Army. It's what he's always wanted to do. Some kids dream of being doctors and lawyers, but Aaron wanted to be in the Army. He loves it and he's good at it. He has succeeded so much during his 6 years in the Army (October is his year mark). He is currently at the highest rank for his time in service...meaning that since he's only been in for 6 six years he can't be any higher rank than E-6 which he is. He is working on his 3rd full year deployment. He has the respect and admiration of a large group of young soldiers who think SSG Potter rules the world and they will do anything he tells them to. They may not always like it but they listen to him because they respect him. He really cares about his guys and teaches them the rules of the real Army...not the slack, second rate rules that they lives by here. Aaron wants his guys to be prepared for whatever comes and he works everyday to do that. He is very proud of his guys and though he's hard on them...he believes firmly in pushing for their promotions. And he does. If you can't tell I'm extremely proud of him but it's not just because I'm his wife. Take one look at the shadow box that is full of medals and you will see for yourself that he is quite the soldier! (Yeah he's going to hate this paragraph of the post!)

But back to my reason for posting this. He was leaning towards getting out of the Army and I have to admit the idea was sounding nice. Moving home near my family, buying a house, having a "normal" life. It's all sounds great but then again...we have a normal life. This all seems normal to me. There are parts that I don't like with deployment being right there at number one but over all the Army has been good to us and I can't say too many bad things about it. So I thought I would lay out a list of pros and cons for reenlisting and let Aaron see what he thinks. He knows the decision is up to him and I support him in whatever he decides and I'm confident that he will make the right choice. So here's a little list to help the process. Love you babe!

Pros~
1. Loves this job
2. Dependable job (meaning no chance of getting laid off!)
3. Decent pay
4. Free (except for dental for me and kids) benefits
5. Chance to change your job if you get tired of this one...without changing companies or going without pay
6. Meeting new people...some of which we will remember for a life time
7. Chance to be a real life action hero!!!!
8. Chance to go to schools (and I'm not talking about book, educational school...I'm talking about Ranger School, Airborne School, and slew of other Army schools to increase the danger of his job...but he loves it!)
9. 6 years, 8 years before this enlistment is up towards retirement meaning you could retire at age 41

Cons~
1. DEPLOYMENTS...need I say more
2. Being away from family
3. Living life constantly "on call" and ready at a moments notice
4. Having your life dictated by the man
5. Pay is not that great...yes I know the other says decent pay but...for what he's doing...risking his life and all...and I know he could make more doing other jobs
6. Less than superior health care...there's a catch with that free benefits...you get second rate doctors!
7. Not being able to plan a wedding (I still want to have a big wedding/renewing vows...wanted to do it on our 5 year but he will be in Iraq) or vacation because you don't know if you will be home