Derick is second from the left.
Derick's sunbleached eyebrows were hardly visible next to his suntanned skin, but nonetheless I saw when they shot up when I'd spoke. He'd had his face glued to his iPhone and his thumbs had been working overtime. Probably texting one of his many girlfriends.
But now he was looking at me as though I had three eyeballs. His mouth fell open as if to say something, but as soon as it did, he snapped it back shut.
I looked him directly in the eye. "What?"
He grinned sideways and squinted his blue eyes at me. He shifted his large frame on the couch and stared at me for a few seconds. "I don't think I heard you right."
I played with the fringe of one of the pillows. "I said, I'm thinking about enlisting."
Derick's mouth fell slack again and his eyes widened just a bit. And then he looked confused all over again. He shook his clean shaven head at me. "Why?"
Derick's a friend of mine. He knows my situation with not being able to find a job. And he knows I have no desire to return to college.
But he also knows my temperment and ability better than most of my friends. And the reason I decided to talk to him about my contemplation was because he serves in the Army and has done a tour of duty in Afganastan.
My hands flew up, defensively. "Because, I'm jobless. Plus, the Army's got benefits. And it's service to my country... And it's a job."
Ba-ding!
Derick ignored his phone and awaiting text message. "Bullshit."
I think my face resembled a wrinkled Bulldog's at this point. "What kind of response is that?"
His attention was on his phone once again. "Mine."
Men. So freaking ridiculous.
"Derick, I'm honest to goodness considering enlisting. And I would appreciate some feedback."
Sighing, he flung his phone to the coffee table and laid his head back against the couch. "Don't."
"Why not?" I stared him down.
His gaze was directed toward the ceiling. "Because, Mand, you'll never make it."
"Why?"
He cut his eyes to look at me. He appraised me looking me up and down without moving his head or neck. And then met my eyes. "You are not military material."
I picked the nearest pillow and aimed it at his face. As it bounced off, he caught it. "What are you saying? I wouldn't survive?"
Derick's eyes always give him away. "No."
"But women survive the military everyday!" I narrowed my eyes at him
His smile was small. "Yeah, but Mand, they're not woman like you."
I swallowed. Time for a second opinion.
7 Back Talkers:
3 years commissioned service in the Army. What do you need?
I'm not really in the best position to give you an opinion on this, but, I think you'd be making a mistake in enlisting. I know you have good intentions, and I know you're tough, but it's brutal out there. I've got a cousin in the service and it's a hard life. Once you're in it, honestly, you can never really get out. Not mentally anyway...
You're better than that.
Hi, I just found your blog on 20sb!
I am loving it, and unfortunately I can't give you any input on enlisting, but you should do whatever you think would make you happy.
Can't wait to read more in the future!
For the record - I could never make it either! No doubt about it!
I have a bunch of friends in various branches and ranks, so I've heard multiple stories of people enlisting because they can't find another job. Almost invariably the make terrible soldiers. Not saying that you'd be one of them, it's just that people tend not to realize exactly what they're getting themselves into. They don't understand that when you sign that contract they OWN your ass for four years. If you don't make it through basic, you're mowing the grass. You can't quit. You're in. You're done.
Plus, and this is the real kicker, the skills you accrue in service rarely translate well into the private sector. If you score high on the ASVAB, then they'll teach you something useful. But if you do well on the ASVAB, you'd be better off going back to school, even if you don't want to.
I enlisted and I would have to say yeah it's hard. I was discharged in Basic Training due to a slight hand tremmor, they don't take to weakness kindly
i would say from everything that i can tell about you from your blog, i would have to say "Dont." its not for every woman, i served for 4.5 years, two tours in iraq, and its hard living. they dont care about who you are or what you want out of life, its their way or no way. your a free spirit, you dont need your wings clipped.
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