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Baldrick,
My thoughts and prayers are with you. This is sudden news and I admire the courage with which you are handling this. I would like to shake your hand, sit down, and swap war stories over a cold one, but geography forbids. However if you find yourself over here in the colonies (specifically the Washington D.C. area) hit me up. First round is on me.
In all seriousness, good luck to you and your wife. This is a huge transitional period for you. One day at a time, my friend.
Semper Fidelis, from a guy with a lot of respect for the British military.
i'd like to add my well-wishing, baldrick, and say that i have always had a lot of respect for the men and women that can stick it out for an entire career in the military. it was largely the example of the american vets that i knew growing up that inspired me to join the military, and i've since then had the opportunity to work with a decent amount of british and australian servicemen and women, and have found them to be just as awesome as the marines that i lived with for four years.
I wish you all the best. Once you do get settled make an appointment with the VA and make sure you speak with one of the social workers so they can explain all the things going on and what other benefits you may have available.
Well, like the headline says i'm going to be a 'veteran' and it's going to be within the month.
No-one needs to reply to this, this is more to get it straight in my head and i know that this will have an audience that will probably have some idea of what's going through my headat the moment.
I did 25 years and you had best put it all behind you because for the most part, it won't matter much in the outside world. So good for you completing your career but move on fast.
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 08-09-2012 at 07:50 PM..
Reason: Fixed Quote
Got up and ready as usual although i gave myself an extra 20mins as today especially, I wanted to look perfect. Walked around the side of the block onto the edge of the parade ground and rather than just my Company some joker had paraded the whole Battalion.
My Battalion Commander and his staff didn't do an inspection this morning, they had a march past. So today on my last day I got to see my lads, all of them, for one last time. More than a lump in the throat I can tell you.
I'm being collected by a few of the Sergeants in about 15mins when they'll escort me off the base. That I think is when it'll hit hardest. Traffic allowing and with a stop or two I should be home in 6 hrs or so where my wife will be waiting, poor love. She must be wondering what the hell's going to come up the drive to meet her.
I am sorry for the diagnosis...I work with a few retirees with MS...oddly the military has a high rate of MS
My advice is to be ready for the mental stress of retirement. All military folks talk a lot of crap on active duty..."when I retire,"______. Simply fill-in blank. Then, we finally officially retire and stress kicks in.
My advice to you, is to do something immediately, to help you during the transition to civilian life. I have talked to many retired military, its a fact that retirement is the happiest, most stressful time in our life. Some guys have sat on their porch chilling out fine, but a few days later, they are no longer chilling out but stressing...its not financial stress, marital stress, just stress. For me, (let me be clear here, I was not a Marine or Army on the front lines), but I did contribute to help those folks execute tasks that I could not. What stressed "me" out was when I lost that ability or the job that contributed to a higher cause helping our country fight whoever. My thoughts at the time, so now, I am suppose to fall in line and be an "average Joe" i.e. WalMart greeter, store cashier, truck driver, etc. Not contributing directly to the cause was bothersome to me, I don't know when it happened but it happened to me, and I was biggest talker too, a few days into retirement I had full blown depression. I was so confused that I was contemplating divorce, a move, anything...this is not the end of my life!....here, doing this! What helped me is being employed and contributing directly to the cause...and a very very very strong wife!...what would we do without them!?! My depression was there for probably six months, it just went away eventually, for me specifically I followed some of my fellow crazy retirees by completely blowing off terminal leave and started working immediately.
My long winded point, I can tell by your introduction that you will be stressed. I am telling you to monitor the transition, evaluate whats occurring and possibly causing the issue...also don`t ignore me, "ah, this is another paranoid retired military guy," because its going to happen, that's how we are wired...we have to be doing something.
Finally, Thanks for your service! Take your right hand, reach up and back over your shoulder and pat yourself on the back...that's from me. Good Luck!
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