Sharing one lesson at a time
The heavy aircraft touched down hard and gradually slows while the vibrations from the engines dwindle. It almost feels as if the plane will fall apart. It always feels that way. The metallic rattling noises bombarding your eardrums from all directions serve as a reminder that you are in a piece of equipment constructed by …
He sat in the van and stared at the house. It was in the middle of the day, but he knew no one was watching. He didn’t care if they were. It didn’t matter. He had a job to do. He was focused. He hardly noticed the bead of sweat as it slowly rolled down …
What is the most common jobs/careers/positions that you encounter every day that you don't typically notice or think about, but upon further review, can't think of how life would function without it? For me, it is the mailman/woman. I never stop to think about it, but they come around almost every day, they are a …
It has been almost a year since I have blogged. I am not happy about that. I was in the middle of a project and enjoyed it to an extent, but it is not exactly the kind of writing I want to do. It is good practice and a positive step in the right direction, …
Now comes the time for a very harsh truth. This is not a concept I am addressing from personal experience. This is coming from statistics and observation. I have seen firsthand how true this is. After my first two years on active duty, divorce notices ceased to surprise me. I don’t mean to make light …
Continue reading "Lesson 34: Many veterans have had a practice marriage"
You never know when important things are going to happen. No matter how good you think your memory is, it is never a bad idea to always have writing material available. For certain military occupational specialties, it is even mandatory. Regardless of whether you are working security, policing, mechanical, administrative, etc., there is no reason …
Continue reading "Lesson 33: Always have a pen/pencil and notepad on you"
I am sure you already knew this, but this holds especially true for those serving in the armed forces. You may think that long distance is long distance, regardless of what your profession may be, but you would be wrong. There is an extra level of difficulty for people serving in the armed forces that …
Continue reading "Lesson 32: Long-distance relationships are not ideal"
While I was fortunate enough to learn this lesson before separating from the military, there are times when no matter how early you learn a lesson, habits are difficult to break. In many cases, no matter how hard you try, they never fully go away. Military jargon and sarcasm might as well be considered its …
Continue reading "Lesson 31: Military sarcasm and humor don’t translate well into civilian life"
I have no doubt that there are plenty of people that never served in the armed forces that will understand what I am trying to say. When I say “civilians,” I am referring to the majority. This rule, like any other, is not without exceptions. If you have every worked in any kind of public …
Continue reading "Lesson 30: Civilians complain about the funniest things"
A major part of military training and operations revolves around standardization. General training and principles that are in effect throughout the entire branch in a broad effort to mitigate as much confusion as possible. There is a reason that every member, regardless of military occupational specialty, regular enlisted, reserve, guard, officer, etc., goes through a …
Continue reading "Lesson 29: Be consistent, but not too predictable"
Journeyman's Legacy 