I'd go back in as a Brigadier General. That's a good rank. You get all the perks and don't have to put up with much political BS.

It's funny that you should mention this. I'm actually very seriously considering going back into the military myself. Civilian life has started to become very dull in recent years and I have thought long and hard about creating a few more challenges for myself; although I've figured out that at 34 my choice of branches is pretty much decided for me...

We were under the water
We didn't do anything Noble like help a country in need of help, My daughters ship, the USS Ronald Reagan helped the philippines after their disaster, they provided supplies, water and power, a truly amazing ship
One of the great sub movies, people ask what it was like, I tell them you had to be there

Imagine being on a ship 1000 ft deep and it goes into a 35 degree up angle and then a hard left, the sirens are blasting, and no one is panicking , because they know their job. I have never been with a team like that before and will never again be around such a great bunch of guys again.

Ah, true, I can only imagine being under water for extended periods of time is quite different from being above water LOL

However, Ive just been informed I may be doing 14 days out on the water at a time or more. Wow, I am excited!!! I much prefer adventures without being shot at, so this is right up my alley and just what I needed. I am going in the morning to begin the paperwork and get the ball rolling. Take my drug tests, physical, and schedule hazmat class etc...

Go for it Amp!

Lots of people are considering this type of life change right now.

Do what feels right Amp.

But, remember, there's some cool work left to be done in the Mainstream that you are more than qualified to do.

You've said so much here and probably don't even realize it. The first lesson I picked out and it's one of the most important ones is that life is not greener on the other side.

You'll get out in the middle of nowhere and begin to miss home.

Am I sensing a mid-life crisis? If so, get some meth, a hooker and a hotel room. You'll figure it all out or die trying. :1orglaugh

The good news is that you're normal. You'd be abnormal if you didn't get restless in life.

I've found that memories are oftentimes just that...

Its sometimes the same with friends, too. Through Facebook I've reconnected with so many people from over the years all the way back to my childhood. We can share memories online that take me back to the best times in my life. When we get together in person there is nothing there. It kills the memory. It's sad.

I still remember one of your posts where you showed one of your "souvenirs" of that guy's ID. Pretty crazy.

My record is 64 days underwater, so if when you meet me I act a little different, thats why!

Yeah, I still have it. Unfortunately, the police decided to steal a bunch of my other war trophies.

Been doing some more thinking today about it? all this input and feedback is fantastic by the way, thank you everyone so far. :)

Still undecided though. It's very compelling. The reason I left the military the first time around is because a lot of my buddies were dead set on being career lifers, and I couldn't help but wonder what I'd miss out on if I stayed in. Combined with that, my Captain wouldn't let me change my MOS, and that was the dealbreaker. I was already pretty far out of touch with normal society by then. (not sure I've ever been in touch with it, lol) Well, I think that question has been answered. Mediocrity in suburbia awaits us all. Kind of like death. Death by re-runs of Friends & Seinfeld.

And so now that I'm nearing the end of my re-entry window, another block-of-life question has risen. Do I want to forever ask myself, "What if I was able to rejoin and finish my career time, and didn't?" Because that time is now. Ten or twenty years from now is far too late. So, I think in order to avoid regret, what I need to do is a self-diagnostic test first. If I can't survive 2 months here, of at least half intensity of what I'd have to go through, then I can put the whole thing to rest and leave the Taliban hunting to the 20 year-olds. So that's the next step I guess. Find out for real if I'm physically just too old or not. So I'll post my results in a couple of months I guess.

And in a way, it's sort of like one of those questions everyone always wonders aloud? "What if you could go back and do over [something] with what you know today?" So maybe not exactly a do-over? but sort of. :winkwink:

If there are any multi-war veterans here, how did you go about explaining to your families that you're potentially going to put yourself in the line of fire again? And how did you overcome their objections, if any?

shit.... I'm probably on the wrong forum at this point. Time to dig up some soldier forums.

I have no idea how the hell I'm supposed to ever convince my wife that strapping on body armor and going back to the middle east again is a good idea. I don't see her taking that little nugget very well. :(

Maybe should try your hand at being the Pope for a while, and see how that goes...

http://itodyaso.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/pope1.jpg

Perhaps you would be a good Pope - ever think of that?

The Vatican would burst into flames the instant I walked through the gates... :1orglaugh

Go try to find Osama Bin Laden.

Maybe just do a little Poping around your own area, you know, start local.

You can tell everyone you're the new neighborhood Pope, and see if they have anything for you to do, so you are not so bored any more.

There's a good change the Bradleys down the street need some sort of miracle performed, or maybe the Smiths need you to pray about something for them... who knows?

I just think you are dismissing the idea too soon. Start dressing a little more like the Pope every day, and see how you feel.

It is unlikely you will poo-poo this idea once you are wearing the big hat. I know this from personal experience!

It just wouldn't be the same unless I had my own PopeMobile.

Join the Military! Travel to exotic, far away lands! Meet strange and interesting cultures and native peoples.... and kill them.

Screw the Pope Mobile dude, that is sooo fucking yesterday!

Get yourself one of these babies!...

http://www.techchee.com/wp-content/u...-it-171007.jpg

Then you be popin' in style!

I just thought of some frightening potential irony...

what if I was captured by the Taliban and had my head amputated on a handheld video cam? :helpme



nah... the odds on that would be insane.

Now you're losing me...

http://www.thejetsblog.com/wordpress...06/towelie.jpg

Fuck, almost forgot.... Basic Training again..... with a lot of green kids.

Man, you really aren't taking the Pope thing seriously at all, are you?

This bird seems more focused on the Pope plan than you. I am very disappointed...

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...-bird-pope.jpg

It never ceases to amaze me how signing a piece of paper can completely 100% change your life.

Probably depends on the sign...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3661/...0e5817c155.jpg

Why not just find a rich girlfriend and move to Maui and surf all day and enjoy life, oh wait....

i don't really know how to comment on this my father is over there fighting right now an i wish he was here but at the same time he loves what he does so it's all on if thats where your heart wants to be then you need to listen to it an follow what it is tellin you to do but if its just something you want to do for the hell of it again then dont do it cuz anything can happen an it hurts more on your family side then anything just something to think about but if you do go be safe an come home safe iight

I tried that. Thought that was supposed to be "the life" everyone was after. I was misled. :disgust

this is riden in style lol i wouldnt mind driven it hahahaha:thumbsup

Lots of pros and cons to consider... but I keep coming back to this fundamental question:

Do I want to live the rest of my life and go down remembered by my family, wife, kids, & grandkids as some creepy old guy that makes porn sites all day.....

http://brokenzombie.com/junk_bin/gfy/geek001.jpg

http://brokenzombie.com/junk_bin/gfy/geek002.jpg

or take control of what's left of my life on Earth, and go out a warrior in the noblest profession there is.

http://brokenzombie.com/junk_bin/gfy/soldier001.jpg

http://brokenzombie.com/junk_bin/gfy/soldier002.jpg

http://brokenzombie.com/junk_bin/gfy/soldier003.jpg

http://brokenzombie.com/junk_bin/gfy/soldier004.jpg

What it boils down to is trying to prove that leaving was the first time around was the wrong choice. Chances of coming to that decision? 50/50 at best? Probably more like 25/75 against. Reason being that as a principled young man you made your first choice to leave when you had absolute clarity. Nothing has changed that decision.

Just because life in suburbia failed you (like it does for most intelligent people) doesn't mean that your original decision was wrong, it just means that you didn't find the right alternative.

I suggest you take a hard look at yourself and find out how you can use your considerable talents in some outdoor pursuit. I would suggest trying something like trapping (form of hunting) because it takes you out of the city for a few days at a time, puts you in touch with nature, and more importantly yourself.

Give it a try. Take a tent, and some basic foodstuffs and see how you get on hunting for your food, foraging for wild edible plants and cooking on your own.

My gut tells me that basically you need to find yourself again, having lost touch over the years because of the urban decay you choose to replace the army.

One of my goals is to build my own outdoor cabin in the wilderness and hike, canoe and hunt. I'm lucky that where I live offers some of the best outdoors in the world and this is wholly attainable for me. But maybe its something you might need at this point.

You have nothing to lose but the gradual decay of your current urban hell.

Being prior service, I don't think you'll go back in at less than E-3 and all you prior time in service will count for promotions so you'll only remain at a lower rank for the minimun amount of time to qualify for the next promotion. You'll move up in rank really fast.

I can't join, I had an opp on my foot years ago and they will not accept me now. :)
Good news for me.

And dying for oil and Israel territory. No. :)


Seriously, I think only fools want to go on war when they have no reason to do that. But what the fuck I know, I've never been on any war. :winkwink:

Become a farmer, great way to occupy yourself when you got ADHD.

Yeah, I was supposed to be E-5 (Sergeant) when I got out, but I kept turning it down for the last 5 months of my time because I figured I was getting out anyway. So worst case, I think I'd probably be dropped down to PFC, probably be promoted back to Specialist right after basic again, then probably be sent to PLDC for E-5 stripes soon after.

That's my guess anyway.

No kids? Get couple and be busy.