Today is the first of 90 days on active duty with the Army. I am at
Fort Meade in Maryland attending the defense information school. This morning
my wife saw me looking anxious as I got ready to leave and asked what was bothering me. I thought for a
minute and then told her that I was thinking about going to a new unit and
having active duty soldiers presume I was a shitbag.
The Army and all military services are very competitive.
Everyone is sizing everyone else up based upon their appearance or how they
speak or how they carry themselves. So I know that when active duty soldiers
see someone who is my age and my rank they assume I am some kind of hold over
National Guard failure. At my age I should be a general or a Sgt. Major or a
warrant officer five. They don't assume I started over after a quarter-century break in service.
When I reported to school today they sent me to the
billeting office to get quarters. I walked in the company responsible for
quarters and told them I was reporting for school. There were four young
soldiers at two desks in that room. One of them got up to ask the Sgt. in
charge where I should be assigned a room. The soldier who was walking turned
and asked one of the soldiers who is sitting down which group I should be in.
One of the soldiers who is sitting down said with an obvious
sneer “He’s a reclass, look at him.”
The soldiers who attend Army schools are either straight
from basic training or they are being reclassified. I am obviously not straight
from basic training.
At 5 AM tomorrow morning I will start to undo one assumption
that young active duty soldiers make about old National Guard sergeants. Students have physical training every morning at 5 AM. They will expect me to have a profile or waiver and not participate.
When I reenlisted six years ago I knew this would happen. At
the time I didn't think I'd still be here past age 60. Tomorrow I will process into the school and do what ever other paperwork and medical tests they
require.
And tomorrow night I will let you know how things go with fitness
training. It should be fun.
