It's Been A While...

So, it's been a LONG while since I've posted because I've been extremely busy!  Unfortunately I don't have the statistics on me from the MSSGM 2011 School, but I'll post about it as soon as I get that information.  I wanted to let you know what's been keeping me occupied the past few months.

I've always had great respect for our men and women in the military - I always cry at patriotic services and I can't help but feel great pride when I see our Nation's flag.  Joining the military has always (well, probably since my junior year of high school) been in the back of my mind.

I graduated from high school in 2002 and thought about joining the military at that time, but it was right after 9-11 so I decided not to.  I went to Marshall to pursue a degree in Broadcast Journalism.  My plan was to be a foreign correspondent.  I wanted to travel, to see the action but not to be a part of it.  My dreams of a career in broadcast ended after talking to a veteran news reporter who'd covered all kinds of interesting stories (Vietnam, Cuban Missile Crisis, death of Martin Luther King, Jr).

I changed my major to Communications, switched universities and finished my degree.  I worked for a few months then went back to school for my master's degree.  I finished that one in May 2009, and I still didn't feel complete.  There was still that voice in my head that said "military".  So I researched my options and enlisted in August 2010 with the WV Air National Guard.  I left for BMT in August 2011 and graduated Sept. 30, 2011.

BMT was challenging, both mentally and physically.  It was an intersting experience that I'll always remember.  As a 27-year old, mentally I was better prepared than some of the younger ones who'd never been away from home.  Overall, I enjoyed BMT - I got to make a lot of memories (fire an M-16, camp out in a tent on mock deployment, even the gas chamber was fun) that I'll treasure.  I also made several new friends that I hope to have for a lifetime.

So, I'm back in the saddle - the real world now.  Well, I'm in Technical School, and it's time to get MSSGM back on track!  We've got a lot of ideas for the approaching year and look forward to singing with you soon!