Retirement

After 25 years of service, I retired from the Tennessee Army National Guard.  Upon completion of my last deployment from Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn, I took my medical conditions to the Veteran's Administration.  22 months after filing for disability, I was awarded 80% disability.  With the high percentage; it was advised by the full time staff that it would only be a matter of time before I would be discharged from the Guard and in the mean time, I would not receive drill pay or retirement points. After my conversation, I prepared and submitted my request for retirement.

My military career began with the US Navy at the naval station at Great Lakes, IL with basic training.  Later, I attended "A" School in NAS Millington, TN and studied on being a technician as Aviation Support Equipment Electrician.  During that school, I was awarded orders to Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.  Upon completion of the "A" school, I attended "C" schools at NAS Jacksonville, FL.  My time in Florida was probably the most fun period of my military career.  Visited beaches in Jacksonville and St. Augustine, and visited Magic Kingdom and EPCOT center.

Served the next 3 years in Puerto Rico within the Aircraft Immediate Maintenance Department. My work was not very enjoyable, at times working 18 hour shifts under a supervisor whom had no leadership ability who obtained the position due to extortion and blackmail.  I did enjoy the island, visited San Juan several times, a rain forest and swam the beaches.  I also made two trips to the US Virgin Islands, which were only 40 miles away.

Discharged from the US Navy, I joined the 1174th Transportation Company of the Tennessee Army National Guard while attending the University of Tennessee at Martin.  In 1990, my company was ordered to active duty and we deployed to Saudi Arabia to support Operation Desert Storm.  During that campaign, I was assigned to the wrecker and completed dozens of missions retrieving non-operable equipment.  Experienced the Highway of Death, bombing of Iraqi positions and burning oil fields.  Returned home later in 1990, completed my enlistment and left the Guard in 1992.

Re-joined the military in 1995 with the 498th Military Police Company in Murray, KY.  Work in that field was enjoyable with trips to the prison at Eddyville, KY, Kentucky Derby, concerts, Fort Clayton, Panama and Ecuador.  After about 4 years with the MP's, I transferred back to the 1174th in Tennessee.

In 2003, my unit was once again mobilized for war in Iraq.  We deployed to Kuwait and later moved to southern Iraq.  We hauled fuel to Baghdad and other places in Iraq.  We came under fire several times resulting in one KIA (SGT Roger Rowe) and one WIA (SGT Jackson, who was awarded the Purple Heart).  We came home at the end of 2003 and I remained in the Guard.  I transferred to the 1175th Transportation Company in 2006 for about 6 months and obtained the rank of Staff SGT (E-6).  Returned to Dresden that had become the 1171st Transportation Company.  The old trucks were gone and we drove newer Freightliner trucks with air ride seats and air ride cabs.  More comfortable trucks along with air conditioning would make haul missions more pleasant.

In 2009, the 1171st mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom that would become Operation New Dawn.  I stayed in Kuwait most of the time and did volunteer to go on one mission to Iraq.  Many of our missions were fired upon; and thankfully with armored trucks there were no injuries or deaths.

In November 2012, I retired after 25 years with nearly 4,000 retirement points.  In my career, I have deployed, visited or transitioned at:  Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, Panama and Ecuador.  Within the United States, I visited Louisiana, California and Nevada.

Hydrology series

Pcsenn contacted me and wanted me to tag along for Hydrology 2, a cache that requires watercraft on Carroll Lake outside of McKenzie, TN.  This cacher has signed the log to this cache when out with the cache owner.  Pcsenn selected this cache for his 5,000th find and most of all to coloring the entire 81 terrain/difficulty grid also known as the Fizzy Grid.  We arrived in early morning and had the lake to ourselves.  We made the paddle without incident, arrived near the cache location.  Since I had already found this cache, I had no intentions of getting out of my kayak to get wet and cold.  Pscenn had some trouble getting out of the kayak but did manage to get out without falling into the water.  He found the cache and celebrated the huge accomplishment and joined the elite group of cachers in this goal.  I figure that less than one percent of all cachers will ever complete the 81 terrain/difficulty grid; even many veteran cachers are not close to completion.

We returned to the boat landing and went out separate ways to rejoin later at an event in Camden.  After the event, we drove to Hydrology 3 and found that cache.  This was a huge challenge in that the water was high due to recent rain and current was swift.  We surveyed the area carefully and placed the kayaks into the water.  With the swift current, making the turns on the bends was difficult.  I was in the lead and following my GPS and I went right under the cache.  Thankfully, a watchful pcsenn saw the cache and I turned around.  After signing the log we made our way upriver back to the landing.  This took everything we had to make the trip despite being only a 1/4 mile.