At the end of 2005, as a young man, I decided it was time to sign on the dotted line. However, now I was going to join the Airforce as I have always been a tech nerd and I thought it would be a great opportunity to use what I learned in the Airforce to get a great tech job once I completed my enlistment. I always knew I wanted to serve my country and then get out and start a family. At the time, I was living with my grandfather who was pushing me to join the Army. Just to please him, I walked into our local Army Recruiting Station and I was introduced to the biggest redneck I have ever met.
“Hey there young man” came the voice from the Army Recruiter sitting behind his desk. His southern drawl was so strong it felt like it was dripping from the walls. He paused briefly to spit his tobacco chew into a Gatorade bottle and continued on, “What broughtchya in here?” he asked. I briefly thought of a smart aleck comment to a stupid question like that but I held my tongue and instead told him I was thinking about joining the Airforce but I wanted to see what the Army had to offer first before making my decision. He leaned back in his chair and gave me a mediocre sales pitch for the Army every so often pausing to spit back into the bottle. It was evident with his vernacular, he probably never made it to high school. If this is a representation of the Army, “Forget it!” I told myself. I made up some excuse to leave and headed out the door.
