I was raised in a military family, and it had a direct effect on a large part of my adult life.
I served in three branches of the military during my total time in service, during good times and bad, but I do not have any real regrets. My main regret was that I did not stay on active duty all the way through.
I spent four years in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, and it was a very trying time, especially when the civilian public, especially those of "baby boomer" ages, did not appreciate the service of those persons who were in the military (even those who never saw duty in Vietnam. Just being in the military at that time carried a bad social stigma. That was my reasoning for leaving active duty after my four-year enlistment.
Following my time in the Air Force, I joined the Army National Guard unit in my home town. During the first 3 1/2 years, the unit was Military Police, and one of our special duties during that period was to provide security for Pope John Paul II during one of his visits to the United States. The unit changed over to Signal Corps during the last year of my time in the National Guard, and I served as a Secure Communications radio operator.
Finally, I joined the Navy and served for 16 1/2 years as a Cryptologic Technician (Naval Intelligence). It was very interesting and satisfying duty, and I did see a lot of the world, especially in the Pacific and Middle East areas. My best tour of duty during my naval career occurred when I was assigned to the National Security Agency, where I finally got to see first-hand what all my previous naval endeavors had resulted in. Nothing I can write about, for security reasons, but very interesting, nonetheless.
I felt that I made the right choice in my life, and I have often told people I know that the military is a good place to start to learn a career field.
LAKESIDE, CA