Pointless Ramblings

I can now officially announce Jonathan's plans for the fall/spring. He joined the Air Force Reserve this spring, and will go off to boot camp and then tech school in San Antonio from November through April. Yikes.

When he's done with boot camp, he is committed only to working one weekend a month and two weeks out of the year at Scott Air Force Base, about 45 minutes from here. He will be working with Security Forces, which is basically the police department at the Base.

Because some of you don't know the background on this decision, and others may be misinformed, I will attempt to lay it all out right here:

Why Jonathan joined the Air Force Reserve:

• He has always wanted to go into the military, but didn't want to move around like an active duty person would. This is the best of both worlds, as he can be in the military and still live and work at the same place.
• This will be a step forward in his goal of becoming a firefighter. When fire departments hold testing, it is usually not for a specific position, but to be put on a list in the case that someone on their department would leave. You get bonus points (in other words, rank higher on the list) if you are in the military.
• They will pay for Jonathan's tuition so that he can go to fire training, which, again, will help him gain the education needed to become a fireman.
• There are, of course, other benefits, like low-cost insurance, retirement benefits, and access to a tax-free and discounted grocery and discount store on the base.
  

To debunk some "myths"...

• "So-and-so told me that Jonathan is doing this because he hates his current job. How does that work if this is only a part-time gig and he keeps his current job?"
  Though he may dislike his current job, the Reserve has nothing to do with it. The Reserve is a part-time job that he would do while keeping his current full-time job.

• "So-and-so said that Jonathan is doing this because of the money. They said he gets a $X.XX sign-on bonus for making Security Forces his specialty area."
  First, he is not doing this because of the money. Second, he chose to do Security Forces as his specialization because it would use his Law Enforcement major, and because it was the only one that did not have a waiting list. It just happened to have a sign-on bonus. Third, just like disclosing one's salary, it is not appropriate to disclose the amount we'd be receiving. That information was meant to be shared with immediate family only.

I joke that the only reason I'm supportive of this is because I think the Air Force logo is pretty awesome. It really is, but I'm supportive of this because I witness Jonathan's frustration every day of being an intelligent being trapped in a cubicle doing meaningless work every day, with a goal of being a firefighter, and having no financial means or any idea how to get there. The Air Force will not only offer him great experience, but will set the stage for a better career later.

Owen, Bitsy and I will get along just fine. The outpouring of support from our church family has been overwhelming already. Five months apart is a very long time, but families do it all the time and it is a sacrifice we're willing to make for a better future.