Dear Officiates that Oversee the Recruiting Process,
Once upon a time I was a recruit for the California Army National Guard, and I did everything that was needed of me, and yet I was wronged. Now I’m feeling more and more like a jilted ex. I feel heart broken and I’m asking you, what was it that I did wrong? What did I do to make you feel this way. Perhaps I should start at the beginning, I had an amazing time with you from the start. I saw you every day and you treated me right, as I had treated you. I never asked for anything and neither did you. I mean sure you may have asked for some small things, but they were nothing I would ever had feel obligated to do. I loved you with every fiber of my being.
We had a few glorious months together in which we had so much fun. Seriously from February 2008 – January 2010 we had so much fun, it was almost like an endless date, a purloined honeymoon period. We saw each other and we were merry. Remember the time we spent in San Diego, watching the sunrise and sunset? I do I loved that time so much, dinner in an empty hotel room and we stared lovingly into each others eyes and thought “this is it, we will soon be complete.”
I remember the trip we took to Oklahoma that was supposed to last a few days and turned into months of perfect harmony, ok lets be honest it wasn’t prefect but it was as close to perfect as it could get. I will always remember the beautiful lightening storms and the endless views the your ocean-less horizons. Bliss isn’t the right word but it’s as close as it can get, it was our little slice of heaven. Remember the lake, skinny dipping in the lake. The hikes that we took to and from these magnificent places of beauty and splendor, sure we were always tired but there are things that I remember more and more as I sit and think.
But where did it all go wrong…
Sure I left you prematurely but I left because I thought I would be able to taste greener pastures, and boy was I wrong. I was robbed and mistreated and now that I look back on it I sort of regret the decision that I made, but it was for the best. Maybe you thought that I would come crawling back to you on my hands and knees. Sure I thought about doing that but I have so much pride (which isn’t a good thing) to do that, so I’m thinking that maybe I will try my luck elsewhere.
A BRIEF RECAP ON OUR SPLIT
I left you thinking that I would go on and be accepted into active duty, I came to you thinking that maybe, just maybe you would understand my need for more of a commitment. I thought that coming to you first you would release me from my shackles and let me chained into another commitment and you didn’t. You left me standing there looking dumbfounded and confused, you refused my offer and I had to look for other options. So I left you at the behest of another and boy was that a mistake, here it is over a year later and I have done nothing to advance myself in my goal.
Alright enough with this silly metaphor, Now I’m getting serious. I wanted so much more out of life and I thought going Active Duty would help me accomplish that. I wanted so much with ever fiber of my being to be in the Army active duty, and for a year I tried, I damn near begged, pleaded and demanded, but alas I was shot down at almost every corner. I tried to talk to everyone I could about joining and it never got me anywhere. I met with a recruiter who had recruited a friend of mine and he was so close to getting me in, but his partner had screwed it up and I was stuck without any sort of conclusion. I was told that because I had a misdemeanor (for trespassing of all things) that I couldn’t join. Ok this is a bold face lie, I had missed a court date and had a bench warrant which was recalled and quashed but some how they (the Army) had chose to believe it was 2 different offenses. On that day I was deeply disappointed, I was getting back into shape and I was close to thinking that I was in. I mean I was truly in, but I wasn’t I was depressed. For the longest I have always wanted to going the military, I think it makes people into respectable individuals and I wanted in.
After the first recruiters had ruined my chances I went to another and another, I was beginning to feel as though I was blacklisted. what had I done besides simply wanting to leave the National Guard and go active duty? Sure I signed a contract and maybe I should have stuck it out, but you know that being in a contract that was invalid would have made me too old to do anything worthwhile in the end. I am young and I wanted to go, I would have kept the same MOS and I would have lost the excess weight that I had gained but every ounce of my motivation was sapped after begin denied for a second and a third time. So for the last time I am choosing to go with the Navy, who I believe is great with humanitarian relief efforts and exudes a sort of prestige that will make me a better person. I want to continue my search for an active duty branch that will take me, this time I will be patient and understanding and listen and ask all the right questions.
Sincerely,
A Person Who Has Been Screwed Too Many Times.
The Long Road 