I know this life can be hard and sometimes we can’t see the positive in our careers. I know this even more true for single soldiers.
I joined during Covid back in 2020. At the time I was trying to switch from IT to Software Engineering. Due to the current situation no one was hiring and I was let go from my last employer. Raising a family off 30k was a true challenge.
I was at a point and something told me to just go to a recruiter office. I talked to the first one I seen. I was unable to join right away, had to loose 50 lbs. I did something stupid and only at 700 calories and worked out 4 hours a day. Somehow I did it in a month.
Then I ran into my next hurdle, clearance. I had defaulted on all my credit cards. So, it limited my options. I took the first one I thought I could do 91B. I was determined to get a job.
During this time too, my wife got hurt at her job. We didn’t know at the time that she had cancer. She found out while I was going through BCT/AIT and didn’t tell me till I got to my unit.
I would be lying to if I didn’t say it was hard on all of us. I had a hard time and developed a drinking problem and SUDCC (voluntary) helped me a long with BH. Without the resources and benefits of being a service member IDK what I would have done.
Tricare has been one of the best things I could have ever received. I know not everyone will know the limits of what you’re able to receive, but I wanted to share.
We have been going to MD Anderson over the years I’ve been in. My Duty Station Hospital has taking such great care of my wife. Now we’re about to go back to MD Anderson for a new treatment that could possibly cure her cancer. There is a chance it won’t work or should could have a low chance of causing bad side effects, temporary or permanently, but the other option is consistent chemo, which gets harder on the patient after each treatment.
Tricare covers nearly all the expenses. The hotel, car rental, food, flight, fuel, even the parking garage. This has been a true blessing. She can never reverse what has already is broken, but we can hopefully not have any new issues emerge.
Sometimes we only see whats in front of us, the negative of the day to day. If we can push through of the things we dislike, reminding ourselves of whats most important, it makes them trivial.
I just signed my 3rd contract, most likely going to be a lifer. Started off just trying to survive covid, now it seems life pushed me in a different direction.
Idk, if this will be helpful to anyone. I wanted to share. I would add more details about the hardship that I had to overcome, but I wanted to bring some perspective how this job can sometimes limit our view and actually be worth it if you just push through.