This Is the New S**t

Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?

The time comes when I'll be leaving CT and going to Lawton, OK, home of Ft. Sill. I was assigned to the 214th Field Artillery division, 696th Forward Support Co. It seems I have no home, yet- nowhere that I can stand on a streetcorner and say, this place is home to me. But perhaps as time goes on that will change. Home, after all, is where and what you make of it.
For the past 5 months, I've been working towards this end- establishing a new life, and the final few pieces are falling into place. I have a career, a hope for the future, and a direction and purpose for my life. And now there's nothing left to do but pull stakes and get down there.
There was a time when I was scared- when I was about 14 or so, I spent a couple weeks in Maine, and one warm day found us on the Saco River- the site may still be there, it's been many years since I've been in Maine. But there was a still, deep section of the river, near a factory that at one point must have used the river as power. The result of all this was a huge concrete wall, at the bottom of which was deep water. There was a sheer drop of about 60 feet or so, although it was no great task to swim down the river and get back to the bank, from there to climb back up to the point where you would jump off. I never could quite get the courage up to jump off of there- now I know what I was missing! The fact is, I learned from that experience never to turn away from a challenge, never to back down. This served me well in basic training, and I've never looked back. The only difference is, now there's no deep water underneath me, no safety line. I don't know what will happen next, what will happen if I jump- will I survive, or splatter? As long as my family stays safe and well, I really suppose the two come out to the same thing- and what a ride down! I won't let them down, and will do what needs to be done.