One more thing, Glenn, while I have you on the phone. There’s a secret only the Lifers know, and which they admit only to each other. If someone’s lucky, they get two good hitches out of their “twenty.” Two really good assignments, two years a piece. The squadron guys may get double. Maybe the special warfare and intel guys.

Regardless, throughout most of their career, a person will get stuck doing a staff assignment. Being a recruiter. A program manager for a new or upgraded weapon system. A flag officer’s coat-holder. A ROTC or war college instructor. A boot camp or OCS DI.

That’s the price Lifers like my Army MP brother paid for those couple cool assignments and the pension. It’s why it makes sense to do just one hitch to serve and gain a skill like air traffic control, as I did. If someone goes in just out of patriotism or because they’re looking for adventure, odds are they’ll be disappointed.

There, Catherine wrote an essay. That’ll teach you to not engage her in conversations.