Calling

The FBR's First east Coast Autumn

I’ve written about this before but I reminded of it this morning during breakfast when a commercial for an IT company came on. You’ll have to follow the bouncing ball because it is a convoluted path to the subject I’m speaking about. That commercial featured a few clarion calls to service and tugged at the old military heartstrings. The subject is whether I miss the military or not. I kind of stumbled onto my military career but I found my true calling there. That has to be the case for someone who stayed as long as I did wearing the uniform. Anything less than a passion for the vocation would be self-delusion. I do miss it, mostly at work where the idea of honor is a foreign concept when it comes to employee behavior, especially when a union is involved.

I miss the traditions most of all. Hearing the bugle calls broadcast over loudspeakers to signal the key events of the day, including the mournful playing taps at the end of the day. I loved the sense of purpose and shared ideals of service and honor – that we were involved in something important to our family, to our country. As I advanced in rank and moved further away from working day to day with lower ranking Soldiers I found the duty less rewarding. At the end of my career I spent the last four years assigned to the Pentagon, about as far away from the action as possible, except when the occasional airliner is flown into the building. I still loved the people I worked with there but it somehow seemed a pale reflection of what a Soldier should be doing.

I Think She likes It

As I’ve been delving back into my ancestry I find that I may have come by my love of the military genetically. I’ve found grandfathers that served in World War 2, the Civil War, the Revolutionary War and even the French and Indian Wars. One, very interesting ancestor was even credited with killing two Indians with a single shot during a savage attack where his son and daughter in law were killed and scalped. Interestingly I drive by that same location every time I go up to visit my Favorite Son. Despite all this reminiscing the military life is reserved for those still in their first half century of life as youthful vigor is required for the physical challenges. Old war horses will still turn their eyes when the trumpet sounds though.

A very young war horse, in the form of the FBR, was modeling her Halloween costume for us last night. She made a fetching Minnie Mouse although she demonstrated scant patience for the floppy ears. She demanded possession of the IPad and promptly put it (and us) in her carrying bag and proceeded to run around the house while we laughed in delight. She has a way of making each interaction something memorable. She’ll be marching in the town Halloween parade today and then experiencing her first session of trick or treating. I can’t wait for that report. In other news emanating from New Jersey, Wingman will be abandoning his full time job as Daddy Daycare and start working some hours at a local restaurant that is opening. I think he’s looking forward to adult interactions although he has shown a real flair in the child rearing area. He’s a natural dad, in every sense of the word.

Wingman and his Protege

The Bad Cinema project count rises to #48 out of 100, with Eegah, the story of a lonely caveman pursuing love in the Mohave.