I am truly grateful for those 22 and half years that I served in the US Army. I know it all started the day that I received my draft notice back in 1968, as things were heating up in Southeast Asia. Shortly after arriving at Fort Polk, Louisiana for basic training, I was given the opportunity to go RA (Regular Army) and select my own MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). I honestly thought selecting the Quartermaster School at Fort Lee, VA was a great choice as I believed that it would keep me from going to North Fort Polk where they were training infantry soldiers to go to Vietnam.
Well six months later I still ended up in Vietnam, but I was grateful for being assigned to a logistics command support company at Long Binh. That started my "365 days and a wakeup", which was a popular way of counting down your days for returning to the states. I was very excited and grateful that I made it down to one day and a wakeup, as it was time to go back home.
I am grateful that the military gave me a chance to see other places like West and East Germany, Austria, Paris France, Amsterdam, South Korea, Mons and Brussels Belgium, Augusta Georgia, Colorado Springs, and Denver, Colorado. If it wasn't for my military service, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet my wife and daughter in South Korea, which was the best thing that ever happened to me.
I am also grateful the military truly prepared me to return to civilian life, by allowing me to complete training to be a certified medical laboratory technologist and earn both a bachelors and master's degree while still on active duty. After retiring from the service, the veterans' benefits were highly appreciated. That's why today I am proudly assisting other veterans with all their housing needs, as many are not aware of the excellent benefits Texas offers for veterans.
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