I am currently at the rank of Engineer (driver). It was a promotion when I took this rank, but with the cuts and changes being made, it is now the lowest rank. In the last couple years I have turned down promotion to Lieutenant twice now. Yes, it would be more money, but I just don't think it would be worth it with the work environment being what it is. In just under three years, I will be done with it, not that anyone is counting the days or anything. Things have changed drastically, but I still do not regret this profession. I have saved lives, I have not saved lives. I have saved animals, I have recovered the remains of animals. It can be hard, but that is the reality of life and death. Perhaps the Army helped prepare me for that a bit, it was the first place I watched someone ( a very close friend) die in front of me. All this makes me marvel at some of the trivial things people find to complain about, and help me appreciate what I have instead of always wanting more.
My one true regret in life is marrying my first wife (for her sake). The choices I've made that affect my own life make me who I am, but that choice also affected her life. I was just not right for her and did not do right by her. As they say, those that forget history are doomed to repeat it. Remembering those mistakes had a definite affect on the way I have been in my second marriage, which will be 18 years this year.
