1 My transition at the end of next month out of active duty and into the next phase of my life. Five-and-a-half years of truly seeing the world, a masters degree, tons of other training and schooling, and got paid during it all! Thank you US Navy!
2 I'm kinda proud of where I am in life at this point. I'm soon to be turning 28 and I'm financially secure, have a career path lined up that I've been working towards since undergrad, just reconnected with my ex-gf in a truly magical way, and my parents pulled me aside on Thursday to tell me how proud my grandfather would've been to see me now. I started crying like I haven't cried in years.
5 Ukraine. This needs to end, end quickly, and end dramatically. Many of my friends here tend toward the pacifism side of life so I apologize for what I'm about to say... But I would extend my active duty tomorrow if we were allowed to roll in and take care of business. My role has had me in an information gathering capacity for two years now and I've been writing reports, making recommendations, assessing situations, and nothing happens. I've looked into the eyes of refugees crossing into Romania. Little kids who have left behind fathers, brothers... We need to stand up for what is right here and put an end to this conflict. It is within our power to do so and not acting will go down in history to our shame.