My friend is an Army veteran. She’s even parachuted from airplanes and she’s smart as a whip. Married to a philosopher who used to teach as West Point, she’s moving with him and their boys to the Middle East so he can be military attache at the US Embassy.
I met her at a nonprofit seminar – she was running a miitary families organization and I was looking for business. We got to talking. She believes there is a “military class” of people who follow one another, from generation to generation, into the service. Because they pass military life on within their families, civilans have gradually lost any connection to them.
Educated, comfortable American civilians often don’t even know a soldier. Not one. So she and I decided we would use the Internet to break down the walls – bring women together online to get to know each other and help reduce the tension and distrust between the two cultures. That never worked out; too many interests competing and not enough money to make it happen.
We, however, did cross all those barriers. Politics, religion, lifestyle. . . so much different. Still, we could go to lunch and keep talking until one of us realized someone needed to be picked up or invited to dinner or pitched for a new contract. There is always just so much to talk aboutl
And so my dear much respected and valued friend – Godspeed. Embrace the exotic as I know you will and cram in as many adventures as you can, as I know you will. I’m back here – eager to hear about your adventures and always ready for lunch!