Yesterday was Veteran\u2019s Day and I wrote about being in the service and what it all means.\u00a0 I made mention of second guessing myself, as everyone who ever enlisted has likely done.\u00a0 There is a lot to go into that decision and I talk with young people all the time about whether they should or should not enter military service.<\/p>\n
One of the main reasons pilots shy away from flying in the Air Force, Navy, or Marines is the commitment they must agree to in order to fly.\u00a0 It is a seven year obligation after<\/em> receiving their wings.<\/p>\n That is a long time.\u00a0<\/p>\n After flight training, specialized training, and time waiting between schools, most young officers will reach the 10 year mark in repaying their pledge.\u00a0 After reaching that point, they might as well stay another 10 years for retirement.<\/p>\n For a young person eager to get on with their life, that is a long time.\u00a0 But then again, what that young person lacks is perspective<\/em>.<\/p>\n There are a few things about getting old which are wonderful.\u00a0 Gaining perspective is probably the best.<\/p>\n A twenty-something looking forward to their career looks at a ten year commitment in a completely different light than a fifty-something individual.\u00a0 For someone who is 21 or 22, a decade is fully one-half<\/em> of their lifetime.\u00a0 They comprehend 10 years in that light \u2013 half of their lives.<\/p>\n For someone in their 50s, however, a decade is only 20 percent of their time on the earth.\u00a0 Ten years is only one-fifth of their total time alive as compared to one-half for the young person.\u00a0 For those of us over 50, we can look back with perspective<\/em> over our lives.\u00a0 We know how short 10 years is in reality with the experience of have lived five or more decades.<\/p>\n The young do not have advantage of this perspective.\u00a0 Yet.\u00a0 Eventually, they will . . . down the road.<\/p>\n And here are the really hard and important lessons of perspective.<\/p>\n When you finally gain perspective, when you can look back on decades instead of just years, are you going to have regrets?\u00a0 Or will you be content?<\/p>\n There are some things, such as flying jet fighters, you can only do when you are young.\u00a0 You get the chance only once and then the opportunity is gone forever.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t take it, you might regret it later in life.<\/p>\n Trust me, trust my friends in my year group \u2013 ten years is nothing.<\/p>\n From the perspective of where I sit now, I look back on all the things I did in the military, all the people I knew and worked with, the jets I flew, the places to which I traveled, and I am content.\u00a0 And I would do it the same all over again.<\/p>\n In a heartbeat.<\/p>\n -30-<\/p>\n \u00a9 2010 J. Clark<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yesterday was Veteran\u2019s Day and I wrote about being in the service and what it all means.\u00a0 I made mention of second guessing myself, as everyone who ever enlisted has likely done.\u00a0 There is a lot to go into that … Continue reading