Leaving for the military soon
 

Im going into the Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron doing RF Transmissions.

Im 29 - white - male - semi athletic and almost joined when I was 18 but wanted to go to college first. After school I did marketing for a few companies here in Florida and now I signed up to join the Air Force.

My girlfriend (soon to be fiancee) is proud of me but nervous because our squadron will be flying back and forth from Germany to Iraq and Afghanistan into combat zones to pick up critically injured soldiers. We will be in big C-130's so we wont exactly be stealthy and there could be a risk of surface to air missles hitting us or planes going down over the ocean, etc.

Of course we understand these risks when we sign up but I was just curious if anyone got any feelings about my joining and my time that will be spent serving.

Thanks!

If it is what you want to do, then that is great!

Phil,

Why do I sense a feeling of desperation...like you want to know if anyone with foresight, can see if you are coming home in one piece, in a box.....alive?

I think more importantly, you should be asking yourself.....how would "knowing" any of this...benefit you? Hope for the best...expect the worse...and "Thank you Phil, for my freedom."

In love and light
Blessings to you and yours,
Rebecca

My crystal ball tells me that it would be better to die rescuing wounded people than to die in a car wreck on the way to a safe and comfortable lifestyle.

Then again, my crystal ball isn't really a ball at all. It's a flat screen monitor with an ethernet connection, allowing me to read your post.

Yeah its true. Knowing wouldn't change much i guess. I'd still go. I guess all one can really do is make preparations in advance in case the worst happens.

What I saw once on tv somewhere, which might be a good idea if you have children later on, is that a dad wrote a book with advice for his children. You can buy these books and they have pre-printed questions and topics in them, for example about girls, drinking, driving, responsibility etc.

That way, if something happens, your child will always have something from you and will have your advice when it is growing up.

This is sometimes also done by patients with for example cancers, who are not sure if they will survive.

Ssandra,

Where do you get such books? Any clue what they are called? (If I wanted to search online to purchase one..what the heck would I type in, that wouldn't lead me to the "subscribe to parent magazine" form?

That is just an awesome shower gift idea!!! Also would have come in handy...in my past, to have something like this. Awesome idea for those battling terminal illness.

Blessings,
Rebecca

Phil,

while reading your post, my post and your response..at no time did I feel an overwhelming sense of fear/panick.....nor did I get an overwhelming sense of abandonment/emptiness/loss/dread, that would spark intense crying, that I could not control...therefore, I feel it is totally safe to say that you are well protected and will be returning safely.;)

Of course, being a parent I would advise..it is smart to always have the "you can never be too prepared" approach to the big picture.

In love and light
Blessings,
Rebecca

You're fighting a bunch of peasants who only fight because they get paid a few dollars a day to do so. How many helicopters have been shot down, in comparison to simple crashes or failures? There is more chance of you dying in the latter. Don't worry, if you're gonna do it why think about it? Just do it. If anything, question the reasons and morality for your decision.

Jesus, you are flying in a PLANE!! HAHA even in a helicopter straight onto the battlefield its relatively safe.

How are they gonna shoot you, with their Ak's!??? Just aim those guns into the sky or what from miles away? You will be picking them up from Camp Bastion and what have you, not exactly dropping into danger zones. Seriously - surface to air missles!! HAHA who do you think you are fighting man JESUS! THEY DONT HAVE SURFACE TO AIR MISSILES MAN. And the chances of "falling into the ocean," well you're the bloody pilot! I don't think about that when i go on holiday...perhaps i should!

They actually do have access to SAMS and no im not a pilot. but im in a flight squadron and we will not always be landing in the safety of an AFB in Afghanistan or Iraq. Thats what I have been told because they want us to understand its not always lolipops and gumdrops. We needed to know what possibilities are before taking the job. And planes do have failures and have to make emergency landings or sometimes do crash. Just because people getting killed over there isn't in the news everyday.. it doesnt mean it isnt happening.

And for those people saying they have no resources.. they had enough to come to america, learn to fly, obtain weapons, hijack planes, and destroy multiple buildings and thousands of lives

"They" are a lot of different people.. Peasants, middleclass people, religous people not wanting to kill people, and yes.. people who want to kill other people... there are some of every kind :D

But.. I'll not derail the thread any further with my "political correctness"

Sure so sometimes you aren't landing in an AFB. What you are saying is that there is very small chance of there being a SAM? Even if you were invading a country where SAMS were prevalent, the chances of being hit would still be small. How many were shot down during the invasion of Iraq? How many of your planes have been shot down in the ENTIRE HISTORY of this 9 year conflict? ZERO. How many helicopters have been lost dropping directly into the battlefield on a daily basis...less than lost in accidents man.

AS for your resources bit, all it took it was enough money to get an airplane lesson. Anyone in america can get an Airplane lesson. Terrorist "resources" not at all. Actually, they are all running around right now with Nukes from Pakistan and sophisticated biological weapons, they are all going to destroy America!!!..don't be silly its just peasants with AK's, RPG's and the home made bombs in the vast majority. Sorry mortars too, but still even on the ground you got to be confident about the overwhelming military hardware. Let alone way up in the sky.

Of course, there is some risk involved. But as far as military jobs go, what did you expect? No risk in a war in the military!? What, you guys can just go over there and kill with no chance of being killed back?

Self-
 

Back in 1994 my maternal Grandmother passed away at the age of 94. Shortly after, I was talking with my dad about longevity on both sides of the family and he mentioned that he didn't think he'd live past 75. I believe that you can program your mind to such an extent that you can create self-fulfilling prophecies via beliefs. Seven years later, my dad had a minor stroke and I mentioned to the rest of the family what my dad had said years earlier and that they should be prepared. He would seem to get better and then have a relapse and then the rest of his body started shutting down. He died a little less than a month before his 75th birthday.

It is normal to think about your own mortality when faced with your upcoming future deployment, but how intensely do you think about it or dwell upon it? If it is a recurring thought that won't seem to be rationalized away, then you might have a wired in scenario that can be cleared out. Working with several dozen people so far, I've found that wired-in scenarios can cause other people to subconsciously trigger your scenario buttons.

If it is something that you are concerned about but not overly fearful about, then one thing you can do to possibly secure your living past military commission is to meditate on things you want to have happen after your time in the military or at least past your trip to the Mideast. Include your fiancé in these mental exercises too. Imagine being whole and healthy, and happily married with children. You both can confirm this to your subconscious minds by saying things like, "We choose to see and celebrate our 30th (or higher) wedding anniversary, and our 40th and 50th!" and "We choose to be fully involved with our children's lives well into adulthood!" even if you don't have children yet. This is akin to telling your subconscious that you intend to live for a very long time and you are projecting yourself into the future. Your subconscious mind can influence you to make decisions and take actions that can affect your future. Keep subscriptions going or even start a subscription that will run long past your deployment. When you are away, think and talk as if you know you'll be going home, intact, healthy, whole and fully functional.

Phil, you're going to be alright. You're going to see some painful things, but that's to be expected. Your body will not die though. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for medical military personnel. Your job must require a great deal of courage, perhaps more than being in infantry would.

Thank you.

Way to go man! I have high respect for those in the armed forces...

As long as your girl and parents are well aware of what you are doing,

go ahead and follow your heart...

Your courage is something admirable that many people may not have..

Good luck and God bless you!