WTF?

Yes, that's the question I've been asked a lot lately (usually followed by:  "are you f-ing nuts?").  I hope this post will answer that question, or at least give you some insight into why, at age 39, I've left my cushy litigator job with the Federal government to join the Army.   

Bottom line:  I wanted – really, needed -- to serve my country.  Sure, that sounds hokey (cue up hokey Lee Greenwood song), but it really is the motivation behind this move.   I practice law every day; I follow every move of the Supreme Court; I have very strong views about protecting all the freedoms created by the United States Constitution – especially when doing so is really hard.  Not all that long ago, I started really thinking about how and why Americans have the freedoms we all take for granted every day.   Why can those nut-job political commentators say all those ridiculous things on TV every night?  Freedom of speech.  Why can I choose whether I want to go into the Mosque, the Temple, a Christian church, or not worship at all?  Freedoms of religion and association.   Why can I walk down the street in the middle of the day fairly certain that a police officer isn't going to arrest me, beat me, lock me up without a trial?  Due process and equal protection.  Why can I make any of the millions of choices I make every day without even giving it a second thought?  Democracy and freedom.  I could go on forever (but I'll spare you!)

There are lots of reasons why our way of life has persevered, but the one constant is that there have always been men and women willing to fight – and ultimately give their lives – to protect those inalienable rights most of us don't bother to think much about.   The logical next question (logical for me, anyway) was:  If I enjoy those freedoms every day, then what am I doing to help protect them?  I'd toyed with military service in college, and again in law school, but never actually had the balls to do it.  Two things made it more personal:  First, I met my husband, who retired after 20 years of Army service in 1997.  I've learned so much from him – about the Army, the concept of service, and leadership – that I've reprioritized what matters in life.  Second, I started working for the Army as a civilian attorney in April 2009 in the Litigation Division of the Headquarters, Department of the Army.  Here, I worked side-by-side with over 250 uniformed men and women – lawyers, paralegals, and Army leaders -- many of whom had families, most of whom had recently deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, and all of whom were completely committed to the Army and service to the nation.  Any excuse I ever had for not serving was absolutely obliterated. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not up on a soap box here saying that everyone has to, or even should, serve in the military.  Only that that I can, and will, so that those who can't, or won't, don't ever have to.  I just happen to have the perfect situation: an enthusiastically supportive husband, no kids, good health, dogs that don't know the difference, and I actually enjoy running around outside getting dirty.  So … why not?

What's next?  Well, I spend roughly the next five months in school.  I'll take the oath on Sunday, 4 July (as Doug says, leave it to the Army to screw me out of a Federal holiday) at Ft. Lee, Virginia, then spend two weeks there learning the basics of surviving in the Army culture (repeat after me:  "yes SIR!"), and spend a lot of time filling out forms.  Then, its over to Charlottesville, Virginia for the 10 ½ week Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course (JAOBC) at The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School (TJAGLCS).  Even though I've been practicing law for over ten years, there is a ton of stuff I don't know about being an Army lawyer.  Hopefully after JAOBC, I'll at least have the legal and historical framework I need to successfully advise wartime commanders and represent every facet of the Army as a Judge Advocate.  Assuming I avoid the dreaded "JAOBC Death By Powerpoint", I'll graduate on 29 September 2010.  Then, it's off to Ft. Benning, Georgia for the six-week Direct Commissioned Officer (DCO) Course.   That's where they theoretically complete the transformation from lawyer to soldier, by teaching me the basic combat skills:  shoot, move, communicate.  (Which apparently includes navigating with just a compass in the snake-filled swamps of Georgia at night … bet you can't wait for that blog post!).  Assuming my 39-year old body survives all of that, I'll head out to my first assignment at Ft. Lewis, Washington, around Thanksgiving. 

Hopefully that answered some of the WTF?? (Or at least provided further evidence that I am, in fact, f-ing nuts).   I plan to post updates here often.  When I was out running this morning, I was thinking about all things I should write about here … whether I have the time, energy, and internet connection after Sunday is another story!   Stay tuned.