I'm a Square Peg

Veteran's Day.

I suppose today is a good day to reflect on my service in the military so far.

I, like so many others, found myself sitting across from a Marine Corps recruiter one fateful day in April. I stared down at these little tags that they make you put in order of importance to you and I felt...peace. I felt as if I was in the right place for the first time in my life.

I sat there thinking about myself and what he was telling me that I would have to be able to do. He explained what boot camp would be like and how hard it would be, but I wasn't even thinking about that. My heart was swelling with an overwhelming confidence that if I set my mind to it, I would be able to do it.

I went home and I told my big sister that I was going to be a Marine. That my life had just been changed forever. It wasn't about what my recruiter had said, it was about how I felt and what I knew about myself.  It was what I was supposed to do. I just knew it. All of my life I was waiting for this feeling.  I was hoping that some day, I would finally feel like I was somewhere that I belonged. There I found it.

I joined the Marines the day after I graduated high school. It was an amazingly exciting day. Throughout all my time in the Delayed Entry Program, I made some of the most amazing friends. In fact, I consider most of them to be my best friends. I created more of a connection with these people in a few short months that I have with any other people in my life.

Unfortunately, it was all too good to last. I decided to go out on one last innocent little bike ride that turned into an accident that completely changed the course of my life.  A little over two years ago, I had surgery on my arm and I cried. I cried for what I had lost. I was devastated that I would no longer be able to live out that dream and be that Marine I knew I was meant to become.

Lucky for me, about a year later, things changed. I found myself sitting across from a recruiter again but this time in an Army recruiting office. I had a stack of medical documents and high hopes that this would work out, that I would finally be able to be a part of the Military like I knew I was supposed to.

It didn't take long. I spent a couple of days with the recruiters filling out paper work, went to MEPS and that was it. I cried like a baby when the doctors on the med deck told me I was qualified. I raised my right hand (again) and I said the oath of enlistment and I was on my way.  I was an Army Reservist.

All of my training was...incredible. I tell everyone how easy it was and that it wasn't a big deal, but it was. I made life long friends and I just...fit there. I felt like I was finally good at something. For once in my life I didn't feel like a square peg in a round hole. I found a square hole that I fit in perfectly.

I'm finally a place that I belong.  Even when it really sucks.

Today I know a few combat veterans and TONS of service members. If I mentioned them all in a Facebook post, It would be over 100 of them. Most of which aren't from basic training or AIT. They're more veterans and servicemen around you than you may even realize.



So happy veterans day.

Almost A Year Later

Seems how today, I'll be linking up with the Walkabout, I thought I'd share something that has completely altered my life over the past year.

This is the Story of my broken arm. 10.16.2011

As many of you know, last year around this same time, I got in a mountain biking accident.

The day before I was to leave for Marine Corps Boot Camp, I went out for a bike ride with a friend.

Little did I know, we were going mountain biking. I didn't even take my helmet. (really dumb by the way. Just always wear your helmet if you're gonna be a bike...)

We put our bikes in the car, and drove to the trail. When we got there, we unpacked the bikes and started on the trail.

I had never been mountain biking and I was scared when it started to get steep. I took my feet off the pedals and walked my bike down the hill. The next little bit is fuzzy. I don't remember deciding that I was okay and I could start pedaling again. All I really remember is seeing a cement landing thing in front of me and flying through the air. I don't know how my arm broke. All I know, is that a concussion set it and I got really confused. I knew was that I was in pain and that was about it. I wasn't sure where I was, why I was there, or anything (Wear a freakin helmet!). I rode in an ambulance to the big hospital due to the brain injury. They were asking me a bunch of questions. I knew my name, my social, my mom's phone number and that I wasn't alergic to anything. That was about it.

 Also, I was asking all of the people in the ambulance how old they were and how long they had been doing their jobs. I was watching Grey's Anatomy at the time. I was afriad I was getting stuck my interns...

After all of the emergency room drama, I finally woke up in my own hospital room. I was still confused, but I knew a little bit better what was going on. My arm hurt. Bad. I was in a neck brace, and there were two IVs in my arm. For someone who has never stayed in the hospital, this was all pretty scary...

I was informed that I had crushed my radial head (elbow) and fractured a whole section of the radius.  Surgery was how they would fix it. Hardware. Joint injury. Disqualifiing.

That was all that I heard. It felt like my life was over. I was never going to be a Marine. I was never going to be in the military. I would never get to live that dream.

I was told that people don't recover from this injury. They never regain full range of motion. They never have the same strength. They don't join the military.

Well, I was lucky enough to be the exception. After extremely painful and emotion physical therapy, I had returned to almost normal. They took out all my hardware in January of this year. Now I have a pale scar and I'm stronger than ever. This injury has become the fuel behind my fight. I will never forget it and I will always let it be my reason to push forward and defy the odds. Because I know that I can.

I joined the Army in September. I chose to do that because it worked best for my relationship.

Little did I know, I wasn't going to have a relationship because I joined the Army...Funny how that works, but oh well.  I hope to be a Marine some day One way or another...I will figure it out.

Please, if you are visiting from the walkabout, leave a comment and let me know! I would love to visit your blogs as well. You can never have enough bloggy friends! You can follow me Via Bloglovin, GFC, Twitter, Instagram Facebook...Basically everywhere! 

No go link up!