Change

In the army lifestyle, there are things that change constantly and things that follow you around like bags of cement. Somethings are next to certain, other things seems like they are on the whim of someone far away. I don't know if anyone has ever gotten out before their contract was up in good health and without misconduct, once you sign, you are in. On the flip side, no ones knows if Adam will have to redeploy due to stoploss, even though his contract would have been up. No one knows when exactly Adam will come back from Iraq.

We know exactly how much he will get paid, and pretty much at what speed he will get promoted. We know there is no circumventing this system even if you are the best soldier ever. However we don't know if he will have a bed to sleep on, a DFAC to eat at, a place to get a shower, or contact via phone or internet with the outside world.

We know what benefits he gets if he gets hurt and under what circumstances they will release him due to injury, but we aren't sure how GI bill will pay for college, and if he will have to find a supplementary job if he goes to an expensive college. We know how he will be stuck at Fort Lewis until he finishes out his contract, we have no clue how we are supposed to get in state tuition for states where we can't live because we live in Washington.

Hmm it seems like cement some days....