Begin Hiatus

Well, folks- the time has come at last. In just a matter of hours, I'll be climbing aboard a great big piece of tin foil that will somehow transport me to my beloved homeland. I'm obviously very excited, and of course I'll be taking some time off from the ol' blogosphere whilst I tend to personal matters. I'm not sure what will happen to this blog in 2005. I like the Commissar's indefinite light blogging idea, but I'll just have to see how it goes.

Some of you may not know this, but in two months I'll be a civilian for the first time since I was 17. Yep, I'm getting out of the Army. It's an Unqualified Resignation from Active Duty- no National Guard, no Reserves. A clean break. This is a decision I made a few years ago, so it's not like I've been doing a lot of soul searching or anything like that. I've enjoyed every minute of my time in the service, and the Army's done more for me than I'll ever be able to put into words. I'm just ready to move on and enjoy other things in life. That doesn't mean I'll stop supporting the cause. I'll just be serving in a different way.

In the meantime, please visit the sites on my blogroll- I put them there because I really like them, and I think they're run by great people. Also, please continue to check the Desert Sky website for updates.

If you're ever in the mood for something "different"- I invite you to check out my brother's site. Yes, we have very different political philosiphisies (my word- I invented it), but we're the best of friends and we both want to help make the world a better place. He is the "yin" to my "yang"- and he's the smartest kid I've ever known. Listen to his music- the kid's a genuis. You might laugh when you see his "optimistic" plans for the Acoustic Circus, but trust me when I tell you- he'll be laughing all the way to the bank when he pulls it off! Most of my family believes he'll wind up being a wealthy Republican Senator after he gets tired of showbiz...but I digress.

Many have asked what I'll be doing and where I'll be living and all that- the truth is I just don't know. I'm sure I'll find something great out there, but it's really not something that anybody needs to be concerned about. As I've said before, this blog was never meant to be about me (today is just an anomoly)- it's supposed to be about the troops who are deployed, who have been deployed, and those who will be deployed. If I can use my combat experience and things I've learned on Active Duty to help debunk fascist mythos or help people understand what's going on over here, then I'm honored to do so. Mostly because I know that it will ultimately help those who chose to answer the call- as well as those who care enough to support them.

Thanks to all of you for making this last "mini-deployment" so much more enjoyable (and rewarding) than it otherwise would have been...