My leg still hurts like Hell
and my code ends tomorrow.
I have a dilemma. My
mood swings are extreme and
fast these days. 2 letters from
[fiance], 1 from office. Good to
hear from [fiance].
My injuries were the main source of my mood swings. It just sucked to be in pain all the time.
I remain grateful that I had split option training, which meant that I went to basic training, then went home, and then returned to active duty the next summer for advanced individual training. The vast majority of my basic training class went on to their school. I don't remember if they got a little time off for accumulated leave time, or not.
I had a school year to heal. Of course, I had a school year and a first year of marriage to gain 10 pounds and not exercise one bit. But overall it was a blessing to heal. Exercise in AIT wasn't as brutal, and in time I was at the top of my class with run times and PT scores--and those were regular Army PT requirements rather than the slightly lower basic training standards.
I worried that my leg would just give out. Barring that, I knew I would pass the final PT test. But my leg really was screwed up.
Yet I did not want to go on sick call.
But I'd already learned that too much hesitation could have been fatal given my previous reluctance to have my infected foot looked at.
I even got a pack of notes from my office colleagues at the University of Michigan Graduate Library where I worked then. I would return to work there after I got out.
And two letters from my fiance. I will say she kept writing. Future events weren't as happy but she was great on this score, I'll have to admit.
