Arriving to my new unit was a blessing in disguise. As much drama as there was surrounding my move – I was now surrounded by a good group of guys. The SOF community is tiny and we’ve all known each other, or have heard of one another over the course of our careers.
Being that I was moving to 3 star command, the team was a bunch of old guys who were ALL within a few years of retirement. I would be the first out the door. I was still on the fence about what I was going to do, so I was politicking to work in another section upstairs doing what I was doing previously.
At the time, real estate and money were an idea that was starting to take hold, but nowhere of a solid plan as doing what I was doing previously. That was my comfort zone. Word had spread for years about how hard I was working in Hawaii and my new unit all knew who I was. They wanted me working the country desks again cause I was good at it. I had connections, I understood the tempo of the work and above all had longevity. If I took that position, I would absolutely have no issue sliding into the civilian equivalent position of that job and have work waiting for me once I retired.
The section that owned me knew this and were still supportive of me if I chose to make that move. But did I want to do that anymore? Things had changed and I was doing a lot of reading and soul searching. Once COVID hit, I was forced to take a break and to be honest – I liked it.
But people were making moves and speaking out on my behalf and I felt obligated to take that position. It was a weird position to be in, but a good one.
Because my current section was a bunch of SOF guys, we ran it like we were still on a team. Very laid back, big boy rules and lots of story telling reminiscing about the old days at Bragg. I had some awesome storytellers. Plus the fact that we were all within a few years of retirement – we explored lots of retirement options together.
Upstairs at the exercises section was a totally different environment. Most Majors coming into that position were hungry, young and trying to make a name for themselves. They were in that position temporarily in order to take a bigger position as an Operations Officer or Executive Officer. Hours were long, and it was cutthroat. If those officers stayed there too long, they were in a precarious situation where they could get passed over for promotion for never being around. It was more of a temporary holding position that was better suited for civilians or guys like me not competing for rank.
Going up there for a meeting meant you were going to be there for awhile. Friday meetings at 1600 were not uncommon for them. You could just feel the stress. Guys were working well past 1800 and damn near living in the office. Fuck that. I knew that life and I lived it. They were stressed and we were in the middle of COVID where no one was really traveling. I lived that life when we were full blown operating everywhere jumping from country to country.
Again, FUCK THAT. I liked where I was at. It was a bit of a homecoming with guys I had known for years and I knew that we would watch each other’s back and cut out all the bullshit. It was how we operated. If there wasn’t any work going on, we were at the gym, telling stories, or back at the house. When it was time to work, we banded together to do what needed to be done and that was that. Hell, half the time we weren’t in uniform except for a meeting.
Did other sections think we were bullshitting around? Probably. But did we care – Hell no. We all had nothing left to prove anymore. My boss’s boss was a Special Forces Officer with over 30 years in. My immediate boss was a former senior NCO with just under 30 years in as well. We all knew where we stood in our careers. Most of us were no longer chasing rank, so we were honest with one another. No backstabbing, no competing for evaluations, just balance and the perfect place to decompress and continue to think about life after the Army.
The best part was – we talked about retirement. We tossed ideas back and forth and it was just the place I needed to be. Was I throwing away my connections and blowing off people upstairs that would have held a civilian gig for me when I retired? Yes. But I was slowly starting to see that that option would be my LAST option.
Until then, there was still more soul searching and still more reading and exploring to do. And I was in the perfect place to do it.
What about you? Are you in a place to think? If not – MAKE time to slow down and think. What do you want in life? Is it this? Is it what you are doing now or did you picture something else? Take a second to stop and think about it. Then write it down. If its not what you wanted, what DO you want? Spend your time thinking about that. This is time well spent.