Columnist gets to experience college life and the military

This past week, I was in Lansing getting my flight packet started. This flight packet basically is a precursor to me going in front of a board for selection as an aviator in the Michigan Army National Guard after I graduate and get my commission.

As I was finishing up with Chief Salters, she reminded me I owe the National Guard six years as a condition of selection. Of course, this wasn’t going to be a problem.

The six years was never going to be an issue for me — not because the opportunity of getting paid to fly rotary wing aircraft (helicopters) was being dangled in my face, but rather because of the past three and a half years I’ve been in the National Guard.

During the time I’ve been in, I’ve met people and done things I probably would have never had the ability to do if I never joined. In fact, if I hadn’t made the decision to join the National Guard, you probably wouldn’t even be reading this column right now. I decided to transfer to CMU after a buddy of mine convinced me to join and go the ROTC route.

I had the opportunity to attend a weeklong Squad Designated Marksman course. Basically, I got paid to learn how to shoot in excess of 500m. You normally have to pay for that sort of thing on the civilian side.

By the time you read this, I’ll be down in Georgia at Army Airborne School learning how to jump out of aircraft. Yet again, something you normally have to pay for on the civilian side.

Then, of course, there is the aviation thing. I’m not going lie — it’s why I joined. I’ve always wanted to do military aviation, and just the other week I was able to log 1.6 hours of rotary wing time in a OH-58. Pilots that are reading this will know rotary wing time is not cheap, yet I was getting paid, and the times in my log book.

But as I mentioned, it’s not just the things I’ve been able to do these last few years that have made it enjoyable, but the people I’ve met as well. This could potentially pay dividends in the job market, too.

This column isn’t designed to be some recruiting piece, but rather an outlet for me to mention some of the things I’ve been able to do as a result of being in the military. I also figured I’d wait till I got back from Airborne School until I started hitting the politics again.

If you would like to know more, look me up on Facebook and shoot me a message. You also could stop by the ROTC office in Finch if you would like to know more about that.