Dear Brian Kennedy,
I enjoyed reading your story and the courage that it must have taken you to come out to your brother. I was glad to read that his response was to smile at you as I am sure he was proud of you telling him as well. My secret that I had to share with my parents was not at all that dramatic but made me nervous as well.
While getting ready to go talk to the U.S. Navy recruiter, all I could hear in my head was my dad saying, "Don't sign anything and don't agree to anything till you talk to me." My dad was in the Army and drafted before Vietnam. He never wanted to go and tried everything he could think of to get out of it. That's his view of the military even today. Nervous and excited at the same time, watching the other potential recruits taking their tests with confidence and their parents supporting them. It's my turn. Sweat beading on my forehead, taking the ASVAB test to see what my career options are and the words of my father still echoing in my head. The scores are up and the career I wanted to do is finally a real option. Hospital Corpsman. Who could turn that down? I got the school I wanted and I'm starting at an E3 instead of E1 rank. Sign me up!!!! Yep, I signed, got swore in and told in 2 months I will be headed to Bootcamp. Crap! Now I have to tell my parents. Happy for me? Excited that I took this responsibility for myself? Absolutely not. They accepted it because it was done and I couldn't back out. My dad still messes with me like at my wedding, "Christina Lynn don't you sign anything till we discuss it first." Yeah dad, I won't.
I enjoyed reading your story and the courage that it must have taken you to come out to your brother. I was glad to read that his response was to smile at you as I am sure he was proud of you telling him as well. My secret that I had to share with my parents was not at all that dramatic but made me nervous as well.
While getting ready to go talk to the U.S. Navy recruiter, all I could hear in my head was my dad saying, "Don't sign anything and don't agree to anything till you talk to me." My dad was in the Army and drafted before Vietnam. He never wanted to go and tried everything he could think of to get out of it. That's his view of the military even today. Nervous and excited at the same time, watching the other potential recruits taking their tests with confidence and their parents supporting them. It's my turn. Sweat beading on my forehead, taking the ASVAB test to see what my career options are and the words of my father still echoing in my head. The scores are up and the career I wanted to do is finally a real option. Hospital Corpsman. Who could turn that down? I got the school I wanted and I'm starting at an E3 instead of E1 rank. Sign me up!!!! Yep, I signed, got swore in and told in 2 months I will be headed to Bootcamp. Crap! Now I have to tell my parents. Happy for me? Excited that I took this responsibility for myself? Absolutely not. They accepted it because it was done and I couldn't back out. My dad still messes with me like at my wedding, "Christina Lynn don't you sign anything till we discuss it first." Yeah dad, I won't.