He needed a full time paying job that he would not be fired from in the next few years and bulletproof health care that would not DENY coverage for his wife's condition just because she had it when he got hired.
And you are shitting on him cause he doesn't drift from small time home work gig to small time home work gig?
Sounds to me like he Manned the fuck up, and placed his ass on the line for the security of his family.
with all due respect Phil, this is a sad story...but he did not have to "put his ass on the line" and "man the fuck up" by joining the army.
if you are going to join the armed services, the army is the last one you should join if you want the reasonable element of safety.
if you are smart, you join the *NAVY* the *AIR FORCE* or the *COAST GUARD*...you join the Army or Marines and chances are you will be on the front lines if you are not focused towards other areas of the army.
join the Navy and you will be safe at sea on an Aircraft Carrier or Cruiser or TRansport Ship...or on a navy base
and while you are at it, you can volunteer for a service that will offer you alot of very viable career possibilities when you eventually get out of the service...
if he has a 4 year college degree, he could have become an immediate candidate for officer school
he was a coordinator for raw materials at a plastic company...clearly he understands supply, incoming and outcoming materials, organization, and a host of other good qualities that the NAvy or Air Force could use, and he would not simply be some lowly grunt just out of high school with no skills.
in 4 years in the Navy, as an officer candidate, he will likely be a lieutenant by that time.
his family will have Medical and dental insurance, free housing or he can get subsidy for off-base housing, life insurance,legal assistance, tuition assistance, low-interest home loans and a host of other things
In the navy you can take any number of online courses, all free, paid for by the Navy
and you are not going to be sent in to the mountains in Afghanistan or the deserts of Iraq...(unless you join the Navy special forces)
you will be on a ship or at a Naval Base, safe and sound for the most part.
and with his education and experience, his smarts and maturity he no doubt has an edge over the younger people. he has proven dedicated, reliable, focused and a host of other excellent qualities...
he can learn whatever he wished as an officer candidate...
he can choose to learn about:
-law
-aviation
-engineering
-healthcare/medicine
-intelligence work
-information/systems - cyberspace/cyber/info warfare
- public affairs
- science related fields
- supply/transport/logistics (PERFECT FOR HIS EXPERIENCE)
- or join the submarine or surface fleet
so spare us the drama.
this man can use his already impressive resume, and in the equivalent of 4 more years in college, could ensure his family's well-being, improve his options enormously, and who knows, might find himself an entirely new, profitable career afterwards...
if he walks out of the Navy in 4 years as a lieutenant, who was taking courses online, and learning even more in his field which was plastics, or, perhaps trying something else he always wanted to try, like engineering, or law or even medicine, computers, sciences...who knows what he could do.
frankly, i would not be surprised if in 4 years he winds up with far better prospects than before...and to be honest, considering the state of the economy, he is going to be *GLAD* to be getting a guaranteed paycheck for 4 years, Assistance and insurance for his family, and training to get a higher position in his field, or starting in an entirely new field, while avoiding the worst effects of the economy...that company may have gone under in less than 3 years, in which case he'd be in even worse trouble considering the current projections...he would *THEN* have to join...three years later
who knows, he may learn some tremendous lessons about supply and coordination that might lead him to come out of the military, and possibly try and start his own business, with a couple of people he met while in the navy...he might build a business that supplies the navy...
he might find an entirely new, rewarding, and not to mention, lucrative career...
what if he earns his law degree? what if he chooses to get involved in the Navy Department of Public Affairs?
he could be working at the Pentagon, or a million other totally safe places...this is a man who has some very clear advantages due to his age and experience.
if he goes the law route, his "basic training" is 5 weeks of OCS...that is nothing...5 weeks of basic exercise, training, and study...
he would get to choose his own assignment after 1 to 2 years of service, so he could get himself as close to home as possible, in under 24 months and possibly much less.
that would allow him an unprecedented chance to choose which he would want to go
and, if you are a good candidate, you can earn an LLM degree at a law school you choose, that is paid for by the navy, and you *STILL* get your normal yearly navy salary *PLUS* benefits.
also, this man has said he always thought about joining the army for years, but feared he was too old...as he said to his mom..."He told me, 'I've always wanted to do something for my country and I have to help Michelle.'"
from my calculations, he earns about $55,000 per year at his former job based on what they said his hourly wage was in the article.
if he goes the law route, he could be in private practice in 4 years, earning two to three times that easily.
there is a reason why the armed forces raised their enlistment age to 42...they *DESPERATELY* need people...and they are willing to do a hell of a lot to draw them to the service in terms of helping those people in the present and for the future in exchange for the service they and their family give.
he certainly could almost walk right in to be a Navy Business Manager in the supply, transport and logistics as an officer...his experience would be invaluable, and he would be perfect for it from his previous job, and could easily supervise younger navy workers, and would advance rather quickly, i would expect.
I hope for the best for this man and his family...but he did not have to join the army and go to the front....he seems a smart, decent, good hearted, responsible, driven, loving man...if he takes this as an opportunity, this could be the best thing that ever happens to him in terms of his future...second best only to his wife managing to be cancer free, which is my sincerest hope...it would certainly be nice, if in 4 years she is healthy and cancer free, his daughter and son are happily through college, and he has a brand new career, in something he always wanted to do, that allows him to continue to live a great life, with his wonderful wife.
that is what i hope for....