About two weeks ago I received a phone call from my Physical Evaluation Board Liaison Officer (PEBLO), saying that my MEB had finally come back. We set a meeting for this Tuesday so we could review what it said and either accept or appeal the results. It seems like ages since we started this process. Officially it began in January but it seems like we have been waiting so much longer.
Tuesday I got into the office and we sat down and reviewed the results.
It was no surprise to see that they offered 100% disability and medical retirement.
Without getting way in depth a 100% disability rating means that we will get a check each month as well as medical and dental benefits. In this economy that is valuable. Any rating less than 100 doesn't get dental…but I digress.
You all have been aware of my goals and desires throughout this entire process. We have planned and fought for the chance to stay on active duty. That being said, it will probably surprise you to learn that we have accepted the 100% and the medical retirement.
I signed the paperwork Tuesday. They will take around two weeks to be processed by the Air Force Personnel Center or AFPC, then the clock starts
Twenty days of out processing, twenty days of house hunting, and terminal leave will all be happening before I officially retire from the Air Force.
I want to take a minute to explain to you all why we have decided to do this and not stay in and fight.
As before, you are all well aware of how blessed my family and I have been since January 3rd 2010. We have seen more kindness and gratitude from family, friends, and complete strangers than I ever imagined possible. We had case workers bend over backwards to help us strive for our goals, and we were given a home by Operation Finally Home and Tilson.
How does someone say thank you enough for what people have done for us? How will it ever be possible to show everyone how grateful we are? The answer is not as cut and dry as I may wish,but I remember the last thing that Don Dixon, the Venture Capitalist in Palo Alto said to me after we spent our day at Google and with the Brain Port staff...
"Pay it forward Mike".
A simple and 100% true statement. That is the only way that we can even begin to express our gratitude. We can use the opportunity that ha been given to us to reach out and help others who are trying to overcome adversity in their own lives.
This became our goal, our focus. With this in the front of our minds we looked at the future and started to talk.
We had a simple question, where will we be the most effective and really do the most good. Not just for ourselves, but for others.
The reality is that we can and will be more effective as civilians. We will have the freedom to work with whoever we want whenever we want and we don't need to worry about violating regulations and restrictions the military has in place to protect itself. We will be able to do whatever it takes to reach our goals and for the first time in over 5 years I won't have to ask permission and make sure I won't get in trouble for doing it.
It is strange to think of myself as a civilian. I have said many times that my dream was to serve in the military and at first the thought of being forced out was devastating. But goals, ad our opportunities have changed drastically. We firmly believe that to reach our full potential and reach the goals we have set we need to say goodbye to the military. It wasn't an easy choice but it is the best choice for our family and in the end that is all that matters. We will miss it. It has been good to us…if you don't count January 3rd ha ha. But it really has been a dream come true and it has opened doors to us that otherwise never would have been opened. We will miss the friends we have made and the bonds we have created. I will miss wearing the uniform and being a part of the greatest military on earth. It is bitter sweet to me sure, but we know we will always be involved with the military and those who serve, or have served in it in one way or another.
One of the other driving forces behind all of this is the mentorship program. Things were looking very promising at the beginning. There was a lot of support and help to get the program in motion. Unfortunately, to a large extent that has changed.
For those of you who don't know the Recovery Care Coordinator program has suffered the last few months. They had a huge budged cut to deal with, a handful were fired. Those who weren't had to pick up the cases left over from those who were. Political hands started to reach into the program and effect how it operated making them spend half of their days inputting status reports into a computer system that worked less than half the time instead of helping the AF wounded, ill and injured. It is an absolute mess.
It makes me so mad to hear that the only program that helped my family and I through our entire recovery process has been so thoroughly shafted. How can senior government leaders say they are doing everything possible to help our returning military then turn around and cut the budget to this invaluable program by half?? This is not taking care of the wounded, ill, and injured. I know people who right now are falling through the cracks in the system directly because of this.
The Patient Squadron here at Lackland has been making a valiant effort to fill the RCC shoes but they too are overworked and overburdened by the bureaucratic process. It is a mess and I am overwhelmed by sadness to see this happen.
SInce this all began, all forward progress in the mentorship program came to a halt. The RCC program was where I received names of candidates and learned who needed help. There have been a handful of individuals since who have been trying to help but it is all too little too late.
Did I want to fight so hard to stay in the military for this? Where will I be the most effective? Where can I do what needs to be done and know that people aren't looking at my Senior Airman stripes and not even listening to what I say? The truth is the civilian world.
What is the plan now? Well we are going to focus on getting into the new house and welcoming our new baby boy into this world. After that I will be starting back to school. I am thinking a degree in communications and an planing on getting into public speaking. My story is what makes people listen, what get's their attention. If I can get the right training I can really put it to work.
Beyond that we have no specifics. We still have time to work all of that out. FOr now, we are just waiting for the process to wrap up so we can begin the next chapter of our lives.
Thank you all for keeping up on us. I have no doubt that life will continue to surprise us and we are eager and excited for every opportunity.
God bless you all and thank you for your support.
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