Travel Challenges and Personal Challenges

So, part of the reason my post is late is due to the patience-level-testing travel challenges I faced getting back to Kentucky today. I usually fly from Boston to Charlotte, NC and then change planes to head to Lexington, but my flight in Charlotte was cancelled. UGGGH! I was severely pissed off, but had to contain my anger, as the lady at the ticket counter had nothing to do with my flight change so blowing up at her would have been misdirected...

I had the choice between spending the night in Charlotte and heading to the airport for a flight at the ungodly hour of 6 am, or re-route to Louisville, KY. Louisville is an hour and a half one way from Lexington, so again, I was NOT HAPPY. My mother ended up being just as punished as I was by U.S. Airways' inability to run smooth like a successful company should (just venting, there is probably a good reason for the cancelation); she is the lucky person that has to drive a total of three hours in order to get me back home in time for work in the morning, after working all day. She is one of the best examples of a leader I can think of, she was on the way without any complaint about how inconvenient it was for her, and gave me good advice on how to handle this better the next time.

Anyway, everything happens for a reason I come to find everyday. I met a guy on the plane who just finished a year tour from Afghanistan. He has two months with his family and girlfriend, and then he goes off for another year long tour. We talked the entire flight about life in the Middle East, being shot at, dealing with the trauma of collateral damage in the battlefield, politics, and absolutely anything guys would conjure up during a conversation (not all are appropriate here!) What I took from the experience was the extreme amount of tolerance and leadership expressed by our soldiers on the ground. It is easy for people to forget how ordinary citizens put themselves in harm's way, almost without question, for their country. It made me sit back and realize how good I have it. I can go to graduate school, bash the powers that be, disagree with our international dealings and not have to enlist to pay for my education. I know too many soldiers who enlisted simply to pay their mounting bills. This gentleman I met on the plane is funding his entire family, with his life on the line.

I had a massive lump in my throat to swallow as I heard him talk about trying his best to avoid civilians during battle, lose friends in battle, miss his home, and so on.

He went on talk about how his battalion played with local kids, provided support any way they could (or any way they were allowed) and gave supplies, food and candy to locals.

Okay, I am off of my soapbox. Sorry, I just had a seriously heart-tugging moment as I listened to how badly he missed home-cooked meals, spending time with family, and not being shot at. This soldier was being a leader, unknowingly, in changing the perception I had accepted about the military in general. We should all remember their great sacrifice, regardless of moral opposition to the wars themselves. Just imagine if we did not have the "privilege of choice" to pursue a Master's degree instead of helping pay the bills at home by risking our lives abroad.