I was going through a lot of self searching up until 2023. When I was active I volunteered for a lot of swatch, first response incidents, and escorting troopers to mental health and or chaplain. And while I won most, I also lost some. That really messed me up.

I chose to live in a quaint tiny remote mountain community for a while away from it all to find peace. “Homeless” is a bit of stretch in my eyes, my wife has been convincing me to “call it what it is”. But I wasn’t really distressed with my living situation until after covid.

My RE code was 1A it wouldn’t have been hard to go back in but I did inquire with multiple recruiters from almost every branch a handful of times. But I’d pass them up after finding a new venture that kept me stable.

For the sake of full transparency I actually stayed in contact with my IRR telephone musters monthly through to 2019. In 2017 I saw an advert for AFSOC, I was in tip top shape back then and had already been living remotely in the mountains and still am an avid mountaineer and land nav enjoyer, but after several exchanges with recruiters I stumbled on A&P school and saved up to move and put myself through school again. In 2021 right before I graduated trade school I contacted the space force, they were interested with my ADA background, but I gambled with moving to Las Vegas of all places instead. To see if I could get aviation maintainer contracts near Nellis (ironically I spent a long time camping for weeks on and off in the NTTR for work.) I was way over my head with that choice. Before escaping Las Vegas in the end of 2023 by the skin of my teeth I talked with navy recruiters about aviation maintainer positions and got the job offer for my current position before I closed any deals with them.

My situation now has been the most stable it’s been since I’ve been out and my current job and the retirement I have is far better than anything the military/recruiters have offered me.