TAFMSD

32 years ago today, I started basic training. 1976 was a much different time from today. I joined the military because I needed a job. The unemployment rate was 23.5% in the town near where I lived – people who had worked in those factories with 20+ years seniority were given their pink slips and told they would never be called back.
While my motivation to join the military was driven by financial needs, my motivation to stay for over 20 years was that somewhere along my military journey, I became a patriot. My experience is not unique to those who joined the military in the 70s.
Other than marriage, the birth of children, military folks will always remember their TAFMSD. It’s just a reminder of how time has passed and what you’ve given – and received – from serving your country.