A Major Accomplishment!

Addendum, June 15, 2009: This made the Vox News & Politics shout-out section. Of course, they think that I am Mike's dad, but that's a minor blemish. And now, back to the bragging!

My brother, who is currently on his fifth deployment to the Iraq/Afghanistan region, just got word today: he is now officially a Major!

This is especially sweet because Mike worked his way up from being a Seaman in the Navy  to being a Major in the Army [1]. Mike went into the Navy straight from High School, and did well. But he wanted to be a fireman, so he quit the Navy and got an AA in Fire Science - and discovered that it takes more than physical fitness, letters of recommendation from Senators and Representatives, and a high GPA to get into the average Fire Department. Instead, it takes a level of familial pull that he just didn't have [2]. So, after a couple of years of that rough civilian life, he went into the Army as a Sergeant.

Two years later, he was in OCS. After that, he worked on his BS [3] and worked his way up from Second Lieutenant to Major. Technically, he now has enough years in to retire at half pay, but it would be as a Captain [4] so he'll stay in for two more years and get the time-in-grade to retire as a Major. In the meantime, he went to Bosnia, to Iraq (GWI), to Afghanistan (GWII), to Iraq (GWII), to Iraq (GWII), to Afghanistan (GWII), and to Iraq (GWII) [5]. This summer, he is finally taking a break from the war zone to return stateside to visit with everyone before taking up hsi new command in Germany.

So here's to a real American hero: My brother, Mike!

John

[1] Those who would argue that the two ranks are roughly equivalent may see me later, in the alley.
[2] Most big city fire departments are like most museums or universities - unless you know somebody who is already in the system, your chances of breaking in are minimal. It does happen (I was hired by a museum after getting my BS in Physics), but it is very rare.
[3] Technically, an Associate of Arts is all that you need to qualify as "an officer and a gentleman" [a], but you need a full BS or BA (a BS is better) if you want to rise above Captain.
[4] Retirement rank isn't the same as active duty rank; in general, it takes two years in a given rank to rate it when you retire. This is supposedly so that temporary ranks don't get confused with permanent ones, but the reality is that it is just another way for the Veteran's Administration to screw our military by reducing their retirement income.
[5] Mike is one of those in the Army who has seen multiple tours of duty "over there". The Army is supposed to let you have a year back home before returning you to the battlefield, but they typically transfer you to a new battallion that is going out within a month of your return. Since they jufdge time at home by the batallion and not by the individual, they can claim to be keeping to that rule, even when they aren't. In the meantime, more than half of the Army has never been to Iraq or Afghanistan.

[a] The degree is supposed to show that you have differentiated yourself from the common herd. Hah!