Hi all, I'm finally starting to get more involved with the MAIW community because I have so much in common with all of you. I thought I would share a little story about my military carrer. It's a little long but my docs say it's good for me to get it off my chest, so i'll bore you all with it.
First off, i've been in the USAF for 17 years as an airframe structures spec and have worked on almost every aircraft the AF and navy has flown. I love the Air Force because I get to crawl on aircraft all day. Well, all that changed in February 2006. I volunteered for a one year tour to Afghanistan to train the Afghan Army Air Corps to maintain their aircraft. What an opportunity for me! I get to maintain Mil-8, Mi-35, AN-12, AN-26 and AN-32's! I get to Kabul after 3 months of combat training. I guess i should have figured something was up after being trained to clear villages and call in air strikes. After arriving in Kabul, i find i'm being "loaned" to the US Army to train afghans how to repair AK-47, PKM machine guns, and D-50 Howiters. I drove around Afghanistan in an unarmoured Toyota land cruiser for 6 months trying my damnedest to get to the Air Corps. I finally get transfered to the Air Corps and get down to business of getting them up and going. I was also able to manufacture gun mounts for their Mil-8's so the could have crew served PKM machine guns instead of using AK-47's as door guns! Things were going great....until November when i started to get stomach aches. I went to the doc and they thought i caught a virus from the local foods. This went on for 3 months of severe pain. The docs couldn't figure out what my deal was. I think they actually thought i was faking to go home early. I told them that when i put my gear on, which wieghed 75 lbs, that i felt like a tennis ball in my gut. They blew me off and sent me back to work. Well, in January, i went back to Pope AFB for my mid-tour leave and decided to go to the docs there. It took them 1 day to find a lemon sized cancer tumor on the outter lining of my stomach. I was told rather bluntly by the doc that it was stage four and to get my affairs in order. Damn, i'm only 35 years old! how could this be? luckily, i was transfered to Chapel Hill hspital to the best cancer docs in the counrty. initially they said that i would lose my stomach, spleen, gall bladder and 65% of my pancrease. things still looked bleak. Beleive me, i prayed more than i've ever prayed in my life, which with 4 tours to Iraq and 6 to Afghanistan, i've done some praying. I went under the knife March 27th, and after 11 hours, i came out with only losing my stomach. They found that the cancer in fact had not spread and i'd most likely be fine. So after 6 months i'm in chemotherapy and on the road to recovery. I do have to admit that after dropping the abll for 3 months, the military has come through for me. They've spent over $300,000 on my treatment and have only sent me to the best civilian docs around. I've been on medical leave since January with full pay and benefits. They have even made plans for me when i return to duty in january 08. So i look forward to chatting with all of you as i get into AI aircraft modeling full time. If anyone ever needs help with USAF paints just let me know as that's what i've done for 18 years.
Thanks for listening,
Jason
Good with the bad...
-
reconmercs
- MAIW Veteran
- Posts: 2565
- Joined: 11 Aug 2006, 19:55
- Version: FS9
- Location: KRDU
-
KevinJarvis
- Lieutenant Colonel
- Posts: 920
- Joined: 10 Jun 2007, 19:13
- Version: FS9
- Location: Jacksonville, Illinois, USA, Earth
- Contact:
Jason,
Thanks for sharing your story with us. Anytime you need to get anything out, there will always be some good people around to listen.
OMG, 10 tours? What the heck were you thinking? LOL
Seriously, thanks for your service. If people in this country only knew what was going on around the world, things might be different. I'm sure you and yours have made a difference to someone who will never get the chance to thank you.
KJ
Thanks for sharing your story with us. Anytime you need to get anything out, there will always be some good people around to listen.
OMG, 10 tours? What the heck were you thinking? LOL
Seriously, thanks for your service. If people in this country only knew what was going on around the world, things might be different. I'm sure you and yours have made a difference to someone who will never get the chance to thank you.
KJ