The Voyage Home Part 1

Ever wonder what it’s like when a soldier leaves the Army and heads home? Well, you’re about to find out what it was like for at least one of them…

Leaving the Army behind for good...

Our story starts on April 29^th at 1100 hours EST in Frederick, MD. It’s my last day in uniform as a soldier in the Army. I just got my discharge papers and changed out of my uniform into civilian clothes. I don’t see a reason to continue wearing those damned ACU’s now that they are part of a past phase in my life. (There will be a blog about why I decided to leave the Army when my terminal leave ends in July.) Now that it’s all over, it’s time to get back to where I really belong, America’s most fun and unique city, New Orleans!

As I am driving off the base, Fort Detrick, for the last time, I notice that I have no feelings about it whatsoever. It doesn’t feel good or bad. I was already long past the point where I would care about such things. Anyway, as I drive off the base, I get a phone call from the moving company that picked up some of my stuff the previous day. They wanted to ask me how everything went, confirming delivery date, et al. Before leaving town forever, I stop to pull a few bucks out of the ATM and top off the gas tank at the cheapest place in town… If you can call $3.53 per gallon for regular 87 octane ‘cheap’. Maryland has some really INSANE taxes. I’m glad that I no longer live in that state. It’s too cold in the winter and I don’t want to live in a state controlled by tax-happy Democrats. That state did after all pass a tax on the rain. Ridiculous, huh?

Continuing on...

After filling up, I start my journey home to New Orleans right away. There was no need to stop and say goodbye to anyone since I had already done that the previous week. Within 20 minutes, I am leaving Maryland and going into West Virginia. Another 20 minutes after that, I was in regular Virginia. It took a good 4 or 5 hours to get through that state because of torrential downpours and lots of traffic on the highways. Despite the rain, I was still quite impressed with the Old Dominion State. As always, it was quite beautiful. Too bad they elected a former Clinton aide to be their new Governor a few months ago. I doubt that guy is going to be a good administrator. The further away from the Beltway that I can get, the better. (See how bitter and cynical being a Federal employee can make you?)

I'm NOT tired yet...

Anyway, I managed to escape the rain and cross the border into Tennessee at about 1700 EST that afternoon. My original plan was to stop somewhere in that state for the night, most likely in Chattanooga. However, I didn’t feel tired. Except for a few brief stops for gas and dinner, I just kept going through the Volunteer State as fast as I could. I have spent some considerable time there. It’s a nice place. However, there wasn’t a single Rock station ANYWHERE on the dial, even in the major cities. The best I could find was an Oldies station and a few Classical stations. Everything else was Evangelical programs and Country music. That’s not my scene. I was really wishing that my CD player worked while driving through that state. All that being said, the scenery along the roads was still quite beautiful...

Later that night and still on Eastern Time, I crossed into Northern Georgia. I want to say it was sometime between 2100 and 2200 hours that night. I wouldn’t stay in the Peach State for long, though. I was merely cutting across the northwest corner to get into Alabama. By that time, I had been on the road for nearly 12 hours and was feeling the fatigue. I bought a 5-hour energy shot from a gas station while filling up and then kept right on trekkin’ across the southern United States. Who cares if it’s so dark that I can’t see more than 20 yards in front of my truck? After all, that 2001 Chevy S-10 and I have slugged through far worse than a dark road in the middle of nowhere before. I want to get home, dammit!

TO BE CONTINUED...