SparkleShan

Today I say good bye to the Army after a 13 year career. I am being medically retired early, so I will receive retirement pay and benefits just as if I stayed for twenty years. It is bitter sweet. I love being in the Army, my job, my unit and the people I worked with every day, but I'm also excited to start a new chapter in my life. I also get to have some freedoms that I didn't have before like painting my fingernails, coloring my hair pink and getting my nose pierced again with out having to take it out every day. Today I also got promoted to Sergeant First Class and received two awards, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Connecticut Medal of Merit.

There are 4 AVCRADs in the National Guard, the one I belong to, the 1109th AVCRAD in Connecticut is the best one of all. Each of the have been rotating in and out of the war since it started in 2003. And yes the CT AVCRAD were the first one's here, we set up the Theater Aviation Maintenance Program here in Kuwait and now the unit is back for there second rotation. This is my first one here though, I was pregnant when they had a 3 days notice back in 2003, so I didn't go. Well the last two units that were here right before this rotation started a thing of painting a barrier to represent their unit. Well I must say that like our unit being the best AVCRAD our Barrier is also the best. The other two look very similar but ours is completely unique and original. This is our barrier which was designed and painted by SSG Langley. And Below are the Barriers done by the Mississippi AVCRAD and the ADMRU