Seeing as how Thanksgiving is this week, I will spend the next few days going over some of the things that I am thankful for, leading up to the big day. These will be in no particular order, and I reserve the right to be thankful for more than one thing per day.

Today was a semi-annual check-up on our M109A6 Paladin Self-Propelled Howitzer (my office, so to speak, when we actually DO field artillery). That means standing around and waiting for our mechanics to stand around and watch us do seemingly pointless tasks like lubing the infinite number of lube points on said gun. As I did these things this morning, I realized that I am thankful to have a job (no matter how much I gripe about it) that I still get excited about in the mornings when I wake up. Even on my worst days (yes, I have those), I don't dread going to work. I'm thankful that I work with some of the most loyal, hardworking men in these United States. I am thankful that I have a job that lets me get my hands dirty, and feel like I accomplished something when I "clock out" for the day. And I am thankful for the security that this job offers. I know that for at least the next 4 years, I'll have a steady paycheck with a real opportunity for advancement. Finally, I am thankful that I can give what little I have back to a country that gives us so much. Not too many people can say all that about their respective jobs, and I feel bad for those people. That's not to say this job is for everybody, because it most certainly is NOT. It works for me, though, and I love it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah...that's a whole bunch of sappy pap. And when it comes down to it, this little exercise may be more for me to look back on some day when I'm waking up at 4 am to go on a 12 mile ruck march. That said, check back tomorrow for the next installment.