I got this idea from a story I heard on NPR yesterday. I thought it was interesting, so I asked myself what would I write to my 22 year old self. Here's what I came up with:
Dear Abby,
You're still young and it's your last year in the Navy. You are wondering if you should re-enlist or get out and go to school. You're going to meet a guy who works on a cruise ship and start dating him. During this dating process, you decide to be honorably discharged from the service, because you are tired of hiding who you are. Unfortunately, the relationship doesn't work out.
Here's the part that sucks. It has nothing to do with the relationship, so put that out of your mind. You are going to go back to school and work your way to get into the Nursing program. You finally get in the door, but you get called back into active duty and are sent to Iraq.
You get shot at, buildings blow up, and you patch people up. At the time, you don't even notice how much it sucks. You look at the bright side and think about all the free healthcare you are giving to the Iraqi people and the care you give to your marines. What you don't know is that you start fooling around with a marine, get caught, and then kicked out.
Here's what you should have done! You should have either re-enlisted and get shipped to Spain or go to a Navy tech school; or keep your dick in your pants and not fool around while in your Iraq. Take your pick. I promise it will end better than getting thrown in the brig.
With much love,
Your future self.
