What Dad Wants To Be When He Grows Up

Or... How Mom's World Got Turned Upside Down

So I'm sure you are all curious how someone who has defended his country, flying multi-million dollar airplanes over your head and is getting paid with your tax dollars has not grown-up yet.  Well, actually most of you will wonder, those who are married to fighter pilots are wondering how they can get their husband to even THINK of growing up someday!

Case in point...

I'll keep going from where we left off... J is out of the Air Force and now we need to feed 5 mouths for the rest of our lives without the comfort of a federal job and benefits.  Pretty daunting right?

So we went through the list of jobs that many Air Force pilots list when getting out, flying with the airlines, flying with a private company or... well that's it I think.  Well, Dad didn't want that life.  So then came the question, "Well J, what do you love to do?"  Now we'll have to fast forward about 6-12 months from that point because I cannot count the number of times we went through the possibilities.  The main points would go as follows:

• Can't give up flying COMPLETELY so apply to whatever Air National Guard will let him in part-time.
• No commercial flying, period.
• Something that would let him be around the family more.
• Something that would give him more freedom and flexibility.
• Something that would let him lead or teach.

Alright, so a little side note here, in his career J managed to study hard and get two Master's degrees while working full-time for the Air Force.  His undergrad major was European Studies and his Master's degrees were in International Relations and Military Operational Art and Science.

Have you added all this up yet?  Family, flexibility, teaching and a pocketful of advanced degrees...

When J grows up he wants to be a college professor.  Meaning another advanced degree.  Sometimes I wonder if he just wants "Doctor" in front of his name like his brothers and father.  But as I thought about this "dream job" I realized that in his Air Force career his favorite part of every job was being a teacher.  In the B-52 he loved being on a crew and being able to show a co-pilot how to fly.  In the T-37 and T-6 he wanted to help every student get better and was an excellent instructor.  Finally, at home he loves to teach the boys whatever he thinks they'll pick up on.  I attribute most of ZZ's early skills to Dad's nightly reading.  This was all starting to make more and more sense.

J getting out of the T-6 with his last "student" - January 2012

So next Dad started researching programs, looking at opportunities for veterans and pinning down how this would work.  He chose three schools that had Political Science PhD programs and we started exploring the various pros and cons of the schools, the cities/towns, the National Guard units and every last detail of life on the outside.  This is where timing came into play a little more.  Universities don't release grad student acceptance until March, we were now moving in January, uh-oh.  So decision time was upon us.  J chose to apply to SUNY Albany only and hope he got in.  About that same time a traditional Guard position at Scotia opened up and things fell into place.  

Great, right?  Not so fast...

How do you pay for a family of five while attending school?  The stipend wouldn't even cover a mortgage for our family.  Enter... Mom and the next chapter of our adventure.