Today marks the 25th Anniversary of my joining the Army.
Twenty five years ago today I held my hand up and swore the Pledge of Allegiance to Queen and country.
I can still remember that day, the nerves, the excitement, the men in Uniform ^_^
Cheezels - twenty five years - half of you weren't out of nappies then, and those of you who were, were barely in kindergarten.
For God's sake, can someone pass me my walking stick now - please?
Lemme see - 25 years ago.... April 1982
We'd just gone to war with Argentina - one of my friends was crying her eyes out because her father was going to the Falklands on a hospital ship.
My Aunt announced she was pregnant with her first child - said child is now 24 and has just got his papers for joining the Army once he graduates.
I was at Junior school (1st year Junior) aged almost 8, in Mrs Rutter's class.
You joined up the year before me! (I have eight months to go until my 25th anniversary.) I had a year at tech before I joined.
I have to say that I blighted my Air Force career on my swearing-in day. The instructor said "Here are the two options; oath or affirmation. You're all going to go for the oath - the God and Bible - route, right?"
And I said, "No. I'd like to take the affirmation, thank you."
After which another dozen hands went up with people who wanted to affirm rather than swear.
My head was above the sandbags. They knew who I was. I was the Bad Influence of the intake. My career was trashed.
:laughing5:
The youngsters had better find a walking stick for each of us!
Maybe you feel old (and you're certainly older than me, I wasn't even BORN then), but still, congrats on the 25th and Jane's almost 25th year in your militaries! That's quite an accomplishment. Also, Jane, your story made me giggle a bit.
(I'm going into the United States Air Force myself after college, so I can relate, to an extent- I did Junior ROTC in highschool for 4 years, will be doing 3 years of colleg ROTC, and only THEN going into the AF- so I'llve given up 7 years before my swearing-in. holy cow.)
I was born! I was born!
I was 2...
I was almost 2 :bounce:
Being the brat that I am, I will put in that I wasn't born yet either. Nor was my older brother. :bounce:
I'm very tempted to ignore this post, but I'll tell. . .
25 years ago I had finished college and then started a family. My son was 4 1/2 years old and my daughter was a month shy of 2.
And that's all I'm saying.
April 1982 I was a month shy of being 4. I don't know if I have any memories on 4/82 specifically (that might have been around the time I stepped on a big old bumble bee barefoot) but I do remember May Day of that year when I was running around putting flowers on our friends porches. And I remember my 4th birthday party. It was a sunny day and I got a Mr. Wiggley game board!
April 1982, I was still a dream my parents had :love5:
Quote from: "Bree"I was 2...
We may be old(er) but we can still read the fine print!
Dana said:QuoteApril 1982, I was still a dream my parents had
Damn it! Who woke them?!?!
*runsaway*
I wasn't even a thought in my mum's head. Well maybe a thought, she and my dad were both living on the West coast at that point and were almost to the dating point. They didn't "officailly" get together until they moved back to Jersey.
Quote from: "Bree"I was born! I was born!
I was 2...
Just..... but were you still in nappies???
At about this time in 1982, my parents had just miscarried a set of triplets. So it's probably no wonder I was conceived a few months later...
1982 I was almost 10 years old! Busily going thru elementary school, third grade. (In Finland, you start school the year you turn 7 years.)
Quote from: "Patrick"I wasn't even a thought in my mum's head. Well maybe a thought, she and my dad were both living on the West coast at that point and were almost to the dating point. They didn't "officailly" get together until they moved back to Jersey.
I have a daughter older than you hun, Mel turns 20 this year.
Vix, you're not that
much older than me and Jane, you're a copy cat!
:oP~~~~~~~~
Quote from: "Paula"1982 I was almost 10 years old! Busily going thru elementary school, third grade. (In Finland, you start school the year you turn 7 years.)
You're only twelve months younger than my baby brother. He was just two weeks shy of his 11th birthday when I joined up.
Quote from: "Eimi"Dana said:
QuoteApril 1982, I was still a dream my parents had
darn it! Who woke them?!?!
*runsaway*
Punk :D
Quote from: "Anwen"Being the brat that I am, I will put in that I wasn't born yet either. Nor was my older brother. :bounce:
Oh that last part was just plain mean
Quote from: "Kaysea"Quote from: "Patrick"I wasn't even a thought in my mum's head. Well maybe a thought, she and my dad were both living on the West coast at that point and were almost to the dating point. They didn't "officailly" get together until they moved back to Jersey.
I have a daughter older than you hun, Mel turns 20 this year.
Vix, you're not that much older than me and Jane, you're a copy cat!
:oP~~~~~~~~
I'm the second youngest person in my family from my generation. My sister's younger. I have SECOND COUSINS who are younger than me. There's no one my age in my family and it makes me feel all left out. :(
Quote from: "Patrick"Quote from: "Kaysea"Quote from: "Patrick"I wasn't even a thought in my mum's head. Well maybe a thought, she and my dad were both living on the West coast at that point and were almost to the dating point. They didn't "officailly" get together until they moved back to Jersey.
I have a daughter older than you hun, Mel turns 20 this year.
Vix, you're not that much older than me and Jane, you're a copy cat!
:oP~~~~~~~~
I'm the second youngest person in my family from my generation. My sister's younger. I have SECOND COUSINS who are younger than me. There's no one my age in my family and it makes me feel all left out. :(
Don't worry Patrick, things will even themselves out, eventually. Mel was the oldest of all her siblings and cousins, and of my friends kids. She was with the adults all the time from birth until she was three, when the next child in our extended group/family, came along.
Eventually the age differences will no longer matter, and you'll all be the same 'age'.
I was lucky that when I was having Cailee, my brothers wives were still having children otherwise Cailee would have no one in the same generation as her. Her nearest sibling is 11 years her senior.
I was thinking today about the fact that when my mother was my age she was pregnant with me brother. Now, that doesn't exactly make me feel old... but I guess it sort of makes me feel immature! (Totally not even remotely ready for a baby!)
QuoteI'm the second youngest person in my family from my generation. My sister's younger. I have SECOND COUSINS who are younger than me. There's no one my age in my family and it makes me feel all left out.
Yeah, on my father's side I've got second cousins who are my age. In fact, I'm closer with my second cousins than I am with my cousins!
I was the oldest of my generation -- I had uncles five years older than I was and the youngest member of that generation (my dad's cousin) was only 2 years older than me. Of course, my dad's other cousins had children only a year or two younger than me, so generations kind of blended together. Of course, when my grandmother died last month, 8 of her great-grandchildren attended the funeral. When my great-grandmother passed away, she already had 4 great-great grandchildren.
I'm in the younger end of my generation in the family but there are five my age and only five younger, so I'm not quite tail end charlie. My parents were both the youngest in their families so that's not surprising.
Quote from: "Vix"I was the oldest of my generation -- I had uncles five years older than I was and the youngest member of that generation (my dad's cousin) was only 2 years older than me. Of course, my dad's other cousins had children only a year or two younger than me, so generations kind of blended together. Of course, when my grandmother died last month, 8 of her great-grandchildren attended the funeral. When my great-grandmother passed away, she already had 4 great-great grandchildren.
On one side I am the oldest grandchild, and on the side, me and my brothers are counted among the youngest. But I grew up seeing more/associating more with my dads side - so my playmates were my aunts and uncles who were only 5 - 8 years older than me.