HOPS and Hops and Closing Shop

10 AUG 07

I apologize for the title of this post. It made sense to me. Let’s see if I can make it make sense to you.

I was driving into work this morning and the announcer on NPR said there was a story coming up about how most hops in America originated in the Northwest. My military mind immediately thought of Air Force hops that take government personnel around the world at a discounted rate. When I found out the story was actually about beer, I laughed out loud.

You see, that’s how my mind is programmed. I’ve been in the military for almost 21 years. I don’t really even remember life “on the outside.”

That’s why today is so interesting and emotional. Today is my last day of work at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. I’m taking a couple days off before I start outprocessing (another military term) in preparation to go to Baghdad. As I’ve noted before, as soon as I get back from Iraq, I’ll begin outprocessing again – this time to get out of the Army for good.

I wonder how I’ll feel at this time next year when I’m no longer in the Army.