I guess the hardest thing for people to understand is the reason you join the military is not the reason you leave it.

Not knowing the truth.

Your basic role as a soldier being invalidated, finding out your job has no meaning. No reason. Higher command just let bad people past you demanding they do not get the same treatment as others who come in the base ever day. This Is the same as jeopardizing every men and women on the front line. That was the most angering moment for me. From this point on I had no pride in my work, No reason for being in Iraq. It was obvious to me that security was not the top priority for the troops and as one person not allowed to do my job efficiently and to the highest ability was the finals straw. Finding that out is the hardest. It was my last reason for staying. For giving my life. You believe you are doing the right thing.

Then you feel so much and you wonder why you value American  life over all life of humans. Then you start to ask yourself what you would do. And I could not face that question with out being mad and wanting to fight back myself. Just because all the world hates Americans doesn't mean we are all the same or all think the same. Just as every person is different and has different views all around the world, Doesn't give any one any right to hurt or mistreat someone. Who gives us the right to tell someone else how to think. How to live and what to wear. How many kids someone can or can't have.  So on and so on.

You can only change yourself and pray for a better future. Talking to political leaders from time to time doesn't hurt either.

living our live with peace with good will to all people even the people that are understood, that is stepping out side your bubble to know how the world is, Knowing all the good in the world. Its easy to find the bad in things and criticize things you don't understand than it is to learn and live with the respect of all man kind.

Theses are lessons that some will never learn.

Theses are lessons I took the hard way to find.

And Leaving the service is not  the same reason I joined.  Its much more deeper  now than needing a hand out from the government. Which is why I choose not to collect and walk way as I did. I didn't take any thing with me. Benefits have been left in the dirt where they belong.  Because that is what it is nothing , meaning less.

Plus you can ask all you want to get out till your blue in the face, Go all that way up the chain of command  And never get what your needing,  despite what people think about being  ability to get out the proper way.

5th April 2008

Kimberly Rivera