Login & Share to Win! Given the chance to travel back in time, what advice are you giving yourself?

I believe that I’d stayed the corse done twenty year at least , if things could have been better with my family! I was talking to a recruiter 4 years after I got out but got sick had surgery and there was no way to return! But looking back I wish I’d stayed in instead of getting out and helping my mother ! As she was a strong woman and did take care of a very bad situation! I was just a back bone for her!

Stay in college and obtain the necessary degrees to do what you are passionate about.

Be more open and learn and absorb as much as you can.

Identify your ACTUAL, ACHIEVABLE goals, then keep your mind and ears open, your mouth shut, your head down, strive to excel at everything you do, EARN your respect as a leader, then keep your nose to the grindstone in pursuance of your goal(s). I had exceptional scores and was offered a path to West Point, or a direct recommendation for OCS, both of which I stupidly, naively refused at a very young age- they probably shouldn't let you make such consequential decisions at that age; heck, they decided everything else for you back then (BCT/AIT), so why not force you to be an officer if you're worthy right? Although I regret missing whatever professional/financial boost that would've given my career, I have to say that I still wouldn't change anything in hindsight because I'd probably miss out on all of the positive things that happened to me as a result of that flawed decision, as well as whatever influence it would have had on the negative things, which none of us can say. I doubt that I would've met my wife of 38 years, or any of the other exceptional people I was honored with working with/for, or any of the great foreign people I met, some of which I'm still friends with to this day. I don't care if I retired after 26 years "only" as a SFC- that resulted from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and not being able to keep my mouth shut about the non-adherence to regulations which got me extra respect from some, and secret repercussions, back-stabbing & trap-setting from the jealous but powerful who slowed my rise in the ranks. I bear no hard feelings, I for sure wouldn't have met all the REAL lifelong friends as an officer as I did a NCO, and as I said, still wouldn't trade my career for anyone else's.
Warriors Forever!
-Ed Boles

1. get in shape for boot camp/o.s.u.t.
2. get the mental state of mind right for anything or almost anything
3. be prepared for anything
4. go to school, college, grad school, etc., to do better than my forefathers // foremothers // fore elders
5. learn to go into a career ever lasting m.o.s./ job / vocation
6. don't get married too early ,, the Mil service(s) does not issue Wife/wives
7. be respectable, treat others correctly, right, to the best of your ability
8. refer to numbers 1-7 constantly every day, every time and everywhere ,, life will be better on earth

Reenlist in the USAF

I would tell myself to take everyone seriously and get more training to be more of a leader and deal with people better

Do NOT marry that woman.

Do NOT marry that woman.

Drive a different route to drill.