OVER-THE-ROAD WARRIOR

Thanks Colonel.
To those who might be interested.
There is no need or reason to consider trucking for a few years as a lifetime commitment.
It is a job which allows a person time to become more "A part of" the world.
Make great friends meet everyday folks from all over the country.
The rules and regs can be super annoying at first but if a person can understand that it isn't a lifetime commitment then putting up with the nuisance can be overlooked.
Some will find that they love it. They may stick with it and find a specific niche which suits them best.
There are a hundred very different MOS variations ..as it were.
I have done a good number of different trucking jobs over the years.
It doesn't have to be about pulling a box trailer down the road.
Heavy equipment hauling. Flatbedding. Liquid bulk cargo.
There are certainly opportunities to travel all over the country.
The main thing I must stress again. You aren't making a lifetime commitment.
Most will probably move on but in the meantime you will likely find out what suits you for the next many years.

There is another aspect to trucking that I must cover.
As an old hand I can make these assertions with absolute authority.
Veterans who have been on overseas assignments are used to being away from home for long periods of time.
It isn't easy to come home and be close to family every day.
Husbands and wives who have been working on their own for long periods of time may find it incredibly difficult to be together all the time.... TO SAY THE LEAST.
Trucking offers a "soft" separation that can be an absolute marriage saver.
A man can always find a position that suits him even if it is closer to home.
Every day home. Every week home. Or gone for much longer periods.
You will not be "isolated". Communication is always at arms length. That is super important.
I have many friends that I have worked with for up to 30 years.
They know more about me than my wife and kids in many cases.
The same can be said in reverse. There are men whom I have known and talked to.... especially since the advent of cell phones ...since we were fair haired boys.
We became fathers then grandfathers. We talk for many hundreds of hours a year.
We may bullcrap all day ...or all night..on the phone.
If you want alone time that's easy as well.
Modern trucking companies usually have dispatch right over onboard computers. You may not need to interact with the office at all.
Wether you are qualified for VA benefits or not most companies have a helath plan which can cover family.
Many trucks these days are rolling apartments.
Built in refrigerators, microwaves, I could hang a 40" flatscreen on the wall in the bunk if it suited me.
The stereo systems are first rate.
I seldom eat at restaurants on the road. Working out in the oil patch I often end up parking in the dirt somewhere. I buy very very good food and prepare it at my leisure.
Modern truck stops have every amenity.
Where I live there are damn few truckstops and amenities are indoor plumbing... :-).

Wow! Interesting story. Quite an honor to receive a rig like that. Thanks for the post, COL Mikel J. Burroughs.

When I took the job I have, I was an 88M(old MOS was 64C), decided to work on equipment and do set-up instead. Still got to go out on the road and work just it was to keep the customers happy, wouldn't trade my career choice for anything else.