About Face!

So here is it: the mass question-answerer-thingy about the military and why the heck we are choosing to live our lives "in danger." A lot of people are intrigued by our choice.. and I suppose rightfully so, as the military is not a usual route for.. oh, lets say... a Pharmacy student to take.

Here are the basics we get asked most often:

Year Joined : 2008

Current Rank : Office Cadet

Will you serve in Afghanistan?: Most likely not, and if yes, Wes will be FAR from danger (he cost them too much money to lose).

Which area are you? : Air Force (although Wes is considered a "purple" (medical), and can be used in the Army, Air Force, or Navy.

How long will you be in the military? : Wes has a commitment for a total of 8 years (4 during University, and 4 as a working Pharmacist), but we are planning to remain in the military until retirement.

Aren't you worried he will die? : No more than any other wife would...

Now onto the juicy stuff...

We basically learn as we go along with the military, but this is what we have found out thus far about how our lives will be effected once Wes graduates:
First and foremost, once Wes graduates, he is not a licensed Pharmacist until he takes his licensing exam (which he has to wait at least 3 months after graduation in order to try his hand at). But, the day he graduates his rank changes from an Officer Cadet to a Second Lieutenant (pronounced LEFtenant - silly British) and with that his pay increases quite substantially (yay!!!). He will also at this time start a 6 month rotation for the military (which is usually completed in a Hospital - and most likely in the Toronto area).

Once he completes his licensing exam and is a full-blown Pharmacist, he is then promoted to Captain (and once again, pay increase - yay again!!!). And sometime between being a graduating student, and being a Captain we will find out where we are being posted (which will be to a base, and no, it will not be in Toronto). We do get to give them our 3 top picks at some point, but they ultimately decide. Our top 2 picks so far (and by "Our" I mean "Mine" because Wes leaves things like this up to me...): Ottawa, and Borden (ie Barrie). We have always talked about moving far away with the military, such as to Vancouver Island.. but the truth is, all our friends and family live in Ontario, and we cannot afford a house in Victoria anytime soon (...thank you crazy housing market out west!...) which is something we plan to do once we are posted (purchase a house that is... not go to Victoria). And so yes, that is our future for the next 4 years in a tiny, messy bow.

People are always so curious as to why we'd choose the military, but for us it was very simple: it gave us the option for Wes to be what he wanted to be (without $60, 000-ish in debt), financial security for the future (which includes a guaranteed career, and full pension by the time he is 49), and allows him to make a living where we are able to have me stay at home, even while he is still a student (which has been a family ideal for us in terms of having children). There are obviously other factors that are private, but for the masses who wonder: No, we are not crazy - we know what we are doing and know that for us, this is a great option!