Five weeks ago, I posted my first blog post. It was a big accomplishment for me. Doing everything from scratch was a tough task but I managed it and everything came out great. As of today, I had over 500 “World of Vlad” website visits. This makes me very happy and hopefully useful to you. Telling my personal experiences has been on my mind for a couple of years now I never knew how exactly I wanted to do it. I appreciate everyone who keeps reading my little stories and supporting me. Thank you!
So, blog 5 today, huh? I talked about why I joined the Air Force (read here) I thought it would be good to tell you why I decided to separate completely and pursue a different life in the civilian world as a veteran. Know right away, that this was a tough decision and a tough pill to swallow. I questioned it a lot. Is it good, or is it bad? Why am I doing this? What will I be doing after? Questions like these were on my mind for a long, long time. I had people encourage me and others who discouraged. It’s a decision that you have to make yourself, weighing all the pros and cons and acting on it. Doubts will rise, questions will be asked, and conversations will happen, it’s all part of the process, unfortunately! But I am not here to tell you what you should do and don’t, I’m here to tell you my story and why I decided to separate the Air Force and 8 years of service.
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I have been deployed 3 times. Total 22 months, but who’s counting right? It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it was for me. I know it was part of the deal when I signed the contract, but it was enough. I never complained during my time away I always used that time to make myself better. After so long, I realized that I didn’t want to do it again. When you get back home time flies quickly. Two months feel like 2 weeks but on deployment it is different, 2 weeks feel like 2 months. Some days are going by quickly and some magically slow down to the point when you have nothing to do at all. I know people who deployed more than me and are happy about it, they are willing to keep on doing it, but I was done with that. Deployment is the time when you have the best opportunity to either find or lose yourself. It’s all about the choices you are willing to make and what you are willing to sacrifice. After my last deployment in 2021 (which was to Germany for 6 months), I had my first thoughts about separating from AF. It’s such an amazing feeling coming back home, it’s truly shocking haha. Home is a whole different world, it’s awesome. United States military is all over the globe, eventually, you will have to deploy again and again and again. It’s just a matter of time and that timing always comes at the least expected time. Every single time it caught me off guard, and there is not much you can do but go and do your time away.
Stability. What do I mean by stability? Being in the military you got stability for sure. Paycheck twice a month, and always have a job, insurance, and other great benefits, but you barely have a say in what base you will be going. I was at MacDill AFB in Florida and after I was at McChord AFB in Washington (read about my career here). I got lucky, but some don’t. Both are great bases, but I knew that my time and good bases were coming to an end, and I would end up somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Base wise. There are a couple of bases that are just not the best. I am positive that if I re-enlist one more time I’d have to go to one of those, i just did not want to do that anymore. I want to pick a place to live where I want to be and settle down. Moving around every 4-ish years is hard. It’s not easy to pick up your whole life and move, especially with family. It’s great when just starting with the military. Being able to explore different states, cities and even countries is amazing.
I have seen a lot of people separate from the military and a big reason was the pay. I agree with that. As you move up the rank the pay increases but not by a lot. (Look it up here if you are interested) Some will say it is enough and some it’s not. I am here to tell you that it is enough to live comfortably. If you are smart with money you will do great, trust me. When I was active duty I would get extra pay for knowing foreign languages and as a Raven, I was getting flight pay. It was an “ok chunk” to my paychecks monthly. The higher the rank, the more BS we had to deal with, and the pay was not reflecting that unfortunately. Staying past work hours, working on the weekends, and being ready 24/7 pretty much was a regular thing. Prices were going up and the pay would not fully reflect it either. You will often hear “I don’t get paid enough to deal with this”, the ratio between pay and workload is off, and it should not be that way. When I just joined I believed that retiring after 20 years was the right move, but my vision changed. Personally, I see the military as an amazing start to use it for all benefits but afterward, it is better to separate and find yourself within the civilian world.
These are a couple of reasons why I decided to separate. I have experienced bad leadership, I have seen unfair treatment, favoritism, laziness, and some other stuff within the force. Things like that affected my decision as well. Don’t think that it happens all the time, no, but sooner or later you will run into that. I also worked with some of the best members the Air Force has, the absolute beast leaders, and the realest people who are truly there to make a big change, for the best. Working along with those people rubs off on you in a great way. It is the best way to learn how to lead and to take a fall when needed. You will get yelled at, and you will be uncomfortable, challenged, and beaten down but it’s part of the process, it’s military. Be ready for that. That is exactly why we deploy, fly missions, work in the office, scan IDs, and support one another.
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Next Friday, my blog will be about, “Security Forces Career field”
Pass this information to everyone who might find it useful. Thank you for all the reads and support!
You guys rock!!!
Very Respectfully,
Vlad Kalinin