I got kicked out of college when I was 18 and my best friend enlisted in the marine corps to become a recon marine, I ended saying, “fuck it, I’ll go with you.” I became a regular grunt and he graduated recon school. He ended up getting medically retired before his first deployment, while I ended up doing three deployments. After my third deployment money was tight, my girlfriend at the time kept breaking up with me/cheating on me, and I was about to go to scout sniper school. So I said fuck it, I’m really good at this, I’ll reenlist and catch that 30k reenlistment bonus. My reenlistment didn’t go through and less than a month later I was living in my Ford Ranger with no job, in debt (I took out a loan expecting to pay it off with my reenlistment bonus), and no job skills what so ever.
I was alternating between my brothers couch and my truck in, crashing in San Pedro (where I’m from). My parents had moved to Dallas on my second deployment and I really didnt want to go to Texas, or have the funds to get out there. After roughing it for a few months I sold my home (my truck) and used what little money I got for it for a one way ticket to Dallas. Before I could leave though I was drinking A LOT and fighting a lot. I ended up spending some time in LA County Jail, then I made good my escape and crashed at my parents house for a little bit.
I was not doing well at all, but I knew a cute girl who lived in Austin and I always wanted to go there. So I said fuck it, I’ll go down there, kick it with her for a while, then swan dive off the clock tower, and it will be a wrap. I got black out drunk on the megabus ride from Dallas to Austin. The girl I knew literally found me in a gutter near the UT campus, and picked me up.
She helped me get on my feet, physically and literally.
Now we’ve been married for five years, have a daughter together and are buying our first house this summer.