Georgia Was Not On My Mind

Tom informed me to tonight that, with my permission, he will be enlistining into the Army to become a sniper. I told him I was fine with it and we would do what we had to do. I swallowed my fear with the thought that is not the first time he has toyed with the idea. Every time he got laid off he looked into going back to the military. I was okay with the it everytime knowing that he would not follow through.

I'm not so sure this time.

Tom is very into his gun. It's a high powered sniper rifle that he take out for target practice everyy chance he gets. I called it Imaginary Sniperland, jokingly. He comes home with shot up targets, beaming like a preschooler with a new fingerpaint picture, and boast that the shots are less than the size of a quarter in spacing. I suppose that means he's very good from what the little holes tell me.

If there is a sniper movie, show, website or magazine Tom is on it, trying to learn what he can. I've seen Shooter enough times to know it line for line. It was a good movie but now it just makes me twitch. Basically anything gun related makes me twitch. Tom's a bit obsessive to say the least. Now he's got it in his head that he can be a sniper. Not just can but will. He won't take any base but Fort Benning in Georgia.

                          Georgia!!!!!

 Now I'm a little more than nervous. I'm already so far from my home. I have been back since October 2005. I don't really want to go any further. What's worse is the small nagging fear that he'll die on me. I've had this for a long time and this just makes it worse. I'm very torn about the whole situation. I know if I tell him no he won't do it. I'll feel guilty as HELL though. I've got three months to either Mom-up and tell him no or hope he changes his mind.



After the fact--------- after a very spirited conversation with my uncle and grandmother on the benefits of joining up and being a military family, Tom has decided against re-enlisting. I should have known that a visit from them and listening to them tell us how great it all is, Tom would change his mind. It only makes sense, right?