I am 32 years old now and I will soon turn 33. If my favorite uncle is correct, I have lived longer than my father did. That thought is particularly interesting to me. I have seen more days on this earth than my father did. Why? How? Only God knows the answers to those questions, I suppose. What I do know is that in the automobile of life, I am now beginning to witness the rear-view mirror grow, while the windshield is shrinking. Now, don't get me wrong. The rear-view is still quite small, as compared to the windshield. I'm not at all suggesting that I'm some scenile geriatric, or anything. But, there is quite a bit for me to look back on.
I could talk about the birth of my brother Chris and how a baby brother was the first thing that I ever prayed for. I could talk about the first time I ever got sick at school. Then, there was the death of my best friend and grandfather, James (Jim) Franklin Lee on 10 August 1986. Now, that is a day I will never forget. It's too bad that Grandpa wasn't around to see the memories I would make later. I often wonder what he would think of my life now. Would he be proud of me? What would he say, knowing that he has a great-granddaughter on the way? What would he think of my Army career and of my wife? I hope I've made him proud.
I could talk of my mother's second divorce and then us having to live with my grandmother. There are lots of memories from this time in my life, as it carried through high school.
I suppose I could spend some time on the death of my father. That happened in October of 1990. I still remember my mother waking me up at like 4:30 in the morning to give me the news. The full impact of it didn't hit me at that moment. I'm not sure if it's because I really wasn't quite awake at that particular moment or if it's because I was really too young to comprehend the situation. I think it's probably the former because the full ramifications did hit me in waves over the next several days and weeks. The first big thing to come of this awful tragedy is that at my dad's funeral, my grandmother walked up to my mom and began the process of mending fences that had been in disrepair for way too long. You see, after my parents split up, I never had any contact with my father or his family until his funeral. It was several years before my sister and I would both learn that we were in fact "full siblings." For years, my mother and others had said that my first step-father was my sister's dad. Well, after my dad's death, that myth was completely shattered. That being said, it took Christy a lot of years to finally even begin to come to grips with it all. I'm not sure that she has fully come to grips with it even as I write this. I remember a few weeks after my dad's death, I had a nightmare of sorts. In that nightmare, my dad's ghost had come to visit me. He took me somewhere in a car. I woke up in the middle of this dream. I think it was at that point that I realized that I would never know what my dad's voice even sounded like or what he would have thought about me. Just as I wonder whether or not my grandfather would be proud of me and what I've done, I wonder the same of my father. What would he think about the coming of his new granddaughter in February? What would he think of Regina? What would he think of my Army career? Again, I hope he would be proud of me. It's also a bit ironic that the two people I am most concerned about what they would think of me are the two very individuals for whom I'm named. My full name is Robert Lee Spurlock. My dad's name was Robert Kevin Spurlock. So, I bear his first and last name. I already spoke of my grandfather's name and his last name is my middle name. My mother did this on purpose so that she could name me after both men. "Robert" was also a bit of a compromise with my dad because I think he wanted "Kevin" to be somewhere in my name, but my mom couldn't find anything in my grandfather's name that sounded good with that name. So, as a compromise, she came up with Robert Lee, in part because my dad admired General Robert E. Lee, thus I am also partially named for a famous Civil War General.
Anyway, back on track. My relationship with my dad's family grew over the years. At the same time, my life changed in a big way. I left the Knox County School System and went to a private school from the Seventh grade on. When I was in Seventh grade, I finally became a Christian on 27 March 1992. My life really changed after that point. I went from wondering aimlessly through a rebellious life to actually having some peace and direction. Now, don't get me wrong. To this day, I still haven't figured out perfection. But still, my life could've turned out a lot worse than it has. I was on a path that potentially led to drugs, violence, and jail. After that point, I was on the proverbial "straight and narrow" and I've never regretted the change of direction.
My teen years passed very much like those of other people. I played soccer and baseball, longed to drive cars, chased girls, and worked a part-time job. I used the money from one of my first jobs to buy my first car. I didn't get my license until I was 17 and I thought that day would never come. I have had my driver's license for over 15 years and I still get behind the wheel, look down, and have a hard time believing that I am actually old enough to drive. I have tried to never let the "little things" of life cease to amaze me. It's funny though because I've done a lot since even then.
I went to college on a partial scholarship. While in college, my mother remarried. It was her third, and I believe her final marriage. I love my pop to death and he has been there for a lot of the big events in my life. At least if God took my natural dad away from me, He provided an awesome step-dad to stand in his stead. Mom and Pop married in May of 1999. In November of that same year, my maternal grandmother died. I have now added a third person to my list of people who I wonder what they would think of me now. I'll say this much, Grandma would probably give me a swift kick in the behind if she knew that I was in the Army and that I've done two tours in Iraq. Of course, she'd have to kick my cousin, David, in the behind for that same reason. She'd probably give him two kicks because he's the one who talked me into joining up. Anyway, back to college. It wasn't all bad for me during those years. Like I said, my mom got married to a really cool dude. In 2001, I spent a month in England. I had to do it to fulfill an internship requirement for my Missions degree. I think that was probably the best month of my entire college career. Ironically, I came back exactly two weeks to the day before the horrific events of 9/11/01. The internship was supposed to have been a six-week affair, but the missionaries only needed me for four weeks. I have never failed to see God's hand in that scheduling, especially since one of the iteneraries I considered would have taken me through Boston, where the 9/11 flights originated.
I graduated college in 2002 and spent the summer in Chattanooga. As I had gone to Tennessee Temple University, I decided to work in their maintenance and housekeeping department for the summer. I was hoping to just bide a little time until something better opened up. Well, it didn't and I began to see the writing on the wall. I was making minimum wage and I knew that I couldn't keep living on that money, especially with my first student loan payment coming due. What's more, I needed a new vehicle. The only answer was to return to Knoxville and move in with my parents. I didn't like that answer, but I had no other choice. My paternal grandmother died during this summer, but I didn't find out until the day of her funeral and didn't make it to the funeral. That is one regret that I will carry for the rest of my life. What's more, now I have a fourth person on that list of people I wonder what they would think of me now. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing that Mammaw wouldn't much like me galavanting around the Middle East, but I think she'd really love Regina and I think she'd be excited about the coming baby. As with the others, I just hope she'd be proud of me.
I landed a job with Alstom Power, an engineering firm who had contracts with the Tennessee Valley Authority and several other high-profile businesses and agencies. It was sort of a weird "three-way love triangle." You see, I went through a temp agency. The temp agency was contacted by the Xerox corporation because they needed someone to fill what was described as a data entry position over at Alstom Power. Alstom and Xerox had a contract that essentially stated that Xerox would provide a certain number of temporary employees, as well as company employees to fill various positions, mostly maintaining the large number of printers and copiers that Xerox supplied to Alstom. Anyway, however the paperwork was done didn't matter to me. What did matter was that I found a job making more than minimum wage and it was in an office setting. I loved it there. My tenure there wasn't without its learning experiences. I got some painful lessons on the harshness of office politics. But, my time there was great and I made some really awesome friends.
Unfortunately, I fell victim to the great job crunch of '03 and got the "pink slip." Now I had to swallow my pride once more. I went to work for Travis Meats, Incorporated. Travis Meats produces the hamburger patties that Krystal uses on their burgers. Members of my family have worked for this company since the early 1980's. I had to take a pretty big pay cut and initially started working 3rd shift. Part of me felt honored to be putting some time in what I jokingly referred to as the "family business." I actually figured the job would be a good opportunity for me. My mom still works there. My pop worked there, at the time. My Grandpa worked there until he got too sick to work. Two of his brothers worked there and one of my mom's cousins and his wife even worked there. My first step-dad worked there, as well as one of his brothers. My sister even worked there for a bit. With as many of my family members (whether family by blood or marriage) who had worked there, I figured it was only fair that I do my time there, as well.
Anyway, I hung on there from November of '03 until I joined the Army in May of '06. I had a lot of learning experiences while there, but eventually I got depressed. The job didn't pay very well and I really started feeling the urge to get out of my parents' house. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents and was thankful that they let me live with them. Still, I was in my mid-20's and I needed to get out on my own and establish myself. This depression led to a confrontation with my sister one morning. That led to spending a day in jail and a domestic assault charge. That led to a huge wake-up call for me. Thankfully, the domestic assault charge was dropped when my sister didn't show up to court and the District Attorney decided she had bigger fish to fry. That said, my life had taken a downward turn and I didn't like it. I realized that I had gotten away from the God who had preserved me and taken care of me. I was still going to church. I hadn't become a "party animal." It wasn't anything like that. I read my Bible and prayed. Essentially, I did everything a "typical Christian" was supposed to do. But, my heart was in the wrong place. Internally, I was rebelling against God. Well, God got my attention through the experience. I told Him that if He could still use me, in spite of me, then I was all in. I would go anywhere and do anything He wanted. Little did I know what was coming a year later... .
In November, 2005, I took a trip to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. I had gone to see my cousin off. He was leaving for his first deployment to Iraq. It was during this trip that I again looked at the idea of joining the Army. I had briefly considered it back in 2003, when I was temporarily out of work due to another painful lesson that I had to learn. Anyway, I spent the next few months praying and researching.
In March of 2006, I talked to the recruiters. At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to join the National Guard or the "Regular Army." Well, the "Regular Army" guy convinced me. I went through the process and shipped out to Fort Benning, Georgia on the last day of May, 2006. I officially became Specialist Robert Lee Spurlock.
Basic Combat Training wasn't easy, but it wasn't too hard, either. I established a reputation with my Drill Sergeants for my work ethic. I graduated Basic on 10 August 2006, exactly 20 years after my grandfather had lost his fight with lung cancer. From Fort Benning, I was off to Fort Gordon, Georgia for Advanced Individual Training. This is where I learned how to be a Radio Operator-Maintainer, the job I had signed up for.
After AIT, I went home for some leave and then I reported to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There, I was assigned to the prestigious F Company, 51st Infantry Regiment who, at the time, belonged to the 519th Military Intelligence Battalion and 525th Military Intellingence (later Battlefield Surveillance) Brigade. This company was a Long Range Surveillance Company, which had its origins in Vietnam as a Long Range Patrol (abbreviated LRP and pronounced "Lurp") unit. These dudes were "high speed," let me tell you.
My time in this unit was filled with good and bad moments. I deployed to Iraq for a 15-month tour with these guys from June 2007 to September 2008. During this time, an old friend from college hit me up on Facebook. Her name was Regina Thompson. Now, truth being told, I annoyed a lot of people during my college days. I figured that Regina was one of them, thus I couldn't figure out why she wanted to be my friend on Facebook. Oh well. No matter. I accepted the friend request. We began talking back and forth. During my tour in Iraq, I spent a good deal of my time manning a bank of radios in a Tactical Operations Center. My job was important because I was the one who answered the calls from our platoons who were "outside the wire." When I wasn't doing that, I went out as a platoon Radio-Telephone Operator (RTO). That job was even more important because I was the platoon's comms link back to the base. I enjoyed doing all of this work and I knew it counted for something. I also went to the E-5 board during this time. I went twice, but fell on my face the first time. The second time, I was better prepared and aced the stinking thing. I came away from that tour with an Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM), a few coins, an Iraqi Campaign Medal, and my first Overseas Service Ribbon.
Well, when I came home from that tour, I was a proud man. God had blessed me richly and I was feeling good. I was also facing the prospect of turning 30 and still single. Granted, I did date this one girl for a while, but that relationship wasn't good for either of us. I was also struggling with being in F Co. I didn't see eye-to-eye with a lot of the guys and I needed a change.
That change came in the form of orders to Fort Carson, Colorado. It also came in the form of a new relationship with Regina. She and I met up in Chattanooga on Valentine's Day of 2009. The whole purpose of the meeting was just to spend a day catching up and forgetting about life for a while. Well, what neither of us realized that day was that God had something bigger in store for the both of us. A few weeks after that little meeting, we finally started figuring things out and our relationship turned serious.
While I was on leave, en route to Fort Carson, I drove down to Georgia to spend the night with Regina and her family. We got engaged that night, which coincidentally was her brother and sister-in-law's wedding anniversary.
After that, I continued my journey west. When I got to Fort Carson, I was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division. Now, I have told this story in other posts, so I'll just tell the condensed version here. The Division and Battalion were moving to Carson from Fort Hood, Texas. The Battalion had no S-6 (Communications Shop). Since I had a communications occupation specialty, I became the S-6. I stood up much of the Battalion's automations assets, while helping Regina plan our wedding.
In September, 2009, I not only got promoted, but I got married. Those were two of the happiest days of my life. From there, I continued to train and prepare for the Battalion's upcoming deployment to Iraq. At the same time, Regina and I began to establish our home.
In October, 2010, I deployed for the second time. During this last deployment, I eventually became the Noncommissioned Officer In Charge (NCOIC) of the S-6 Shop, yes the very S-6 Shop that I had helped to establish. I also got very little time playing with radios. Unlike my previous deployment, this last deployment required me to focus primarily on Automations (computers, printers, phones, and related equipment). I didn't have as much fun and I still feel like I've wasted a year of my life, despite occupying a position normally reserved for those two pay-grades above my current pay-grade. There were quite a few bright spots, though. I came home on leave and conceived a child. Now, that is pretty awesome. I did earn several more coins of recognition, including one from a four-star General. I also passed the E-6 board. So, I don't suppose I can complain too much.
Anyway, that brings me to where I am today. I've written a lot here, but there is so much more that I could have written. I could probably spend whole posts on any one of the stories I've told and there are lots of stories I didn't tell, such as the births of my nieces and stories from when I played baseball and soccer. I could tell about adventures I've had with friends and memories from holidays. I still see a lot of those things very clearly, as I look back. But my point is that there is a lot to look back on. I don't suppose it does very much good to dwell too much on the past, but I don't think it hurts to look back once in a while. I think it's important to remember where you've been. Now, I have a lot to look forward to. My daughter is expected to be born in February of next year and our little family will be moving to the Netherlands a couple of months later. God has definitely blessed me over the years, but I don't think he's done yet. I think my story has quite a few more chapters yet to be written. It's just that I'm in one of those nostalgic moods, I suppose. I'll be 33 this December. I cannot believe that I will be that old. The Army is already taking its toll on my body. I have aches and pains. I'm also noticing that my metabolism is slowing down. I used to be known as the "human vacuum cleaner" because of the volumes of food that I could put away without gaining any weight. Now, I don't eat nearly as much, yet if I'm not careful, I'll get fat.
Though my rear-view mirror is a lot larger than it used to be, I'm thankful that my windshield hasn't shrunk too much.
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