Whew! What's next?

Well it has been a long 23 months since I was released from the Wounded Warrior Battalion. I have went through many different physical therapy programs, had two more MRIs take any number of pain pills and pain management strategies.
I was able to accept my job as an Operation Warrior Trainer at Ft Lewis Washington. And I was selected to remob again in 2010 with another great group of trainers.
Both of these units had much to do with my recovery. The sincerity, honest feedback, and collaboration with the Professionals in these units was nothing short of spectacular. It is oddly ironic though - when I arrived at this location for my first year as an operation warrior trainer I saw that about 10 soldiers from the unit I deployed to Iraq with were there!
I was shocked! Damn! Two in particular were in my same unit! I do not know how they made it here. But here they were. I thought I had left the worst of the worst behind - but here they were! It wasn't long before they knew I was a part of this training unit. I had the opportunity to watch them struggle and fail to make the standards required to stay in the training organization.
In this environment, soldiers were held to a much higher standard. Nothing was expected except professionalism, integrity and hard work. Every one had to pass a PT test - that meant me, them all of us.
Even with my broke back I was able to score 275 on my test. These two individuals failed theirs! Three times. They could not make height and weight. They continued to be in trouble after trouble, finally being cut loose early. They were not of the same caliber as the soldiers they were training with. The requirements were just too much for them - so they exited quietly.
The other folks had two or three of the former soldiers REFRAD early for lack luster performance as well as not maintaining the standards. There was a question on everyone's lips - How did these folks make it thru the screening phase to this assignment? The answer was soon abundantly clear - they had help in their application.
But as life will have it, their own lack of soldiering skills, lack of professionalism, lack of integrity caught up with them and they were sent home.
I am still here. I am doing well aside from my continual back pain. I do what I can to a 150% every day. I take my pain meds and I keep pushing. I am only four years out from retirement - 20 good years. I am going to stick it out to the end.