so as they down size our military to levels we have never seen, i have a close friend of mine that is finally retiring out. as a matter of fact his last day is tomorrow. he is apart of the last batch of good officers that i had the pleasure of serving with and was my commanding officer during the initial push into iraq. sad day for the military and all of us that are still around because he would have made a hell of a general officer and is one of the very few that would go to bat for his people at the drop of the hat. it's pretty cool to have been a lowly squad leader that climb up through the ranks and to become good friends with a high ranking officer (not while serving together) and get an invite to be a part of his retirement. the guy is an awesome guy and it's unfortunate to see him leave