Posted by Matt Tropman on June 18, 2003 at 10:02:37:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Musician's life in the Military posted by Chuck Jackson on June 17, 2003 at 21:11:55:
That was me posting on "What a Shame".
I don't know you, but I certainly respect your right to your opinion. But I have to say that I am in total disagreement.
No, I never walked a 12 hour guard shift in a Korean Monsoon, but that would never have been in the cards for me. Under no circumstances would I have enlisted if that were even a remote possibility. So, while it may seem logical to you to compare your situation to mine, it makes no sense at all for me to compare my situation to yours. One of the rationalizations that was very popular in my band after a crappy job was "It could have been worse." Last time I checked, it could *always* be worse. It could always be a little longer, a little hotter or colder. To me, I evaluated each job on its specific merits or lack of same. In the end, every job either sucked or it didn't. A long funeral in the summer just plain sucks. The fact that some person I have never met working in a unit I would never join had even suckier jobs just doesn't figure into my analysis. If that makes me a prima donna to you, fine.
You also said "Sorry if your gig wasn't the Chicago symphony or a top flight chamber group." Well, I played euphonium. I wasn't a malcontent who felt he deserved an orchestral job -- there aren't any. I think many folks agree that a D.C. job is about as well as you can do for euphonium, and despite the fact that I didn't like the gig, I thanked my lucky stars every day that I was making a living. Actually, my greatest fear in leaving the band was that it would be a huge mistake, which I wouldn't realize till after quitting. The military was my first "real" job, and knowing a lot of folks who had come to the band from stifling 9-5 dredgery, I was really afraid that I was grossly misjudging my situation because it was all I knew. I also have friends who left and regretted it. A year later, I feel that leaving the band was the best decision I could have made. Everyone has to deal with their own life-changing challenges and decisions, but don't think for one minute that I took my job for granted or that I don't realize how fortunate I was to have a gig at all.
As far as my being a whiner and spewing sour grapes, once again that's your view. For those who like the gig, great. I have a lot of friends who will be "lifers" and as I wrote in the previous post, I wouldn't trade my experience. I am not trying to convince anyone what to do with their life or what desicsion to make, I'm just sharing my view. I don't regret my time in the band and I did the best I could while I was there. If this means sour grapes and whining to you, so be it.
As far as being one of "the chosen" to make it to a D.C. band, as I said, I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity, but make no mistake: I earned my job.
You also said: "If you didn't like your time, march on smartly"
That's just exactly what I did.
MJT