Great story! I am an Army vet myself so I can identify with a lot of it.
I did my basic training in Fort Benning and my MOS was "92 G," which is a "Food Service Specialist." In other words, I was a cook. I did my AIT at Fort Lee in Virginia, and I absolutely LOVE that base! Although the training can be rigorous and you're not always as comfortable as you'd like, I wouldn't change that experience for the world.
I made lots of great friends and am even still in contact with some of them.
After AIT, I returned home to my National Guard unit and was deployed to Iraq shortly thereafter.
As a cook, I had a lot of advantages that most other troops didn't, and wasn't in as much danger as most of the other soldiers in my unit, which was a Military Police company.
Looking back, the Army was a wonderful experience for me and I'm positive that I'm a better person for it.
Thanks for your service! I loved your post and I have upvoted and followed you.
RE: Army Life