Important Back Story

I'm 27 years old, and enlisted in the Air Force for a little over 8 years now, and was a MWD (Military Working Dog) Handler for almost four of those years.  Although currently, I'm facing a MEB (Medical Evaluation Board) due to a fall I took down some concrete stairs back in September.  Gene Kelly made dancing on the stairs look so easy...

Actually, I have no memory of the fall, I don't even remember leaving my room, much less going down the stairs.  I was stationed in Turkey at the time, and it was early Sunday morning (around 2 am) when I was found unconscious at the bottom of the stairs by one of my fellow handlers.  I wasn't bleeding or showing any signs of injury, and when he shook me to wake me up, I apparently started cursing at him and told him to leave me alone.  He took this to mean as I'd just had a bit too much to drink at the club, (although I'd only had 2 or 3 beers) and got me back to my room.  The next memory I have is on Monday, and it is very, very sketchy.  When I didn't show up for work, my supervisor came looking for me.  He found me lying in bed, and I was difficult for him to wake up, and when I did, I was incoherent.  I remember seeing him, and then I remember being carried downstairs into an ambulance.

It turned out that I had a skull fracture, my brain was swelling, and I had internal bleeding, so I was taken into surgery.  Come to think of it, today's actually 7 months since the surgery.  Anyway, the doctor did what he had to do and saved my life.  I'm also very grateful to my supervisor, because the doctor said had he not come when he did, another hour and I'd have been gone.

Fast forward to today.  I'm back in Virginia living with my mom as I recover.  I'm seeing plenty of doctors and therapists at a TBI (Tramatic Brain Injury) clinic, and the MEB board has finally started.  Granted, it's gonna be very long before the decision is made, so I'll probably remain in the Air Force (under extremely limited duties) for another year or so.  Is it the way I wanted to go?  No, but again, I'm lucky to be alive, so I can't complain too much.

I'm thinking that I oughta carry a football helmet with me, just in case I come across some concrete stairs again.....