Contractors Life
On the road: Kwajalein Atoll
I was amazed how quickly time has flown since I put boots on the ground, here on the Kwajalein Atoll.
It was just week ago, when my wife, Ronda, dropped me off at the McGhee Tyson Airport outside of Knoxville, and I began my westward transition to Honolulu, Hawaii.
I have no lie to tell, I was nervous.
It has been over 14 years since I last set foot on a Pacific Island and left the states in my shadows. And. In 2014 I hade made the decision to put the breaks on remote work to be closer to my aging parents, and discombobulated family.
Yet as a safety contractor, I was still travelling to various projects, and had not yet anchored down, but that changed in 2016.
“When in doubt, remember that a construction site is the only place where you get to hit things to make them work.”
In 2016, I was offered the opportunity to come to Kwajalein to serve as a safety during the construction of the Space Fence facility. But luckily my wife had the fortitude and directness to inform me that if I went, she would not be here when I returned. I have since birth always been a traveler and wanderer. This was due in part to my father being in the Air Force, and after a period, we would pack, unass the current geographical location – and move to the new one.
Initially we went from Great Falls, Montana – Florida – Great Falls, Montana – Philippines – Great Falls, Montana – Biloxi, Mississippi – Guam – Gainesville, Georgia…. You get the picture.
For the past nine years, I had grown accustomed to being present, enjoying the company, and frequent harassment of my wife, having nightly porch/garage time with said better half, and the unique pleasure of being at home and participating in maintaining our estate, caring for our four-legged children, and aiding my wife in various chores. Just for reference, my time in Tennessee is the longest period in which I actually lived and worked in one location (10 years), Guam (7 years), Shemya Island, AK ( 5 years), and Cleveland, OH (3.5 years).
"Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There's something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout in a gym."
THE CONS OF CONTRACTING
Before I go into the low side of being a contractor, I need to first explain why contracting is appealing to me. Finances.
It’s that simple – my mission is to provide money to my wife and family. Today’s economy is fucked and without the appropriate foreplay to make it enjoyable. To meet that issue requires me to be mercenary.
Secondary to the financial benefits that others and I look to obtain, I enjoy the challenges faced when working remotely, and the people of similar mindsets that easily tire of the immediate availability of food, entertainment, and family. One of the many things you will learn as a contractor whether working on a construction project, or as a member of a team supporting the DoD missions across the globe, is the greater appreciation of what you have when it comes to property or people.
Make no mistake, I completely love, and adore my wife. But when she is not always there for me to grope on, or get on her nerves, when I am away, I develop a stronger bond because I can’t abuse or become complacent with the life and love that she gives in high volume. So, when we see each other in the near future, she will see and feel the pure pleasure I have in being with her. Distance does make the heart grow fonder – I shit thee nay.
The first meal that we eat that was not frozen twenty minutes prior, and not served to us amidst the throng of other sweaty assed workers on plastic trays will be succulent and perfect as a gourmet feast in a five-star food truck. The things that are commonplace for so many back home will be our delicacies. Except for McDonalds hamburgers, and Taco Bell – fuck them both. Obviously, that’s just my opinion. But still fuck them both.
So now let’s get back into the cons of contracting.
- Immediate access to family, and established friends. In 2007. My maternal mother Linda passed away, and the next flight back to Honolulu was a week out. Not only could I not attend the funeral, but I could also not be there for my sisters who had a relationship with her.
- Advanced Medical and Dental support can be thousands of miles away. This is why working safely, ensuring that equipment is properly maintained and operated, is critical. Yes, accidents still can and do occur, but a medevac can be up to eight hours away.
- Access to a large variety of food items or choices. This also generates a creative side in people trying to develop new recipes and meals out of SPAM, rice, peanut butter and crackers. Everything is better with hot sauce and sriracha!!
- Immediate access to entertainment or large gatherings. Quite a few contractors are introverts like me, but every coin has two sides, so our extraverts and drama queens generally have mental challenges to overcome not being able to be surrounded by a mosh pit of likeminded people.
- It is unfortunate that many contractors become severe alcoholics, or loose their jobs because of frequent lack of sobriety. The mental stressors from feeling isolated, lack of positive interaction in the workplace, the effects of time zone and distance in communicating with friends and family, the individual’s mindset is either their biggest anchor, or destructive iceberg.
- Lack in a fostering community. In many remote locations you will see several cliches and group dynamics. The trades workers are generally isolated, from management teams and other alleged “professionals”, emergency services groups are found to be Prima Donnas (I used to be one – so I can speak to this), the invaluable nerds and technical experts are always on track with gamers, and other MENSA level rocket surgeons. When I was on Wake – everyone was a huge part of the community, no one was shunned or isolated. We ate, consumed beverages with small amounts of actual water, and maintained our island environment as a single entity with a hundred fucking hands, and single mindset of this was our home and family. We had issues, pains in the asses, and hectic and emotional times, but we took care of them, and one another as a whole. Period.
Life is an island. People come out of the sea, cross the island, and return to the sea. But this short life is long and beautiful. In getting to know nature man exalts the wonder and beauty of life.
And finally, the pro’s of being a contractor are directly related to the cons. Because of the challenges and hardships, we face, many of us will be stronger individuals with a level of confidence, and self-discipline unmatched by those in conventional work areas. Don’t get me wrong – we will have breaking points, and challenges that will force us to redirect, and dig deeper than most. But that only makes us more formidable and stronger. We also tend to be more empathetic when we look at others and realize when we see someone we think to be “weak,” we understand that they may never have had to be self-reliant, and forcibly release themselves from an environment that craves and supports their failure.
Remember this, if nothing else, your environment will build or destroy you. Choose where you stand, but do not move until you know what it is that you want. Do not let the location make you worse if there is no opportunity for it to allow you total success.
Plan, Prepare, Communicate, and Engage
- Allen
- Allen