The following vignette is based on an actual experience of Sam Humphrey’s. He had always wanted to fly, so he enlisted in the Air Force in 1942. He was 19 at the time. He had attended the University of Connecticut before he began his career in the Air Force, then he served in the Army Aircrew for four years from 1942 until 1946, and in the Air Force from 1951 until 1971. He came out of his experiences as a Second Lieutenant, having served during World War II, as a navigator, and in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Sam earned a Master’s Degree in physics and worked 17 years in research and development and scientific engineering. He received 14 medals and ribbons including the Philippine Liberation Medal, five campaign stars, the Air medal, and the Victory medal. He retired from the service after 29 years, which is a full career. To this day, he still lives in Canton, Connecticut.
 
The Choice
 Sam Humphrey was in the Air Force, serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff of Research and Development in Massachusetts. He was on the staff that oversaw the antenna and computer labs in the electronic research directorate. He liked his job there. It was a good job. It came with power. 
 But in 1958, he found out that he was being transferred to California to work in the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division. Sam truly did not want to move. It was the middle of winter; it was cold and would be hard to pack. But most of his reluctance was because he had grown up in New England. He had gone to school in Canton, Connecticut, and that was where he had met his wife, Mary. He even went to college at the University of Connecticut. That was where he first signed up to be in the Air Force.
 Sam knew he had one other choice: he would resign. He was 35 years old and had been in the Air Force for ten years at this point. It was right about the time that most men serving made a decision: either to stay in the service for ten more years or get out and start something new. It wasn’t an easy decision for Sam. He truly didn’t want to resign. He wanted to stay where he was, but staying wasn’t an option.
 He also was being offered a Civil Service job as a physicist at the Cambridge Research Center. He would be paid more, and he wouldn’t have to move all the way across the United States. It seemed more convenient, almost.
 Thus, Sam traveled down to Washington D.C. He flew there for one reason alone. His letter of resignation had been wired to the Pentagon a few days earlier, and he hadn’t heard back yet. He wanted to see how it was coming along. Part of him hoped that his letter would be accepted, while the other part of him hoped that it wouldn’t. 
 His visit to the Pentagon wasn’t unusual. He had flown down there often on business, and this just seemed like any other visit. It was raining that day; the weather was not much better than it was further up north, though it was a little warmer. But it was gloomy as Sam walked towards the building. It was very quiet outside. All he could hear was the pitter-patter of the rain against the pavement while his shoes splashed in the puddles beneath his feet. He could feel his ankles getting a little wetter; and with each step, a few drops of water splashed from his heel onto the back of his pants. But he would be inside and dry soon, and at the time, that comforted him. He was about to change his life drastically, and he needed that extra comfort. Whether his resignation was accepted or not, change was imminent.  
 He walked into the building to talk to the people in personnel. The air inside was crisp and clean. You could tell just by looking around that this was a place of importance. Something important was happening here; something was always getting accomplished. But, this was just another visit; maybe his last.
 It wasn’t a long walk to the personnel office. Sam wasn’t a man to start off a conversation with mindless chitchat, so he got right to the point of why he was there. 
 “I’m Sam Humphrey. About my resignation…” Sam was interrupted before he could even finish his sentence. 
 “I’m sorry sir, but we are unable to accept your resignation.”
 “But, why…”
 “You accepted a regular commission. You still have three more years to serve until you are able to resign.”
 He hadn’t realized that when he first accepted the commission. But, then he had mixed feelings about resigning in the first place. Was it for better or for worse? 
 Sam traveled back to Massachusetts, where he had first handed in his letter of resignation and then wired it to the Pentagon for approval. He certainly didn’t want an unapproved resignation on his record if he was going to end up staying in the Air Force for at least another ten years. 
 “Can I see that letter I gave you?” he asked the clerk to whom he had handed his letter of resignation to only a few days beforehand.
 “Sure,” the man said. 
 Sam tore it up, piece by piece. He walked out of the building, happy with the decision he had finally accepted. To this day, Sam knows that if he had ended up resigning, he would have regretted it.