A LIFE WELL-LIVED IN MY TWILIGHT... What if?

WHAT IF: I didn't miss the boat to the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA)? Recently, I ran into an old friend, a retired Captain of a super tanker bringing oil from the Middle East to all corners of the world. Over bottles of beer, he said, he can't believe how I missed the opportunity of becoming a ship captain too, or he added, maybe a Commodore, a rank equivalent to Brigadier General of the Army of Air Force, if I have chosen to join the Navy, rather than becoming a Merchant Marine, years after graduating from the academy. WHAT IF: My admission to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) went through? It breaks my heart that it didn't. In my youth, watching military parades always give me goosebumps! I never listened to classical music besides military marches. Reading about the military exploits of Napoleon Bonaparte, Douglas MacArthur, Chester Nemitz, George Patton, Ervin Rommel and Gregorio del Pilar, to name a few, borders fascination. I would have been with the PMA Class 1976 (Magilas), a distinguished batch of military officers. And if I lived to retirement, a flag rank would have been achievable.