It must have weighed over a hundred pounds. When I approached the end of my tour the Task Force Commander visited me. He told me that General Peers was being reassigned to the Pentagon and that he wanted me to be on his staff there. I said I was on my way to Command and General Staff College and, after that I would join the Russian Foreign Area Specialist Program. I don't regret that, but working for General Peers would have led to a totally different career and higher rank.
Life is full of hard choices.