That's not a tear, it's sweat dripping out of my eye!
Dorm Chief: "A 3-2-2 Graduate is:"
Flight: "Hard-working, motivated, trustworthy, dedicated. Never, ever be outdone. That's because we're second to none! A-oof!"
DC: "A-what?"
F: "A-oof!"
DC: "A-what?"
F: "A-oof! A-oof! A-oof!"
It is bizarre what memories surface from nowhere. 13 years ago, I learned that chant - and lived it - in Basic training.
I'm not easily susceptible to brainwashing, but it was nice to believe, for a time at least, that everything was as simple as having all your shoes aligned perfectly under your bed. To fear nothing more than your TI finding a T-shirt not properly grounded in your wall locker. When I accepted the label "Protestant" because it meant getting out of the barracks for a couple hours every week, and the service was dominated with singing and joyfulness. (The irony, of course, is that my date of enlistment is one day before my pacifistic mother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Wabbitt!)
When today's hard decisions creep up and sit in your belly, it's a little comforting to look back, feel the pride of belonging to "Mother Russia - the 322nd Training Squadron," and tell myself that it's all so simple.
--Beav ("Permission to adjust!")
Flight: "Hard-working, motivated, trustworthy, dedicated. Never, ever be outdone. That's because we're second to none! A-oof!"
DC: "A-what?"
F: "A-oof!"
DC: "A-what?"
F: "A-oof! A-oof! A-oof!"
It is bizarre what memories surface from nowhere. 13 years ago, I learned that chant - and lived it - in Basic training.
I'm not easily susceptible to brainwashing, but it was nice to believe, for a time at least, that everything was as simple as having all your shoes aligned perfectly under your bed. To fear nothing more than your TI finding a T-shirt not properly grounded in your wall locker. When I accepted the label "Protestant" because it meant getting out of the barracks for a couple hours every week, and the service was dominated with singing and joyfulness. (The irony, of course, is that my date of enlistment is one day before my pacifistic mother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Wabbitt!)
When today's hard decisions creep up and sit in your belly, it's a little comforting to look back, feel the pride of belonging to "Mother Russia - the 322nd Training Squadron," and tell myself that it's all so simple.
--Beav ("Permission to adjust!")
Labels: Anniversaries, USAF
posted by Beav @ 5:28 AM
3 Comments:
At 7:42 AM,
Bk30 said…
oh, I'm gonna cry. Was it really that long ago that you walked into the trailer and said..I'm going to join the Air Force? I really am proud of you Beav. And Happy Birthday to Mel from me and the gang too!
At 9:47 AM,
Anonymous said…
Muchas Gracias, Mijo.
At 8:37 PM,
Soo Mi said…
My enlistment date was the day after my nephew was born. Funny/sad story, that:
I needed to leave home. But I couldn't tell anyone. So on the sly, I signed my DEP papers. When the call came to go, I told everyone that I "got a job" in Texas, that I was leaving on Monday, and not to worry.
No one believed me. They thought it was a joke. So no party, no card, no "break a leg, Soo!" Just a bunch of cat-calls and some bad jokes. So I brush the bastards off, get on the bus and leave. They waited at the stop for an hour for the bus to bring me back.
The wait and the outrage that followed the realization they were all jerks when I was being serious caused my sister to go into labor a couple of weeks early.
T was born a few hours after I raised my hand.
Wabbitt: I don't know you, but I know Beav, and so therefore, I already know how awesome you are! Happy birthday!
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