1. One of the primary reasons that I chose Pangborn as my residence hall for junior and senior years at ND was because of its proximity to the ROTC building. I was able to go in uniform to my ROTC classes and stop at the dorm to change back to civvies for other classes, meals or sports.
2. My boot camp experience was between junior and senior years in Charleston, SC. 30 days of pure hell. They played reveille on the loud speaker system at oh-dark-hundred. Awful sounds!3. I reported to my first duty station at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, TX in June or July 1971. A 90-day training school for Vehicle Transportation Officers. AKA "Motor Pool" school.
4. I lived in the BOQ (Bachelor Officer's Quarters) for the first few weeks that I lived in Dover, DE. Basically, dorm living. I eventually met another lieutenant with an extra bedroom and moved into my first apartment...in a complex with lots of other USAF personnel.
5. That first year at Dover was a mystery. 6 days on and 2 days off. Rotate shifts weekly (Days, swings, graves). That roommate was on another crew working the same job...but always on a different shift, of course...and I never saw him.
6. The second year was a true "Motor Pool" year and was pretty enjoyable. Days. Weekends free. A civilian in the chair next to me who basically told me what to do. Lots of weekends with friends in DC.
7. Year three in remote Korea. Yeah, that wasn't a lot of fun, but it was the reason I ultimately ended up as a CPA. I had these mechanics working for me who I thought were so skilled that they would always have a good job. Me? A college grad with no defined trade. I decided that I needed to get some specificity in my education...which eventually lead to the MBA program in IC.
8. Travis AFB in the Bay Area was my departure and arrival point for the Korea year.
9. The GI bill paid for my MBA at Iowa, my Masters in Tax from DePaul, and the CPA review course that got be passed that exam on the first try. (The President might say that I "didn't build" that resume, but I'd say that there was a fair exchange.)
10. I am wearing today one of the USAF uniform shirts that has made it through the years with me. (Selfie!)
OK. So there wasn't too much new in that list. Let's do one more that might offer up just a little insight and humor into this digest. With some USAF theme.
1. The enlisted airmen who were in the Base Communications office that day in 1971 when I reported to Sheppard convinced me to put my lieutenant bars on my shirt vertically rather than in the correct horizontal positions. Yeah, those new 2nd Looie's have no clue!!
2. Aunt Margaret was not all that impressed with my efforts to "pick-up" one of her divorced friends that week I spent in SF before I left for Korea in 1973. I'm thinking that Uncle Howard may have encouraged me.
3. I did commit the classic "You gotta be kiddin' me!" error while I was in Korea. I confused myself and sent an at least R-rated letter meant for my Dover roommate to Mother. Hmmm. That didn't go over well. Kinda like today hitting "Reply All" when sending a snarky email response meant for only a limited few. Daddy sent a reply asking some tough questions about the stories in the mis-mailed letter.
4. It was in Korea that I first heard the term "skosh" to describe a small amount of anything. I thought it was a Korean term, but it looks in Wiki like it may be Japanese. I've often thought it was just a military term that made its way around the services. Whatever. Today, its most applicable at Starbuck's to describe the amount of "room" needed to doctor one's coffee.
5. I vividly remember one very late night in remote Delaware demanding to get out of a speeding car driven by a very angry and intoxicated guy who was off the reservation (another racist usage, I know). He consented, finally, and my date and I had to walk several miles to get a cab/phone/whatever to get home. Still a good move.
6. I spent numerous weekends while stationed at Dover in the DC area. My ND roommate was there working for the FDIC, and there was a St. Mary's girl who I knew who would show us around on her visits home. Really got to enjoy the bar scene in the Georgetown area those times. Except for that once when we ended up in a gay bar...even back then.
7. There was quite a bit of graft in Korea that went on under my naïve nose. Local contractors were used for painting of vehicles, small construction jobs on base, and various recurring tasks like hauling/delivery of goods. As the Base Vehicle Maintenance Officer, I was in a position that I'm sure had received lots of side benefits in prior years (and probably after as well). On that schematic at least, the NYT could do a Palin-dig and find my slate pretty clean.
8. I played against several D-I players at Dover in the base basketball league. The pilots, many of whom would have been academy guys, had a team that usually cleaned up. I was the White Officer Guy on our team of enlisted men.
9. I may not have ever previously mentioned that I spent three months of duty in Rantoul, Illinois (near StL) in 1973 to get specific training for the Korea gig. Rantoul was a forgettable experience, because I have absolutely no memory of that time.
10. Getting on that plane in September 1974 to come back to the States after having been gone for over a year was a truly memorable feeling. They weren't there filming an episode of MASH (which happened to first hit the tube in 1972), but there was applause, both on take-off and landing.
All for today. Thanks to all for the good wishes.
BCOT
2 comments:
Nice post!
I was laughing out loud over the mis-mailed letter. Ouch!!
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