Preface

In an effort to help provide a small back story to this, let me tell you how the excitement started.

Friday afternoon on August 28th, my phone begins ringing. I answer and a co-worker informs me that our 1st Sgt called and said I was going to the Non Commissioned Officer Academy at Lackland...AND I HAD TO CALL THIS PERSON ON BASE TO TELL THEM TODAY!

Needless to say, I'm already shaking my head. Not with the fact that I am going, but just how things work sometimes. I call the guy and he tells me, he has to have verification from me that I was told and entered into a system by 30 August, which happens to be a Sunday. Unlike me and a handful of others, no way anyone else is coming in on the weekend to handle business. He then tells me he will order my "rip", which is an official form that "officially" notifies you that you are going and has a few more details, he assures me it will be in my email in a day or two.

I worked Saturday and Sunday and had Monday and Tuesday off, I go in to check email on Tuesday and there is nothing. Nothing Wednesday. So they are in this huge rush to tell me and make sure I know...but now the brakes seem to be on to get me the rip. Finally I call the 1st Sgt and tell him I have nothing, he assures me it will be there and if I don't hear anything by noon on Friday...let him know. Awesome.

Friday rolls around and I get the rip at about 3pm. I can't find my boss to get him to sign it, once he signs it I have to put it in a folder and route it to the 1st Sgt and my administrative commander. So needless to say, its not happening on Friday. Holiday weekend rolls in, I work again...Mon-Tues off. Monday is the holiday, so again...no one is around. Tuesday I go in on my day off to get it all squared away. Wednesday comes and I hear nothing so I pick up the phone again and call someone since I have to travel on “orders”. Orders are another fancy piece of paper that says where you are going and it is approved. You can't go anywhere without them. I'm assured it has been put into the system and people know to expedite it since I leave that upcoming Sunday.

Friday afternoon...2:30 in the afternoon, and I get my orders. So I look at them and hope everything is alright with them because obviously, no way changes are going to get made before I go. Luckily God, Allah, Papa Legba or maybe Santa Claus was watching out for me, because the orders were good to go. When they wanted me to call, there was a rush on it...when I need something, well, let's just take out sweet time.