Alarm rings a bit after 5:00 in the morning, I am not a morning person. Yawns, wipe the sleep from my eyes, shower shit and shave...the usual agenda. I get all dolled up in my blues and head out the door.
First things first, we all go to the auditorium and get put into our flights...this is just a small subset from a massive group of people. My flight is comprised of 16 people out of 191 total.
Amazingly, no nerves hitting...which was odd as I expected them, I guess maybe that means I am prepared.. As I sized the room up, I could see others doing the same. Who is going to be the best, who is going to be in terror the whole time and who just looks slovenly. Sadly, quite a few do. I'm never going to be a poster child for the military, but I always look sharp in blues, and day one of class...oh please believe I am going to blow everyone else out of the water for that first impression.
Finally after three hours of the same old briefings about safety, what to expect and all the other mandatory briefs, we break off into our rooms and begin to get to know each other, seems like a pretty good group so far..time will tell. Nothing too serious today, mostly administrative things.
We introduce ourselves and now I start to see all those things I mentioned above. Who is here to win an award, who is here because they have to be and are going to let you know about it, who is just happy to graduate, who is going to be in terror and who is just going to be a dumbass. Looks like we have all the blocks checked...and then some.
Day Zero
After dealing with the headache of frustration and incompetence that abounded over what should be a simple process (it seems like every time I have to go somewhere TDY (temporary duty) or PCS (permanent change of station, a.k.a. move to another base) it is the first time anyone has ever done it. It's insane and is my biggest gripe with life in the military.
I digress...
I finish my last minute packing, kiss my wife goodbye and go to tell the kids by. Three year old (Calvin) is consumed by Wii and my six year old (Cole) is engaged in epic battle on Halo 2. Neither have real concept of me leaving, last time I left for a decent period was to Korea for a year, Cole is too young to recall as he was three at the time, and Calvin was still forming in my wife's belly. They don't really understand "daddy going away for a while".
Once goodbyes are said and done I start the car and head down Highway 90 on my 150 mile journey east. I'm chugging along and after 20 minutes I realize...I left my laptop, one of my most important things in life and I left it.
After a moment of two of moderate to high cursing, I turn around and head back to get it...I'm now approx 40 minutes behind schedule...but it is my own schedule so no real worries.
Drive, drive, drive and drive some more. Just before 4 PM I hit Lackland AFB, pass all the familiar basic training haunts and see the brand new Airmen marched around by their drill sergeants... or as we call them “Military Training Instructors”, TIs for short. Moments after being lost in nostalgia and the flashbacks that hit me, I decide it would be a good time to in to my room. Each base has a form of hotel we call billeting or lodging. Not much different from you standard 2 star hotel. Some a bit nicer, some not as nice.
As I reach the check in office, I look and see that there is a line out the door...damn it all to hell. Finally, in what seems to be forever (even though I should be used to “hurry up and wait”) I get my room. I spend the next few hours unpacking and getting things squared away.
I discover I brought a bit too much most likely. Laptop, Wii, hard drive, clothes, electric skillet, toaster over...and the list goes on and on. Who knows, I may have use for it all yet.
I digress...
I finish my last minute packing, kiss my wife goodbye and go to tell the kids by. Three year old (Calvin) is consumed by Wii and my six year old (Cole) is engaged in epic battle on Halo 2. Neither have real concept of me leaving, last time I left for a decent period was to Korea for a year, Cole is too young to recall as he was three at the time, and Calvin was still forming in my wife's belly. They don't really understand "daddy going away for a while".
Once goodbyes are said and done I start the car and head down Highway 90 on my 150 mile journey east. I'm chugging along and after 20 minutes I realize...I left my laptop, one of my most important things in life and I left it.
After a moment of two of moderate to high cursing, I turn around and head back to get it...I'm now approx 40 minutes behind schedule...but it is my own schedule so no real worries.
Drive, drive, drive and drive some more. Just before 4 PM I hit Lackland AFB, pass all the familiar basic training haunts and see the brand new Airmen marched around by their drill sergeants... or as we call them “Military Training Instructors”, TIs for short. Moments after being lost in nostalgia and the flashbacks that hit me, I decide it would be a good time to in to my room. Each base has a form of hotel we call billeting or lodging. Not much different from you standard 2 star hotel. Some a bit nicer, some not as nice.
As I reach the check in office, I look and see that there is a line out the door...damn it all to hell. Finally, in what seems to be forever (even though I should be used to “hurry up and wait”) I get my room. I spend the next few hours unpacking and getting things squared away.
I discover I brought a bit too much most likely. Laptop, Wii, hard drive, clothes, electric skillet, toaster over...and the list goes on and on. Who knows, I may have use for it all yet.
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.
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.
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