The year was 2003, and a young 21-year-old was about to embark upon the journey of a lifetime. The prospect of venturing off and joining the United States Air Force filled me with wonder.
The only experiences I had had with the Air Force were several summers spent on Maxwell Air Force Base (AFB) while staying with my Uncle, the Air Force Captain. I recall being on Maxwell as a young 15-year-old, riding bikes to the bowling alley with my cousins. We left our bikes outside along with our helmets and even my wallet. My younger cousin asked me if I thought it was safe to leave our stuff outside to which I replied, “This is an Air Force Base, no one would dare steal anything.” My naivety of the real world became painfully evident in years to come.
Several years after my Maxwell AFB experiences, I finally realized my dream of joining the Air Force. While at the Military Enlistment Processing Station (MEPS) I met a guy, Chris, who wanted to enlist as an Air Traffic Controller. From now on I will refer to Air Traffic as ATC. I had no idea what ATC did and looking back I’m not sure he did either. He said they (ATC) made “big money” on the “outside” meaning once your military enlistment was complete.
While at MEPS, we accomplished several things from hearing tests, strength tests, physical test, job placement, and enlistment date. We were required to take the ASVAB so our scores could help determine our job eligibility. Surprisingly I scored well; I wasn’t exactly a star student in school.
When it came time to select a job, Chris went into the office before I did. He came back shortly with an air of dejection and an obvious look of frustration. As it turned out, his eyesight wasn’t right and wasn’t correctable to a sufficient level for Air Traffic Control. He decided he wouldn’t enlist since his job wasn’t available and that was the last I saw or heard from Chris.
Until this point, I didn’t have much job experience outside fast food and factories. Therefore, sitting down with (I’m sure an A1C, second rank in the Air Force) was very intimidating. I should have asked quite a few more questions, but I was still too ignorant even to know which to ask. You might say, “Why didn’t you get help from your uncle?” I was very independent and a little headstrong, and as I may have mentioned a time or two naive.
As I mentioned, I sat down with the young Airman who helped me select a job. I told them I wanted to do Pararescue. Either the Airman or Chris, I can’t recall which, suggested I pick a back-up job incase Pararescue didn’t work out. Admittedly, I didn’t think much about the suggestion of it not working out, but I did take their advice. I asked if ATC was an available option for me, and as it turned out, it was.
Nearly a full day at MEPS and finally I was about to enlist. For the last step of the day, someone led me and several others back to a small warmly lit room. There were two flags, Old Glory and the Air Force Flag and nothing else that I can recall. I remember standing tall– attempting my best impression of the soldiers I had seen at attention– hand over my heart, repeating after an Officer (perhaps a Captain) the Oath of Enlistment.
Check back with me next week as we continue the journey of a small-town boy saying goodbye to his momma and setting foot on an aircraft for the first time.