16 posts tagged “air force”
The previous post was was sent to me by someone else. I appreciate that others are thinking of our military members at this time of year. Having been in the AIr Force for eleven years, I know what it is like to be away from home during the holidays (although the conditions I was in does not compare to the ones mentioned in the post).
If you haven't done so already, take a moment out of your busy schedule to stop and say a silent prayer for our military members who are serving away from their homes this year. We have service members all over the world and a lot of them are on remote tours (time spent without the family). Whether they are in South Korea, Iceland, the Middle East or somewhere else they deserve our thoughts and prayers.
And if you haven't read my previous post, please do so.
Once in a while during basic training a few of us would get sent to the chow hall for KP duty. It was actually a blessing because it got us out of training for the day. We worked hard during KP duty, but for the most part, as long as we did our jobs, the TI in charge left us alone. And on top of all that, we got to have extra ice cream.
One of the times that I did KP duty my job was to keep the tables clean and straight and also make sure the milk dispensers were kept full. It was a job keeping up with the tables. Airmen didn't stay at the tables for very long and there was a constant flow moving in and out.
In the middle of one of the busiest times, I checked on the milk dispenser and both the white and chocolate were empty. I ran to the refrigerator, grabbed a 5 gallon plastic bag of chocolate milk, opened the dispenser, set it in and closed it back to go get the whilte milk. When I came back with the white milk, I opened up the door to set it in. Unfortunately, I had not set the chocolate milk in properly and as soon as I opened it, it started to fall out. Unfortunately, there nothing that I could do to stop it because I had the bag of white milk in my hands. I made a feeble attempt to catch it, but since my hands were full, my attempt was useless.
In slow motion (and it really seemed like it) that bag of chocolate milk fell forward and hit the floor. When it hit, it exploded, sending a wave of chocolate milk toward a table table where four airmen were sitting. They were pretty far in their training because they had on their low quarter shoes instead of their boots. That was most unfortunate for them because the milk covered their feet and soaked down into their socks before they knew what happened. They all came up from the table ready to fight.
I thought I was in big trouble for sure. All of the TIs jumped up from their table at the "snake pit" and came over to see what happened. The TI in charge of KP duty also came over. They all found the four mad airman standing there with chocolate milk in their shoes and me with a scared look on my face, still holding the bag of white milk. It must have been comical, because the TI in charge of KP laughed, shook his head and then told me, "Clean this mess up!" To my surprise, that is all that happened. The TIs went back to the snake pit, the airman left to change shoes and socks, and I headed for the mop. Let me tell you, it's no easy task to mop up five gallons of chocolate milk.
I left for basic training in the USAF on April 13, 1987, only two weeks after getting married (the honeymoon was over rather quickly). At the ripe age of 23, I was one of the oldest ones there. I believe the fact that I was a little more mature than most of the other guys helped me out. For instance, early on I made a decision that I didn't want to stand out. When I boarded the bus for Lackland Air Force Base I was wearing faded blue jeans, a khaki colored shirt, tennis shoes and a regular haircut. Others were not so smart. One guy was wearing his high school letterman jacket, another had a Marine style haircut, another had long hair. I remember these three the most because they were the first ones the TI (technical instructor, not DI, or drill instructor as other military branches use) stopped in front of to yell at. Word of advice to anyone preparing to go to Air Force basic training, do not go with a high and tight Marine style haircut - trust me, it's not a good idea.
Basic training was not that bad actually, and I knew my plan not to stand out was a success when halfway through, the TI was calling out names and he came to mine. Before I could answer he said, "Who is this guy?" He recognized my face when I raised my hand, but it was clear that I was running under the radar as planned.
I had a friend in basic named Gary McWhorter. He was a big, black guy. Me, I'm a skinny, white guy, so we made quite the pair. It was close to the end of basic training that we got a little free time, so Gary and I went to one of those picture booths and got a couple of pictures made. We split the pictures up and sent them to our families.
When I left for basic training, I had thick hair. I didn't think about my wife having never seen me without it. The picture that I sent her was a small, black and white photo and it had me and Gary sitting together smiling widely. Our faces took up the whole picture and Gary's head was pretty big. Picture a huge, bald, black guy and a skinny, white, bald guy with wide toothy grins. When my wife got the picture she yelled so loudly that it scared everyone in the room. I still hear about that picture to this day. I know we have it in an album somewhere. If I ever find it, I'll scan it and post it.
Anyway, I'm not sure why I was thinking about basic training today, but I was. I'd sure like to know what happened to Gary McWhorter.
I was given some false information about the camel spiders, or sun spiders, that were prevalent in the desert of Jordan when I was there on a temporary duty in 1996. I was told that the male spider would climb on camels, or soldiers, in the middle of the night and use an anesthetic like venom to deaden the skin and then make an incision. After that, the female would crawl up and lay eggs inside of the incision. The wound would heal and the baby spiders would grow under the skin until they were old enough to eat their way out.
ANALOGY OF A CAMEL SPIDER
The Middle Eastern desert regions of the world play host to a very interesting creature commonly referred to as the camel spider. Equipped with an ominous set of pinschers, a camouflage desert brown body, and sometimes growing up to 5 inches across, the camel spider is a frightening predator in the insect world. They commonly feed on grasshoppers and other small insects, but it is a peculiar reproductive practice that makes the camel spider unique. First, the male spider climbs onto an unsuspecting, slumbering victim such as a camel and uses anesthetic type venom to deaden a small portion of the animal’s skin. Then, he makes a small incision with his pinschers. The female then comes along and lays her eggs inside the incision. The cut soon heals over and the eggs are left under the skin to live off of the nutrients that are provided by the host animal’s body tissues. Once the eggs hatch, the baby camel spiders eat their way through the flesh and make their arrival into the world.
So it is with Satan in our lives. He is an ominous sort of creature that any normal person would steer clear of. But rather than walk right up and introduce himself, he likes to sneak around and wait until we’re sleeping. He waits until we are at a weak moment in our lives and then strikes. Perhaps a loved one has just died, or maybe a marriage or long time courtship is on the rocks. He creeps in with his crafty words and worldly lies and tries to anesthetize the hurt before God can use it to help us grow. Then he plants eggs of doubt, hate, or unbelief and they remain there, hidden under the skin, constantly being fed by the entourage of hateful, hurtful thoughts that he so willingly provides. Finally, after weeks, months, and sometimes years of gestation the ugliness that is on the inside eats its way out and we find ourselves in a swirl of mixed emotions wondering how it ever began.Are you eaten up inside by a hurt that happened a long time ago? Do you walk around with an incision on your heart where Satan has planted some pretty ugly eggs that have grown and festered? Speaking of Jesus Christ, the Bible says in Matthew 11:28, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” On the contrary, 1 Peter 5:8 warns, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Do you serve a Saviour who loves you and wants you to have rest? Or do you serve the devil who is waiting for the opportunity to devour your soul? Are you willing to accept the fact that you are not perfect and you need the love of Jesus in your life? Or are you content to sit in your cesspool of self pity and sing, “Woe is me?” You don’t have to allow Satan to gain a foothold in your life. Look to the cross of Christ and there you will find the answer to all of your problems. Cast all your cares upon him, for he cares for you. He gave his life on this earth so that you could have an abundant life in heaven. Don’t let Satan, that old camel spider, rob you of God’s richest blessing.
It wasn't all bad though. I like talking to the older veterans and hearing what they did during their stay in the military. One guy I met was a Navy diver whose job toward the end of WWII involved swimming underneath the island of Guam to make sure the foundation of the island wasn't cracked. The north end of Guam was used to land the B-29 Super Fortress, and there was some worry that all the weight would somehow damage the underwater infrastructure. That was pretty interesting to hear about. You can read a brief history about Guam during World War II HERE.
However, some of the men were pretty bitter. All of the beds had privacy curtains around them and the guy beside me always kept his closed except for the one directly in front of his bed. One afternoon, he was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking out the open curtain, when the Catholic chaplain entered the ward and started making his rounds. I heard the old man mumble something when the chaplain walked in, but I didn't pay much attention because I was pretty used to his grumbling.
The chaplain finally made it around to our row and he walked in front of the man who was still sitting on the edge of his bed. The chaplain something like, "How are you today?" Before he even finished speaking, the old man grabbed the corner of his curtain and pulled it shut, leaving the chaplain standing there with his mouth open in mid sentence. He looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and walked on over to my bed. I've seen a lot of rude things in my life, but that was definitely one of the rudest.
After I had surgery, I had to stay at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center in Colorado over a week. I was in a 40 patient ward. The only time I have ever stayed in a room with that many men was in basic training. There was one phone for the whole ward and it was on wheels. Any time someone would get a call, they would either have to hoof it to the phone, or the phone would be rolled to them. Since I was pretty healthy, I took on the task of being the official phone answerer/roller arounder.
"Hello."
"Yes, I'd like to speak to Bill Smith in bed 26."
"Sure, hold on and I'll wheel the phone over."
It wasn't the most exciting job, but it helped the time go by faster.
Well, it has been fun reliving my 90 days in Jordan, but I want to wrap it up and move on to something else. There is more that I could write about: VIP visits to our shop, my opportunity for an incentive ride in an F-16, camel spider and scorpion fights, the movie tent and more. Like I said at the very beginning of this series, this was my favorite temporary duty ever.
A C-5 cargo plane picked us up to go home. It is the largest cargo plane the USAF has. The best thing about the C5 is that there is a passenger area with regular airline seats, so we didn't have to ride on the uncomfortable, plastic seats that were in the C-17.
There is nothing like coming home to family after being away. Nothing can replace the feeling of arriving home and seeing your loved ones there waiting for you. My kids ran up to me and I knelt down to catch them as they jumped in my arms. Excited screams of, "Daddy, Daddy Daddy" filled my ears and little arms wrapped tightly around my neck and body. My wife stood there, patiently waiting for the kids to calm down, and then we held each other tight and kissed. That first, soft kiss is always something special. I was back home with the people that loved me and cared for me most and it felt good. Unless you have been away from your family like that, you just can't fully understand it.
About half way through our 90 days, the Air Force decided to send an American group call The Sunflower Band over to entertain us. It was easy to spot the four young men as they made their way through the camp. Their hair and clothes gave them away instantly. They spent the day among the troops, enjoying chow hall food and all of the other niceties that tent life can offer.
Later that afternoon, they set all of their equipment up on the back of a flatbed trailer and starting playing for us. They played all of the latest music and did a very good job of it (despite the hoaky name of the band).
There was a lot of people there and the sun was just starting to go down. I remember vividly how the band was getting into playing a song on the flatbed when an F-16 Fighting Falcon screamed past at about 200 feet. There is no more awesome feeling to me than to have an American jet fighter roar by overhead. You can feel the energy of it all the way to your soul and it always made me proud to be a member of the United States Air Force. It apparently had an effect on the drummer too because when I looked up to where he was supposed to be behind the drums, he was no where to be found. It seems the jet had scared him so much that he threw himself face down on the flat bed. It was so funny. We were all cheering and screaming at the passing of the F-16 and he was lying on his face. For the rest of their session, he was looking over his shoulder, trying to see if another F-16 was going to make a fly by.
During our 90 days in Jordan, there were many opportunities to see the country. I got to climb to the top of Mt. Nebo where Moses watched the children of Israel march into the Promised Land. I visited the Dead Sea, the saltiest body of water in the world. I went to the the ruins of Herod's palace, the place where it is believed that John the Baptist was beheaded. I visited the capital city of Amman and was amazed at how modernized it seemed. But there is one place that stands out the most - the City of Petra.
King Hussein of Jordan himself flew into our base on a helicopter to check out what was going on. During his visit, he asked if there was anything that he could do for us. One of the personnel present mentioned Petra and the next thing you know, he had made arrangements for every US military person to go free of charge. That was all it took.
The Air Force set up tour buses and everyone was encouraged to go on their day off. We worked out our shop schedule to allow everyone the opportunity and before you know it, we were on the bus to Petra. The only bad thing about it was that Petra was four hours away from our base in the desert. It was a long bus ride there and back, but it was worth it.
Some of the pictures I want to show you are mine and others were taken off the Internet. It was such an awesome place that I want to try and give the full effect of it. We only got to stay for four hours and that wasn't nearly enough time to fully explore the city. If you don't know, Petra is carved completely out of rock. Looking at the city, it is completely amazing that this could have been done so long ago, somewhere around 600 B.C.
We walked a long way before getting to this point. The path narrows here and leads to the city.
This is the first building you see after walking down the long road into the city. It is called Khazneh, or the treasury.
A better view of Kzahneh
Another carved out building. Jack is 6'3" and you can barely see him. This place was massive.
I can't say enough about our visit to Petra. It was the highlight of our trip to Jordan and I would love to go back there one day to spend more than four hours. I honestly didn't think that there would be so much to see, but the place seemed to stretch on forever. In our unstable times, I know that traveling to Jordan might not be on the list of places to go, but if you ever get there, you will want to vist the red rose city of Petra.
Since we weren't on a regular schedule, it wasn't unusual to forget what day of the month it was or even what day of the week. Time passed by and the days just all seemed to blend together. A little over a month after we were in Jordan, the one female in our shop, Patty, started to get pretty moody. For a few days she was grumbling under her breath and snapping at the rest of us for no reason. It finally came to a head one day when she went into a vocal tirade, letting the airman she was working with have it with both barrels. As the ranking person on duty, I pulled her outside and let her know that her behavior was not acceptable and that she had been acting downright mean lately. She just stood there, sunglasses pulled down, gave a halfhearted apology. I didn't like having to get on to her, but the way she was acting was affecting everyone else. She went back inside, made peace with the other airman and was better for the rest of the shift.
Bad attitudes can creep in easily on a temporary duty such as the one we were on. Many factors can contribute to it, but the main one for most people is being separated from family. It's hard to be away from the ones you love. I have to admit, I thought of Patty as one of the guys because that is the way she acted. She always came across as tough in the way she spoke and carried herself and she could handle any job that the rest of us could do... sometimes better. It wasn't until later on that evening that I understood what was really going on.
It was sometime after our shift was over when one of the guys made a passing remark about Mother's Day. I asked him, "When is Mother's Day?"
With a surprised look on his face he said, "It's today!"
I didn't even realize that the day was upon us. My mind immediately flashed to Patty and a gut wrenching feeling came over me. It all suddenly made sense. She must have been missing her two children terribly, but instead of being at home with her kids and husband for Mother's Day, she was stuck in the desert with a bunch of guys that didn't even know what day it was. I felt like a complete fool. Now I understood why she had been so moody and what had brought on the outburst earlier that day.
I wasn't able to talk to her again until the next day. When I saw her I gave her a belated "Happy Mother's Day" and told her that I was sorry for the previous day and that she couldn't be with her kids. She had worked around guys enough to realize that we can be insensitive and she forgave us for forgetting. She tried to put on the tough facade, but I could tell that she was still missing them.
The next month, on a Sunday, I found a folded piece of notebook paper with my name on it. This is what it said (I know these are the exact words because I keep the note in my Bible):
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
Very soon you will be home with your family. Soon you'll be brightening your children's lives. But today a note will have to do.
Have a bright day.
There was no signature, but I knew who it came from.
