Reminiscing part deux
Part two of my blog post from yesterday, where I pointed out that I was not cut out for the Army, the Navy, or the Marines
So that pretty much left the Air Force. I crawled into an Air Force recruiter's office on my hands and knees and begged them to make me a general so I could assign myself a four-year tour back to my home, where I would outrank my Air Force dad, and my mom could continue to cook and clean for me. The recruiter assured me that I could make General as soon as I completed basic training, and the Air Force was in dire need of Generals to live in Miami and spend most of their time fishing. I also mentioned that I had poor vision and wore glasses, and was told that most Generals wear glasses so they could tell their rear end from a hole in the ground, so I would fit right in.
So that was encouraging, and joining the Air Force sounded like the best way of surviving my few remaining teenage years and possibly living long enough to shave more than once a week, so I signed my name on the dotted line and was put on a slow moving, World War II era C-46 which careened through the sky as it made its leisurely way to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio Texas, as the calorie challenged stewardess stayed busy handing out barf bags for everyone on board.
Now, this will come as no surprise to anyone who has been in the military that the Air Force recruiter slightly enhanced his promise of my ability to become a General officer and live at home. Fact is I ended up loading airplanes.… and I was nowhere near home.
So just like everyone else I complained about the long hard hours, and the exceedingly low pay the Air Force inflicted on us every minute of the day for four years, and little did I realize that the $1.65 an hour I made working at the horse boarding stable as a teenager, was more than I was making when I mustered out of the Air Force in 1969 as a sergeant.
However, the truth is that I had a pretty good time during my four years of active duty, and even though it was hard work, looking back on it, I've come to think it was worthwhile. And I feel that a brief hitch in any branch of the military is a great way to spend a couple of years learning to deal with that awkward period of time between being a kid and hopefully turning into an adult.
Theboondork
I know, I know, more flower pictures, but hopefully in the next few days I’ll be on my way to the mountains, where the opportunity to take beautiful photographs falls from the sky like snow in January.