Protector of Verron

Chapter 2: First Steps

The next day I woke up realizing I barely had time to get ready for work. As I went into the bathroom to shit, shower, and shave, I was thinking about last night. With everything that has gone on in my life, I wasn't sure what to make of it. There was no evidence of it either. I got my uniform on and went downstairs. I looked over at the couch and coffee table, but everything was normal. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the empty bottle of whiskey from the counter. I took the cap off and smelled it to see if there was an odd smell to it. The sweet smell of Canadian whiskey hit my nose. I was tempted to take a drink but thankfully there wasn't any left. I put the whiskey down with the rest of the crap that was on the counter. I tend to leave stuff on the counter and when I felt like it, I would clean it up.

I opened the door to the laundry room. I stepped over the dirty clothes that were on the floor. I opened the outside door to the parking garage. The cold dark morning air hit me as soon as I opened the door. My dumb ass just had my uniform on, so I hurried up to get in my car. All my warm flight line clothes were still in the back thankfully. If they weren't, I would have to run back in the house. I started my car and rubbed my hands trying to get warm. Trying to get warm I thought to myself, "Last night had to be a dream. Please let it be a dream".

There was no more time to spare as I pulled out of the driveway still shivering. There were two routes that I can take to base. One was the scenic route and the other involved the autobahn. I sped through the town so I could cross over to the autobahn. There is nothing like driving down the autobahn as fast as you can to clear your mind. Getting woke up in the middle of the night by some alien while your drunk doesn't help though. That was all I could think of as I kept my foot pressed hard on the accelerator hoping to get more speed out of my car. Of course, there was nothing I could do once I got close to base. The speed limit dropped and there was always a German cop car at the gas station just before the road that leads to base. The speed limit on base was not something that you trifled with either. If it says 30 you go 30. It is possibly the worst part about being stationed in Germany but it's understandable.

As I got to work, I was delighted to know that we had work because there are days that we don't. I could see mids working from the road as I pulled into the parking lot. Only engine troops would be out there working with a forklift. Finding parking is always difficult but I was able to find something close. I grabbed my coveralls from the back and briskly jogged to the hanger doors. With a minute to spare, I made it to roll-call. Some would say I was late, but I was the lead on shift, so I wasn't late. I found out from the crew chiefs that mid-shift had declared an engine change for compressor blade damage. They had everything out and were starting to remove the propeller. After roll call, me and the other engine troops walked out to the ramp. The engine that needed to be changed was the number three engine on the second C-130H on the first row of the ramp. Mids had the forklift forks up with the prop sling connected to it. They were getting ready to connect it to the prop even though their shift had ended; military life. Me and the rest of dayshift walked past the first C-130H and started to spread out to relieve mids.

It's been so long I can't remember who was on either shift. I only remember a few names during that time frame anyway. Most of the people that I worked with were smart people. There were some idiots though. I have never had so much trouble with Airman then the two Airman I had as my ratee's in this squadron. They forced me to learn so much about the UCMJ. They were also a part of the reason why I would drink on workdays. I could blame it all on my ex-wife but honestly, that would be a little unfair. If you are thinking that I haven't been a good role model for them, you are wrong. I did everything that I could to help those two and they still wouldn't conform to military standards. I even got one to play inline hockey with me on the KMC Eagles.

The KMC Eagles was a formidable team in the Die Players Liga. It was an honor to play for them even if it was for a short time. Playing with them was a highlight of my military career. I love hockey and being able to play it is wonderful. Playing it with a bunch of good people was a great experience. I won't lie to you and tell you that I was the best. I was still learning how to skate when I was with them. Traveling to different parts of Germany and going to other countries such as France and the Czech Republic to play was fascinating.