Life is a Miracle Collection

Autobiography of Air Force Life (European Vacations)

Memoirs of Air Force Life
(European Vacations)

Maybe it was the Clark Gable/ Spencer Tracy movies I watched, and the lyrics: "Here we go, into the wild blue yonder". Maybe it was the hope of traveling or a steady job or going to school on the GI Bill after the Service. Whatever, I had decided to become a WAF (Women's Air Force).

My mother was super-supportive and nurturing. Dad wasn't home much; He was a logger and worked in the timber or with customers from 9 a.m., often until 9 p.m.. When I was fifteen, I wanted to begin dating, like my older sister, but had to wait until sixteen. By then, I felt I was out of circulation too long; I'd be an old-maid for sure. But then I dated often and my social life improved. I began by dating the football star of the school, to my surprise, since I wasn't a sports fan.

Because my birthday met the cut-off date to start Kindergarten, I started at four, so I graduated from high school at 17. I, again, had to wait for an important milestone, joining the military. I wanted to do something different from most girls. College was expensive, and I found myself looking for adventure.

My grandfather was staying with our family for a while after grandma died (at only 56) from smoking. When she first passed away, mom's greeting to grandpa was: "Daddy" she said to her aging step-father; His reply was "baby", although she was nearly 40. We think of our children as ageless. Grandpa's reaction to my plans was to warn me: "You'd better not". But, of course, it was true; I was leaving. He might have felt better if I were going off to college. But he needn't have worried. Vietnam was going on, but women in the Air Force didn't go to war at that time.

My father's advice was to not do what he did and to follow instructions. His time in the Army was not a happy experience. He said there were too many lazy "gold-brickers" who made it harder on the rest of the men. Dad rebelled against the punishment they all received because of the slackers, and got reprimanded. Mom's advised me to: "Start every day with prayer".

My test scores were high, but the thing I remembered most was the fact that I had never had a complete "physical exam" before. It was also my first time away from home. The induction took place in Des Moines, IA, somewhat larger than my home town of Dubuque, so I worried about crime and staying alone in the hotel. I didn't sleep well, from worry and the excitement of a new undertaking.

Taking the oath, I almost joined the Navy, but learned that the only field open was in sonar. Anyway, I preferred the Air Force. Packing for Basic Training, I got a taste of how different military thinking was. Among the clothing requirements was an item, strange to me, a foundation garment (girdle). Strange, because I didn't have an extra ounce of weight and was, in fact, skinny as a child.

The military didn't work as hard, as they did later, to place members in career fields that were compatible with their experience. At 18, I had never worked in an office, but they put me into the Accounting and Finance Squadron. My roommate had a degree in bookkeeping but was trained as a medic.

We new recruits took a shuttle bus to the base, for the first time, to meet with the officer on duty. It was 12:15 A.M.. I had already decided I didn't like Basic Training. After six weeks, it wasn't much better, especially spit-shining our shoes with shoe polish, rubbing what seemed to be endless little circles. Basic was all about tearing us down to build us up. The tearing-us-down part was dehumanizing. I felt like a worm!

One early morning, I recall looking at the Lackland A.F.B. Hospital, hearing about the airman who were sick or dying from spinal meningitis. The outbreak made the Air Force move Basic Training to Amarillo Air Force Base for a couple of years. Amarillo AFB later became a ghost town because of a closure.

In Basic, we had to get up and dressed in uniform, in eight minutes, to be out on the sidewalk by 5 AM. My blouse button came open one morning, and I was cited for "being out of uniform"; Also got demerits for "fidgeting at attention". My TI (Technical Instructor) said I was too much of a civilian, not exactly a compliment when you're trying not to be. I feared I wouldn't graduate.