July 8, 1985: Ask and Receive

I still clearly remember the time, place, circumstances, and even the paper that I wrote on, when I penned the following short poem over 24 years ago. I was headed to Champaign, Illinois, to complete the technical school component of my initial U.S. Air Force training. It was my first real freedom since my last previous airplane rides had delivered me from Orlando into Houston into San Antonio, whereupon my basic training promptly began. I recall finding it odd that I was scheduled to arrive on a Friday afternoon… but it was worse than I could have imagined. My flight wound up having to begin our training on a Friday night, but the first day that “counted” in our six week commitment was the following Monday. We eventually finished our training on a Friday, but we were not allowed to leave until the following Monday. That’s how U.S. Air Force Flight 456 served seven weeks of training during the six-week bootcamp. I had made it as far as Chicago O’Hare, and I was awaiting my last flight. I remember sitting and having a beer, having a strong feeling of accomplishment and independence, pulling out the official Air Force writing pad I’d picked up during basic training, and writing these words, which continue to give me pride and strength to this day.