Cross Into The Future

Hello everyone,

It seems only yesterday that I stepped off of the plane in San Antonio, Texas where my life was changed forever!  Since then, I have been going non-stop through basic training, drill practice, trying to stay awake, processing, marching, trying to stay awake, practicing band, cleaning up our dorm, trying to stay awake, folding clothes, studying, trying to stay awake…well, you get the picture.  Needless to say, graduation was truly a rewarding experience.  After six and a half weeks of physical and mental mayhem I had begun to wonder what it was like to have a life of my own.

The time that I shared with Mom, Dad, and Granny was a real treasure!  We went to see Pirates of the Caribbean on Friday and spent all of Saturday at the Riverwalk.  Saying goodbye was hard, but It helped me to look forward to Christmas Exodus (my time off for the holidays).  I left San Antonio on Monday, August 7 to go to Keesler AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi.  They told those of us who were going there for technical school that we had to go to our briefing at 0001 Monday morning (that is 12:01 AM).  Needless to say, sleeping Sunday night was not possible.  I dozed off in my dorm chair a couple of times, but did not really get to sleep.  Our travel briefing lasted about one hour and was basically for accountability and to pick up our medical files for transfer.  All we could take was three bags of luggage: our military duffle bag, our civilian luggage, and another bag which could be a garment bag or other suitcase.  I chose a rolling suitcase and had no trouble taking everything I had with me.  We then were assigned a bus and loaded our stuff and took a seat.  The buses were chartered and were very comfortable.  The trip lasted about 13 hours, which included two stops.  We stopped at 3:00 AM for breakfast at a roadside diner which had opened just for us.  Then we stopped at 9:00 AM for brunch at Shoney’s.  Both meals were covered by the Air Force and were very nice!  Then after brunch we watched Air Force One on the bus (It just happened to be the only movie he had).  We rolled in around 2:00 PM and went to a briefing to get our room assignments and to get our luggage dropped off. We had briefings for the rest of the day until dinner time.  The whole rest of the week was loaded with nothing but briefing after briefing and, you guessed it, trying to stay awake.  One main difference was that we were finally given the ability to think for ourselves and have a little bit of liberty.  The Air Force still has a 4-phase intro. program which gradually gives you more freedoms based on your ability to take responsibility for doing what you are supposed to do and being where you are supposed to be.  I will be phasing up from Phase I (two weeks long) to Phase II (also two weeks long).  I will finally be able to personalize my dorm room, wear civilian clothes on the weekends on base, and go off base in my service uniform (blues).

Classes have started for my job training and are going well.  My job is AFSC 2E131 and is titled Satellite Wideband Communications Apprentice.  The training I will receive at Keesler AFB is E.P. (electronics principles) and is an eight week course.  It teaches all of the basics of electronics-yes all of them and is very accelerated.  The course is 37 hours and is accredited with a value of 18 college credit hours.  An associate’s degree is about 63 hours, so with the 3-4 credit hours I earned from BMT, I will be a third of the way toward a degree when I finish here around October 15.  After this course is finished, I will be transfering to Fort Gordon (yes, an Army base!) in Georgia for the remaining three months of my training.  I have heard that this base is very comfortable and should have more things to do than Keesler.  After seeing the destruction of hurricane Katrina first-hand, I am very grateful I was not here when it hit.  After over a year we are still taking volunteer opportunities to help out in the community to rebuild the city and clear out the wreckage which is strewn everywhere.  Many parts of the beach here are still closed because debris, waste and animal and sometimes human remains are washed ashore, making the area hazardous.  The dorms are like hotel rooms.  They have microwaves and refrigerators in each room and are about 20′x12′.  Each room is designed for three people, but they prefer two people per room. I currently have no roommates.  Room inspections are not nearly as strenuous as they were at BMT, but we still have them every so often.  I have had two of them, and on my second one a classmate of mine who lives down the hall from me told me that he had seen about five of our supervisors (Staff Sergeants, Technical Sergeants, and Master Sergents) had raided my room and asked where I was.  This freaked me out, so I reported to one of our squadron’s Master Sergeants to find out what had happened and they gave me an excellence report for the condition of my room!

I am thoroughly enjoying finally being able to get back in school.  It seems like forever since I have taken classes, but the course I am studying right now is exactly the sort of thing I have been wanting to learn.  Even though the class is accelerated, it seems as if I cannot absorb it fast enough.  The best part is that after trying to learn these things before, I am finally grasping it mentally.  I think the main reason is that I now have goals for my life and with those goals comes a purpose and drive to be successful.  I praise the Lord for all of the trials that He has brought me through thus far, and I look forward to the new adventures that He has waiting for me as I follow His will for my life.  Never have I felt more like this is exactly where God wants me-not only for the success He has granted me, but also for the seemingly impossible hardships which have made me stronger and more mature.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement through this new step in my life.  As I look forward to my career goals and consider all that has happened this year thus far, I know that I could not have done it alone.  Having a family which believes in me has made me even more determined to keep pressing toward the mark.  I think of you all often and look forward to seeing as many of you as I can over the Christmas holidays.  Until then, I love you all and pray that God will bless and encourage each one of you as He has done for me.

 With much thanks,

David Hill