My Son Left for the Air Force today...

[diverguy]

Congrats

You should be very proud...scared a little but proud. My son is about to finish his Navy Nuclear training and get his first ship. I'm ex-Navy so amd so proud I could bust!

 

[Harry Pierpont]

Well, so it wasn't the last post.

My son got his orders and is now going to Grand Forks AFB in ND. A little colder than Nellis,....... damn there goes that Christmas Vegas trip!

 

[Tango Yankee]

North Dakota... brrrrrrrr!

If I could give your son one bit of advice (actually, I've got lots of advice to give, but that's the Senior in me coming out! ) it would be to put in for overseas. I recommend Europe, but I'm partial to that area over the Far and Middle East.

One of the great things about the service is the opportunity to live in other cultures, to go places and do things that many people only dream about. He should take advantage of that opportunity!

I'm actually attempting to get back into the Air Force myself. I miss it quite a lot, and there's not much work for my career field in my area (IT management). It happens the AF is advertising for IT personnel for civilian positions, so I'm applying and volunteering for both stateside and European locations. I decided against Kuwait--been there enough times and like I said, not a fan of the middle east.

Best of luck to your son at his first assignment!

Regards,
Tom Yeager, SMSgt, USAF, Ret.

 

[Harry Pierpont]

North Dakota... brrrrrrrr!

If I could give your son one bit of advice (actually, I've got lots of advice to give, but that's the Senior in me coming out! ) it would be to put in for overseas. I recommend Europe, but I'm partial to that area over the Far and Middle East.

One of the great things about the service is the opportunity to live in other cultures, to go places and do things that many people only dream about. He should take advantage of that opportunity!

I'm actually attempting to get back into the Air Force myself. I miss it quite a lot, and there's not much work for my career field in my area (IT management). It happens the AF is advertising for IT personnel for civilian positions, so I'm applying and volunteering for both stateside and European locations. I decided against Kuwait--been there enough times and like I said, not a fan of the middle east.

Best of luck to your son at his first assignment!

Regards,
Tom Yeager, SMSgt, USAF, Ret.

Thanks for your advice, he's already stated after he gets done with his training he wants to travel, I think that's why he joined. I think I stated it earlier, but he'll finish Tech. school in April, then head to GF AFB now to do his final training, or what ever they call it.

 

[DeaconKC]

Please thank your son for his service to our nation.

 

[Babydoll]

One of the great things about the service is the opportunity to live in other cultures, to go places and do things that many people only dream about. He should take advantage of that opportunity!

I have a nephew who will be doing this exact thing next month. He's going to be stationed in Okinawa for two years. I'm sad that I won't get to see him often (if at all), but I'm really excited for the adventures he'll get to have over there!

 

[dani]

i have never been to san antonio, but i will ask my husband he was there for basic, he was also in the air force. i know it's pretty hot there most of the time though.

 

[dani]

I have a nephew who will be doing this exact thing next month. He's going to be stationed in Okinawa for two years. I'm sad that I won't get to see him often (if at all), but I'm really excited for the adventures he'll get to have over there!

my cousion is in okinawa for 2 years as well, he always has great pictures of the place.

 

[Harry Pierpont]

Proud Parent

I'm resurrecting this post to update those of you that have shown support. My son sent me a text yesterday that he had been promoted to Sr. Airman "below the zone", which means 6 months early! He also told me he got the "Diamond Sharp" award which is for excellence on and off duty, and awarded by your first Sgt.. (I hope I got that correct) We also got a call from his squadron leader, a Lt. Col., praising him and making sure we know how much this means. Unfortunately he does not get to come home for Christmas. But we sure are proud and that in itself is a wonderful gift.

 

[Foofoogal]

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap
as you all should be very proud. congratulations!

 

[RebeccaDoll]

I wish your son all the best, and to you, I can't possibly know how you are feeling.

I am a recent Private in the Canadian Air Force, and boy did my mother take it hard when I left for Basic. You are just so busy on basic training, and I hope he can make regual contact with you during his course - I don't know what they do in the US military, but everytime we got letters, we had to do embaressing dances and songs or the staff's amusement - send him letters, send him your love. I recieved loads of letters and the embaressment was worth every single one when times got tough.

My mother said she kept busy enough, she knew she wouldn't hear from me by letter (hard to find time to write back), but at the mid-point on my course, we got 22 hours of leave, and I must have spent 2 hours on the payphone, telling her about how much fun I was having (yes, I had fun at basic training, inbetween the push-ups).

Good luck to him, and good luck to you - take lots of pictures of him on his graduation in those lovely dress blues and number 1 hair cut, you'll be so proud.

 

[Big Man]

Please pass along my congratulations to your son.

 

[Harry Pierpont]

I wish your son all the best, and to you, I can't possibly know how you are feeling.

I am a recent Private in the Canadian Air Force, and boy did my mother take it hard when I left for Basic. You are just so busy on basic training, and I hope he can make regual contact with you during his course - I don't know what they do in the US military, but everytime we got letters, we had to do embaressing dances and songs or the staff's amusement - send him letters, send him your love. I recieved loads of letters and the embaressment was worth every single one when times got tough.

My mother said she kept busy enough, she knew she wouldn't hear from me by letter (hard to find time to write back), but at the mid-point on my course, we got 22 hours of leave, and I must have spent 2 hours on the payphone, telling her about how much fun I was having (yes, I had fun at basic training, inbetween the push-ups).

Good luck to him, and good luck to you - take lots of pictures of him on his graduation in those lovely dress blues and number 1 hair cut, you'll be so proud.

Sorry for any confusion on the resurrection of this post. My son has been in for 2 years now and was in the middle east, Qatar, for about 8 months. He's back in N. Dakota now. He has 2 more years to go and is seriously considering making a career of it. We "chat" online a lot so I'm glad the US doesn't make their troops do embarrassing stuff just to communicate with the outside world.

 

[Harry Pierpont]

Please pass along my congratulations to your son.

Will do, Thanks!

 

[davestlouis]

We all need to take time to thank these young folks for their service to our country. I never served, went right from HS to St. Louis University to drink and carrouse, and study now and then. I wonder how different my life would have been if I had been "whipped into shape" at age 18.

At any rate, doing his 20 years could be a great career path. Congrats!