One of the carnal suggestions that I heard before and during my entry into the military was "do not volunteer for anything." Well I volunteered to stay behind and "help the community" when all I really did was move furniture, pick up trash and rake leafes and never leave the friggin base. I apologize for my poor attitude but I have found out that the USAF has shipped all of the people who were in training with me for my career feild to their first duty stations. If I had not volunteered I would not still be on Keesler AFB not able to leave the gates, I would be a permanent party Airmen not a student, I would be doing my job hands on training and not run the risk of failing a test and getting kicked out of my career feild and I would be in Sacremento California. Run on Sentence!!!! But I volunteered and stayed cuase thats what I do, and I would not change that fact @ all. I am here so be it. I am fortunate to have stayed.
One of my favorite people in the entire world called me today, Britt Delaney who I met on my life changing trip to Great Britian. She is easily one of the sweetest people period as well as quite the looker. We chatted for a while and just caught up on some of the small stuff that supports all the big stuff. Just being able to hear someone's voice that is instantly recognizable even though u have not heard it for so long is like a lullaby that was sang to you as a child resung to you as an adult. It delivers the same feelings and activates the same instincts as when it serenaded you earlier in your life. Britt has one of those voices. I associate her and the times we had with the period in my life so far. To be able to have her call me and talk to her allowed me to breathe for the first time in 3 weeks. She was what I needed since my peers and I are starting school on Monday and we all needed a breather.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Closure
I am no longer in limbo and it is very nice. Today SMSgt(Senior Master Sergeant) Caveneau came and briefed us on what exactly is happening to us concerning our job training and here is the list of goals the 81st training group has planned for:
1. Bring 400 of the 1100 airmen that were sent away 3 weeks ago back to Keesler to continue training in the jobs that are in high demand for the USAF. Air Traffic Controllers, Ground Radio, PC Networking(my AFSC), weather, etc.
2. Bring airmen from basic training to Keesler for thier job training.
3. Get life somewhat back to normal here @ Keesler AFB.
I know that life here in the gulf coast region will not be the way it was before the hurricane for years to come. So pretty much life here @ Keesler will totally sucks more than it did pre-Katrina however my peers and I are happy that they are atleast bringing our friends back from Texas and the other bases they were shipped off to for training. A wonderful reunion will commence.
Today my detail team was suppossed to go off base and give rations, water, supplies and clothing to shelters in the area. This would have been the first any of us have left the base in the last 3.5 weeks. However the transport that was suppossed to come and pick my Team up never showed up so we sat around in the Fish Tank(the area in the squadron where there is satellite TV and Halo 2 tournaments) and watched the films Top Gun and Shawn of the Dead. For the most part it was a complete waste of my day because although they were both entertaining films I would much rather be outside working and contributing something than watching TV. As I told my close friend Henderson, I get up in the morning to do something, not sit around on my ass.
Life is better here at Keesler. Especially since our briefing w/ the SMSgt. One of the major things that strike me with the upper enlisted core is that they deliver no smoke screens and shovel no bullshit. Any one who knows me knows that I can be a good bullshitter. You can't bullshit a bullshitter. What SMSgt said to my squadron today was direct and to the point and might not have been what everyone wanted to hear but it gave people closure. It was definitive. Now that my squadron has closure, each of us will have to look into our own experience, values and disciplines to see what we want and need from our future.
1. Bring 400 of the 1100 airmen that were sent away 3 weeks ago back to Keesler to continue training in the jobs that are in high demand for the USAF. Air Traffic Controllers, Ground Radio, PC Networking(my AFSC), weather, etc.
2. Bring airmen from basic training to Keesler for thier job training.
3. Get life somewhat back to normal here @ Keesler AFB.
I know that life here in the gulf coast region will not be the way it was before the hurricane for years to come. So pretty much life here @ Keesler will totally sucks more than it did pre-Katrina however my peers and I are happy that they are atleast bringing our friends back from Texas and the other bases they were shipped off to for training. A wonderful reunion will commence.
Today my detail team was suppossed to go off base and give rations, water, supplies and clothing to shelters in the area. This would have been the first any of us have left the base in the last 3.5 weeks. However the transport that was suppossed to come and pick my Team up never showed up so we sat around in the Fish Tank(the area in the squadron where there is satellite TV and Halo 2 tournaments) and watched the films Top Gun and Shawn of the Dead. For the most part it was a complete waste of my day because although they were both entertaining films I would much rather be outside working and contributing something than watching TV. As I told my close friend Henderson, I get up in the morning to do something, not sit around on my ass.
Life is better here at Keesler. Especially since our briefing w/ the SMSgt. One of the major things that strike me with the upper enlisted core is that they deliver no smoke screens and shovel no bullshit. Any one who knows me knows that I can be a good bullshitter. You can't bullshit a bullshitter. What SMSgt said to my squadron today was direct and to the point and might not have been what everyone wanted to hear but it gave people closure. It was definitive. Now that my squadron has closure, each of us will have to look into our own experience, values and disciplines to see what we want and need from our future.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
the realization
We went into the Bryant Hall shelter Sunday night @ 1900(7:00pm)
The shelter lost power sometime during the night. While on door guard to make sure no one would try to leave the shelter I witnessed roof tiles being ripped off of airplane hangers and swirl through the air like fallen leaves in autumn. We watched windows on cars get blown out by small pebbles that we couldn't even see...it just looked like the wind was doing it itself. The hurricane had not made landfall yet.
We were able to leave the shelter tuesday morning around 1000. It was nice to have clean air and not be so conjested. Then began the realization-
The gazeebo by the track was totally destroyed, giant trees were twisted & deformed to the point where the trunk just looked like a girl's long braid of hair. The base exchange had 8 feet of water in it, the two main gates were destroyed(there were no more guard shacks), there was no more civil engineering warehouse, it was as if the building was never fully completed. It just looked like the workers built the frame to the building and that was it, everything else was ripped clean away. The realization was that the state of mississippi had no power, the bay of biloxi where I was located had lost one of its two bridges to the main land, it had no power or running water. Finally there were 9 casinos in biloxi ms, there are now 5.
Thursday morning @ 0145 they woke us up for an emergency formation where my squadron was told that the 81 Training Group could not afford to keep 1500 non prior service airmen @ Keesler AFB, training isnt suppossed to reconvene until April 2006. The realization is that we had to pack 1 bag because the rest of our possessions would be mailed to us. We were flying out to two AFBs in TX to be either reclassed into a new job or be dealt with some other way.
They asked for 125 volunteers to stay behind and help with the clean up...I stayed.
I said good bye to my friends who I have called my family since the first day of basic training six months ago.
The president, sec. of def., cheif of staff of the USAF, and a plethora of other politicians came to Keesler to look @ the damage. All of you have seen it on TV.
I am now apart of a group of 400 airmen who stayed behind to help clean up. Our morale is higher than a bunch of sixth weekers in BMT. The work we are doing is giving some people hope and enthusiam for the work and times ahead. We are cleaning up the base, helping it to become operational again. There is so much more to say - now we have gotten power back and they have set up some free internet access for people to utilize. More will come.
The realization is this - I am an Airmen in the United States Air Force. I wake in the morning thankful for everything God gives me. I have been raised seeing those people who are less fortunate than myself. The Air Force is now allowing me dare to be great. Through placing my integrity first I find myself placing my service and duty before my own aspirations. When my brethren needs my help, it is my duty not only as an Airmen but as a fellow person to go to their aid. I will be here as long as I can. Katrina brought in alot of messages with her winds, one of them was the realization that I am an Airman in the United States Air Force.
The shelter lost power sometime during the night. While on door guard to make sure no one would try to leave the shelter I witnessed roof tiles being ripped off of airplane hangers and swirl through the air like fallen leaves in autumn. We watched windows on cars get blown out by small pebbles that we couldn't even see...it just looked like the wind was doing it itself. The hurricane had not made landfall yet.
We were able to leave the shelter tuesday morning around 1000. It was nice to have clean air and not be so conjested. Then began the realization-
The gazeebo by the track was totally destroyed, giant trees were twisted & deformed to the point where the trunk just looked like a girl's long braid of hair. The base exchange had 8 feet of water in it, the two main gates were destroyed(there were no more guard shacks), there was no more civil engineering warehouse, it was as if the building was never fully completed. It just looked like the workers built the frame to the building and that was it, everything else was ripped clean away. The realization was that the state of mississippi had no power, the bay of biloxi where I was located had lost one of its two bridges to the main land, it had no power or running water. Finally there were 9 casinos in biloxi ms, there are now 5.
Thursday morning @ 0145 they woke us up for an emergency formation where my squadron was told that the 81 Training Group could not afford to keep 1500 non prior service airmen @ Keesler AFB, training isnt suppossed to reconvene until April 2006. The realization is that we had to pack 1 bag because the rest of our possessions would be mailed to us. We were flying out to two AFBs in TX to be either reclassed into a new job or be dealt with some other way.
They asked for 125 volunteers to stay behind and help with the clean up...I stayed.
I said good bye to my friends who I have called my family since the first day of basic training six months ago.
The president, sec. of def., cheif of staff of the USAF, and a plethora of other politicians came to Keesler to look @ the damage. All of you have seen it on TV.
I am now apart of a group of 400 airmen who stayed behind to help clean up. Our morale is higher than a bunch of sixth weekers in BMT. The work we are doing is giving some people hope and enthusiam for the work and times ahead. We are cleaning up the base, helping it to become operational again. There is so much more to say - now we have gotten power back and they have set up some free internet access for people to utilize. More will come.
The realization is this - I am an Airmen in the United States Air Force. I wake in the morning thankful for everything God gives me. I have been raised seeing those people who are less fortunate than myself. The Air Force is now allowing me dare to be great. Through placing my integrity first I find myself placing my service and duty before my own aspirations. When my brethren needs my help, it is my duty not only as an Airmen but as a fellow person to go to their aid. I will be here as long as I can. Katrina brought in alot of messages with her winds, one of them was the realization that I am an Airman in the United States Air Force.
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