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.