The Reenlistment Speech (Read 1,127 times)

Yep and with the advent of all the unmanned aircraft these days, he was somewhat prophetic.

I was a lucky one. Met and married the wife at Langley in 1976. She was a blue suiter working in Accounting and Finance. Still going strong. Neither of us stayed for 20, but I think our longevity has a lot to do with being emersed early in a common culture and appreciating the concepts of mission and sacrifice.

I was at Griffiss when it came time for me to reenlist, 1st Sgt came by the office one day and said "your enlistment is about up, have you given any thought as to what your going to do?" I just looked him in the eye and said "sure have". We both stood there in an awkward moment, I think I caught him off guard when he finally asked "So what are you going to do?" I told him I had planned to reenlist for 6 years so I would be half way when it came for my next enlistment and I would decide then if I was going to stay in.

Of course as soon as I reenlisted they gave me orders to Luke AFB, I tried to stay but they (who ever "they" were) said No "head west young man, head west"

Price you really do have to keep post readings in context. Re read how my dad's second guessing would have affected his 3 sons.....

:confused
Reenlistment speech? None that I ever heard. Guess my years in ADC were pre-speech. All three of my re-enlistments were while in ADC, one at Sioux City and two at Minot. Only had one re-enlistment physical. That one was at Minot. Must have passed. Really memorable.
The only swearing in ceremonies I remember were by the squadron adjutant at Sioux City, some other officers both times at Minot.
Don't think I missed anything. Except the big bonuses that came along after I was done. We had a maximum of $2,000 total for all twenty-years.
Oh, well! Got what was promised.
:god_bless_usa

Sounds to me like the USAF recruiter was doing a "bait and switch" on you Dude.
I believe that is against the law, even for the fed's.

Most of my USAF buddies just can't believe my good luck with assignments and duties.
Out of Tech School I asked for March AFB, CA. (SAC)
I got orders for Norton AFB, CA (MAC) only about 15 - 20 miles apart. The Major Air Command wasn't a big deal.
I next (3 years) applied for a Permissive Reassignment to Griffiss AFB, NY and got that.
I then applied for a reassignment to McChord AFB, WA and i got orders there. (ADC !)
I later asked for Germany and was sent to Sembach Air Base, West Germany.
Four years later I asked to return to McChord AFB, WA and sure enough that is what my orders said. I staided there until I retired (1983 thru 1995 = 12 full years)

How sweet that 24 year old ride was.
At Norton I went TDY here and there in C-141's
Griffiss flew on KC-135's
McChord flew on T-33's
Sembach flew on CH-53 choppers and OV-10A Bronco's
My last 12 years back at McChord my wife and i took a C-130 to Hickem, HI. I only went TDY three times on civilian planes and flew once in a C-141B just before I retired.
The USAF gave me everything I wanted including 2 college degrees.

Bullhunter you may not be too far from the truth. Although I would like to think that my bolting on the good Captain was not a career enhancer for him.

Jim, you were very lucky to have a great mentor. As for your impression of officers. Funny you should bring that up because that's the rest of the AFES story I alluded to up top.

I wonder how many wish they could go back through AFES a second time knowing what you know now. Well I did.

So there I am tripping on into the AFES center. Trotted upstairs to the Air Force office and met the good Captain recruiter. He goes into his file cabinet a pulls out the "Special Folder". The one with "OCS" and "PS" in big letters on it. He says, "This folder entitles you to go to the front of every line. So take this downstairs to the first window."

So off I go downstairs, turn left into a hallway, walk past about 30 guys, and put my face in the window manned by an Army corporal.

Corporal: "Yeah. What you want?"
Me: "I'm prior service going OCS. They told me to come to the front of the line."
Corporal: "Not a chance. Get your sorry a__ back in line."

So I smiled, turned around and walked back upstairs to the USAF office. Found the Captain and asked, "Do you have a phone down to that Corporal at Station One?" The Captain said he did. So I said, "Then you call that sorry SOB and tell him I'm coming back down, and I better get to the front because if I don't I'm leaving the building and if you want my sorry a--, you're going to have to pay for a private physical."

I'm just stepping off the last step coming back down and I see the good Corporal hanging half way out of his cage looking down the hallway for me.

"You. You SIR! Come up here PLEASE!".

So I got processed by him poste haste and moved on like that through the various checkpoints. First in line everytime. The only thing I remember different than the first time was they took an EKG.

So it comes down to the last thing where you sit down with a doctor and go over your history. I come to the area which happens to be an alcove with three offices (one per wall) with a waiting bench outside each office. I notice that two of the benches are jammed packed with enlistees, while the third along the back wall is empty. Well being the good officer candidate that I was, I went to the empty bench.

And then SHE came out.

Yes it was a lady doctor. OK no big deal. Been there, done that. We just talk my records and I'm done. So in I go and plant it in a chair in front of her desk. She sits down and we start going over my history. At some point she notices the folder, "Oh, your going OCS." "Yes maam, I am." Then she gets this quirky little smile on her face, does a little heh heh and says, "In that case we have to do a rectal exam."

Well I couldn't help it. I just bust out laughing. Her smile quickly dissolves into disgust and she says, "What's so damn funny?"

I said, "Well maam, you see I'm prior service."
She said, "Yes, Yes. Get to it."
I said, "Well all us enlisted were pretty well convinced that all officers were a--holes. I just didn't know they had to prove it up front."

I'm still chuckling, but she is definitely not amused, "Stand up, turn around and drop em."

At that point I realize that I may have made a huge tactical error. So as she is snapping on her rubber gloves, I'm desperately trying to get a glimpse at this woman's hands. She was tall and slender, so I'm hoping against hope.

Well I'm sure at our age we've all had this procedure done now a few times. I can't swear to this, but it sure seemed like she had a baseball bat hidden somewhere in that room. I also remember it being an exceptionally long exam. Needless to say, I wasn't laughing any more.

Finally its over and as I'm putting myself back together hoping to make a quick escape she says,

"Well it looks like you'll make pretty good officer material.

"Maam?"

"Get out of my office you A--hole."

"Yes maam, Thank ya maam. I'm gone...."