August 3rd, 2001


 

 

August 3rd, 2001

           My first experience of the Reserves and the Squadron was very good.  It had been a long time since I had been around the Military/Aviation lifestyle and frankly, it was very very cool to be around it again.   I remember growing up as a kid and everyone wearing flight suits and all the grown ups talking pilot stuff.  It was really fun to take a stroll down memory lane.    I went down to the base with little hope of actually becoming an Air Force pilot and left knowing that that was where I belonged.  

            I left Austin the night before the UTA and got a hotel room at the La Quinta next to Lackland AFB (right next to the "Afterburner Bar").  I was nervous that night and didn't sleep too well.  Mainly because I was excited but also because I happened to be in a room with a few new friends.  The bugs were pretty bad.  I thought about calling down to the desk, but ended up just saying "screw it".   Anyway, after a few hours of fitful sleep, I woke up, showered, shaved and put on my casual-fun-guy-but-still-respectful duds.  Khakis, a polo shirt, and some brand spankin-new shoes (by the way, I hate buying new clothes).  I went downstairs and grabbed a complimentary muffin and started off towards the Unit. 

            I got to the gate at Lackland at about 6:30am and the guards let me through after showing my license and insurance card.  This was before Sept. 11th and base security was really pretty lax compared to what it is now.  Well, the inevitable happened, I got a little lost.   I was only a stones throw from the actual building that I supposed to be at but I still felt like an idiot.  "ooohhh big pilot guy can't even find his way on the ground" is what I thought.  Well, I finally made my way to the Pilot Squadron and gave Captain Brooks a call on the cell phone.  He was running about 10 - 15 minutes behind me and told me to just go inside and meet some people.  This turned out to be MUCH harder than I expected. 

            I asked around and someone points me to the Pilot Lounge where, oh I don't know, about 30 pilots are all talking, and laughing, and having a good time.  This does not sit well with me as I know absolutely NO ONE.  Everyone is ignoring me not because they don't want to talk to me, but because they are all catching up with each other.  I smile, sit down and mind my p's and q's.  I am still waiting to meet Capt. Brooks (who I have never met in person).  When he finally comes in, I know right away that its him, because of his voice and southern accent.  He comes over and introduces himself to me and is glad that I made it.  Then, thank god, he starts to introduce me around to the other pilots.  Much more comfortable now.  Well about 10 minutes later, we all go to Commander Briefing, which I am informed is a short hello-here's-what-we-are-doing-this-weekend kind of thing.  Right after that, a bunch of pilots, myself included, all go out to breakfast at a cool little Mexican dive somewhere near the base.  It was really cool.  All, or most, of these guys are Airline Pilots too and the conversation pretty much revolved around current Airline stuff which I could understand because my pop is an Airline pilot.

 

             After breakfast, we all went back to the Unit and hung out, talked pilot stuff, I asked questions, they answered, they asked questions, I answered.  Typical questions like "what is your experience", "what do you do now", etc etc.