Having enlisted in the Air Force in 1994, I was assigned to the 323 Training Squadron, Flight 153 (with my brother!), for Basic Military Training.  Following that fun, he went to Okinawa after 6 weeks of technical training.  I went to Vandenberg AFB (392nd SMTS) to do my technical training, and then was assigned to the quaint little northern tier base of Grand Forks, North Dakota!

Between Vandenberg AFB and Grand Forks AFB, I stopped by Ohio to marry a sweet little redhead on July 16, 1994, and carry her off to the prairie.  We arrived a few days later and I inprocessed into the 321st Missile Maintenance Squadron.  This would be my home for the remainder of my enlistment.  My primary duties would be to maintain the facilities (electical, environmental, mechanical) of the Minuteman III ICBM sites.  It is here that I would also develop a greater respect for the harsh winter weather of the north.  The city of Grand Forks afforded me the opportunity to finish my degree.  I took classes in the day, worked the "graveyard shift," and plugged away for a couple of years.  After separating in 1998, I had two choices: go to law school or go back into the Air Force as an officer.  When both options became available, I chose the Air Force again.  I finished my degree in July of 1998, and took Joy and baby-in-utero home before I would go to Officer Training School.  I would finally get a class date, and leave for Maxwell AFB on February 26, 1999 when Emma was just 6-weeks old!.

What a rare honor! Before I left Vandenberg for Minot, I got to reenlist my best friend, Aaron.  He asked me to administer the Oath of Enlistment to him, and then signed six more years of his life over to the Air Force.