Proud To Be

I work on an Air Force base. And when I first started working there, I was intrigued...it was somewhere that I never had access to, even though I'd always wanted to see one. When I arrived on base, I was surprised to see that it's like its own little town. It has a grocery store, a Wal-Mart like store, gas stations, a post office...it was awesome. Not to mention the million/billion dollar planes and the airmen that went with it. I remember driving around thinking "wow, so this is what it's like!' It'll be six years since I started working there. The novelty has pretty much worn off...although, when I drive by it, especially at night and see the flightline all lit up, I'm still impressed that I work there. And since the novelty has worn off for me, there's not much that impresses me about it anymore...

Until days like today. The big deal about today in Tucson was the President was coming for a memorial for those involved in the shooting on Saturday. My first thought was "oh shit, between the exercise and the President coming on base, it's gonna be a pain in the ass to get around." But, after work, I decided to drive up the street just to see if I could catch a glimpse of Air Force One. And sure enough, there it was. Now to those who work on Air Force bases, I'm sure seeing Air Force One isn't that big of a deal anymore...probably more of a pain in the ass...but for someone who never had access to the base before...it's pretty damn impressive. When I saw it, I thought to myself "holy shit, the President just walked off that plane and here I am, looking at it." I didn't take a picture, I wasn't sure how close I could get and I didn't feel like being taken out by the Secret Service...but just seeing it, and knowing that it was there brought back the excitement I had when I first started. Sure, tomorrow when I drive back to work, the novelty will have again worn off...but at least I know it's still there.

Another thing that I've sort of forgotten about having worked on base for almost 6 years, is that the men and women that are on that base, put their lives on the line for us every day. True, we aren't at war here, and most of the squadrons aren't deployed...but there's always that chance. I've grown close to a lot of the airmen on base and I consider quite a few of them my friends...I've known them to deploy and return home...sometimes, it seems like they just had a deployment when they are sent out on another one. But I've grown so used to seeing them, that it just seems like another place of business...which I'm aware that it is, but this is a serious business. So again, on days like today, I realize that I am lucky to know the airmen that I know...and I realize that their jobs are extremely risky. The base isn't a novelty for them...it's their life.

So thank you Armed Forces for putting your lives on the line, so that I may come on base and be intrigued by the fact that there's a golf course...and a Burger King, and neighborhoods. Thank you for putting your lives on the line so that I could make some really great friends. And thank you for putting your lives on the line, so that I don't have to. I could never do what you do.