CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Voodoos and Shooting Stars. Darts and Daggers. Jolly Green Giants. What is this, science fiction? These were the aircraft that lined the flight line at Tyndall AFB, Fla., when I was assigned there after tech school in 1973.
F-101s and T-33s. F-106s and F-102s. and the HH-53s of the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron. Tyndall was Aerospace Defense Command, and our F-106s sat alert, armed with Sparrow missiles, ready to protect the U.S. from any intruders along the Gulf Coast. When they thundered down the runway at night, their afterburner was a sight to see. I was 18 years old and loved it!
Thirty-five years later, they have given way to Eagles, Falcons, Nighthawks and Raptors. In due time, these too will give way to something new; you can guarantee it.
I've seen more than a few changes in the Air Force throughout my career. Fatigues became battle dress uniforms which became airman battle uniforms. The tan 1505s are long gone, as are the chukka boots I was issued in basic.
'Buc' sergeant (an NCO rank) became Senior Airman (not an NCO), the bottom rocker of a master sergeant flipped to the top, barracks became dormitories, chow halls are now dining facilities, air divisions disappeared, major commands morphed, Air Force regulations became Air Force instructions, training classes on race relations then became social actions became military equal opportunity, consolidated base personnel office became military personnel flight, goodness, even good old JP-4 gave way to JP-8 - how did we ever fly? We still have WAFs, also known as Women in the Air Force, but we dare not call them that, though it was a title of honor at one time.
England, Hamilton, KI Sawyer, Loring, Lowry, Otis, Pease, Ramey and Rickenbacker, and a host of other bases I recall have long been deactivated by the Air Force. My beloved Upper Heyford is but a distant memory, as are countless bases across Europe like Bentwaters, Chicksands, High Wycombe, Hahn, Woodbridge, Zweibrucken, and the list goes on and on. Bases that once were crucial to our nation and our national interests have been closed, given up, given back, sold, torn down, demolished or erased from the surface of the planet, but not from history.
Likewise for Bien Hoa, Bien Me Thout, Cam Rahn Bay, Da Nang, Long Bien, Nha Trang, Phan Rang, Phu Cat, Pleiku, Ton Son Nhut, Tuy Hoa, Korat, Nakhon Phanom, Takhli, Ubon, Udorn and Utapao. Thirty-five years ago Airmen were staffing these bases, preparing meals, prepping jets, turning wrenches, checking line badges, filing reports ... who knows, maybe in 35 more years somebody will be saying the same thing about places like Baghdad, Bagram, Balad, Mosul, Kirkuk, Sather, and Tallil.
My first NCO in charge at Tyndall was Master Sgt. Billy Horne. He served during World War II, got out, came back in during the Korean conflict, and decided to stay and make it a career. He had a couple of tours in Vietnam, but I recall him talking more about World War II - Vietnam wasn't talked about because we were still there. When it was mentioned, you could sense the bitterness in so many men. Over the past 20 years this country has done much to help redeem those experiences for many, and we can be grateful for that. Today, for instance, men and women are able to speak of Iraq and Afghanistan more openly and with a sense of pride.
As I "post" for the last time out of Charleston, I will certainly miss all the aircraft- I have never grown tired of stopping at the sound of a plane taxiing, identifying it simply by the sound of the engine, and gazing toward the end of the ramp to watch it climb out of sight. Just like the old F-106s launching at Tyndall, I still love it. I will miss the structure and discipline of the military, the people and the camaraderie, and the solidarity of those who work together for good for a common cause bigger than themselves.
Time has a way of changing so much, but history is recorded, our stories are shared and we try to pass on something we have learned and accomplished. Uniforms can change, but it still takes a man or woman of character and integrity to put it on, wear it proudly and serve honorably.
During my career as a security policeman and as a chaplain, the Air Force has taken me places around the world and trusted me to do what I consider to be honorable duty - if I could be 17 again, I would do it all again. If you are a first-term Airman, don't think too much about a career just yet; enjoy your youth, but work hard. Your country is counting on you. If you apply yourself to training and learning and doing well what you are asked to do, and if you approach your days with a sense of gratitude, you will discover you are already on a career path, a path you can look back on and be proud of.
Time does change so much, and the Air Force will continue to change, but still, some things don't change much. Back in 1973, the KC-135 and the B-52 were the best in their class - and they still are. Thank God for U.S. aircraft manufacturers.