This story begins the evening of June 30th 2013. It was the day after graduating BMT, my flight was on base liberty where we were free to go around base but we couldn't leave base. Much of my flight was spending the day with their families but my family had to leave the night before so that they could drive back home in time for work on Monday. I was walking around base with some of my flight mates that also did not have their families there. It was a rainy day so we quickly walked to the mini-mall where we ate lunch at Subway. Afterword we made our way to the bus stop to take us to the BX, while there I bought a nice Casio G-Shock watch that I still wear. After that we went bowling on base for a few hours before returning to our dorm. That night was one of excitement, everyone knew the end of basic training was near and people were exchanging phone numbers and saying their goodbyes. Our wall lockers were packed up and our MTIs had us take all our bags except for what we needed to shave, brush our teeth, and get dressed in the morning downstairs to one of the classrooms. At that time our cell phones were returned to us also but we had to put them in our luggage and leave them downstair in the classroom where they would be locked up until we left in the morning. When we went back up to our dorm it looked so empty with all our stuff downstairs. As we made our way to bed that night we found it difficult to sleep like a kid on Christmas Eve excited for the next day. Beginning very early in the morning groups of newly minted Airmen work awoken to start their journey to their tech school. Depending on what base you were going to determined when you had to leave. Myself going to Sheppard AFB for tech school as a C17 crew chief was woken up around 3:30AM. Getting dressed quietly with only my flashlight for light was nothing new to me after all those night pulling midnight EC duty I was a pro at not waking up my fellow Airmen. As the Sheppard group made our way down the stairs leaving our dorm for the last time a sense a accomplishment overcame me, I had done it I was leaving basic training. We marched around the squadron one last time to the class room where our belonging were locked away. We retrieved our bags and lined up waiting for the bus that dropped us off here two months prior to pick us back up. After what seemed like eternity the bus came and took us to the processing center. When we got there we lined up and waited for our name to be called to board a charter bus. When my name was called I walked to the bus, put my bags in the lower cargo area and found my seat to freedom. Next came a six hour bus ride across Texas up to Sheppard. Now having free access to our phones the six hours went by in no time. After a quick stop in Dallas for lunch we arrived at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, TX.
Listing to my iPhone for the first time in 2 months.
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