Tech School Experience Part 2 (Sheppard AFB)

Picking up the story where I left off, the bus arrived at Sheppard AFB. My bus first pulled up to a brand new looking building and before I got my hopes up the bus driver started calling out training squadrons that were to get off the bus and did not call my squadron. The bus then drove a few more minutes before arriving at the oldest looking building on base it looked like it was left over from WWII. That was when the bus driver called my squadron, so I got off the bus and got my bags from under the bus. Me and about a dozen other airmen had gotten off with me among them was my best friend from BMT who had spent the last two months sleeping in the bunk above me. We lined up with our bags and paperwork under the direction of two student leaders that had come outside to meet us. This was my first interaction with what are know as "ropes". In Air Force tech school the way they have the chain of command structured is they appoint student leaders like they do in BMT. Except where in BMT they have four "element leaders" who report to the "dorm chief" who reports to the MTI. In tech school they have "green ropes" named because they are given a green colored rope to wear around their left shoulder. "Green ropes" are given the job of leading small groups of Airmen. Above them are "yellow ropes" and above them are "red ropes". "Red ropes" report to the Military Training Leaders (MTL) which is like the MTI in basic training, they are a NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) responsible for order and discipline among the Airmen throughout training. MTLs wear a dark blue rope and are referred to as "blue ropes"

Stock picture of a "green rope"

U.S. Air Force photo by (Kemberly Groue)

This image is a work of an U.S. military or Department of Defense employee, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

So after spending about four hours in processing at Sheppard, filling out paperwork and watching countless briefings I was given my room key and took my bags up to my room.

I spent just over one month at Sheppard learning "Aircraft Maintenance Fundamentals" commonly referred to in tech school as "fundies". All crew chiefs go to Sheppard for "fundies" before they go to their airframe specific tech school know as "follow on training". Some airframes like the C-130 and KC-135 have their follow on training at Sheppard so they stay there for months but for me being a C-17 crew chief I got to go to McChord AFB for my follow on training and only had to be at Sheppard fundies. About Sheppard, it is had its ups and downs. For one it is located in Wichita Falls, TX which is in the middle of nowhere. Its about two hours North-West of Dallas near the Oklahoma border, its basically southern Oklahoma. The best part for me was the people I was stationed there with, I was there with many good friends from BMT and several friends I met at Sheppard. I was there for 4th of July weekend but I was so new that I wasn't allowed off base yet so me and my friends caught up on every movie we missed while in BMT and we explored our new base, on foot because none us had car with us in Texas. That was one problem with Sheppard, I was there in July and August and it was at least 80 every day I was there some days it got above 100. When I was allowed to go off base me and my friends took the bus to the Sikes Center Mall in Wichita Falls. The mall is modest, not a huge mall but pretty good considering the remoteness of the location. It's air conditioned so that is a big plus. During my time at Sheppard I visited the mall and the surrounding area a few times. We went to the movie theater there (better than the one on base), we got a pedicure (amazing after BMT destroyed my feet), we shopped and window-shopped at many stores we remembered from back home such as: Best Buy, Walmart, Aeropostale, American Eagle, Hollister, Game Stop, F.Y.E, Buckle. And after eating BMT food for two months we ate a just about every restarunt in Wichita Falls including: Olive Garden, Logan's Roadhouse, On the Border, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cinnabon, Taco Bell, Whataburger, McDonalds, Burger King, Sonic.

Whataburger in Wichita Falls, TX

On base the thing to do on the weekends was to go to the mini-mall buy a bunch of booze and black and milds and go to this one acre park on base called "central park" which is the only place on base where you can drink except for the bar which is right across the street. Friday nights at central park were pretty fun, that hot dry Texas night all the stars out and a 6-pack of beer. It was like a giant party with 200 or so people in this little park playing music drinking and smoking. Then when you got tired of that you would catch a cab to D&Ds this super stereotypical country bar. Like if you were to imagine what a country bar in rural Texas would be like that is D&Ds. Loud country music, wooden dance floor, cheap American beer, everybody is wearing Wranglers and cowboy hats, and its Texas so you can still smoke in bars so the whole place is full of a haze of Marlboro smoke. I have a great story about one night at D&Ds but I don't think its appropriate for internet audiences but if you ever meet me ask me about it.

While I was in fundies I was taught basic aircraft maintenance like how to read a job guide and how to safety wire fasteners together. On August 9th, 2013 I graduated fundies and was given orders to report to McChord AFB for follow on training. After the weekend I left Sheppard on Wednesday August 14th, 2013. I packed all of belongings into 4 bags and took a cab from the squadron where I was living at to the passenger terminal of Wichita Falls Municipal Airport. Sheppard AFB and Wichita Falls Municipal Airport are the same airport they use the same runways the public passenger terminal is just on the other side of the runways from the Air Force Base. So after a short cab ride to the terminal I boarded a small plane to Dallas International Airport where I connected to Seattle. After a 4 hour flight from Dallas I landed in Seattle for the first time in my life.

To be continued...

Tech School Experience Part 1 (Leaving Lackland)

I am going to try my best to remember and share with you my experiences during tech school. I don't have a lot of experience writing stories so don't expect a literary masterpiece.

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.

Hendricks County Flyer

November 27, 2013

Michels graduation

Hendricks County Flyer

---- — Air Force Airman Marc H. Michels graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.

The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Michels is the son of Misty and Eric Michels of Danville.

He is a 2008 graduate of Danville Community High School.

Happy Birthday Air Force

So as to get more content posted to this blog I am planning to do regular updates more often. I am going to put a complete recap of BMT on the back burner until I have enough free time to really tell the story the way I want to. In the meantime I am going to just post short updates about what I am doing on a day to day.

Today is the Air Force birthday! Yay!

I am doing well at McChord, I am still in tech school. I am learning a lot and keeping busy, one of the reasons I joined the Air Force was to see the world and meet new people. I am really doing those things, I work the most diverse group of people I have ever met. Some of them are my friends and some of them arent but you just learn to live with them. In the short time I've been in the Air Force I've done so many cool and interesting things. I've gone to a country dance bar in rural Texas, taken a boat ride down the canal in San Antonio, been to the top of the Space Needle in Seattle, gone to the Washington state fair, hiked 3/4 the way up Mount Rainier, crawled through the bowels of a C17, gotten autographs from KC Chiefs cheerleaders, and many other things. I bought a new Ford Focus so I can get out and enjoy the area around base.

Tech School

I am still alive. I'm sorry for not keeping up with updates but I am very busy with training. I am now stationed at McChord AFB in Seattle, WA. I am starting my C17 training. I have been trying to get caught up with this blog, I hope to provide a detailed account of my experiences at BMT at some point.

4th of July Weekend

It is 4th of July weekend here at Sheppard AFB and there isn't much to do. I am posting this from my iPhone so don't expect it to be long. My parents are mailing me my laptop and it should be here Monday. I will try to start writing about BMT this week but don't expect much until next weekend. The Internet here sucks so I bought a mobile hotspot, I hope it gets here by next weekend so I can start updating this blog. I haven't started classes yet so I am pretty much just killing time. I have seen The Hangover 3, Fast and the Furious 6, Star Trek: Into Darkness, and today I am going to see two more movies. That is pretty much all there is to do on base this weekend. Well check back next weekend and I should have new posts.

Graduated

I graduated BMT last Friday... Right now I am in my dorm at Sheppard AFB for my C17 crew chief tech school... I will post about my BMT experience when I get some free time.

Ship Day

Today started early with a 4:30AM wakeup call. I went downstairs and ate a quick breakfast provided by the hotel. I then waited for the shuttle to take us to MEPS. When I got there I went through a medical inspect where they checked my temperature, height, and weight. After that I played hurry up and wait while a finalized my paperwork. After my paperwork was done I did my oath ceremony and signed my enlistment contract. Then they served lunch. After that I had a briefing on travel and they gave me my plane tickets to San Antonio. We then left the building to applause and said goodbye to our families. That brings us to now...I am on the bus going to the airport... Lackland AFB here I come!!! Talk to you all in two months.

MEPS Hotel

Today I went to my recruiters office one last time. He had me fill out some paperwork and have me an address to a hotel near MEPS. After I arrived there I was told to go to the 3rd floor to check in. I signed a list of rules and was given a room key. I then found my room, my roommate was already in the room when I got there. He is also going into the Air Force as "open mechanical". After making pleasantries for a few minutes I went downstairs to the lobby to meet up with my parents to talk for a few minutes. I then went upstairs and and played on my iPhone for awhile. That brings us to the present, my roommate is taking a shower and I am writing this blog post from my phone. I am going to bed soon, I have to get up at 4:30AM tomorrow to catch the shuttle to MEPS. I will try to post an update tomorrow, maybe when I'm at the airport. So I check back soon...

Two Weeks Left

It's hard to believe that in two weeks I will be in San Antonio spending 8 1/2 weeks at BMT (basic military training). This Thursday will be my last day working at FedEx after working there for almost five years. I have moved out of my apartment and back into my parents house already. I have been working on my physical training doing pushups/situps and running on my parents treadmill. In the last week I finally reached my goal running by running 1.5 miles in 12 minutes. That pace is the minimum required for a male to graduate BMT so knowing that I can already run that is encouraging. I think I am going to post a video next weekend showing what I am bringing to BMT. I will be bringing my cell phone to BMT, they take it from you and lock it away until you are given time to call home then they return your phone for a few minutes. You are only to make voice calls and cannot text or use facebook or anything. But I will be able to use my phone at the MEPS hotel and at the airport before I get to Lackland AFB. So I am going to update this blog a few times on ship day before they take my phone from me, then my next post won't be until July. But that post in July should be good because I will have a lot to talk about.

So just to clarify my official ship date is Tuesday April 30, 2013. On Monday the 29th I have to go to my recruiters office to fill out some paperwork then he will take me to a hotel in Indianapolis. In the morning they will drive me to MEPS where I will do some more processing and swear in to active duty, then they will give me a plane ticket and drive me to the airport.

Ship Date

So I finally got my ship date! I leave on April 29, 2013! I am going in as "open mechanical" which means I will get whatever mechanical type job they have available and I won't know exactly what job until basic training. I have a lot of stuff to do in the next month, like moving out of my apartment and working out more often. I will also be quitting my job pretty soon. I will keep you updated on my preparations before I leave.

DEP Call

Sorry it's been a while since my last post but not much is happening. Since my last post I have gotten a new recruiter. My old recruiter went back to his old job in the Air Force, as a aircraft mechanic. My new recruiter just became a recruiter but he seems to be picking things up quickly. I haven't gotten a job or a ship date yet but I hope I will get one soon. Since swearing in I have gone to three DEP calls. A DEP call is where everyone who is in DEP meets with their recruiter. They check your height and weight, and ask you if you have any new medical conditions. Then you talk about Air Force stuff like what basic training will be like and what things there to do on base. Sometimes you do physical activities, for example at my most recent DEP call we met at the YMCA and played basketball. Well that's about all for now I will post when I get my job and ship date, I hope that will be soon.

"Welcome to the Air Force"

Here is the story of my 3rd trip to MEPS. I arrived at MEPS at 5:45AM and checked in with my liaison where I was given my name tag. I then went to medical and checked in there and waited for everyone to arrive. After awhile a med tech came and started handing out our medical records, he asked me why I was there and I answered "blood pressure". He looked at my record and said "you're already qualified, you're here for height and weight". So after watching a power point about ruled and such me and about 15 guys went into another room where we were told to strip to our underwear. Then we each had our height and weight recorded. After that we took turns meeting with a doctor who quickly asked us some questions such as; have you used any drugs since your last time here, do you have any new medical conditions, ect. After that I checked out of medical and took my paperwork to my liaison. They were busy with shippers (people who are leaving for basic training that day) and told me wait outside until they were done. I sat in the waiting room for almost two hours, then I went into my liaison's office where I did a weight lifting test where I had to pick a 100lb weight off the floor and lift it over my head. I then went to another office where I did a pre-enlistment interview where they asked me questions about my criminal history. Then they asked me who I wanted to get my life insurance payout and who I want to be legally responsible for my body if I die. After that they took my fingerprints. I then turned in my paperwork to my liaison who sent me to the control desk. They told me to be back at the control desk at 11:45AM for the next enlistment ceremony. So I went to the cafeteria and ate my "free" lunch which consisted of a ham sandwich, bag of chips, cookie, and a can of sprite. Free is in quotations because I had to sell my soul to the government to get it so its not really free. At 11:45AM I returned to the control desk, they gave me some paperwork and told me to wait in a room down the hall. There were seven guys including me in the group, a guy came in and talked about military law and such. He then took us into the ceremony room, it was a formal room with red carpet and a podium with all the military branches flags lined against the wall. The guy had us stand in rows and quickly showed us how to stand at attention. He told us that in a few minutes a officer was going to come into the room, we were to stand at parade rest until we heard the door close then we were to come to attention and say "good afternoon, sir". So then that happened, the MEPS commander who was an Army Captain came in and we all came to attention and greeted him in unison. He talked about what we had accomplished and our decision to serve our country. He then told us to raise our right hand and repeat after him. I said...

"I, Marc Harold Michels, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

After the ceremony we returned to the room we were in before and the MEPS commander came and had us actually sign our enlistment contracts. After that I returned my paperwork to my liaison and started my job counseling. My liaison went over some more paperwork with me, I signed some more stuff. Then  he went over all the jobs I was qualified for. He had me list them in the order I wanted them. After he put them in the computer he had me sign some more stuff and said I was done. He shook my hand and said "welcome to the Air Force". I returned to the control desk to check out and turn in my name tag and that was it, I walked out the door the newest member of the United States Air Force.

So now I am in DEP the delayed entry program. I am now waiting for one of the jobs I listed to become available, when that happens I will get a phone call and be given my ship date (when I go to basic training).

Return To MEPS

Tomorrow (Wednesday 1/30/2013) I am going back to MEPS to address my blood pressure. I don't know what to expect tomorrow, I'm just going to show up and hope for the best. I have to be there at 6AM, I have to work tonight so I am going to go straight to MEPS from work. I will edit this post from my iPhone at MEPS tomorrow so everyone knows how things went as soon as I find out.

EDIT: Things went well... I swore in... Updates after sleep...

Moving Forward

So I went to my doctor and had him take my blood pressure four times. Every time it was below 140/90, he gave me a letter that said I don't have high blood pressure and I gave that to my recruiter. Today he called and told me that MEPS approved me and since I technically don't even have high blood pressure I won't have to wait for a waiver. So I am now going to go back to MEPS next Wednesday January 30th to finish up where I left off. Check back next Wednesday night to find out how that goes.

MEPS/ Medical Waiver

My experience at MEPS started by visiting my recruiter at his office at 11AM on Tuesday. There he had me sign several forms and then placed them in a large yellow envelope that he gave to me to take to MEPS. He gave me directions and told me to be there at 2:30PM. So I drove myself to MEPS on the east side of Indianapolis. When I got there I went inside and went through security, I then joined a line of others there to take the ASVAB. We waited in line to have our picture and fingerprints taken, they also looked at our drivers license and social security cards and had us sign-in. Then they gave us each a sticker name-tag that had our name and branch of the military as well as some bar codes on it. We then walked down a hall to a room full of computers where we checked in and were assigned a computer to go to. I then took the ASVAB, it was about two hours of computerized multiple choice questions. After I was done I picked up my results and went back to the main desk where I signed out and gave them my name tag.

The next day I had to be back at MEPS at 5:45AM. After I arrived I went through security and went to the main desk, they told me to go see my service liaison. MEPS is a joint DOD facility so applicants joining any branch of the military go to the same place, however individual branches have offices there where you chose your job. So I walked down a hall to a door marked "Air Force", where I met the Air Force's representative at MEPS. She took the large yellow envelope my recruiter gave me the day before and gave me another stick on name tag. After that I went back to the main desk where they gave me a folder with my name on it labeled "medical record" and told me to wait in a room down the hall. After everyone was there the MEPS commander, an Army Captain came in the room and showed us a power point about what we would be doing that day and some of the rules. After that we all walked to the end of the hall to the medical section of MEPS. There I started the six hour medical exam. The way it worked was there were several stations and we were kind of divided into groups that took turns at the stations. At each station you gave the medical technician your "medical record" folder and they would write your results on paperwork in the folder. It was a very complete exam that started with them writing down my hair color and eye color. Then they took my blood pressure, apparently I have high blood pressure. Next they looked in my ears, because I am joining the Air Force I also had to "pop" my ears by closing my mouth and plugging my nose while trying to exhale. They I took a hearing test, the kind with the headphone and the button you press every time you hear a tone. After that I had my vision checked, they tested me for colorblindness, depth perception, as well as checking my visual acuity. After that we went into a room where we watched another power point and filled out a medical questionnaire, we then took a breathalyzer. We then broke back into groups and I went to get a blood test. I have a problem giving blood and get really dizzy anytime they draw blood so I wasn't looking forward to this part, also I really had to use the bathroom because I had been holding it for the urinalysis. The guy I got was joking about how he learned how to draw blood from watching a YouTube video. He spent about a minuted digging into my right arm trying to find a vein before a practically passed out and he stopped. I then got up and ran to the waiting area so I could sit down before I passed out. I sat there for a few minuted until the room stopped spinning and went to the drug test station. I shoved my way to the front of the line because at this point I was about to wet my pants. I went in the bathroom, they gave me a cup, a guy watched me pee in the cup and then I gave it to him. I then went back to try again to get my blood drawn. This time another guy did mine, he did it in my other arm. The second attempt was much better and he found a vein and took a vial of blood painlessly. After that I waited in line to see an actual doctor, I waited for almost and hour and a half. When I got into the doctor's office he asked me some questions like had I ever used drugs or had surgery. He then did a full exam of me, lets just say it was a VERY thorough exam. After that I went to do what is affectionately called the "underwear olympics". I was in a room with five other guys and a doctor, we all stripped down to our underwear and did 15 minutes of range of motion and balance exercises while the doctor observed. After that we met individually with the head doctor who went over all our test results. Because I had high blood pressure I was told I need to get a medical waiver from my family doctor. I then took my envelope to the medical desk where they gave a form to give to my doctor to get my waiver. I then took my paperwork to the main desk, they sent me to my liaison to check out. I then turned in my name tag to the main desk and left for the day.

So now my next step is to lower my blood pressure in the next week, go to my family doctor, get him to sign off saying I'm not going to die from hypertension, then give that to my recruiter who will sent it to MEPS for approval  After that I will go back to MEPS to pick a job and swear in to the Delayed Entry Program. I'll keep everyone updated on my progress getting my waiver and getting into DEP.

Happy 2013

Happy New Year! I am excited for 2013, a lot is going to change this year if things go my way. I am really anxious for next week. I go to MEPS next Tuesday and Wednesday. Before going I was told to go to this website (click here), and make a list of my top 9 jobs. Here is my list.

1. Aerospace Maintenance (2A5X1)
2. Helicopter Maintenance (2A5X2)
3. Air Traffic Control (1C1X1)
4. Aerospace Propulsion (2A6X4)
5. Aircraft Electrical And Environmental Systems (2A6X6)
6. Client Systems (3D1X1)
7. Air Transportation (2T2X1)
8. Aircraft Fuel Systems (2A6X4)
9. Aircraft Armament Systems (2W1X1)

Those who know me know that I like computers, I was going to college for computers and I recently received my CompTIA A+ Certification. They might wonder why only one job (#6) is computer related. Well because I am interested in things other than computer as well. I really like airplanes, that is my favorite part of my job at FedEx is getting to work around airplanes. It has been a dream of mine to get my pilots license, and I will be looking into Air Force flying clubs. Also the Air Force has many more airplane related jobs than computer related jobs. I have no interest do computer programming or anything like that so Client Systems is really the only computer job appealing to me. Ultimately my list reflects my desire to learn new skills while satisfying my fascination with aircraft.

Expect my next post to be on Wednesday January 9, 2013 after my 2nd day at MEPS. Hopefully I will have good news to report.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone had a great Christmas with their family and got everything they wanted. I would like to thank everyone who got me presents for Christmas!

iPad Mini, Smart Cover, USB-Lightning, Lightning-HDMI

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Blu-Ray)

100 Disk CD Wallet

Homemade Air Force Pillow

Assorted Edibles (Notice: Reese's Trees)

Star Wars Lego

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

Today is my 23rd birthday! Yay! Thank you everyone who got me presents.

DodgeBall DVD
(Parents)

Medal of Honor Warfighter for Xbox 360
(Parents)

Coffee Cup, Coaster, and Coffee
(Mindy/ Tyler)

Axe Anarchy gift set
(Parents)

32GB Class 10 SDHC Card
(Parents)

Perfect Pushup
(Cheyenne)

Listening to "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins (the number 1 song on December 22, 1989) while sipping on some Glenlivet Archive that was distilled 23 years ago.

Glenlivet Archive 21yr
(gift for my 21st birthday)

MEPS Date

My recruiter just called me and said my application has been approved. He said that he would put in a  request for me to go to MEPS Tuesday January 8th to take the ASVAB and Wednesday January 9th for the medical exam. He said that he would know by the end of the week if there was an opening for me but that he was pretty sure I would get those dates.