Fluster Cluck and Chicken Poop

[Packo]

Well, after over 2,700 miles in 6 days and endless trips from downtown San Antonio to Lackland, I crawled back in late Monday night. The weather was the worst in San Antone in 22 years. The drive from Bay St Louis, Mississippi to San An was god awlful. Pouring rain the whole way with bad winshield wipers. Going around Houston was an adventure, one I will never do again. The Hollywood Hotel and Casino in Bay St Louis, $69 a night, was the high light of the trip...really. What a great place. I was saddened to see what happened to coastal Mississippi and how it is still destroyed. No whinning though from the people, not like New Orleans. I didn't recognize the coast anymore. One of my favorites, Pas Christian, was pretty much, gone.

The main point of this thread is to tell you how dissapointed I was with the Air Force, today's Air Force, and what a Cluster_uck the graduation was and the treatment of the new Airmen. I watch many graduations at Parris Island and let me tell you, the AF should come visit and see how it's done. First off, it's indoors in bad weather. We had to be there at 0715 to get a bus to the parade deck, and it didn't start until 0900. It was almost 40 degrees, rain, and wind. The AF provides no coffee, hot chocolet, etc. Just a small trailer that sells it and a line of people for about a half a mile. The USMC provided refreshments.

Thursday we could visit Lindsey on base but not until after 5:00 pm, and had to leave by 8. Graduates not allowed off base even with family. We had to sit around outside and yes, it was cold and rainy. USMC marches the recruits to the parade deck by 0900 and then releases them to the families for family day by 0915. The can go off base but have to be back by 9pm.

Graduation on PI, the Marines are let go immediately after graduation to go with their families and friends. Not the AF. We had to wait until like 1 or 2 on Friday, then she had to be back by 8. No overnight, even with family. They also are not allowed to have a drink of alcohol or smoke a cigarette.

Saturday it took until about 10 for them to release the Airmen for their families, then made them come back at 6 pm because 2 Airmen were 15 minutes late getting back Friday.

Sunday, only base liberty. Airmen not allowed off base.

I felt the whole thing was unprofessional and full of chickenshit. All of these grads could be serving in a combat zone soon, especially security forces, and they were treated like children.

I am home fighting off either a serious cold or worse. It was the trip from hell. We came back a different route, I35 to Dallas, then I20 to Atlanta and it was a much better drive and basically the same distance.

The main thing though, is that we got to see Lidsey and she is now in 2 weeks of Flight training, then to the Army Linguistics school in Monterray Calif for 63 weeks, then 4 weeks of Crypto school, then a bunch of survival school and more flight training. I was very proud of her. She also carried the Guide On from day 1 to graduation. Her T.I., a former Marine, said nobody has ever done that, he fires at least one a cycle.

Man, am I glad to be home. Every day in San Antone was cold, rainy, and windy, except the day we left.

Pack