Well, it is 09:43 on 29 June 2009. In just over 15 minutes, the reporting window opens up at Maxwell AFB and Training Day 0 Officially Begins. It has been a long wait.
Waiting, waiting, waiting. I feel like that is all I have been doing since December. Now, the big day has finally arrived and I find myself sitting here surprisingly calm. I am anxious to be sure but mostly it is excited energy. I am excited to find out what my commitment to the Air Force is all about.
I feel like I have prepared as well as I can for this day - I have done plenty of running/push-ups /sit-ups, I have read the operating instructions a few times, purchased my uniforms, had alterations done and name-tapes sewn on, and I even got my ID card. For the last 2 days I have been in Montgomery getting myself mentally prepared. And if all of that isn't enough, I found an episode of JAG on USA and as I write this, I have it playing in the background. So, what more can I do?
Yesterday I drove around Maxwell AFB and found where I am supposed to go to check in. So, I suppose all I have to do now is show up. Wish me luck. I have a feeling it's going to be a long week.
29 June 2009
27 June 2009
A Long Day
It is 10 minutes until 11 pm, or 22:50 for those of you keeping score in military time, and I am now sitting in my home for the next month. Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I am actually sitting in a hotel room and not in my actual home for the next month, but that is neither here nor there. The point is, today was a long day.
At 6:15 I said good-bye to my wife and started the long trek from San Antonio to Montgomery. It was about a 700 mile trip without ANYTHING exciting to see along the way. I-10 East is basically one long corridor of trees with 4 lanes carved out; end of description. So, if you are going to make a trip down this stretch of I-10, I highly recommend having some form of entertainment planned out ahead of time.
Side note: Cracker Barrel rents books on CD. The process works like this: go in to any Cracker Barrel in the country, select out the book(s) you want to listen to (they have several new releases available), pay the full retail price at first, and then return it to any Cracker Barrel anywhere in the country. They refund all your money except for a weekly rental fee of like $3. It's a great deal - I managed to get through 2 books today while enjoying tree alley.
Anyway, I managed to make this exotic 700 mile journey in just under 14 hours - I think I could have made it in 13 hours but I had to endure the obligatory "I am driving on an interstate so at some point all traffic must come to a complete stop for 30 minutes in some random location for no apparent reason whatsoever." Today's random interstate congestion occurred about 20 miles outside the booming metropolis of Beaumont where there was no accident, no construction, no hazardous waste spillage, and NO REASON TO COME TO A COMPLETE STANDSTILL FOR A HALF HOUR! But I am over it - 14 hours is still pretty reasonable I attribute this respectable time to the utter lack of anything remotely stimulating along the way.
But, at least I made it to Montgomery without incident and should sleep well tonight!
At 6:15 I said good-bye to my wife and started the long trek from San Antonio to Montgomery. It was about a 700 mile trip without ANYTHING exciting to see along the way. I-10 East is basically one long corridor of trees with 4 lanes carved out; end of description. So, if you are going to make a trip down this stretch of I-10, I highly recommend having some form of entertainment planned out ahead of time.
Side note: Cracker Barrel rents books on CD. The process works like this: go in to any Cracker Barrel in the country, select out the book(s) you want to listen to (they have several new releases available), pay the full retail price at first, and then return it to any Cracker Barrel anywhere in the country. They refund all your money except for a weekly rental fee of like $3. It's a great deal - I managed to get through 2 books today while enjoying tree alley.
Anyway, I managed to make this exotic 700 mile journey in just under 14 hours - I think I could have made it in 13 hours but I had to endure the obligatory "I am driving on an interstate so at some point all traffic must come to a complete stop for 30 minutes in some random location for no apparent reason whatsoever." Today's random interstate congestion occurred about 20 miles outside the booming metropolis of Beaumont where there was no accident, no construction, no hazardous waste spillage, and NO REASON TO COME TO A COMPLETE STANDSTILL FOR A HALF HOUR! But I am over it - 14 hours is still pretty reasonable I attribute this respectable time to the utter lack of anything remotely stimulating along the way.
But, at least I made it to Montgomery without incident and should sleep well tonight!
22 June 2009
Prologue
I suppose it is best to start with introductions: my name is Jeff Starnes and I am a newly commissioned 1st Lt in the United States Air Force JAG Corps. I have been assigned to RAF Lakenheath and in December, my wife and I will move to the United Kingdom for the next 3 years!
My wife's name is Heather. She is also an attorney (but has not joined the Air Force). We met the first day of law school and were married on May 30 of this year. We are very excited about the opportunity to live overseas and, I think it's fair to say, a little nervous about moving halfway around the world.
In less than one week, I will take the first step towards beginning my new career as an Air Force officer. I will be leaving my wife and must report to Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama for 5 weeks of Commissioned Officer Training.
We decided to set up this blog to document our experiences and to give our friends and family a way to keep up with us and share in our adventure. Neither one of us has had much experience with journals or blogging, so we hope this process, and perhaps a little encouragement here and there, will keep us keep a record of our journey.
My wife's name is Heather. She is also an attorney (but has not joined the Air Force). We met the first day of law school and were married on May 30 of this year. We are very excited about the opportunity to live overseas and, I think it's fair to say, a little nervous about moving halfway around the world.
In less than one week, I will take the first step towards beginning my new career as an Air Force officer. I will be leaving my wife and must report to Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama for 5 weeks of Commissioned Officer Training.
We decided to set up this blog to document our experiences and to give our friends and family a way to keep up with us and share in our adventure. Neither one of us has had much experience with journals or blogging, so we hope this process, and perhaps a little encouragement here and there, will keep us keep a record of our journey.
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