Post-Training Leave from the Air Force: Coming Home, and an Earnest Grindr Hookup (Chris).
*If you were a fan of the "Air Force Tech School Dorm" stories. This next grouping of stories is about the month in-between my training base, and my first duty station. After training, you can go back to your recruiter's office in your town and work for them for 2 weeks. If you have a chill recruiter, they will basically tell you to leave them your cell number in case something comes up, but otherwise take the rest of the time off. I also took an additional 2 weeks of personal leave, that I had built up over the first 10 months or so of training without leave. So a whole month, at least half of it would be free time, all back in my home town, right outside Madison, WI (which at the time, most people called a mini-San Francisco, in relations to it's acceptance of gay people. It was fall, 2009. As always, this story is true but some names and details have been changed to protect identities.*
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I got back to my parents' house on a Thursday. Mom and the siblings were all excited to see me. Pulling up to the house didn't seem real enough yet, as I had spent the last 10 months in either open-roomed barracks-style dorms for 60 people, tents for 12 people, or a shared 10x10 dorm room. It was like a weird form of culture shock, even though just a year ago, I had been sleeping in this same house, taking it for-granted. Dad helped me with my bags and showed me to my old room which was now one of my sisters rooms. I would be sleeping on the pull-out couch in the living room, but my things would sit in her room. It wasn't ideal, considering that I was looking forward to getting some legit privacy again, but I didn't complain. This was no longer my place and I was passing through, in a month.
After we got all settled, I called my recruiter and he told me to come on by for a quick briefing on how everything would work for RAP (recruiter assistance program). I drove over alone in my dad's car and caught up with the recruiter. After some typical questions on how was basic, tech school, etc, we settled into the details. Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Taylor was very quick and to the point, unless he was lying. Then his stories got real detailed with a lot of pauses. He was a bit shorter than usual and wasn't wearing his uniform, which meant he had no plans to do official Air Force business in front of any other military personnel.
**SSgt Taylor:** "So, normally, I'd have a bunch of things for you to do. But with the holidays coming up, the time we get active in recruiting slows down. We pick it up again in the spring."
**Me:** "Makes sense. So you just want me to come in normally and chill here until something comes up?"
**SSgt Taylor:** "Nah, not really. We are going to visit 4 schools in 2 days next week. Other than that, everything I have is 1-on-1 with getting people interviewed. I will have you come in and help monitor a PT test for some high school kids that will be going to MEPs. So, 3 days next week I'll need ya. Won't need you next week, but come in on Monday morning each week regardless so I know you're alive. And come in each Friday morning too, for the same reason.
**Me:** "Thanks Sergeant Taylor, I appreciate it."
We said our goodbyes, and I now had a 3-day weekend in my immediate future. When I got back home, I told my parents a lie. I told them that I would be working a typical 9-5 for the majority of the 2 weeks before my other 2 weeks of leave. They were slightly annoyed on my behalf, but they had work, and my siblings all had school. So it wasn't that big of a deal. It allowed me some leeway to have personal time to do what I please. Because Mom and Dad were planning out all types of activities while I was there anyways. And while that's cool and I love them, they wouldn't love who I take to bed. And with DADT still in effect and me staying with my super-Christian family, discretion was still needed.
