Shadows of Shelly

Brit - The Air Force Life 4

FOUR

Brit – The Air Force Life

I had pre-military training in The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF.) It was part of a Fast Tract Schedule for accelerated juniors and seniors in high school. The program required evening, week-end and summer classes at Chiang Mai University (CMU) while attending the International Academy in Chiang Mai. I was in the Officer Training Academy Program at CMU and was promoted to Ruea Akat Tri (เรือ อากาศ ตรี – Pilot Officer.) or the equivalent to Second Lieutenant in the RTAF.

The United States Air Force Academy is more than attending other universities. The military routine the first year was not an amusing rite of passage. It is fun watching the change from insecure to confident cadets. We have grown from boys and are now self-reliant men.

Those of us who have trained in the Fraternal Fear have a head start on conditioning and direction. I was baffled I did not qualify for advance placement at the Academy! I have challenged and tested out of every require class at the Military institute. However, I am honored to be here.

The curriculum at the Academy is tempered with the Air Force's core values of The basic four areas of training are: military preparation, scholastic instruction, integrity and fitness.

The academic course load includes a foundation in engineering, humanities, social interaction, basic sciences, military studies and physical education. I am looking forward to stimulating my mind. I am taking electives that most of students never have time to take. They are on a graduate level. Less than five percent of the students will take one on these courses. It gives me a challenge to take them all.

It is an extreme honor to be attending the USAFA. My insides fluttered. There was an expansion in my chest. Adrenaline was rapidly running in my body, and my steps increased in speed.

Each part is planned to give us cadets the abilities and aptitudes we will need as officers, like other disciplines, but more intensive than most. One instructors reminded us that besides everything expected and required is an element of common sense which must be instilled in our lives.

We never let go of our military discipline, but it must be tempered with a sense of humanity. Otherwise, we lean to a rigid totalitarian society.

One day the work load is easy and fun. The day after is pure pain. However, the comradeship thrills me. The expectation tickles me.

A group of us run an hour before breakfast each day, and another hour after supper each evening. We took turns in instructing the finer points of FF. Others joined our runs and extra tutorial sessions. There was already a group of FF adherents at the academy.

We merged together. The older group welcomed us as little brothers. They were Cadet Second Class and Cadet First Class students. They introduced us to the military units and non-military gyms close-by with bands of similar fighters. We scheduled local demonstrations and competition events monthly which led to national and international invitational tournaments in the summer.

Chris Boughman, a Cadet Third classman, and I became buddies. Both of us were equal in our fighting techniques. He helped in showing me an easier or quicker way to cadet life. An example is adding two drops of rubbing alcohol and olive oil to black shoe polish, which brought a mirror shine to my shoes quickly. His Mom, Dad and sister lived in Colorado Springs.

The sister dated Cadet Lieutenant Colonel/Squadron Commander Baxter P. Silverman. He did not like me coming home with Chris. He saw me as competition for Barbara's affection. There was no truth to his assumption, and no desire.

Barbara knew that I was only a friend. She and her family took care of Son of Dog when I could not leave campus. Baxter saw Barbara hugging me, and assumed it was more than friendship. Since that day he had been harder on me than any other cadet on campus. I accumulated more demerits than anyone. Most of the negative marks were petty. However, I landed guard duty for two weeks straight. Both Barbara and Chris were aggravated with Baxter and told him not to come around their house. He blamed it on me and made my life harsher. Not long after that Baxter wrote me up as not fit to be an Air Force officer.

A board of inquiry was formed to recommend whether I was to remain in the Academy. Barbara and Chris came to my defense. My Daddy and two adopted uncles were present at the hearing.

My adopted father, Major General James Matthews, spoke, "I do not understand how a RTAF Officer is under a Cadet's Command. He came here with three years of college credits toward training in the RTAF Academy. He is here to help in the research of materials used in airplane design. He has written a Doctoral Thesis on using alternative materials in constructing aircraft.

The study is an expansion of General Olander's work on further use of alternative materials and metal construction. It was the hope of his uncles and me, all who are Air Force Generals, that the extra year of training here would qualify him for a USAF commission.

Perhaps we must withdraw him and let him go to another research institution. He has suffered under the command of an incompetent jealous cadet that did not recognize a genius." My heart swelled as Daddy spoke.