What made you intrested in the Air Force and when did you sign up?

I live on the east coast and every year we would go to Cape Cod Mass. and rent a summer house from this super nice man who was AF. I knew him threw elementary school till early high school. I remember one of the last times i saw him he was asking me what i was going to do with my life after high school, he knew i was into science and that i love air planes. He never pushed the Air Force or military on me, but i remember just the RESPECT i had for this man.

the day he came to see my family off he handed me a pin and a coin. It was of the B-2. looking back on him i wonder what he really did.

My family has strong ties to the military but i never meet my grandfathers, but threw extended family i heard stories and it basically cemented my path in life.

i always find it interesting why people serve in various branches.

anybody got any interesting stories

a reply to: penroc3

I was identifying aircraft from before I can remember. My grandmother would point them out and I could tell her what they were.

My father started me going out on the ramp as soon as I was old enough to understand where not to go and why.

I was homeless in LA when I tried to join the Airforce.

My dad was a pilot so I wanted to be one as well.

I had an arrest record for traffic tickets so that was a deal killer.

The Navy didn't have a problem with it though and I needed a job so I signed up.

I arrived in Charleston South Carolina only to discover that my ship had left for Europe the day before.

Had to catch a ride on two different ships, a helicopter, and a High-line before I finally caught up.

At one time I was stationed in Newport RI and got to see Cape Cod, nice place.

This is a High-line BTW...

The bottom video is what I did on-board.

a reply to: penroc3

i caught a case a few days after my 18th birthday, i made a deal with DA. i leave town serve the A.F. if he drops charges

I was a Marine lol I never had an interest in flying but jumping and CAS were always an interest. I remember when I got to see a test flight of the raptor and was like wow that's badass. I come from a line of various service members I'm the only Marine out of lots of Army and Navy. My dad was a green beret, both my grandpas were in WW2 one was a soldier the other a sailor. Got a coastie as a cousin and my second to youngest brother joined the army he's in aviation and recently deployed to Europe to Latvia. I joined cause I guess it just felt like the right thing to do.

a reply to: penroc3
They made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

I was a shock trauma nurse, and I wanted to continue my education, but I was tapped out financially.

They promised to put me through Nurse Anesthetist School.

They lied.

a reply to: Murgatroid

Well it looks like you got a cool ride to the ship, but not the best first impression.


I always wondered if wearing headphones all day could get uncomfortable.



Brotherman, i thought a Marine will always be a Marine(you said you were one, just busting your bal*s) what did you end up doing for the Marines?


NightSkyeB4Dawn what do you mean they lied to you?

I enlisted in July 67 just out of high school and one step ahead of the Pasadena CA draft board. I wound up in the USAF as a photographer and took a senior trip in May of 1969 to a place called RVN where I spent a year getting shot at and taking aerial pics. After that stint I spent another 21 years in and had to retire thanks to the USSR drawdown. It figures as my Grandfather is a charter member of the Early Birds and was the seventh man in the US to fly a powered plane. It was a great career but did get scary at times. My best and Merry Xmas.

Not Air Force..Navy,I was kinda directionless I skipped a grade but didn't know what I wanted to do, I knew College wasn't it just yet, so walking past the recruiting station some fast talking guy in uniform approach me, beckoned me to come upstairs and chat for awhile, other recruiters were yelling you don't want to go Navy come see us son!].

The hook .. Kid I promise you, you will get to travel and see stuff you can only dream of, all those other jokers will have you stuck in one place until the sh.. hits the fan. plus you get paid more and the food is the best, you don't sh... in the wood and smell like a skunk. well that was that, I was given some pamphlets to take home, showed to my parents who were horrified..well my mom was, pops was concerned but he knew I like challenges and exploring, my sis could care less only if she could move in my room which was bigger than hers. from then on life would not be the same the good the bad and ugly I wouldn't change a thing.

a reply to: penroc3

I actually got a little wet, the north Atlantic can get pretty rough at times.

The headphones did suck but only for four hour stretches.

It was nothing compared to some of the other jobs.

I was told that engine room and boiler room temperatures were insane.

When I first arrived on board, I was standing bridge watches because many of the bosun mates had gone AWOL in the Mediterranean.

They had been forced to paint the outer hull while hanging over the side of the ship while under way.

So on my second week at sea I found myself getting yelled at for getting too far off course.

How to drive a frigate with a broken gyro was NOT part of the training in boot camp.

a reply to: penroc3

Every male member of my family has served. We grew up just knowing that we would.

a reply to: penroc3
I was told if I joined I would be sent to Nurse Anesthetist School while serving in the Air Force. I would have to give the Air Force 3 years after completing my schooling. I agreed.

Turned out that they had a shortage of Shock Trauma Nurses, so they couldn't allow me to be sent off to school until they had adequate staffing in my specialty or until my time was up.

At the end of my time in service, they approached we the same offer. I asked them, "Is this a test, or do you really think I didn't learn from my first mistake?"

Saying all of that, I must add that I don't regret one second of my time in the Air Force. I learned more in the time I spent in the Air Force than I learned in any other position I have held in the 40+ years I spent in my career field.

The main thing I learned is that you can accomplish almost anything if you build the right team. That everyone has strengths and everyone has weaknesses, pair the members of your team to fill in the gaps. I learned the importance of compromise. I learned that your best defense in fighting an injustice is knowing the letter of the law.

The most handy thing I learned is that you can cuss out an individual of a superior rank, as long as you do it with respect to the rank.