Basic Training and Tech School

 I had my first plane ride, it was at government expense and brought me to Texas.

Texas was where the USAF put me through basic training and decided what type of job I might be suitable for. I had been hoping to be eligible for something in electronics. Towards the end of basic training our Technical Instructor passed out our orders telling us what our career field would be and where we would go for basic training.

I waited anxiously for my name to be called and when it was finally called I learned I would be something called an air passenger specialist. The TI (Technical Instructor) had no idea what an air passenger specialist was, but he guessed I'd be on flights taking care of passengers.

That sounded great to me. However, his guess was wrong. It turned out that an air passenger specialist's duties are varied, but mainly involve working in military airports.

Air Passenger Specialist school was in Texas, and it was a six week course. 

I looked forward to completing my schooling and getting my first permanent assignment. I had learned that my job had what was called an overseas imbalance. That meant that a higher number of air passenger specialists were needed overseas than in the states.

I was sort of expecting to be sent overseas, and hoping I wouldn't get sent to Viet Nam.

Before the Air Force

 During my high school years the Viet Nam war was going on and the nightly news always covered the latest events from the war.  The gym teachers in high school pushed us to do more all the time, telling us we'd be drafted after high school and wanted us to be as physically fit as possible to increase our odds of surviving Viet Nam if we went there.

I really didn't want to be drafted into the army and had thoughts of joining the Navy or the Air Force. The Navy appealed to me because life on a ship and constantly traveling sounded great. The Air Force sound appealed to me because I thought it would be nice to be stationed somewhere overseas and stay in one country or another for a year or so (hopefully not Viet Nam). Someplace in Europe would be nice, I thought.

I decided that I wanted to join the Air Force, it sounded like a good alternative to being drafted into the Army and sent to Viet Nam.