My Air Force Life
by Wendy H
Close your eyes and picture this. Tom Cruise. Kelly McGillis. Hard bodies playing beach volleyball. Sex in the afternoon. Ear-splitting jet engines. Dangerous missions. Iceman (oh yeah). Adrenaline. Love. Rebirth. Death. Lifelong bonds. Now open your eyes, because that movie’s been made already. Did I expect a Top Gun life when I married my husband (who is not Tom Cruise)? Well, sort of, but 6 bases and 3 children later, I am coming to terms with the fact that my Air Force life may never include beach volleyball, or, sadly, Iceman. Tom and Kelly we are not, but that’s OK. Ear-splitting jet engines? That’s true, although my husband’s A-10 is decidedly one of the quietest. Dangerous missions? He’s been on a few. I embark on one every time I drive the B-50. Adrenaline? Definitely. My husband and I agree to disagree on which produces more of the invigorating chemical, however…bombing an enemy tank in Afghanistan, or watching helplessly while a stranger injects your small child with God-only-knows in an emergency room in a foreign country where they can’t seem to locate the one and only nurse who speaks English. Bombing terrorists on the ground from the relative safety of my cockpit? Bring it on. Love? I wouldn’t stick around if I didn’t adore the guy. Rebirth? My hubby would say he’s born again every time he gets to fly. My rebirths are more ordinary, everyday kind of revelations, like a phone call from my sister, my teenager getting an A on a big project, or my husband coming home early. Death? We’ve lost friends, but we persevere, for we are a strong Air Force family. Lifelong bonds? My mom once remarked after a visit, “Your squadron really is a family, isn’t it?” Yes we are, Mom. Yes we are.