A Life to Remember--Air Force Life Does Not End!
by Gary B
My Air Force Life Story began in 1946 when my father re-enlisted in the Army Air Corps following his WWII service. I was ten years old and already had ten years of Army training living with my father who completed 30 years active duty, passing away at Luke AFB in 1964. I graduated from high school from an Air Force dependents' school in England entered the USAF as an enlisted man, following graduation. I completed 26 years of active duty and retired as a Captain having been given a BS and and an MBA during the process. I married an Air Force nurse, raised one daughter who graduated from the US Merchant Marine Academy and entered active duty as an Air Force officer. She was a fourth-generation second lieutenant in our family; e.g., grandfather, father, mother and daughter. I am pretty proud of our service and our country, and there is no doubt about what the Air Force did for me as a person and for the great life it provided. It was second to none. I am now 73 years old and still today, when I enter an Air Force installation I feel as though I just came home again. As I travel about the country, I never miss a chance to call a former colleague from my service days and spend a few hours or days visiting and remembering what we did, how we grew and the great people with whom we served. I am alone now and have only a few family members. Were it not for the Air Force Family I joined 55 years ago, and managed to stay a member of, the final assignment would be far more difficult and probably, far more lonely. I proudly wear the Air Force Retired cap with a big smile.