Growing up AF from day 1 and the friends I've made
by Barton B
I was born abroad in Spain and have moved around all the time as a kid, attending five different schools by fourth grade. When people would ask me where I was from I usually respond with “earth.” Many people gasp when I tell them how much I have moved around but I have a similar reaction when I find out individuals have lived in the same place their entire life. It is this constant dynamic that keeps us on our feet and making new friends is one of the endless benefits of Air Force life. Through my extended family in the Air Force I have been able to do some amazing things such as my fingerprinting merit badge in the FBI building, worn President Reagan’s bullet proof jacket and held the oozy that protected him and mountain biked with President Bush. These experiences don’t even include the extensive ones I have had on active duty flying missions around the world and I am eager to encounter more. Being displaced from your home for weeks at a time while you are constantly gone TDY or deployed is hard enough, now throw in saying goodbye to your family and at times it becomes almost unbearable. The only thing that gets us through it is our larger sense of family and the individuals we surround ourselves with on a daily basis. I am fortunate enough to have been able to experience this at an early age and is one of the reasons I have chosen to make the Air Force a career. I know no matter how hard or busy the job gets, our friends will always be by our side to lend support and share stories with.