TACKLE a Surprise Visit

There was a knock on the door.  My husband was told it may be a solicitor.  Since he is the guard dog, he answered the door.  Surprise!  It was our Air Force daughter home for the Memorial Day weekend. 

I had been sworn to secrecy but, in the final hours the news had leaked to everyone but her dad.  It had been 4 months and our little girl was home.  Friends and family enjoyed visiting while listening to her stories of evolving from a local girl to an airman. 

The visit was short but the memories will linger until our next meeting.  Back to tech school for months of learning and continued building of new friendships and experiences in the military life.  

TACKLE Air Force BMT Graduation: The Parade

Our daughter casually mentioned that she was one of the top squads graduating from US Air Force Basic Military Training, Lackland AFB, TX. The Airman's Run and Coin Ceremony were on Thursday. She had to prepare for the final graduation event on Friday.

The Graduation at the Parade Ground is surrounded by a proud display of military aircraft ranging from the SR-71 Blackbird to the C-118 Liftmaster. Our daughter's top squad had the honor to march with the color guard and the state flags in the parade. She smiled as she waved the flag representing California, "the Golden State."

Over 700 Airmen stood at attention, marched and beamed with pride that day. The Air Force acknowledged Women's History Month during the parade. Women Technical Instructors led all of the squads including about 100 women graduates.

Our family used a flipcam to make videos of the weekend. The camera created a "magic movie" (see below)with the filmed footage to create a quick clip of the event. It is very simple to use, especially if you are technically challenged. Check out their website: http://www.theflip.com/en-us/

TACKLE an Air Force Graduation: The Coin

To a civilian, it may be just a coin. To a United States Air Force trainee, the Airman's Coin symbolizes an accomplishment.

Our daughter had started her US Air Force Basic Military Training 9 weeks ago. We were anxious to finally celebrate the end of this journey.

The graduation parade was the big event on the traditional weekend of celebration at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The day before the parade was the Airman's Run and the Airman's Coin Ceremony.

The squads did the Airman's Run through the base for their families to cheer as they glimpsed their taller, leaner, confident child. Hours later, the sea of navy blue figures marched in cadence with their Training Instructors to the cermonial site to receive their Airman's Coin. The Pledge of Allegiance and the American Flag folding concluded the event.

We rushed to the grounds to find our daughter for a hug. Her initial comments included, "Do you want to see my coin?" It was a proud symbol of the challenges she had survived in the past 2 months. She had been nervous for the following day's parade, but the pressure was eased now that she had her family and her coin.

TACKLE Air Force BMT Graduation

Her last plea was to give her cat named "Figgy" extra love while she was away from home. Five more days and the #3 daughter will do us proud! This is the child who challenged every rule and always argued her point of view in our household.

She is graduating from Air Force Basic Military Training (BMT) at Lackland Air Force, TX on Friday, April 1, 2011. She left from the recruiter's office almost 9 weeks ago. There was not a dry eye in the parking lot. We knew she would finish, but only heard stories about what she would experience.

My son has been in the Air Force for 9 years. He clued us in on the challenges that she would endure. She toured his base and took almost a year to make a decision for her future.

The only contact with her in the last few weeks have been occasional phone calls and heartfelt letters. The communication ranged from nervous to energetic to proud.

The countdown begins...We fly to Texas this week and are anxious to chronicle our experience as "Proud Parents in the US Air Force". The big dilemma is how to smuggle Figgy to Texas to give her a victory purr!

The website listed below provided helpful information on the military:

http://usmilitary.about.com/