Seven years ago today, we officially began our Air Force Journey.
It actually began several months before that through the application process, but seven years ago today, Chris set foot on Maxwell AFB to begin our adventure.
The story of how we got to that point is a story of God changing hearts and answering prayers.
Thanks to all who have prayed and supported us from the beginning and know this story, but also thanks to those that are new into our lives and are just as much a part of this journey and our military family.
In honor of this anniversary, I decided to write the story of those first Air Force years. So, with no further ado, here it is....
When we were dating, nearly three years before Chris went into the Air Force, we were driving back to Indiana from his parent's house in Virginia after celebrating Christmas with them when I first heard Chris share his heart about the real possibility of him entering the Air Force. We were seriously talking engagement at this point so when he first uttered those words to me, my initial thought was, "I am not going to marry him if that is what he wants to do." (he knows this now, but I didn't verbalize it at the time) For some reason beyond any explanation I have, I didn't follow through - thankfully! We continued to date and got engaged. It was sometime during our engagement that I distinctly remember thinking, "ok, maybe this Air Force thing wouldn't be so bad", but I still wasn't entirely on board. I am and will always be a Hoosier at hear
t and I'd never lived more than an hour from my parents. I had wonderful, lifetime friends in Indianapolis as well. It would be hard to leave all that God had so deeply blessed me with. Eight to nine months after that first conversation, we walked down the aisle and I was committed to journey with Chris. The word "journey" was actually a part of our wedding vows. A word that I often reflect on as I think about where we've been. After our wedding, Chris continued his job as a software engineer and I continued to teach high school math. Life was swell (ok, we were newlyweds so we were learning other things) and not much was said about the Air Force. That was until Space Shuttle Columbia exploded as it entered the atmosphere early the following year. There was something about that event that triggered Chris's desire to actually pursue his Air Force dream. After thoroughly researching, a trait that those of you who know Chris know he does quite well, this route into the Air Force,he decided to get his private pilot's license. If he applied for the Air Force, it would be for a pilot's slot since there wasn't much else that piqued his interest quite as much as that career field. And his dream of becoming a pilot was instilled in him quite young when he got to take a ride with a Red Baron stunt pilot sometime in early elementary.
Completed first solo!!
Chris faithfully worked on getting his private license at a small airfield in the middle of a cornfield about an hour north of where we lived.
I didn't go often, but I did go when he first soloed and watched him make the loop of taking off and then landing.
Let's just say, I had butterflies and a lot of them.
His instructor was beside me quite confident of his skills.
I guess he was so confident that he didn't even have radio communication with Chris as he circled above our heads.
Obviously, Chris survived and continued to get the necessary 40 hours to get his license.
I got to fly with him a few times as he practiced and once we got to fly home (about an hour away) for my birthday.
This is the only time that I've actually gotten to ride with Chris as the pilot.
Since he then had his license, he felt like he would have a better chance of getting a pilot slot. The competition was going to be tough. He met with a recruiter and began the process of applying for that coveted spot. I don't remember all the details of that application, but let's just say it was thorough. Once we had it all completed, we both met with his recruiter just to make sure every "i" was dotted and every "t" was crossed. Then, off it went to the board for acceptance. Again, I don't remember the timeline, but we had to wait a few weeks to hear the outcome. The first time is not always a "yes" or it may be a "yes", but with another career field. It was an answer to prayer that ours was a "yes" for a pilot slot the first time! That was the night that I felt a true peace about us entering the Air Force and I told Chris that night that, "I couldn't see us doing anything else".
Now, if you know anything about the way of the military way, there is usually a lot of waiting for a variety of things. Our first taste of this was when we were waiting for the next step. Even though, Chris had been accepted into the program, he still had to have a thorough and rigorous medical exam that he had to pass. Unfortunately, he did not pass one of the eye tests the first time. It was an answer to prayer that he passed it the second time through. We now had the green light for him to go to OTS (Officer Training School), but we didn't know the "when".
We waited and tried to make loose plans, but God's plan and timing are always the best. I don't remember how long we waited, but it was more than a few days. It was probably a several weeks and possibly a few months. We did think it would be within the next few months so I put in my resignation after teaching for ten years - nine of those at Hamilton Heights High School. I had somewhat grown up there so it was a rather bittersweet moment for me. Finally, in June while on vacation with Chris's family, we got word that Chris had been given a class slot for OTS (Officer Training School) for the end of September. We were excited and planned accordingly. There were still so many unknowns - especially for me. Chris had done a ton of research, but I had not. Somewhere along the line, he encouraged me to read Heroes at Home by Ellie Kay. It provided a wonderful starting point for me in my upcoming role as a military wife.
At the end of that summer, Chris put in his resignation and we took a small vacation to Mammoth Caves in Kentucky with dear friends and a weekend trip to St Louis before life became so drastically different for us.
At this point, Chris was ready to head down the road, but I have to insert a very specific fear I had about him leaving. This was also the time when we were hoping to start a family. My fear was that I would find out we were pregnant and then have a miscarriage and not have any proof of insurance to get the medical care I would need. This was a big thing for me.
Anyway, we packed Chris up the last weekend in September and he arrived in Montgomery, Alabama to begin his officer training the next morning, September 27. I wasn't allowed to go with him so I stayed in Indiana enjoying my time at home and making the most of my last few months in Indianapolis. I had no idea what it was going to be like for him, but he had told me several times that he didn't know when he would be able to call and how long it would be when he did. It's just good for me to know those types of things before it actually happens. So, he was busy being taught all those things military members must initially endure (strict rules, strict schedule, studying, listening, going to class, exercise, etc).
I was at home and I found out we were expecting our first baby just days after he left. I was excited about this prospect, but didn't share it with anyone at the time except for Chris. However, it was no more than a week or ten days later that I had a miscarriage. And as you may have guessed, we had insurance, but I had no proof. The exact fear that I had had was now real life. My doctor was so gracious. She took wonderful care of me physically, but I also remember her asking me if I would be OK emotionally. I was fine, but it was a loss that I am sad about. I was deeply thankful to friends that had, unfortunately traveled that same road that loved and listened to me during that time. I have no doubt that God brought that experience into my life to prove to me that there was nothing to worry about and that He would take care of me and all of the details. It was a hard lesson that I needed to learn and I guess it was better sooner than later.
Chris's hard work paying off!
Chris continued to work hard, called when he could and I poured over every picture and description that he could give me to figure out this military thing.
I did connect with the girlfriend and wife of a couple of his new friends.
E-mail was a good friend to have as I wrote these ladies back and forth.
About half way through the 12 week course, Chris was part of a military competition among all the branches of the military.
Thankfully, I got to meet one of these ladies and we road down to Georgia to see them participate and spend a few hours with them the following day back in Alabama.
What a treat it was to see Chris after about 6 weeks.
Honestly, it wasn't much time together at all, but it was well worth the trip down.
We also got to spend time a few weeks later with these families over a Thanksgiving meal.
This was my first time of experiencing that Air Force family feeling.
Finally, the much anticipated mid-December graduation finally arrived.
My parents, Chris's parents and myself were on hand for the special ceremony.
This time, when it was over, we got to leave together - so, so nice!
We headed back to Indiana the long way.
We took a few hours to see the Coke Museum in Atlanta and spent a bit of time at Chris's parents in Virginia before going home.
Officer Training School Graduation
We did get to celebrate Christmas with all of our family, but it was short-lived. The Air Force came and packed up our two-bedroom apartment for our trek to our first assignment in Oklahoma. Let's just say, after moving with the help of friends more times than I could keep track of, it was super, super nice to have someone else do the packing and loading. I was questioning this when they loaded my entire kitchen into a huge box and bounced it down a flight of stairs. However, it all arrived unharmed so I guess they knew what they were doing.
We found out we were headed to Vance AFB in Enid, Oklahoma shortly before Chris's graduation. This was the first time I'd moved so far so I wasn't sure how I felt about the whole thing. It was a long way, but I would be with Chris and God is always with us. Our drive out was not the most fun as we were in both of our vehicles communicating with walkie-talkies. Yes, times have drastically changed in seven years because now we just use our phones. The trip was rather uneventful and rainy until we hit the outskirts of our destination. Enid was calling for ice that early January day. When we arrived in Enid, there was significant ice on everything but the roads - so very thankful. We dropped off one of our cars and then hit the road just a couple of hours later. Chris still had one more set of medical tests he had to pass in San Antonio, Texas. So we were off to warmer places. We met up with some of the people Chris had gotten to know during training, passed the tests with flying (no pun intended!) colors. Then just a day later we were back on the road for another 8-10 hours back to Enid. Thankfully, the ice was over and we checked into temporary housing on base. I remember a few things - our apartment was tiny, but nice, had free washer/dryer which impressed me and it was the first time real homesickness overwhelmed me. I missed my dear, dear friends so much.
We eventually moved into a small home on base. That house will always be a special place for us. It was just a few weeks after we moved in that we found out that we were pregnant with Luke. We didn't say anything for several weeks before letting friends and family know. What fun it was to tell them our wonderful news. We were now at a pilot training base for Chris, but they didn't have a class slot for him for several months. Chris just did various jobs around the base until it was his turn for training. Luke was born almost exactly a year after Chris had first left for the OTS. Just a month later, Chris started his pilot training. He loved it! Being a pilot was a perfect job for my very hands-on husband - such a good fit for him. Yes, there were hard things to study for and the hours sometimes got crazy, but I guess we treated it like a job. We were together and made the most of it. In the meantime, God placed in our lives other wonderful couples that were in a similar place in life. We had found a good church and that made a big difference as well. We still keep in touch with some of these families and one in particular has loved on us so well that I could do an entire blog post about the ways God has loved us through them.
Chris finished his first solo flight in the Air Force. Celebration of that feat was done in a tub of water - did I mention it was January!!
About five months into his training, we found out that Hannah would be joining our family early the following year. Life on the home front was going fine. Shortly, thereafter, Chris completed his initial phase of training in the T-37, Tweet. It was now time to find out whether Chris would continue his training as a bomber/fighter or tanker/cargo. Chris had his heart set on a bomber/fighter and I wanted it for him. I knew he was a good pilot, but the competition was super tough. He was up against guys that had logged hundreds of flying hours in the private/public sector. He was given the tanker/cargo route to train on. We came home so very disappointed. I poured over my Bible praying for Chris and this new assignment. It was tough, but we made it through this time. It was not our way, but it was God's way and we had to trust that this was the best thing for our family. Chris finished his training in the T-1, which looks like a small business jet. In mid-November of 2006, Chris graduated from Undergraduate Pilot Training. I was so very proud of my pilot. Just a few weeks prior, Chris was assigned to fly the KC-135, Stratotanker at Robins AFB in Warner-Robins, Georgia. There were a few things that still had to occur before we made it there.
The formal dinner celebrating graduation from Undergraduate Pilot Training
Just three days after Chris graduated from pilot training and the weekend before Thanksgiving, Chris left for Spokane, Washington to complete land survival training. I don't know all that went on there and honestly, I want to leave it that way. Let's just say, he was not treated well. I just have to remind myself, though, that that training was for his benefit and could potentially save his life if he was ever in a life-threatening situation. Needless to say, he spent his Thanksgiving in the mountains, in the snow and in temperatures hovering around zero. Not how I'd want to spend that holiday, but I guess it wasn't his first choice either. Thankfully, I got to enjoy it with friends in Enid that year.
Shortly after 2007 arrived, Hannah was welcomed into our family and just a month later we packed up most of our stuff and it went to storage for 5 months. The rest of our stuff moved to Altus, Oklahoma where Chris went through five months of training on the KC-135 or a flying gas station as I'd like to refer to it. This was a hard time for me. I was thankful for our two bedroom hotel room, but there wasn't much to do and it was hard to find a good church. I was thankful for one couple we knew that we spent tons of time with. They were the saving grace during that time.
Finally, in June, we headed to our first assignment in Georgia. We knew this would just be a year assignment since Chris's squadron was closing. It was a wonderful year. We were there just long enough for Andrew to be born. We had wonderful neighbors and I can't tell you how blessed I was by a group of ladies that met at least once a week for Bible study. It wasn't entirely easy, though. Chris did his first deployment from this base.
One of my very favorite pictures of Chris doing what he loves taken during his first deployment
They say the bad things happen when your husband is gone. I had heard this a lot so I felt myself bracing for what would come my way when Chris left. It didn't take long for the "big thing" to happen. Luke, just a little over two years old, had a febrile seizure and it was major. The short story is that God provided in major ways and Luke was fine. The long story is still amazing each time I think about it (if you want to know all the details, let me know). God provided a Christian doctor that even called and checked up on us on his day off. God's timing was impeccable. I had stopped, for a reason beyond my explanation at the time, for medicine much closer to the doctor's office so I was much closer to help when it did happen on our way home. God provided friends that took Hannah home and loved on her while I was with Luke. God provided me peace beyond description despite all that was going on at the time. I'm sure God had me go through this to teach me that He will always be with me and take care of us no.matter.what!! Luke has not had another one since that day and he will soon be six.
After Georgia, we were assigned to McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas. Chris was deployed six more times from that base. This past summer, we moved to our current base. Chris has been able to be home much more and for that, I'm deeply thankful!!
I won't go into detail about each of our assignments, but God has provided us a military and/or church family at each of our assignments. I feel like this is also a great plane for him to fly. He's gotten to do so much more than refuel planes.
I would have missed out on so many of these blessings and lessons of provision, humility and love if I hadn't committed to go on this journey with Chris. Thanks to each one of you who are also a part of this wild adventure!
Happy Birthday, Luke Christopher!!
