A Veteran Story
If you know the history, Veterans Day was officially Armistice Day which marked the anniversary of the ending of World War I, 11 Nov 1918. The armistice began at 1100 hours on the 11th day of the 11th month. Even though some fighting continued, most people gave a sigh of relief that the “War to End all Wars” was over, but at a great loss of life for the United States military. Today, we know that was not the end of all wars.
When returning to Pirinclik Air Station, Turkey on military airlift just after Desert Storm/Desert Calm, the aircrew landed at Mildenhall Air Base, United Kingdom. The aircrew wasn’t departing until the next morning. While I didn’t have anything to do, I took a walk off the installation and came to an old cemetery where most headstones wore algae and mold. In this cemetery, interred were many that fought in World War I and II. I sat down near a headstone and thought about how many men died fighting for what was right. These men gave all of themselves for their country. Remembering the histories of those wars, I cried. I thought of them and then of myself and how small I really was. They were not as fortunate as I. Although I did not directly engage our enemies face-to-face in Desert Storm, nor was I in the line of fire, I returned home alive and well.
Most holidays families get together, share conversations and a meal, some exchange gifts, and they thank God for something and ask for blessings. Veterans Day is different. Most families don’t get together, they don’t converse about the wars the United States has engaged in, or thank God for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, or Coast Guard giving everything for our National Security and the freedoms we continue to have today. I believe Veterans day should be a day of mourning for the dead and thankfulness to everyone that has served in the military, peace and war. I honor and pay tribute to those before me and today and everyone else should too. I thank them for what they did, and God because I was able to return home safely.
Perhaps my last details were the most significant missions in my 25+ years as an active duty Air Force Senior Master Sergeant. While assigned to the HQs United States Air Force Europe (USAFE), Air Operations Squadron(AOS), I had the experiences of a lifetime. I was part of the force that directly supported forces for continued military operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and preparation for the air war over Kosovo. Our two-star Director of Operations, Major General Michael Short, tasked me to deploy to Hungary with a reconnaissance force to determine if a certain air base could bed down 2 squadrons of Predator aircraft, a precursor to war, and report my findings back to him. As an AOS War Planner in the African Operations Cell, I completed the classified messages that deployed aircraft at bed down locations to prepare for the air assault. Upon reassignment to Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, and within 3 days after 911, I was deployed to the Pentagon to support HQs Air Force Command and Control. I was re-deployed to home station. Within another 3 to 5 days, I deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the end of 2002 and supported the HQs Central Air Forces Command as the Air Force Functional CBRND Manager for the largest Air Force CBRND career field deployment in history to 17 separate sites, 9 different countries, and consisting of more than 300 personnel. After dispersing the forces, I held the first wartime NBC Cell Exercise with the sites priming operators at the HQs Cell and the sites for potential chemical or biological attacks. The HQs NBC Cell was located near the British NBC Cell in the HQs, but not close enough to share information with our allied friends. I created the first wartime International United States/United Kingdom combined HQs NBC Cell operating procedures and co-located with the British cell. I was told that the operating procedures I wrote were hand-carried to the Special Operations Command and shared with a high-level Civilian Government Official who said, make it happen. And it was so. After re-deploying back to my home station at the end of 2002 I decided to honorably retire on 31 March 2003.
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