After graduating Basic Training, I was shipped off to Technical School at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi to learn how to serve the Air Force as an administrative specialist. It’s a routine job that the Air Force needs just like a high powered executive needs a secretary. Without admin specialists, the guys flying and fixing planes, and fighting wars when that’s necessary, can’t do their jobs. At least that’s what they told us.
I remember very little about my 12-16 weeks in Tech School. I was a good student, learned to type well, and made a few good friends, none of whom I remember to this day. I do, however, remember instigating a prank that to this day still makes me laugh. Just out of basic training, we were real newbies to the Air Force. Newly minted butter bar Lieutenants (the lowest officer rank) are also sent to Keesler for training. They don’t know much more about the Air Force than we did….except I had the advantage of being an Air Force wife for several years.
One day I asked my three companions if they wanted to have some good, harmless fun. We still were walking everywhere, but the new officers were allowed to have cars on base. All training stresses that enlisted members must salute officers when we encounter them. Officers are supposed to salute back. One afternoon, with nothing better to do, we stood on a street corner watching for personal cars full of new officers to drive down the street. As we made eye contact with the driver, we snapped to attention and saluted them.
Then we watched a car full of butter bars all try to salute back, inside their cars from sitting positions. Cars were scarce, even among officers and often there were 4-6 people in each car. There wasn’t enough room for them to salute in the first place, and they were taken by surprise in the second place. And in the third place, we were only required to salute properly marked Air Force staff cars and no one in the vehicle needs to return the salute. But they didn’t know that in the spur of the moment. And the result was several hours of hilarity that made us feel like we’d really pranked some jokers who were being taught they were superior to us.
Good memories!
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