Son's new career path, pretty proud father

[ultrarunner]

Yep... can't say enough about older friends and neighbors as a kid...

One was a super mechanic that was a plant manager but his passion remained mechanics... Jeep conversions and such.

He was always helping any kid with car trouble as long as they were willing to get their hands dirty.

 

[Sigarms]

He was always helping and kid with car trouble as long as they were willing to get their hands dirty.

One thing I'll give my boy credit for is if he finds a mechanic or shop that will let him watch and explain what they're doing, he's right there and wants to help with his own hands and wants to learn on his own car (he'd always come home and tell us what he learned). Honestly that's something that is hard to teach.

I just remember years ago coming in the house on a Saturday before noon to beat the heat, all sweaty and dirty working outside doing yard work, and both boys finally were up complaining about there was nothing to do. If I remember correctly, I didn't handle myself very well at their comment and gave them a earful pretty loudly.

 

[ultrarunner]

When the grand daughter was young… about 4 she announced she was bored…

I said Grandma has lots of jobs for bored children like pulling weeds and cleaning the kitchen floor.

She was never bored again and I heard her quickly correct her little sister later when she said she was bored.

Now in college I heard one of the girls say they were never bored growing up…

Amazing how that works…

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm bored. I started getting a cold on Sunday and I've been home, resting ever since. I hate resting. The guilt is overwhelming. All I do is think of what I could be getting done, or the money I could be making while just sitting here, doing nothing. I can't imagine how bad it must be for kids with so much more energy to not have anything to do.

 

[Sigarms]

I'm bored. I started getting a cold on Sunday and I've been home, resting ever since. I hate resting. The guilt is overwhelming. All I do is think of what I could be getting done, or the money I could be making while just sitting here, doing nothing. I can't imagine how bad it must be for kids with so much more energy to not have anything to do.

Honestly, that's a GOOD trait to have

 

[civilian]

Thanks to all the kids now and the past who decided to serve on their own, or being told to go into the service. For us, we never promoted the service to our kids, but our daughter decided on her own. She wanted Coast Guard Academy, but not getting in, she got in AF ROTC at U of MI. 18 years so far, thinking about retiring in a couple of years. Couple years back she transferred to Space Force.

Someone posted above, AF was safer, her engineering degree in astronamics has kept her stateside for her career. She has been fortunate for that. She met her husband at UMich, he was in AFROTC also. His career in finance took him over seas into Afganistan twice. The second tour he reported to another service and that was not good. He ended up with medical issues and was able to take an early out. From both of them, we know quite a few of their friends in the military making careers out it. Jon

 

[Sigarms]

Someone posted above, AF was safer

My father enlisted when the Korean war was still going on. My father also had two older brothers who served in the Army during world war 2. My father had mentioned that both older brothers threatened to kick the living crap out of him if he joined the Army (which is what he wanted to do to follow in his brothers footsteps) and pretty much what both brothers said is if you're enlisting, it's going to be the air force. Looking back now, realizing that I never told him what I was going to to per enlisting, I can see why he was so upset.

Reading up, it seems the Air Force is more mallable in your MOS selection as you don't have to have one designated before you ship out. Apparently they work with you and see how your studys go during basic to see what may be a better fit for you. Hate to admit this, but that sounds kind of nice. Told my son if you're going in and thinking about making a career of it, the first 4 years could be pretty crappy. Put your time in, give 130%, keep a good attitude, and it's the next re up where you see if you can make progress if you want to stay in. No different than when he was 15 and started washing dishes at Panera bread. He showed up, gave 110%, learned different duties and job functions, and pretty much became second in command within a year beecause he always showed up and gave effort and enthusiasm (newsflash, being a shift manager at a fast food place does not always require good management skills LMAO).

My son was very proud of the fact that if he wouldn't have left for the Air Force, the car wash he was working at was going to make him manager. We told him don't give up the Air Force for that and he had a good laugh. That said, for his going away party, all of his good friends were from his work and work in his past and that does tell me something.

 

[Sigarms]

Have to laugh. Basic in the 80's NOTHING compared to the 2020's.

Since we know what training flight our son is in per his only official phone call, you can follow the "BMT" process online via facebook per the USAF. Apparently the airmen in training today had their chance to visit the PX today for Christmas shopping (do they still call it the PX? LOL). Didn't see our son, but some men of the same flight training group...

The ironey is you have all these sub 20 year olds who have lived off their cell phones for communciataion most of their lives, and what I found funny it the common theme is most the of the airmen asked for is letters to be sent, because it means a lot.

Luckily we made our boys write thank you notes for all the presents in thier lives from others, and he's familiar with having to actually write a letter LOL

The bigger issue is they don't teach cursive anymore in school (believe it or not). Luckily our boy knows how to write and read his mothers handwriting in cursive.

 

[George2615]

Congrats on your boys decision. I was there (Lackland) back in 1970. I'm sure a few things have changed since then. Seems like he has good morals and ethics and you should be proud.

 

[Torvy]

In the AF it would be a BX. (Base eXchange, vs Post eXchange)