April 23, 2014

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When we left Nelda's we drove over to Keesler AFB, MS (in Biloxi) to see our grandson Tyler. He had graduated from Air Force boot camp in March and we were not able to be there, but we wanted to spend some time with him. He is going through Radio Frequency School and will be in MS until October. He still does not know where he will be going for his first permanent duty station. He signed up for six years, and we pray that he will make a career of it. He said that if he decides to stay, he wants to have his Bachelor's degree by the end of his 6 years and then get his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.

We called him after getting checked into base housing and he said he would be ready in about fifteen minutes. Then he called back and said he had to push our time back about an hour because he had a no notice open ranks inspection. He was bummed out about it, but we were happy because now we would be able to see him in uniform.

It was a real treat seeing him in uniform and seeing the same style name tag that I wore for so many years with our name on it. He was following in both my footsteps and those of his paternal grandmother Liz (I know she would have been proud to see him this way as well).

Things have surely changed since my days. The "open ranks inspection" was so casual. The inspector was not even in uniform and as she went from airman to airman no one ever came to attention.

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