January 1982 – I first met my Air Force recruiter on a cold snowy winter day when I was 22. I was looking for a way out of debt and away from the cold. My recruiter was polite, but I could tell he didn’t really think I had much to offer. He gave me the introductory speech, asked me a few background questions, and scheduled me to take the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery test to see if I was smart enough to serve. I was excited about taking the test and showing the guy that I might be blond, but I wasn’t dumb.
A few days latter I went to the testing sight after work and spent an evening answering multiple choice questions in four areas: General, Mechanical, Administrative, and Electrical. I went home that night feeling good. I was confident I had done well and looked forward to getting the results.
The following week I took a morning coffee break and used a pay phone to call and see if my test results were back. This time my recruiter had a completely different attitude. He was excited and wanted me back in his office as soon as possible. I scored well in all four areas; I could choose any career field I wanted.
February 1982 - Before signing the delayed enlistment papers I had a long talk with my Mom. I wanted her approval and advice regarding my decision to serve. I didn’t really know anything about military life, but from what I’d discussed with my recruiter I felt the structure and camaraderie might fill the void I was feeling in my life. In 1982 the US was not at war, I naively believed we would be at peace for many years to come; however, I had contemplated the possibility of conflict and truly wanted to protect and defend our freedoms if necessary. Once Mom was convinced that I was serious and ready to make a commitment she gave me her blessing and I visited my recruiter once again.
I was very interested in computer technology, which fell into the Electrical area; so I choose that as my career field. Unfortunately there wasn’t an open slot for me until later in the year so I took the Military Enlistment Oath and entered into the Air Force Delayed enlistment program. My recruiter commented that I would be married within a year of my enlistment. I thought that was an odd thing to say. I wasn’t looking for a husband I was looking for a career and a chance to serve my country.
June 1982 - I flew to San Antonio, Texas to begin six and a half weeks of basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base. My all female flight consisted of about 50 other women from all across the US. Back in those days Air Force basic training was fairly easy. Every morning the dorm guard woke us and we quickly dressed and assembled outside the dorm for our first march of the day. We marched to the physical fitness grounds for an hour of physical readiness training before the sun came up. We marched from there to the chow hall where we waited in line for breakfast, ate quickly, and then waited outside in formation for the next march, which was either to a processing location or a classroom. In the processing locations we received uniforms, vaccinations, or testing. In the classrooms our flight was usually seated on one side of the room and our “Brother” (all male ) Flight was on the other side; so our classroom instructions was co-ed, sort-of. We studied military law, history and how to behave in uniform. My biggest take away from Basic was realizing how similar men look when they all have the same haircut and uniform on. I had not known it when I enlisted, but I also realized that men in uniform are very attractive.
August 1982 - After six and a half weeks of basic, with limited interaction with the opposite sex, I packed my duffle bag and boarded a bus headed for Tech school, Kessler Air Force Base, Biloxi Mississippi; one long bus ride. I like to read when I’m traveling and was looking forward to plowing through a paperback I brought along. I didn’t get very far in the book. The airman sitting next to me wanted to talk. As I glanced around the bus I noticed that all the women were being chatted up. We stopped for lunch at a buffet style restaurant that caters to tour busses. There were large round tables with seating for 8. In many cases there was one or two women at a table surround by very attentive men. It was almost comical to see how the guys were flocking around the few women. I didn’t know at the time, but this feeding frenzy for a women’s attention would be the norm for the next few weeks until we all adjusted into life at tech school.
September 1982 – After a couple weeks of waiting for enough airmen to arrive to fill a class I started technical training. First we spent 6 weeks learning “basic electronics” followed by months of instruction on how to repair and maintain an early warning radar system. When I wasn’t in class or studying in my dorm I was at the airmen’s club trying to relax. At the club I learned that when guys out number gals by ten to one that one gal is pretty popular. I never had so many guys hanging around me in all my life. I was a few years older than most of the students going through the training there and I didn’t feel right about dating any of the guys in my class so, I hooked up with a National Guard member from Oregon that had just completed 4 years in helicopter search and rescue (he assisted after the Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980). I fell pretty hard for him. When his training was over in December he decided he should try to work things out with his girl back home.
December 1982 - I got a break from classes for Christmas and used some leave to go home, visit family and friends and forget about “that guy”. Upon returning from my holiday leave I had 6 weeks remaining before graduation and decided not to get seriously involved with anyone else before I shipped out. Two weeks later I met my husband Airman Raz.
January 1983 - Airman Raz walked into the classroom and started talking a mile a minute; he would be our instructor for the next block of technical training. My buddy Dave was sitting behind me and watching my reaction, latter when we talked about it he told me he could see the fireworks going off that very first day; there was a strong attraction between me and this instructor. Of course, Student / Instructor fraternization was strictly prohibited, but that doesn’t stop people from being attracted to one another.
A couple days after completing the block of training that Raz was instructing he asked me out. I accepted even though it was against the rules for students to date instructors, in my mind it was ok because he would not be teaching my class any more. Four weeks after our first date, Raz took me to the airport; I was shipping out to Calumet Michigan for my first assignment. He cried when we were saying goodbye and I decided right then and there that I was not going to let him get away. To my knowledge no guy had ever cried because he cared so much about me and was going to miss me, so you can understand why I had to have him.
February 1983 - First assignment was with the 665th Calumet Air Force Station located on the upper peninsula of Michigan surrounded by Lake Superior. I flew from Mississippi to Iowa to pick up my car, and then drove up north to Michigan. I managed to arrive between snow storms. (My plans of getting away from the cold were not working out at all!)
After checking in at the station headquarters, I went up the hill to the radar tower to meet the men I’d be working with. I was a bit surprised at the size of the tower and the age of the system. The tower had 5 floors, if you include the dome that the antenna was in and housed an AN/FPS 27 built be Westinghouse in the late 1950’s. I was shocked that the equipment defending our country was as old as I was. I thought the Air Force was all state of the art technology, I was wrong. Calumet was scheduled for shut down in 1979 but after one of the radars was taken out of commission, there was a change of plans and the site continued with the single tower until 1988.
Three teams maintained the radar; two Transmitting teams and one Receiving team. SSgt. Potter and Sgt. Vanhuisen ran the Transmitting crews tasked with maintaining the water cooling system on the first floor, circuit breakers on the second floor, transmission tubes on the third floor and the antenna in the dome. Sergeant Rouge managed the Receiving team, its equipment was in digital cabinets on the fourth floor, but they also had to shut down circuit breakers on floor two to perform maintenance tasks.
The tower also contained a small office and one restroom on the second floor. There were two desks in the office, one for MSgt Davila, work center supervisor and the other for the Tech Sgt in charge of procurement. The men that worked in the tower made the strongest/worst coffee I ever had and occasionally forgot to shut the restroom door. I assumed this was because the only sink for the facility was also in the restroom so the guys left the door open to make the sink available to others while the stall was in use, but maybe they did it just to try to embarrass me.
I was assigned to a transmitter maintenance team and started my on the job training with Sgt. Vanhuisen. I also had theory to study and tests to take. When I wasn’t busy learning about radar I was writing letters to Mississippi and getting to know Raz better.
April 1983 – Raz and I decided to get married. We discussed going to a justice of the peace in Wisconsin and having a simple civil ceremony, but when I told my mom that she got pretty upset so Raz talked with his mom in Burnett WI and arranged for a Methodist minister he knew to perform a church ceremony to please my family.
May 1983 – Took leave to get married. We had a very simple afternoon service with a couple friends and immediate family.
Just as my recruiter predicted, I was married before my one year anniversary in the Air Force. One of the best decisions of my life. (We’ll be celebrating our 26 anniversary this year.)
A few days latter I went to the testing sight after work and spent an evening answering multiple choice questions in four areas: General, Mechanical, Administrative, and Electrical. I went home that night feeling good. I was confident I had done well and looked forward to getting the results.
The following week I took a morning coffee break and used a pay phone to call and see if my test results were back. This time my recruiter had a completely different attitude. He was excited and wanted me back in his office as soon as possible. I scored well in all four areas; I could choose any career field I wanted.
February 1982 - Before signing the delayed enlistment papers I had a long talk with my Mom. I wanted her approval and advice regarding my decision to serve. I didn’t really know anything about military life, but from what I’d discussed with my recruiter I felt the structure and camaraderie might fill the void I was feeling in my life. In 1982 the US was not at war, I naively believed we would be at peace for many years to come; however, I had contemplated the possibility of conflict and truly wanted to protect and defend our freedoms if necessary. Once Mom was convinced that I was serious and ready to make a commitment she gave me her blessing and I visited my recruiter once again.
I was very interested in computer technology, which fell into the Electrical area; so I choose that as my career field. Unfortunately there wasn’t an open slot for me until later in the year so I took the Military Enlistment Oath and entered into the Air Force Delayed enlistment program. My recruiter commented that I would be married within a year of my enlistment. I thought that was an odd thing to say. I wasn’t looking for a husband I was looking for a career and a chance to serve my country.
June 1982 - I flew to San Antonio, Texas to begin six and a half weeks of basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base. My all female flight consisted of about 50 other women from all across the US. Back in those days Air Force basic training was fairly easy. Every morning the dorm guard woke us and we quickly dressed and assembled outside the dorm for our first march of the day. We marched to the physical fitness grounds for an hour of physical readiness training before the sun came up. We marched from there to the chow hall where we waited in line for breakfast, ate quickly, and then waited outside in formation for the next march, which was either to a processing location or a classroom. In the processing locations we received uniforms, vaccinations, or testing. In the classrooms our flight was usually seated on one side of the room and our “Brother” (all male ) Flight was on the other side; so our classroom instructions was co-ed, sort-of. We studied military law, history and how to behave in uniform. My biggest take away from Basic was realizing how similar men look when they all have the same haircut and uniform on. I had not known it when I enlisted, but I also realized that men in uniform are very attractive.
August 1982 - After six and a half weeks of basic, with limited interaction with the opposite sex, I packed my duffle bag and boarded a bus headed for Tech school, Kessler Air Force Base, Biloxi Mississippi; one long bus ride. I like to read when I’m traveling and was looking forward to plowing through a paperback I brought along. I didn’t get very far in the book. The airman sitting next to me wanted to talk. As I glanced around the bus I noticed that all the women were being chatted up. We stopped for lunch at a buffet style restaurant that caters to tour busses. There were large round tables with seating for 8. In many cases there was one or two women at a table surround by very attentive men. It was almost comical to see how the guys were flocking around the few women. I didn’t know at the time, but this feeding frenzy for a women’s attention would be the norm for the next few weeks until we all adjusted into life at tech school.
September 1982 – After a couple weeks of waiting for enough airmen to arrive to fill a class I started technical training. First we spent 6 weeks learning “basic electronics” followed by months of instruction on how to repair and maintain an early warning radar system. When I wasn’t in class or studying in my dorm I was at the airmen’s club trying to relax. At the club I learned that when guys out number gals by ten to one that one gal is pretty popular. I never had so many guys hanging around me in all my life. I was a few years older than most of the students going through the training there and I didn’t feel right about dating any of the guys in my class so, I hooked up with a National Guard member from Oregon that had just completed 4 years in helicopter search and rescue (he assisted after the Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980). I fell pretty hard for him. When his training was over in December he decided he should try to work things out with his girl back home.
December 1982 - I got a break from classes for Christmas and used some leave to go home, visit family and friends and forget about “that guy”. Upon returning from my holiday leave I had 6 weeks remaining before graduation and decided not to get seriously involved with anyone else before I shipped out. Two weeks later I met my husband Airman Raz.
January 1983 - Airman Raz walked into the classroom and started talking a mile a minute; he would be our instructor for the next block of technical training. My buddy Dave was sitting behind me and watching my reaction, latter when we talked about it he told me he could see the fireworks going off that very first day; there was a strong attraction between me and this instructor. Of course, Student / Instructor fraternization was strictly prohibited, but that doesn’t stop people from being attracted to one another.
A couple days after completing the block of training that Raz was instructing he asked me out. I accepted even though it was against the rules for students to date instructors, in my mind it was ok because he would not be teaching my class any more. Four weeks after our first date, Raz took me to the airport; I was shipping out to Calumet Michigan for my first assignment. He cried when we were saying goodbye and I decided right then and there that I was not going to let him get away. To my knowledge no guy had ever cried because he cared so much about me and was going to miss me, so you can understand why I had to have him.
February 1983 - First assignment was with the 665th Calumet Air Force Station located on the upper peninsula of Michigan surrounded by Lake Superior. I flew from Mississippi to Iowa to pick up my car, and then drove up north to Michigan. I managed to arrive between snow storms. (My plans of getting away from the cold were not working out at all!)
After checking in at the station headquarters, I went up the hill to the radar tower to meet the men I’d be working with. I was a bit surprised at the size of the tower and the age of the system. The tower had 5 floors, if you include the dome that the antenna was in and housed an AN/FPS 27 built be Westinghouse in the late 1950’s. I was shocked that the equipment defending our country was as old as I was. I thought the Air Force was all state of the art technology, I was wrong. Calumet was scheduled for shut down in 1979 but after one of the radars was taken out of commission, there was a change of plans and the site continued with the single tower until 1988.
Three teams maintained the radar; two Transmitting teams and one Receiving team. SSgt. Potter and Sgt. Vanhuisen ran the Transmitting crews tasked with maintaining the water cooling system on the first floor, circuit breakers on the second floor, transmission tubes on the third floor and the antenna in the dome. Sergeant Rouge managed the Receiving team, its equipment was in digital cabinets on the fourth floor, but they also had to shut down circuit breakers on floor two to perform maintenance tasks.
The tower also contained a small office and one restroom on the second floor. There were two desks in the office, one for MSgt Davila, work center supervisor and the other for the Tech Sgt in charge of procurement. The men that worked in the tower made the strongest/worst coffee I ever had and occasionally forgot to shut the restroom door. I assumed this was because the only sink for the facility was also in the restroom so the guys left the door open to make the sink available to others while the stall was in use, but maybe they did it just to try to embarrass me.
I was assigned to a transmitter maintenance team and started my on the job training with Sgt. Vanhuisen. I also had theory to study and tests to take. When I wasn’t busy learning about radar I was writing letters to Mississippi and getting to know Raz better.
April 1983 – Raz and I decided to get married. We discussed going to a justice of the peace in Wisconsin and having a simple civil ceremony, but when I told my mom that she got pretty upset so Raz talked with his mom in Burnett WI and arranged for a Methodist minister he knew to perform a church ceremony to please my family.
May 1983 – Took leave to get married. We had a very simple afternoon service with a couple friends and immediate family.
Just as my recruiter predicted, I was married before my one year anniversary in the Air Force. One of the best decisions of my life. (We’ll be celebrating our 26 anniversary this year.)
