Hello brothers in arms from class 70-06, Craig AFB, Alabama,
So here’s my story. It took me almost five and a half years to get to UPT. My recruiter was not exactly truthful about how long I would need to be a navigator before I could apply for pilot training. I was stationed at Pease AFB, NH from January 1966 until March of 1970. I was a navigator on the B-52D. I had two tours to beautiful Southeast Asia and logged 107 combat missions, 77 as the lead crew navigator. Meanwhile I was passed over for pilot training four times. On my last chance application, I discovered that the skeleton crew that worked in personnel at Pease was pulled off task for three weeks to help paint the base. Apparently, a total of around 50 applications from other officers, NCOs, and airman never got processed in a timely manner and their deadlines passed as did mine. In short, my last possible application never made it to the final board. This is when I explored the power of the pen. When you tell all to the Air Force IG, and back it up with names, dates, times, and facts, good things can happen. Wow, I ultimately got accepted to UPT …show more content…
In October of last year I completed my first sprint triathlon, after training for four months. I continue to train all the time now and just finished my second sprint triathlon in Waco on July the 26th. My next one is Oct. 18th down in Sugar Land, TX, near Houston. These are considered very short triathlons with the average race being a 400 meter open water swim, followed by a 12 mile bike ride, and finishing with a 5K, (3.2 mile run). My times are terrible, but at least I have been able to cross the finish line still breathing. I won first place in the male age group 70-99 in July, (Maybe because my competition either overslept, forgot to set the alarm, forgot about the event altogether, or set the alarm for the wrong time or date … all of which are strong possibilities at our