Page 32 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2025 - Online Magazine
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rewarding career for him. We in a nuclear-hardened facility on
married in 1979 and enjoyed five the base and was not allowed to
wonderful years before he passed go home for a week. Trapped in
away in 1984. an austere building with mostly
men was incredibly stressful.
At the age of 24, I visited the The guys dominated the four
recruiter’s office. The only job televisions. (Guys do not always
available was as a weapons wear bathrobes in the hallways of
controller. I wasn’t sure what that the dormitory floor.)
was, but I signed up anyway and
headed off to Officers Training and Once, my commander wanted to
then Weapons Controller school. have dinner with her husband,
My first post was at Bergstrom and I was the designated escort. I
AFB in Austin. Our group was one waited in the officer’s bar. When an
of the first to work with computers older man started hitting on me, I
to automate aircraft radar images moved down two seats. Sitting at
to digital data. There, working in a the corner of the bar was a young
darkened, cold, tent-like building, major who invited me to go sailing
my job was to direct military with him. That began a lifetime
was born in Giddings, TX
in 1952—number three of airplanes to shoot down enemy friendship.
I ten children born to an auto planes. Next, I was scheduled Flying over open water was also
mechanic and homemaker. In the to go to Germany to a Forward a long, scary, and exhausting
fifties, young women were taught Air Post (a smaller metal box at experience. But thanks to my
that the only professions available the head of enemy lines.) Yikes! boom operator, who shot the stars
for them were home management, Luckily, I was allowed to cross- with our sextant, and technically
nursing, teaching, or waitressing. train to become a navigator. Due advanced navigation systems, we
I attended Sam Houston State to my time in grade, I was the never got lost.
University. With student loans, commander of our training unit. I
help from professors, and good was thrilled and terrified of what I was able to see more of the world
grades, I graduated in 1974 with lay ahead. Survival training was than I ever thought possible. My
a major in Biology and a minor in in Washington State shortly after job took me to places like Guam,
Chemistry. But then what? I taught the Mount St. Helen’s volcano England, Greenland, Korea, Saudi
school for a short while before eruption. But I survived! My career Arabia, the Azores, the Philippines,
deciding that teaching was not the went from Travis AFB, CA to Dyess and Wake Island. I saw the Liberty
right path for me. AFB, Abilene, TX, to Clark AFB, Bell in Philadelphia and Big Ben
Philippines, then back home to in London. I collected a piece of
While struggling to make a living Abilene, where I medically retired. coral from Wake Island. While
in various jobs, I met a retired stationed in the Philippines, I
colonel who was living in the same Although these experiences were learned to snorkel, scuba dive, and
apartment complex. He convinced challenging at times, my military wind sail. Shadow, my Doberman
me to join the Air Force. He said career also had benefits. “Alert” guard dog, continued to be my
it had been an interesting and was the hardest; seven days and loyal companion for many years
seven nights where I had to live
32 Lubbock Senior Link
