United States Air Force - The Command Post

This is part six of a multi-post about my career in the Air Force. Start from the beginning if you like.

In part five I introduced you to Altus AFB and my friends.

It was my scheduled day to start at the Command Post. I walked the 1.3 miles saluting any officers that might be driving or walking by. I wore my blues but I would mostly wear my camouflage uniform when working. When I got to the building and walked up to the entrance, I pulled on the door and it would not open. It made a clanging noise and I could see metal mesh reinforcing the door. There was a button with a sign that said "Ring to enter." I pushed it and a Staff Sergeant opened it and invited me in after introducing himself and asking if I was Airman Poland. I confirmed that is who I was though my name was on my uniform. As I walked in, I noticed it was dark. There was an office to the left of the entrance. Straight ahead there was a pit for lack of a better word. There were stairs, about three steps, that led down into the pit. I saw four people and the machines they were working with along with the control panels. To my left above the pit was a large room with a large table and multiple chairs sitting around it. I didn't have time to study what was going on in the pit as I was being moved down a hallway passed the office to the left. I was taken to a room where I was told I would need to be able to type so many words a minute. I said I never took typing in school. That wouldn't be a problem, he said and later provided me a computer game (I love computer games) that sent words across the screen that you had to type before they disappeared. The game instructed where to place your fingers and I found I picked typing up fairly quick. Later I was scheduled to take a typing test to prove I could type fast enough and passed easily.

The rest of the day was spent filling out paperwork for a background investigation. I would need to provide details from several years back. It was very exhaustive and included the question about drugs. I gave the same answer as when I was recruited looking at the Staff Sergeant to see his reaction. There was no reaction and we continued on with the paper work. For the next few days I would be asked for more detailed information on certain parts of the paperwork. I was told this was for a top secret security clearance and I would be restricted from certain parts of my job until I was given clearance.

I didn't know at the time but I am wiser now. The fact that I had told the truth about every embarrassing detail of my life to the recruiter when I first joined, it is my belief that I was pigeonholed into this job. They wanted someone they could trust. Someone that wouldn't let embarrassing parts of their life inhibit them or be used to control them. This theory is probably anti-climatic but it really frustrated me early on that I was not to be allowed to program. Now, I understand (or think that i do) why I was not allowed. Though it was frustrating, it was an honor to have held that clearance during my years in the Air Force. In fact, having it has helped me get a couple of jobs outside of the military.

The next month, I was trained to be a command and control specialist in Altus AFB. They let me go to the pit and showed me what entity each of the 50 or so buttons on the control panel would call or alert. In the pit, there were two entities working side by side. Each had a different task but performed the same work. On the base there were KC-135 aircraft and the entity I would not be working with, followed those aircraft. On my side, I would be following the C-5 Galaxy and C-141 Starlifter aircraft. When I first started they had these old computers with green lines and text that we entered data into. Most of the data would be written on folders and stored in the back someplace though. It is funny, it was 1990 and we didn't see a computer with a Microsoft Windows operating system until the middle of 1993. In fact, we were given a computer that would communicate base to base over the internet before we were given a computer with Microsoft Windows. When we received the computer with internet capability, I was so impressed. It made me think about the programmers that got to work with the code to make the communication possible and it frustrated me. Instead of writing things on a folder, we could enter it all into this new computer.

There would be two people in the pit. On one side, there would be an airman or sergeant and on the other there would be an officer. It reminded me of how there is a pilot and a co-pilot for flying most aircraft. Each had their own console of buttons though the officer side might have had a few buttons that the airman/sergeant side did not have. All of the pilots eventually filtered their way to the base operations side of the building where they would check weather, order meals, and whatever else that entity provided. They would then come to the command post to talk with the officer or a commander in the office at the entrance. In fact, the officer in the pit would always be a pilot and for good reason. When in-flight emergencies occurred, the command post officer/pilot would help by giving suggestions as to what the problem was and how to correct it. If it couldn't be fixed they would provide assistance in landing the aircraft so it could get fixed by maintenance crews. During an in-flight emergency, there was a checklist to follow for notifying fire, maintenance, and the base commander. In notifying those entities, the base would be ready to handle any catastrophic situation. During my years at the command post we never had a catastrophe.

Have I mentioned the phones and the buttons on the console? I worked with these for nearly four years. I do not like talking on the phone anymore and will do everything in my power to keep from using one. I hate the sound of a ringing phone and would rather talk to someone in person or, with the technology we have today, text or email them. Even communicating on social sites is better than using the phone. There was a lot of noises in the pit. We had large machines that hummed and ca-chunked constantly. When I'm in a quiet room, I have a ringing in my ear so I always like to have music playing. This is not entirely the pit's fault. I grew up listening to loud music from low bass to high trebles. It all added up.

The commander of the command post was a Major and a pilot. He took a couple of the airman up in a C-141 Starlifter and let us sit up front with him and the co-pilot. It was really cool watching them and the engineer get that large beast off of the ground. That was one of coolest things I got to do in the Air Force. One of the worst things I did in the Air Force was chemical warfare training where they stick you in a box with several other trainees. You are outfitted with a gas mask and have it on. They let the gas in and you breath in safely and you are like, that's not so bad. Then they tell you take off your mask and tell them where you are from, your rank, and your name. So, I take a deep breath before taking my mask off and then tell the trainer what he wants to know. He says that is impressive that you did not breath in yet. Then I walk out the door thinking I made it and take a deep breath. I am immediately overcome with coughing, snot running out of my nose, and tears running non-stop down my face. The trainer stopped me just long enough to make sure I got a good breath of it. Still, it was an interesting experience and one that I don't look at with regret.

After I was cleared to work from trainers and clearances, I got to work twelve hour shifts for four days and take four days off. I loved that schedule. It gave me a lot of free time that I usually used to visit family and friends. I also used it to visit my Air Force buddies. Before I was honorably discharged I had reached the rank of Senior Airman. They no longer use that rank. Instead I would have been a sergeant (E4).

I have a friend who retired from the Navy a couple of years ago. I always kick myself for not staying in for 20 years and retiring. He was 39 or 40 when he retired. He has the G.I. Bill and he's from Texas so he has the Hazelwood Act as well. Both benefits can be passed to your children. He was particularly lucky as he did not get the G.I. Bill when he enlisted like he should have. He was talked out of it. He qualified for the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill though and it is even better than the original G.I. Bill. He went to school after he retired and didn't have to pay a penny of his own money. He has not used the Hazelwood Act and still has a portion of the G.I. Bill left to pass on to his child. I will be passing my Hazelwood Act benefit to one of my children as well. If you go in, make sure you stay in for however many years it takes to retire and that you sign up for the G.I. Bill.

This ends the Air Force career series though I may write more about the Air Force in future posts.