But wait there's more!

For starters I'm not selling anything, but turning 50 and working at The Pool are not the only "mile markers" in April. Another prominent event in my life marks its 25th anniversary this Sunday. April 17th 1986 I arrived at Lackland Air Force Base for what I consider to be some of the best times of my life.

I've heard some people say "I went to sleep in my bed and woke up in boot camp, I don't think I slept the night before. I had almost 3 weeks off from my last day as a manager for McDonalds until my arrival at Lackland, you try to see as many friends and family as you can. I was a bit different than most, I'd turned 25 just 10 days earlier. This was a good thing as I had sense enough top keep my mouth shut, voulnteer for nothing and get out of there in 6 weeks. I think i drove my dads gold LTD down to the MEPS station, along with my dad, brother in law and brother. I got out of the car grabbed my small bag and as always my dad reminded me to "keep my nose clean." It worked.

Somehow I was chosen "water monitor" from the beginning, every time we went to chow I filled glasses and made sure everyone took 2. I aligned shoes every night and was a "road toad". This meantI got a neat web belt with a canteen that I kept filled with water and when we approached an intersection while marching in formation I was one of four who would run ahead and stop traffic.

Did it work? We were there for 30 "training days," weekends and holidays did not count, and since our day 30 was on a Friday and we left on Monday. This meant an entire weekend of "day 30" and the threat of being "recycled." We actually had one guy make through to dinner on Sunday night, all he had to do was eat, go back to the dorm and keep his mouth shut. He just couldn't make it and wound up hanging around another week. I remember day 28 pretty well, on of our DI's was passing out mail and called my name, (remember this was before E-mail, cell phones and texting) I went up to get my mail and she said "water boy, never did know your name" and I though YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

I went from being a Rainbow, to a pickle, to a Canned Pickle, on DI referred to us as her "little boys." (Oh did I forget to mention I had 5 female DIs?) Finally the day of reckoning came, we boarded a bus in our dress blues and headed to the airport. I was now officially an "Airman" and on my way to Chanute Air Force Base where I quickly learned I was not an "Airman" but rather a "Pinger" :)

Tune next time for "Shoot me don't Chanute me"