I was 18 and no plans (this was 1973) so I thought I'd let the military
take care of me for awhile just until I decided what to do. I had wanted
to join the Navy since I grew up in water (ask my Mom) and they had short
term enlistment (3 years). But the Navy recruiter didnt show up for school
day so I joined the Air Force instead (ok 4 years, not so bad). 

I wanted in computers (the big ones, there were no desktop PC's back 
then). The recruiter told me he could get me 'close' and I could 
cross-train later on. (heehee I believed a recruiter!)

Took me 3 tries to get thru Basic Training (set back for Inability to 
Adapt to Authority  :) then I found out that my recruiter had made me a 
Supply Clerk! I took a bypass test and skipped Tech School. Later found 
out that it was in Denver, the party town of the Air Force (dummy).

Did get my first base choice. Travis AFB in California. Did arrange to 
get assigned into PCAM (Punch Card Accounting Machines) which was as 
close as a supply clerk could get to the computer room. Close enough to 
learn that I NEVER wanted to cross train into the computer room.

In 1976 I got married to Connie and in 1977 had a son named Gandy.
1978 came, my 4 years were up. STILL didnt have a clue. Had a wife and 
child so sign the papers and go around again. Well let's not cover all 
the times that happened. Suffice it to say that I retired from the AF 
after 20 years and had another son named Mith during that time.

I found that a Supply Clerk wasn't a bad job in the AF. Every unit has 
supply people so if I didn't gain too much rank then I could choose my 
squadron/unit and choose my base. So anytime I was bored (or in too much 
trouble) I would change bosses. It was also handy for staying at Travis. 
The David Grant Medical Center was there and was the place that "special 
needs" children were sent. For many reasons I wanted to keep Gandy there. 
So everytime my time-on-station got too long and I was hot for transfer 
orders, I would change squadrons on Travis which was considered the same 
thing and started the counter over again. (I only missed once and pulled 
1 year at Incerlik, Turkey.) These jobs and squadron assignments are not 
in time sequence which I think was something like Supp, CE, Supp, USAFE, 
Supp, CE, Supp, SPS, Supp, MWR, Supp.

In Supply I worked:
PCAM (keypunch & computer room), in the RACC (repairables turn-in), in
PSP and FSP (local and overseas Supply Points), Document Control, Mobility
(war unit), Dormitory Manager (4 dorms and over 500 people), Programmer &
Small Computers POC when the AF finally got around to getting some. 

In Civil Engineering I worked:
Material Control (research and ordering), and Mobility Managment (war 
time readiness, think of it as grown up Boy Scouts), and some Wildlife 
Managment with the Environmental Engineers.

In Security Police I worked: 
As Animal Control. That was fun. They had a slight rabies scare at one
time and noone trained to handle animals (as in live-capture and
re-locate).  Due to some pre-military background I was "temporary duty
assigned" to the SPs. I was given a truck, a partner and a budget. Got
some nice Letters of Accomodation out of that. 

In Morale Welfare and Recreation I worked:
As a Park Ranger. Again due to outside interests and pre-military
experience. I was Facility Manager for a 20 acre multi-purpose park with a
2 1/2 acre fishing pond. Definately one of the more enjoyable and 
satisfying duties I ever pulled. 

Well nearly everyone I knew in the military wasnt in the military to be 
Military. They were in to kill time. Trying for college degrees, or some 
stability, or a job-marketable skill. I knocked off 20 years. In trouble 
alot and told, from the first day of basic training to the day my 
1stSergeant ordered me to sign retirement papers, that I "would never 
make it in the military".

I shook the system alot. Especially the part about turning down promotion
opportunities. I hardly ever let the system shake me. Got alot of "I've
never seen anyone arrange that in the military". Especially all the job
changing and pulling 20 years (cept 1) on Travis. Started in Supply on
Travis and retired in Supply on Travis. I recieved an Full Retirement and
Honorary Discharge from the Air Force in October of 1993. 

Anthony A. Gandalf Parker 
USAF SSgt. Retired