Hi...I'm here.

I graduated from Technical School in Feb of 92. On my orders to my next base it had where I was supposed to go. So I took my two weeks of leave, packed my stuff up and headed for my new base, filled with excitement and wonder.

I drove from west Texas to the Baltimore area, checked in at the base and got a billeting room. The next morning I was up bright and early and eager to check in with my new squadron. I go to the orderly room and check in, only to find out that I'm in the wrong place.

The airman just sort of looked at me like I knew where to go next. I had no idea, that's how I ended up there in the first place.

Eventually I guess me standing there and looking at her dumbly had an effect on her, because she took my orders and looked at them again. Then tells me to report to the building across the parking lot that was surrounded by an 8 ft fence with barbed wire around the top. At this point my excitement kind of turned to fear, because the only buildings like that that I had seen to this point had prisoners behind the fences.

So I drive over to that building and watch it for a few minutes. People come and go so I figure whats the worst that could happen. Go up to the phone attached to the fence near the gate and call the number listed for entry.

About 5 minutes later someone comes out. "Airman Keener?"

"Yeah that's me."

"Why are you here?"

Oh great here we go again. "Well my orders told me to come here."

"But why are you here now? We weren't expecting you for another 3 months."

At this point I'm starting to get really nervous. Did I miss something? Did I somehow skip the last 2 months of technical school?

"Did you go to survival school?" the sergeant asked.

"Um...no I'm pretty sure I would remember that."

"So you came straight here from Texas? You didn't go to Washington?"

"Washington? No never been there."

Insert string of curse words here. Words I had never heard used together.

Then he takes me in the building and we go see the Chief (highest enlisted rank). Go through the whole why are you here? line of questioning again.

Eventually it is discovered that the last base I left seemed to fail to inform me of what my actual job was going to be, nor did they set up the 3 months worth of training that I somehow skipped. But it all worked out ok in the end.