Day 13/14

I went back to the chiropracter for a 0700 appointment. He is leaving next week on leave, so this was my last chance at an adjustment.

I returned, and once again I had to meet my flight at another facility, this time the Project Thunder Assualt Course. It is an obstacle course from hell. I am reminded of an Arab expression: “You may forget with whom you’ve laughed but you will never forget with whom you’ve cried.” I feel that my flightmates are doing things that I am not, and that it is causing a certain detachment, a chasm that is getting harder and harder to bridge. Much of this may just be my self-pity, as I am pretty unhappy about the circumstances. I just trust that there is a reason the Good Lord has sidelined me… Oh, well.

Before lunch, we had a ceremony called “Tattoo” – I always heard of them, but never understood what body painting had to do with marching and bugles. We learned that the word "tattoo" is an alteration of Dutch taptoe "tap-shut" (closing time for taverns), based on tap "spigot, tap" + toe "shut." The Dutch bugle call summoning soldiers back to camp meant "closing time" to tavern owners. The US term "taps," the bugle call played after tattoo or at funerals, apparently stems from the same Dutch word. In our case, the tattoo was the formal transfer of authority to march unsupervised from the base commander, Lt Col Ackerman, to each squadron leader. It was very dramatic and militaristic.

In the afternoon, we had a squadron-level “pep rally” followed by a class-wide pep rally. At the first one, we were sure we would win Flight of the Week. We did win the Athletic Award (all based on my contribuitions – NOT!), but we lost the Academic Award, which is weighed higher – so we lost Flight of the Week. Unfortunately, at the class rally, our squadron lost as well on all three awards – Athletic, Academic, and Honor, all three going to the Falcons. It is amazing how I am getting caught up in the competitiveness of this!

The rest of the afternoon was studying for our first major written test, to be administered on Monday. At one point, I needed a break, so I went to the RAC to look at the Torah reading for Shabbos. As I was sitting there, a Lt Col walks in with a captain, and they are talking to some unseen person. I jumped to my feet and, following the requisite, “Good Afternoon, Sir,” I asked if he needed the room. He said, “No, I am just showing a new ROTC trainee, who is Orthodox, the facilities.” I said, “Sir, conveniently I happen to be an Orthodox Rabbi!” He calls in the young trainee and I couldn’t believe my eyes. This was a young man (I found out later he is 21) who looked MAYBE 15 years old – short, glasses, BIG black velvet Yarmulkah, a stutter… I was blown away. I stalked to the three of them for an hour, discussing the options here for food and Shabbos, etc. It turns out that he is in my building, so we agreed I would pick him up and bring him to the RAC for services tonight and Havdala tomorrow.

When I got him at 1920 to go to “shul,” he had a bag of homemade Challah rolls with him. I liked him already! Over “dinner” (tuna fish and Matza with jelly – remember, I have dinner before Shabbos begins), he told me his story. He grew up in Atlanta, and moved to Monsey in 5th grade. He learned at Yeshiva Spring Valley and Sharei Torah, and then he went to Ner Israel. He wasn’t doing too well, and then his Chavrusa left to learn in Israel after Shavuos (this was a few years ago). That summer, he was bored and was surfing the Internet when he saw an offer to get something for free if you filled out some information. It was n Army recruiter site. He was contacted by the recruiter, and when he explained all of his religious limitations, the recruiter assured him that none of those where a problem, and he should come down and speak to them. He did, and was intrigued. Long story short, he signed up for ROTC (he is in college studying computer science) which requires no commitment. If you go through the program and don’t like it – either during or after – you walk away. In any event, he explained the four year program as a bell curve, where the summer of the second year is the worst part – when the come to Maxwell for four weeks of hell. We watch these guys here, and are in awe of what they put these kids through. I have great respect for this kid. He has a heck of an attitude. At one point he told me that the one thing he worries about is a Shidduch. He can’t imagine a Jewish girl who will want the life of the wife of an Air Force officer. I assured him that anyone who is doing what he is doing probably wouldn’t be happy with the typical Bais Yaakov girl anyway – the one that will want him is the one he will want, as well.

Crazy world.

On Saturday morning, after I had breakfast and davened, I decided to test out my back. The chiropractor had suggested that I try doing 20 pushup and 20 situps and run for .5 miles, and see how that feels before I start doing PT on Monday. So I got on the floor and did 5 situps. Felt okay. I did 10 more. Then I tried 5 pushups, and then 10 more. By the end of the day I had done over 85 situps and 65 situps. I WAS BACK!!! My whole perspective changed! I was in such a good mood! We went outside to drill at 1800 and I was right in there with them, the first time since Monday…

In the middle of drilling, Major Haigh (the Flt/CC) pulled up and challanged us all to a push-up contest. I told him I was up for it, and he said, “Aren’t you still under profile?” I said I was taking myself off profile. He said, “Under whose authority? You are an asset of the US Air Force, and they have determined you are not to excerise until June 10 – if you do, I could have you brought up for a court-martial.” Hmmmm.

I went back to my room, and looked at next week’s calendar. On Wednesday (the 10th) we have another cool event that I WILL NOT MISS. I decided to work out myself in the gym on Monday and Tuesday and get my Profile canceled by Wednesday… We’ll see how that goes…