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Six years from the day I arrived at basic training I'd be free again. I knew there were many of the men in the dorm, or as the Air Force called it the flight, who had signed up for only four years, but I signed for six. I hadn't told anyone back home how long I signed up for, what would have been the purpose? I didn't have a girl friend, or a boy friend for that matter, and I still wasn't sure if mom ever really cared one way or the other. Jeff with his holier than thou attitude had told me in as many words he thought I was damned because I left the church. Dad I knew cared about and loved me, but I wasn't sure he cared for me enough to understand why I wanted nothing to do with his form of religion.
“Waters!” The drill Sargent said.
“Yes Sargent!” I replied.
“Pack you bags Waters you're being transferred,” he said.
“Yes Sargent,” I said.
What had I done wrong, basic training graduation was only a week away and so far the only people who had been transferred were those having physical trouble keeping up with everyone else. I wasn't having trouble, in fact I had been made flight leader and everyone else in the flight looked to me whenever the Sargent wasn't around. I kind of found it annoying at times, but knew it was an honor to be selected.
“You're Airman Waters?” the Lieutenant in the office asked.
“Yes sir. Sir, I was told to report here with all my gear,” I said.
“Your ride will be here in fifteen minutes Airman. So take a seat and make yourself comfortable,” he said.
“Sir, I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?” I asked.
“Your Sargent didn't tell you?” he asked.
“He only told me to pack my bags and report here sir,” I said.
“You've been selected for OCS, you're going to Colorado Springs, where when you get done you'll be a Second Lieutenant,” he said.
“I've been chosen to become an officer? Thank you sir,” I said.
I had no clue what this would lead to, and at the moment it really didn't matter. When I joined I planned on staying in long enough, that breaking the ties of home would be complete. Becoming an officer hadn't been part of the plan, so was a sweet surprise. I needed to let dad and Kathy know, but when? What if I washed out of OCS and ended up a disgrace.
No! This was something I wasn't going to share until I had more information.
Once I was in Colorado Springs everything was different, the military structure was still there, but we didn't have the open dorms like in basic, here it was more like going to college with four beds to each room and several rooms to each dorm. The first six months I was there I had a room to myself, and everything seemed to be going well.
Then I got called to the commandants office. Again I started to panic, no one ever got called to the commandants office unless they screwed up somehow, but for the life of me I couldn't think of anything I had done that could even come close to being considered a screwup.
“Lieutenant Waters, please come in,” the commandant said.
“Sir? I don't understand. Do you mean I've completed my training to become an officer?” I asked.
“You have Lieutenant, we wouldn't normally handle telling a cadet in this fashion Lieutenant, but you've been selected for special forces training, and I've been informed that on completion of that training you'll be assigned to a covert op team as second in command. I don't mind telling you Sam, I put you in for this, something I only ever do for the best of the best going through our training here,” The commandant said.
“Sir, what if I don't want to be special forces?” I asked.
“Is that true Lieutenant? If so why did you take the courses you did from the time you arrived?” the commandant asked.
“I love a challenge sir, and those courses where the only ones that sounded like a challenge. Sir, I have no doubt I could handle the special forces training, but I was really hoping to have a chance to prove my worth for what the government has invested in me already. I was hoping to start paying back on the training,” I said.
“Lieutenant you handle special forces training the way you did here and I can assure you when you start giving back it will have been worth the extra training you'll receive,” the commandant said.
“Yes sir. Sir, if you really feel this is what's best, of course I'll give the training all I have,” I said.
I still hadn't let anyone at home know I had gone to OCS and was now an officer rather than an enlisted person. The commandant said the orders for my Lieutenant bars were attached to my transfer orders and handed me not the Second Lieutenant bars I expected, but First Lieutenant bars taking my cadet rank off my jacket and attaching them on my shoulders where they went.
I completely skipped Second Lieutenant, going from Airman first class, out of basic training to cadet during OCS, to First Lieutenant. Two more pay grades and I would be command level, and likely have my own company.
The Hidden Rose Page 3