Military Career
After a 16 hour overnight ride in a noisy, crowded, and hot bus I got off in Matamoros, Mexico. I walked across the border to Brownsville, Texas and went to Grandmother Garibay's house. The next morning I went to the Air Force recruiting office to enlist. The Recruiting Officer had me fill out some paperwork and told me I would need a letter from the chief of police in my home town to the effect that I wasn't in trouble with the law. I called Pepe and told him what I needed and then all I could do was wait. In just over one week a letter arrived for me. I opened it and Pepe informed me the chief of police was out on a fishing trip, but maybe this document would do the job. Enclosed was a letter on the letterhead of the president of Mexico stating that I was in good standing with the government of Mexico, and signed by none other than the president, Miguel Aleman himself. I presented the letter to the recruiter and asked if it would do. In 1952 we did not have Xerox machines or digital cameras, so I never got an image of the letter. Actually, it didn't mean that much to me considering I was a friend of the president's son at that time. The next day I was on a Greyhound bus to Corpus Christi Naval Air Station for swearing in and my first physical.
Thus began the second phase of my life. I had pledged the next four years to the United States Air Force, even though I was inducted at a Navy base. I and five other new recruits were put up in one room of a downtown Corpus Christi hotel and it was during Buccaneer Days that year. None of us had any money and we could not join in the festivities. The Navy had given us meal chits we could redeem at a local eatery, so we could eat but nothing else for three days. On the last day they gave us bus tickets for our final destination, and I along with two others were heading to Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas, but no meal chits for travel day. We were told someone from Lackland would be at the bus station in San Antonio to take us to the base. We arrived hungry about 10 in the morning, but no one was there for us. We had one nickel between the three of us. In the evening, about 8 O'clock, a bus station clerk took pity on us and called the base to let them know we were there. My first Air Force meal of powdered eggs and SOS at 11:00 P.M. was absolutely delicious as I really was famished.
I met my Chief Military Training Instructor (TI), aka SIR) that night. He drove me, without talking, in his car to a dark building and said, "Go in and find a bunk for the night." I found an empty bunk, lay down and was instantly asleep. Early the next morning I woke up along with twenty nine other boys. I say boys, because that really is what we were. And the fun began.
21 1/2 Years of Service
I have divided my military career into three sections, with a table of contents for easy navigation. Each main section describes generally the activity involved, while the table of contents provides quick access to individual stories.