The Boy Has Wings!

Congratulations, John! Good bye, Del Rio...

Four hundred days ago we moved to Del Rio, TX in pursuit of silver wings that would rank John among an elite group of US Air Force aviators. We were weary of where we were going, yet excited about the outcome and had no idea what we were getting into. With a six week old baby in tow, we’d traveled 2,183.1 miles to our new home. I recall not being nervous for the move, but excited for the adventure – heck, we’d lived through the arctic planes of the Midwest, how bad could South Texas be? Likewise, I recall choking back tears and the urge to turn the car right around as we pulled through Lake View, just North of Del Rio and I mistakenly took the tiny fishing “resort” town (fresh out of a bad 1960s western) for the city we were moving to. Today, we drove away from Del Rio and Laughlin AFB with a crazy mix of emotions, leaving behind an incredible year, and family, we will never forget.

Our trip home marks John’s successful completion of Specialized Undergraduate Pilot training. He completed the intense year of training yesterday and pinned on his wings with academic excellence. Juggling 12-hours work days and an infant at home, John’s ability to make it look easy will never cease to amaze me. Toss in appendicitis which took him out for a week in July and regular invitation to help others in his class, his strength throughout the year is a testament to his character and I could not have been prouder when he was honored as the Officer of the Year during the graduation ceremony. (Way to go, Sweetheart!)

John pinned on his grandfather’s wings which were earned in 1964, carrying on a family legacy of Air Force aviation. It was a moment of pride and excitement to see the generations share a connection and love for flight and commitment to serve that I imagine only they can understand.

And if all that isn’t enough, we were blessed to have the John’s Reserve Squadron present for the graduation – you couldn’t miss them, they were the guys with the biggest airplane in West Texas – the beautiful C-17, Spirit of the Golden Gate. THANK YOU! To the 301^st for taking a chance on us, making the trip to Texas, for supporting us start to finish and for the warm welcome to your family.

More photos and stories to come, but for now it’s time to settle into our cozy little hotel in El Paso, TX where we have a sparkling view of an oil plant and Juarez, Mexico. THANK YOU to all of our family who came to John’s graduation – it meant the world to have you there. THANK YOU and congrats to Class 12-02 and all of the friends we made at Laughlin; you turned what could have been a year of counting down in to a very tough drive away.