The Family Letter

Hey, all! Sorry to be so long blogging again, but things have been busy at the chapel. The whole base is undergoing an "NSI" this week and a "UCI" next week. The first is, I believe, a Nuclear Surety Inspection. The other is a Unit Compliance Inspection. An IG team is here from AMC and they're basically running exercise after exercise to make sure that McGuire is following all the proper procedures, knows what to do in different situations, and so on. There is a pass/fail element, but the emphasis they are putting on it is more of a "here's what you need to work on". In other words, at the end of it we will know where the strengths and weaknesses are, what we need to develop, and what we do well. The end result is to be a better, more prepared Team McGuire. (Sounds a bit like some Standing Committee events, doesn't it? )

This morning I got to do my first official prayer! I gave the invocation at the Wing Pin On ceremony at the E-club. That's where the enlisted troops who have been recently promoted get their new stripes publicly. They have family or friends (or coworkers… their choice) put on paper rank on their sleeves (sticks on, and then firmly affixed with a punch to each arm). Lots of applause, noisemaking by the promotees' squadrons, and so on. Very good for morale, and kind of fun, too. The prayer went well, I think. I actually wrote it out just so I wouldn't blank, but I did make it up… No help from ye olde BCP.

Other highlights… Hmmm… Because of the exercise no one gets CTO days, though I could swear the other chaplains have been taking them. So I go into work tomorrow, too. Not that this is a big deal, since with the exercise I couldn't go too far from base anyhow. If I am stuck here I might as well keep busy–not too much to do around the room!

We had a funeral on Tuesday. Right at the end the fire alarm in the chapel went off and we all had to evacuate. Fortunately the casket was on its way out the door anyway! Phew.

Tuesday I also attended the Wing meeting on base. It was attended by quite a few people, and lead by/for the Wing Commander (new guy, see change of command ceremony from a few weeks back). That was the first one like this I had ever attended. They gave briefings on the weather, upcoming visitors, mission status, flights on and off the base, and even some political stuff that is in the works that affects the AF. Much of the briefing was classified, so y'all will have to excuse me if I say no more. Nothing huge, but still classified. It will be interesting, though, seeing when some of this hits the public.

Ah, what else..? We had two gentlemen in yesterday to take measurements and make recommendations about putting projectors in both chapels. I had one set of quotes but that was all on the phone and over the Internet, so it was good to have face-to-face contact. Chances are we will go with the "locals" (they were from over an hour away) rather than the people online. It just seems like a better way to do business. Another company is due in on Tuesday morning. The goal is to put in a request for end-of-year funding for the projectors. We may not get it, but if we don't ask someone else gets the funds!

Since the threat of a recall (part of the exercise) has been looming I've shifted my schedule and am going to bed by 2100 or 2130, and setting the alarm for 0500. If the phone hasn't rung by 0500 I pretty much just take my time waking up, but don't really go back to sleep, either.

In other news, I think the Outback may be getting a flat tire. I don't see anything in the tire, but it looks a little lower every day. Tomorrow I have to find out if there is somewhere on base I can try adding air to it. I had a tire gage, but I cannot find it now. I hope it doesn't go all the way flat, but if it does I will just try to find a local tire place. With luck it will be affiliated with the place I got my tires (there's some sort of nationwide network) so that I can use the road hazard warranty I purchased. We'll start by seeing if I am imagining this or not.

I do have an appointment at a "local" Subaru dealer (in Trenton) next Friday for an oil change. Maybe if the tire holds out that long I can ask them to check the pressure in all four. One way or another I have to get it done before the 12th when I set out for Erie!

Busy weekend coming up… I have hand bell practice on Saturday morning. At 1300 I give the invocation and benediction at a local on-base graduation ceremony. Sunday I am the offering guy at the E-service, which is followed by a cook out. Then, Sunday evening, I am leading the Contemporary Service. I haven't exactly got a sermon worked out, but I have an idea. I may just wing it, and get the congregation involved like I would in Advanced Issues in Preaching. The topic I am thinking of is "sacrifice," based on something in the Epistles (I could look up the quote, but I be tired and I'd have to dig out the file… later!).

Well, I think I am going to shower and unwind some more. I've been checking fiction books out of the library on base, and am in the middle of a series of science fiction novels that is pretty decent. Maybe a little recreational reading is what is called for!

G'Night!

P.S. I ran out of allergy medication two weeks ago. For a while I used over-the-counter Claritin, but that's pricey, so I've been going without anything for about a week now. I'm a little congested, but it isn't too bad this time of year. I wonder if it has anything to do with my lower energy level, though.

On a similar note, I had a dental check-up today. Good bill of health. My upper right wisdom tooth (the left two are both gone) is starting to show up, and he said to keep an eye on that and to really be sure to clean up there well. The x-rays show that there is, unbelievably, he said, space between it and the next "real" tooth. I guess that doesn't happen much. So it could be that as long as I keep it clean it can stay. The lower right tooth is still sitting below the gum. No dental cleaning this go around, something I really need to do (it has been over 18 months).

P.P.S. I am scheduled to take a flight on one of the cargo and/or refueling aircraft next Wednesday. Woo hoo!

Day 15 - 20 July 2003
Holy Historical Inconsistencies, Batman! I made a small error in describing last week. The change of command ceremony was on Tuesday. After that there was a flight-line lunch, sponsored by the chapel. Chapel congregation members (mostly from the Gospel service) set up tables in one of the hangars and cooked hot dogs and hamburgers for anyone who cared to come on by. There were the usual other items like chips, salads, and so forth, along with iced tea to drink. I stopped by to see how it was going and hung around for a little over an hour. I chatted with a few "customers" but mostly with those from the chapel. As a chaplain I think I should/would have circulated a bit more. I think it was harder because of the lack of a cross on the uniform. It may sound like a bit of introversion on my part, too, but I don't think so.

Here's my theory: In my uniform I am a 2nd Lieutenant. To most of the people here, namely enlisted, that means I outrank them. The Air Force spends a lot of time training people that enlisted and officers can interact, work together, get along, etc. but cannot really be "friends". Over time I sense that becomes less conscious, but it never totally goes away. I've observed it running under interactions all over. No matter how casual an officer is being with enlisted, there's always that "sir" or "ma'am" thing there. It is different with an Airman and a Chief Master Sergeant… An Airman has just had training and is adjusting to life in the AF, and it is pretty obvious. A Chief has been in for probably more than a decade and a half and is more relaxed in officer/enlisted interaction, but the tension is still there on some level.

For me it is a little uncomfortable because it means someone 15 years older than myself, with a lot more experience and wisdom, has to call me "sir" and, to some extent, a suggestion on my part carries the weight of an order. That's still odd to me. It means, though, that I'll always treat enlisted, especially senior enlisted, with a lot of respect! But I diverge.

So there's this undercurrent between interaction between officers and enlisted persons. The same thing exists to a lesser degree with interaction between junior and senior officers, and I'm as junior as you can get. All this makes it harder to interact casually with others, especially enlisted, when we're all milling around in uniform. It is a lot better when we're all in civvies, like at chapel on Sundays or evening meetings.

The cross on the chest, however, modifies thing