Not On My Watch

Not On My Watch

"Okay, son, here's your study guide," the recruiter had said.  "You're scheduled for the ASVAB two weeks from this Saturday.  Be right here at Oh seven hundred hours, and I'll take you to the test site.  Got it?"

"Oh seven hundred hours - that's 7 a.m., right, Sergeant?" Marty had asked.

"Right!  You're getting the hang of this - that's good," Technical Sergeant Jefferson had replied.  "We'll see you on the fifteenth."

As soon as he got home, Marty had attacked the study guide and begun his review.  The Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery was not for the faint of heart, and he'd need a line score of at least 60 in the Electrical component, or a 55 in the General component, in order to get into one of the two specialties he had his heart set on.

He had wanted to join the Air Force as long as he could remember.  Part of it, was because his dad had served a couple of tours; he had some great stories and nothing but fond memories of his time in the service.  Another part was that he'd always been fascinated with rockets and space, more than once stopping whatever he was doing to watch the start or finish of a Shuttle mission at the Kennedy Space Center.  The driving force behind his determination to serve in the Air Force, though, was his desire to serve and protect his Nation.  The cumulative effect of the many books he'd read and the movies he'd seen, the epic film "Tora! Tora! Tora!" in particular, was the instilling of a fierce determination to do his part to keep his country safe.

For the next ten days, all of Marty's spare time had been taken up with the study guide and the practice tests.  While it wasn't possible to "ace" the ASVAB, no serious applicant went into the exam unprepared.  The fifteenth had finally arrived and, true to his word, the recruiter had driven him to the test site, then wished him luck.  Four hours later, he had picked up Marty and driven him home.  The following week, Technical Sergeant Jefferson had called with the good news: he'd scored high enough to qualify for either of his desired specialties!

Another trip to the recruiter's for some paperwork, a lot more paperwork at the MEPS - Military Entrance Processing Station - and Marty had been enroute to Basic Training less than a month later.  Much to his delight, he'd served his six-year enlistment right in the heart of the Nation's air and space defense system, and hadn't even minded the temporary duty tour on that windswept speck of land at the end of the Aleutians.  All of it had been fuel toward the fulfillment of his ultimate dream of a lifetime spent keeping the country safe.

The speaker's voice broke into his reverie.

"...and, in conclusion, let me add my congratulations to you, the newest members of the Department of Defense team.  If you'll follow Kelly along to Personnel, you'll find a number of forms to complete.  You'll also be photographed for your ID cards.  Again - welcome to DoD's Missile Defense Agency!"

Marty fingered his Visitor Pass, soon to be exchanged for a permanent ID.  Sometimes, if you work hard enough - and if you're lucky - dreams can come true.


[547 words]