Air Force

I went to boot camp in Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.  I kind of liked boot camp.  Working in construction and outside summers it wasn’t a problem for me. I was in good shape. 

“One time we got a jeep out of the motor pool and drove out into the desert and came to this little village and the people there started throwing rocks at us.  We had to get back in our jeep and get out of there.  We figured it was the first time they had ever seen Americans before.” 

“Whatever the Soviets were doing they had to launch their own communications. Our job was to sit there and listen to them. Some of the intel required reports and some was just to listen.

“I remember my brother and I went to the movie and when we got home my daddy told me Japan had attacked us.  It was December 7, 1941. I said Japan, shot at us?  I was too young to understand what that meant.”

The statue of the “Kneeling Soldier,” on the Veterans Memorial was sculptured by Ed Pickett. “It is double life-size. I have done miniatures from inch and a half to double life size. I have also done books where they want to bring characters to life out of a book,” said Ed.

“I wanted to try something a little more adventuresome. I wanted to be on the edge of the sword. I wanted to be a helicopter door gunner,” beamed Dan. “That’s a different world Dan,” I said. “I did everything for the assignment, I took all the tests. I was ready to go.”