By Kathleen Bishop
The cool kid. That's who I was. I was never into academics or athletics during my time at Walt Whitman High School in Huntington, NY. With no desire to attend college or join the union like my father, I faced a difficult decision of what I should pursue following graduation. This constant thought of what my career path might be constantly played in my head. One morning while walking into lunch, I thought about what I could possibly do. "I worked at McDonald's throughout high school, could that be an option?", I asked myself over and over. After turning that idea down for the hundredth time, I walked into the cafeteria, only to discover the first of many opportunities I would take down the road.
That morning at Walt Whitman High School, I spoke to an Air Force Recruiter. After speaking with him and my family, I decided this was the best decision I could make, and ultimately enlisted a week later. I graduated high school in June of 1998 and went off to boot camp the following October. As I said goodbye to my parents, my mom attempted to comfort me saying, "Just pretend it's me yelling at you!". Newsflash mom: it was nothing like that.
After successfully completing basic training, I went on to my technical training at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita County, Texas. Back then, Wichita County's one and ONLY claim to fame was its proximity to the Dallas Cowboys training camp. Needless to say, it was not my favorite place. However, I worked in maintenance production management, tracking maintenance and building flying schedules, and learned to love what I did.
The cool thing about tech school was I got to experience the "college life" while still being in the military. I still wore my uniform and saluted officers, but was able to experience the "dormitories" of military housing and enjoy my time at school. I went on to do well in tech school, and it came the time to receive our first major base assignment. During the assignments, my friends and fellow airmen got stationed to North Dakota. When it was my turn, I crossed my fingers hoping for anything BUT North Dakota. Lucky Me! I was going to Hurlburt Field Air Force Base in Florida! Warm weather here I come!
Before my assignment began, I was able to go home for one of the first times. My older brother, Pete, is about 18 months older than I am. After he saw all of the great things I was doing in the Air Force, he decided to enlist right beside me! During my vacation, I was lucky enough to see him off to Lackland Air Force Base for boot camp. As he walked into basic training, I went to the warm weather and my new assignment down at Hurlburt Field. Sorry about that one, Pete.
Due to the experience and performance I had over at Sheppard, I was assigned to engine management. I learned to work efficiently and quickly, doing a really good job at what I knew best. Thanks to all the hard work I had put in, I got some pretty cool rewards. The best and most memorable reward I got during my time at Hurlburt was going on a simulated search and rescue mission in an MH-53 Pave Low, a type of helicopter, and was able to shoot the machine gun. How many kids could say they did that!
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Hurlburt. I learned so much, performed well, and had some awesome experiences. But I decided I want to request a base change. Why, you might ask? My brother Pete had been assigned to Rhein-Main Air Base, an Air Force Base in Frankfurt, Germany. With a prior love for travel and an endless desire to go overseas, I decided to fill out the "dream sheet". This dream sheet would end up being the deciding factor for if I got to go over and join my brother in Germany.
One afternoon, my command called me into his office to fill out paperwork. Word of advice: whenever you have to fill out paperwork with command, it's never good. However, this time was an exception. My command let me know my reassignment was approved, and I was heading to Germany at Spangdahlem Air Base, about two hours from where my brother was stationed! Excited to embark on this journey, I eagerly awaited seeing Pete and agreed to extending my enlistment to five years. I thought, what's one more year, right?
Similar to my prior assignment, I worked in the engine management department, working on some really cool aircrafts, like the F-16 and A-10 fighter jets. I spent four years in Germany, making awesome memories and doing the best work I could possibly do. I ended up winning Airmen of the Year award for all of the work I was doing! As my reward, I was able to get another incentive flight, similar to the MH-53 helicopter, but this time I was going on an F-16 fighter jet! I am proud to admit that I never once threw up during that flight. I did get nauseous several times, and used the oxygen tank to relieve it. Needless to say, the pilot nicknamed me "O2 boy" since I had used up almost all of the oxygen in the tank during our flight. Better than throwing up though.
After Germany, I decided it was time to head back to the States and rejoin my family. I went to Airmen Leadership School, where I learned about becoming an Air Force Recruiter. I was lucky enough to get stationed in Smithtown, New York, only about 10 minutes from where I grew up and began my Air Force Recruiting career! During that assignment, I enjoyed learning the whereabouts of recruiting, spent time with my family and friends, and met and married my lovely wife, Janette.
Throughout those next few years, I was able to have some really cool experiences and truly enjoy my time in the military. I shuffled between New York and New Jersey for my first two recruiting assignments and was blessed with becoming a father to my two sons, Christopher and Joseph. I loved what I was doing, and decided to re-enlist. Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge New York Mets fan (#LGM!). By pulling some strings and calling in a favor with a close friend, what better way to re-enlist than at Shea Stadium. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and one that I won't forget.
After re-enlisting, I went into healthcare recruiting in Orlando, Florida, where I was lucky enough to spend time recruiting nurses and doctors to serve in the Air Force. I requested reassignment anywhere in the Northeast to be able to be close to family and friends while raising my two boys. However due to some unlucky timing, my family and I got reassigned to Bloomington, Illinois. Anyone that's a proper New Yorker knows, nothing west of the Hudson River! However, we accepted the assignment and moved our family onto the next adventure.
Illinois was one of the best, and also last assignments, I had in the Air Force. After 20 years and 24 days in the United States Air Force, I retired as a Master Sergeant in 2018. I had some difficulty transitioning back into civilian life, but eventually found my footing and am currently working as a Human Resources Manager at Heartland Head Start in Illinois. My career in the Air Force was long and difficult as some points, but taught me endless valuable lessons and gave me amazing experiences. If I had to summarize my Air Force career into one statement, it would be taking every single opportunity that came my way. I was able to do so many amazing things, from meeting former and sitting presidents, to getting my bachelor’s degree for free through the GI Bill, to being the Air Force liaison to the Chicago Cubs, and so much more. I am forever grateful for every experience I had, and would not change a thing. And to think, a twenty-year career filled with successes, struggles, and everything in between all just began with that one opportunity I took my senior year.
