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Seventeen years old and four days graduated from high school, I sat on the bus clutching the only thing I had left in my possession. My duffle bag, a "gift" from my Air Force Reserve recruiter, sat in my lap holding the only things I was allowed to have for the next seven weeks. Granny panties and sports bras were the majority in that bag. I would have much rather had my CD player and a candy bar but I didn't exactly have a say in the matter.

The bus ride from the Kelly Annex over to Lackland Air Force base was the scariest ride I'd ever taken. I was embarking on a foray into the unknown and it was too late to change my mind. In March of 1996, I raised my hand and swore an oath to the President and the United States of America. At that time I knew it was serious but it wasn't until I actually arrived at
Basic Military Training that I finally realized it was for real.

It was only the driver and me on the bus. Jolting along the bumpy road I thought about my recent graduation and how I had just taken such a big step on my own. I was scared to death but knew it was the right thing to do for my future. If I survived the next few weeks I would learn a skill and earn enough money to pay for my college degree.

We arrived shortly after at the processing station at Lackland and I was unceremoniously dumped in the waiting room. Unfortunately, Air Force Reservists arrive to Basic Training first so we get to suffer just a little bit more than everyone else. An airman yelled at me to get up to
the counter so I hustled over and dug through my duffle bag for the paperwork she requested.

"Are you scared?" she asked.

I could tell she didn't really care and was just asking me that question to torture me.

"No," I lied. She gave me a dirty look and yanked the paperwork out of my hand.

"Smart mouth," she said. "You won't have that for long."

In my head I called her a dirty word and didn't say anything else. When she was finished with my paperwork I found a dusty seat and settled in for the long haul. It was only 10 a.m. and I wasn't scheduled to meet my Training Instructor (TI) until 3 p.m.

A few hours later a lanky Hawaiian girl walked in. I chuckled to myself and thought she had to be a Reservist as well. She looked like a doe caught in headlights, similar to what I was feeling. After being treated the same way I had by the airman at the counter she made her way
over to where I was sitting. I smiled at her and leaned over.

"Are you a Reservist?" I whispered.

She looked surprised for a

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