San Antonio-Atlanta-Norfolk

Even though our flight didn't leave until 13:00, I got up early to make sure I had plenty of time to get everything done. I didn't have a car, so I had to walk over to the armory to pick up my weapon. I had scheduled 08:30 for pickup, but by the time Will and I got there, they were doing their shift change. So, we finally walked out at 09:00. We had a quick breakfast at the Shoppette (orange juice, banana, and danish), then called a cab to take us to the airport.

The van came on time, but he had another pickup at Lackland Annex (formerly Medina Annex), which is where I went through Officer Training School.  It's a different place these days. The school house and the dorms are still there, but the billeting buildings (former OTS dorms) were all bulldozed and a new billeting built across the street. We saw some pararescue trainees undergoing a team building exercise: there were about 25 of them carrying a large, apparently heavy, iron bar (say 30 feet long). As difficult as CAST may have been, I know it doesn't hold a candle to pararescue training. God bless the PJs.

The flight to Norfolk was uneventful. Along the way, in all three airports (SAT, ATL, and ORF), folks would come up to me and thank me for my service. I try to be as gracious as I can, but I don't like the spotlight on me. The guys and gals facing live fire are the ones who deserve the most recognition. Still, I understand that it's me whose standing there, and it's great to know people haven't become inured to the war effort.
Now, the "thank yous" are one thing; but that's not where it ended. First, when we boarded the plane in SAT, the flight attendant came back and said we (Will and I) could sit in first class. I didn't mind where I was sitting, but, again, I didn't want to step on anyone's expression of thanks. Then, in Atlanta, we were at TGI Fridays eating supper when a guy came by, slapped a $20 bill on the table, and said, "Beer's on me, fellas!" He was gone before I could open my mouth to say thanks. It didn't stop there. Later the waitress came by and told us someone had paid for our meals. I never figured out who did so, but the waitress had also handed us a note on a napkin which read, "Thank you for all you do! God bless you!"

We got to Norfolk Airport on time, then had to get a taxi over to the Navy Air Terminal to check in. It was pretty quick, but it was getting late and I was tired. We hired another taxi to take us to billeting and (knowing that billeting was booked solid) on to our hotel. Then things got weird. The taxi driver was supposed to pick up a Korean guy from the airport after he dropped us off, but while we were driving to the hotel, he learned the guy's plane landed 40 minutes early. The driver asked if he could stop by the Norfolk Airport to pick up "Mr. Wu."  We agreed, but it slowed us down by about 20 minutes. On the flip side, he cut the taxpayers a break on the fare.

We ended up at the Norfolk Sheraton on Waterside. Very nice, and we got the government rate. All in all, it was a long day, and I was glad to lay my head down on the pillow.