Page 25 - MY STORY

background and desire to serve as an officer. My first

request to go to flight training school was denied since
married personnel could not be flight school candidates.

I followed that with the potential of furthering my
metallurgical training by being assigned to the material
labs at Wright Patterson

nd
AFB after graduating as a 2 Lieutenant. He said, “Fine,

but what if, in its infinite wisdom, the USAF elected to
find other assignments that might not involve your
hard-won degree in metallurgy? Would you stay in the

USAF under that condition?” My completely
unrestrained, and patently stupid answer was “no sir.”

The colonel responded “Airman Whiteson, that was the
wrong answer. You may reapply for OCS in sixth months,
and maybe you’ll be able to figure out the right answer to

that question.”

Once I figured out that reapplying, going to OCS, and

serving the required additional years after graduation was
way too long to be in service, I finished remote control
turret mechanic school and was sent to March AFB base

in California as a member of the Strategic Air Command
(SAC), servicing the remote control turrets and fire