One year since graduating BMT

JoBri · April 8, 2014

It has been almost a year since my wife from the Philippines graduated BMT with the Air Force at Lackland AFB, Texas. Last night I found something I had written when I was at Lackland to see her graduate. I am just as proud of her today. She came here from the Philippines and did something great, in my opinion. Below were the thoughts I wrote that day about it.

Well, she did it. My Filipina wife is now an Airman First Class, and has graduated from the United States Air Force Basic Military Training. Something that moved me was just before the Pass and Review. All was quiet, just a couple commands given. It was overcast skies. The air was quiet except for a gentle breeze. Everyone in the stands went totally silent with anticipation of what was to come. More commands were given, and they began to march on the field. And in the silence at that point the clear tone of my son's voice floated in the air as he called, "Mommy?" That just really struck me. Our military is so diverse. They get sent into all kinds of harms way. And I just thought at that moment of all the mommies that get sent too. So many mommies answer the call. And the mommy of my son... I am so proud of her!

One thing about my wife that really summed up all that she has been through was yesterday, Thursday, when she had an on base pass. My wife was playing with our son at the playground at the Air Force Inn we were staying at. All of a sudden a tune was being played in the air. It has been so long since I was in the military myself that it took me a moment to recognize what it was. It was the beginning of Retreat, when it is time to lower the flag at the end of the working day on military installations. And before I could even realize what was happening, my wife had gone instantly quiet and immediately stopped her play with our son. She turned to face the music and snapped to attention and stood silent. Then they played the National Anthem, and she gave a crisp, professional salute and held it to the end of the last note, then smartly snapped her arm down to "order arms", and resumed her play with our son. It was at that moment that it really struck me what my Filipina wife had become. She had become an Airman representing the United States Air Force. She had been molded into one of the greatest airmen in the world of an Air Force that is the most powerful of all in the world. And I was so proud of her