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More fodder for SN1’s “I Love Me Wall*.” I think it’s a pretty cool graphic, so I thought I’d share. (In the Complaints Dept: You'd think they'd spring for non-reflective glass.)The elements of the graphic are as follows: Two shields, one with "United States Air Force" (but NOT the "official" USAF coat-of-arms), and one with the Air Force Materiel Command shield (the official one, this time); the picture, which contains an eagle and the major weapons systems supported by the Ogden Air Logistics Center—the Minuteman ICBM, the A-10 Warthog, the B-2, the F-16, and finally...the F-22. And then there are the two plaques with Buck's "stuff," e.g., the dates he was assigned to the Logistics Career Broadening Program and a great little blurb about him being a "true logistics warrior," whatever the Hell that means.
And by the way...the Logistics Career Broadening Program is about what it sounds like: a two-year controlled tour where selected captains (and the program is selective: only 15 captains from eight different AF logistics specialty codes, USAF-wide, are selected annually) rotate through various logistics disciplines, such as program management, supply-chain management, and depot-level maintenance. Sort of an advanced degree program, but with a difference: you DO stuff. Buck worked in the ICBM, C-130, and A-10 programs during his two years at Hill.
* The I Love Me Wall, and the officially-presented stuff (citations, plaques, photos, etc.) that resides thereupon, is a much bigger phenomenon on the “O” side of the house. Guys on the “E” side usually don’t begin to accumulate this sort of paraphernalia until late in their careers, i.e., when they hit the Senior NCO ranks. Folks on the O-side, OTOH, begin on Day One…when they receive their commissioning document.
I’ve seen some pretty impressive “I Love Me” walls. But none in El Casa Móvil De Pennington (or at my fixed addresses, either).
"Folks on the O-side, OTOH, begin on Day One…when they receive their commissioning document."
ReplyDeleteActually, they start before that...I've gotten several certificates and other such stuff from AFROTC for things like my (former) scholarship, Cadet of the Month, AFROTC Achievement Medal, etc. that reallly has no other purpose than to go on an "I love me" wall. It's really kind of ridiculous.
I started referencing the "I love me" wall tongue in cheek back in high school when I'd get stupid plaques and such...I've never really understood stuff like that. I've probably gotten 20+ things of this nature between high school and college...there's only really 3 I care about: my Eagle Scout certificate, the plaque I got for four years of hard work with the Fine Arts department at my High School, and the certificate I got for 3 semesters (and counting) of even harder work with the Det. website.
Must be an officer thing I guess...
About the Eagle Scout plaque: Wow. You should be proud of that one, Mike. SN2 made Eagle, SN1 came close but never quite finished the requirements. I believe making Eagle Scout is one of life's greatest accomplishments. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteI have a few...very few...mementoes from my military career, specifically my retirement cert and all my citations from the various "real" awards and decs (as opposed to the "being there" awards). But they're all put away and never have been displayed.
I almost forgot. Once upon a time I was very proud of my motorcycle racing trophies...all three of them. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThose cheap-ass plastic and pot metal thingies had pride of place in the Early Pennington Home for quite a while!
Thanks for the kind words about making Eagle. I'd agree with your observation. My dad made it and a lot of the guys in our Troop made it as well so I guess it was kind of second nature for me. It is a pretty big deal. I can sympathize with SN1 though...I made it myself, but let's just say I had quite a bit of..."motivation". And that my project got done about 3 months before my 18th birthday.
ReplyDeleteBuck, it's good that the title of your post is "Apropos of Nothing" because it works well with the fact that the reflective image of Buck-the-Younger's graphic reminded me -- for no reason I can really explain -- of a similarly reflective display that used to hang in the AN/FPS-35 radar tower at Fortuna Air Force Station, North Dakota.
ReplyDeleteWithin the display's frame were photos of the NCOs in charge of the various sections. You were, I believe, in charge of the antenna back then (and probably some additional pieces of equipment that my hazy memory does not recall).
After you PCS'd (and where did you go next? I can't remember that either), your photo remained in that frame for a long time, until one day (perhaps right before I PCS'd) when I decided to ... STEAL IT!
My partner Mary is sitting at the desk where the scanner lives and won't give up her chair, but she did do me the favor of scanning said photo just now. And here it is (please copy & paste the entire link if it won't work, and it probably won't):
http://lrfye.lunarpages.com/TSgt_Buck_Pennington_circa_1978.jpg
(http://lrfye.lunarpages.com/
TSgt_Buck_Pennington_circa_1978.jpg)
: D
The "I love me" wall is a great idea. I have boxes of my husband and son's trophies and plaques in storage - maybe I will put them in Toby's "man room" when he finishes it.
ReplyDeleteI would be proud of the motorcycle trophies - plastic or not. I have some ski racing trophies that prove I was not always an old Okie.
The Eagle Scout thing really impresses me, too. I have been working with one of my art students on his ES project which is to put up a Gulf War memorial in Duncan.
Lori sez: You were, I believe, in charge of the antenna back then (and probably some additional pieces of equipment that my hazy memory does not recall).
ReplyDeleteYou're right...I had the antenna deck. And the coffee pot, pencil sharpener, and various and sundry other mission-essential stuff, including my world-famous (nearly) "military bearing."
where did you go next?
North Bend AFS, OR. A place with much better weather!
Thanks VERY much for posting that link, Lori. ALL my pictures from those days are gone, and I took quite a few photos back then, IIRC. It was kind of a shock to see the younger me, with (a) a full head of hair and (b) that said hair was still red. I've been living with the "pale blond" head for so long I'd forgotten what I looked like! ;-)
I may put that photo up on the main page...haven't decided yet.
Lou: SN2 has a pretty impressive ILM wall in his "study," which is...as you've indicated...really a "man room." Get that stuff out of the boxes and on display!!