Feelin' Old

From the Usual USAF Source...

End of an Era: The official retirement of Lt. Gen. Craig Koziol on June 1 marks the end of an era for the Air Force, as the service will bid adieu to the last uniformed airman who was once a part of the US Air Force Security Service, the original iteration of today's Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency, according to agency officials. "I'm very proud to have been a member of USAFSS," said Koziol, who is stepping down after 36 years in uniform as an intelligence officer. Since February 2009, he's been deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence for joint and coalition warfighter support. The Air Force established USAFSS in October 1948, according to the AFISRA's May 23 release. Then-2nd Lt. Koziol joined its ranks as a signals intelligence officer in March 1977, states the release. Among his many assignments, Koziol led AFISRA, headquartered at JBSA-Lackland, Tex., from May 2007 to February 2009. He said he will miss "the professional camaraderie and focus on wanting to do whatever is necessary to support our country." (San Antonio-Lackland report by Wayne Amann)

I did two tours and a lil bit of a third with USAF Security Service... once at Wakkanai AS, Japan (from '68 - '70, and a 90-day reprise in '71) and in Beautiful Sinop By the Sea, Turkey ('71 - '72).  Those two tours were arguably among the best assignments I ever had.  "Best" covers a lot o' ground, of course, and neither location were what one would call "garden spots" or even desirable locations, geographically speaking.  Wakkanai had waaaay too damned much snow and was as far north in Japan as one can go without getting one's feet wet or learning to speak Russki... it was literally at the end of the earth.  And Sinop?  Kinda sorta the same, except much less snow and a VERY different and closed culture, as seen by these Yankee eyes.  Both places had two things in common, though: close proximity to the Ol' Evil Empire and some of the BEST troops I ever had the pleasure o' serving with.  And now all those old troops are gone.  Kinda makes me feel sad... and old.

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And then there's this...

I didn't want you to think I was holdin' out on ya, Gentle Reader.