One of the Boys (21 page)
Authors: Merline Lovelace
A Day in the Life of Merline Lovelace
Serving as the wing commander at Eglin Air Force Base was the highlight of my military career. It was comparable to being the mayor of a city. The more than 3,000 men and women I commanded provided essential medical, law enforcement, communications, engineering, transportation, supply, housing and morale/welfare/recreational support to everyone who lived or worked on base.
Every day brought new adventuresâsome fun, some not so much. During my tenure, a C-141 crashed in the swamp, killing all aboard, a tornado caused more than $10M worth of damage and we mobilized for the first Iraqi war. Each of those events reinforced my tremendous respect for the highly trained, incredibly dedicated civilian and military personnel who serve their country.
I thought you might enjoy a glimpse at my typical schedule during those busy, wonderful years at Eglin. I've also included a dictionary of useful acronyms and favorite expressions. I've cleaned those up considerably for public consumption. Hope you find both Sierra Hotel!
0245 | Call from command post, Hurricane Bertha forming in Caribbean |
0433 | Call from command post confirming Bertha's projected trajectory |
0530 | Reveille |
0630 | Breakfast at airman's dining hall with first sergeants |
0720 | General's morning stand-up with senior commanders |
0800 | Ground-breaking ceremony for new communications center |
0930 | Briefing by Hospital/CC re: Medical Accreditation Inspection |
1000 | Visit mobility center, review schedule of troop deployments |
1130 | Guest speaker, NW Florida Mayors' Conference |
1330 | Review hurricane preparation/response plan with key staff |
1430 | Update by OSI on counterterrorist activities |
1500 | Present diplomas at kindergarten graduation |
1630 | Throw out first ball at base softball tournament |
1800 | Dinner with Junior Officers' Council reps |
1900 | Accompany security police on marijuana bust |
2200 | Quiet time in office to plow through paperwork |
2330 | Return to quarters, snuggle in with hubby |
2357 | Call from command postâBertha heading up Gulf Order recall of key staff and activation of hurricane plan |
The military have their own unique languageâthey even have an alphabet used exclusively by them. Read on to discover more.
Auger In
âNot a favorite expression with pilots, it means to dig a hole with an aircraft while still at the controls.
Black Hat
âAn army drill instructor or other creature of a similar nasty nature.
Bravo Zulu
âLetters from the international civil aviation alphabet (see below) meaning a job well-done.
BDU
âBattle Dress Uniform, either desert tan or forest-green/black/brown. Although why anyone would designate these baggy pants and loose shirts as a “dress” uniform remains a mystery to all.
Butter Bar
âSecond lieutenant (ensign in the navy), one of nature's most pathetic life forms.
Ground Pounders
âAn aviator's term for everyone without wings.
Hangar Queen
âEither an aircraft that's always down for maintenance or one of President Clinton's Don't Ask/Don't Tell recruits.
Lost On Post
âWhere you say you'll be when you have to run errands.
MRE
âMeals Ready To Eat: a packaged meal that includes snacks, main course, sweets, drink, heating element and a sanitary pack with utensils, napkins and dental floss. No excuse for gum disease in today's military!
NCO
âNoncommissioned Officers, generally known as sergeants. Top-ranking NCOs are usually called Chief or Top.
PCS
âPermanent Change of Station, where you pack up kids, pets and grandmother's quilt for a move to another base.
Ranger Pudding
âMade from sugar, a packet of powdered coffee creamer and cocoa mix in the MRE. Mix with a little water from your canteen and heat. Yummy!
Roger That
âAir force-ese for yes. Why use one word when two will do?
Sierra Hotel
âAn expression of approval, also from the international alphabet. The cleaned-up translation is Super Hot.
SNAFU
âA holdover from WWII. The polite version is Situation Normal, All Fouled Up.
TDY
âTemporary Duty at a location other than your home base.
The Old Man
âThe commander of a squadron, base or wing, unless he happens to be a she, in
which case the correct appellation is simply The Boss or CO, for commanding officer. Similar to the Skipper in U.S. Navy talk.
Trash Hauler
âAny cargo aircraft or the crew thereof.
And just in case you've always wondered, here's the International Alphabet used by U.S. military personnel and just about everyone you talk to when making hotel or airline reservations these daysâ¦.
Â
AâAlpha
BâBravo
CâCharlie
DâDelta
EâEcho
FâFoxtrot
GâGolf
HâHotel
IâIndia
JâJuliet
KâKilo
LâLima
MâMike
NâNovember
OâOscar
PâPapa
QâQuebec
RâRome
SâSierra
TâTango
UâUniform
VâVictor
WâWhiskey
XâX-ray
YâYankee
ZâZulu
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6833-7
ONE OF THE BOYS
Copyright © 2005 by Harlequin Books S.A.
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:
BITS AND PIECES
Copyright © 1993 by Merline Lovelace.
Revised text copyright © 2005 by Merline Lovelace.
MAGGIE AND HER COLONEL
Copyright © 1994 by Harlequin Books S.A.
BITS AND PIECES was first published by Meteor Publishing Corporation in 1993.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.