Alright I'm the first post on the USAF board... as it should be   Retired in 1998 after 26 years.  First 21 years as an aircraft mechanic (crew chief), started out on C-141A's, but switched to fighters so I could get my name on a plane.  Very few C-141 primary Crew Chiefs were active duty, most of them ARTS guys, but even an A1C could get his name on a fighter as an Assistant Crew Chief.

Last 5 years of my career I spent as Deputy Director Family Support Center (FSC), where I was able to actually do work that prepared me for a post military career (budget, supervising civilians, public relations, computers, networks etc).  Didn't want to work jets forever, although I thought I did for the longest time.  That FSC job landed me a GS-12 DoD position right after retirement (GS-14 now... oops I mean YC-03 with the new NSPS).  Retired while stationed at Osan AB Korea and stayed to fill the DoD position which covers all of Asia.

For the third entrant, I entered the Air Force in OCT 1970.  After graduating form basic I was supposed to go DDA to a SAC base.  At the last miniute the orders were canceled and I was assigned to the base detail section for a couple days until I was once again assigned to the Security Police school for detail work until my classes started under a new system.  For the next month We worked on at Medina where we rebuilt the firing ranges and cleaned all the weapons for the police going through AZR school before they headed to SEA.
Under the new system I was selected to go in to Law Enforcement but turned down for K-9.  Upon graduation I was assigned to the 821st SPS at Ellsworth.  Two months later I had orders for the 366th at Danang.  There was a typo on my orders that had to be fixed but in the mean time I had to return to Lackland for AZR school and the new copy would be sent to me.  I spent three weeks at Medina and Camp Bullis training and sometime during my stay the orders arrived.  When I looked at them the read I was going to the 635th at U-Tapao.  The instructors told me where it was and that it had a lot of B-52s. 
After I spent a few months there it came time to fill out my dream sheet.  While looking over the selections, Florida, Europe, Japan and so on, the personnel guy said they had a assignment that was only 6 months long and after that we would be guaranteed to go anywhere in the world we wanted to go.  Naturally this caused a lot of interest.  For some reason I was othe only one in the room who asked where it was.  After a slight hesitation he finally said it was Kwajaleen and Enwetok.
I looked at him and asked him if he was serious or just crazy and asked if the next tour was at Big Willy at Lackland.
After U-T I went ot the 436th at Dover, returned to SEA and went to Korat, tried to get out of the cops by becomming a loadmaster at Littlerock.  I washed out at Sheppard and returned to the 314th SPS there.  I met my wife there when she was a crew chief on Herks.  I got sent to Loring and had to fly to Littlerock to get married, returned to Maine and stumbled on a way to return south.  It seemd I had two AFSCs and with help of someone at SAC HQ I used the load numbers to get sent back due to the fact that there were no Herks on base, so I must have been assigned by accident.  I followed her instruction and everything went as she predicted, I signed in the second I got there and the next morning they came looking for me to send me back but because I had already signed there was nothing they could do.  I was immediately rejected by the flying squadrons and reassigned to the Police squadron I had left.
Next I was assugned to the 18th SPS at Kadena and my wife and kid followed 6 months later.  Just after they arrived I left the copsand eventually ended up in fighter operations.  Our next assignment was Minot where i was assigned to the 5th FIS and my wife, who had left the line while at littlerock was assigned to the training section in the 5th Bomb Wing.  We return to Kadena where everything went wrong shortly after I joined the 44th TFS.
I can continue this later, I'm having problems typing in this box.  It keeps jumping to a higher level of type and I can't stop it.  I have to scroll down to see what I have typed.   
 

I'm a retired... out of the AirForce A1C.    I loved the AirForce it was the greatest experience of my short life. But i was screwed early, really early. Partly my fault but unjust. I love the AirForce but hated my job. I started out as a young 17yrs old Hispanic kid out of high school with a bright new career in Search and Rescue. Yes I wanted to be a Pararescueman (PJ). I excelled in everything I did from basic and up into tech. school. I was enjoying my experiences despite how taxed my body and mind where, most importantly i was learning. Learning to become a Man, living a life of self sacrifice for other Airmen, Soldier, Marine, Sailor, and American. To do what ever it took to Save someone from a hostile environments, whether by man or by god. I got injured during training, messed up my foot pretty bad, it felt like i was running on my bones. I had down time at school to go to the doctors and try recovering which what i started to do. I sat around answering phones while every body else. trained and got pool time. I wanted to train but I started to think what it would all be worth it in the end and would I be happy doing that every day. I decided I wanted to become a Combat Controller (CCT)because I had a fascination with planes and i wanted to become an officer during my second enlistment so I could fly F-15's. I already laid the ground work out for my self in High School I started to study at an Avionic Technician school in Van Nuys Airport. I already had 1/3 of it done. Then I joined the Airforce as a PJ. Recruiters ya know  >. Any ways I got stuck as a Security Forces member when i tried to get the CCT job. I got sick and tired of watching planes every flippin day for 3 years so I tried to go back as a PJ the only thing I had and still have on my mind and got shut down by my dirty squadron commander. I got washed up and dragged out for pissing off a balcony with the co-workers at the dorm party. My lawyer was a pussy but what's he going to say to his boss? the Installation commander? The installation commander and my commander are old buddies, not a win situation at all. But I had a nuke load of evidence to back me up, and a lot of people by my side. The truth prevailed some what, it was more like a lose, lose situation for both of us if he per sued it. He did, just didn't like for some reason. Pushed me out Then 8 people went to the Inspector Generals and now I'm in the Army National Guard awaiting AIT. I haven't even gone to school and I have already saved 3 soldiers from death with ALS and words of wisdom from experienced medics. I still have no school benefits though through the AF. But the Army is getting into the combat medic program to get me beefed up to go SForces. As I said I loved the AirForce but I hated the job  After I'm done with this enlistment I might be going back to Finish what I started!  > PJ (These Things We Do So That Others May Live! HHHOOOOYYAAHHH!!!) 

I spent 20 years in the Air Force from 1985 to 2006 and retired as a master sergeant (E-7). I spent my first ten years as a security specialist at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri; Akinci, Turkey; and Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. At my mid-career point, I was selected for mandatory retraining and ended up going to the Defense Information School at Ft. Meade, Maryland where I studied photojournalism and public affairs. I ran the base newspaper (The Space Observer) at Peterson from 1997-2000, then I got orders to Buckley AFB in Aurora, Colorado where I ran The Mile High Guardian newspaper and managed media relations and community relations programs.

Public affairs is a great career field for anyone considering an Air Force career. As a PA, I deployed to Qatar in 2004 and Balad, Iraq in 2005. During my off-duty hours, I was able to earn a bachelors degree in management by attending Georgia Military College and Park University. I also used my technical training college credits to get associates degrees in criminal justice and public relations.

Since I retired in 2006, working in the private sector has been a roller coaster ride. I have worked in jobs ranging from minimum wage mail room clerk at Frontier Airlines to six-figure salary vice president of operations at a security consulting company. When the economy took a nosedive in 2009 and I got laid off, I used the Post 9/11 GI Bill to go back to college and get a masters degree in secondary education. I am slated to graduate the University of Phoenix in April 2012.

Having a pension and medical benefits has allowed me to go to college full time and not have to worry about rent and other costs of living. Now, at age 44 I am preparing to begin a second career, thanks to the Air Force and the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

I appreciate all the great people who support the military. As a high school teacher, I will do my best to pay it forward and help the next generation of Americans succeed in college, careers, and adult life.