Today was great. It was also bittersweet, because it was my last full day at Moody Air Force Base!
I've been waiting for fifteen years to go on a work trip with my dad, and it did NOT disappoint me. I had a great time with my dad AND his crazy crew. Not to mention the uniformed darlings at the Air Force base! Overall, it was a fantastic week for me. I soaked up new experiences and new environments and new ideas. And boy, it was also just plane fun! (HAH! SEE THAT!? Ouch. That was really terrible, Sarah. Future Sarah, slap me for that one.)
Today things got a little crazy down on the flight line - we removed the tail of the plane. It was entertaining, watching my dad operate various clunky vehicles and trying to coordinate different maneuvers, sometimes while talking on the phone and shouting at people, too! Quite the crowd gathered, and it was a nice time to meet more of the guys on the base.
I'll admit, I kind of had this idea that men and boys in the military were these straightforward, simple guys who were just like "I want to be in the military. So I am." Come to find out, they have lots of very complex stories and journeys that brought them to where they are! I have so enjoyed getting to know these boys. It's helped me get rid of a lot of stereotypes I had about the military (hey, movies are soooooooo inaccurate!) and really opened my eyes to whole new subculture that I think is really interesting and rich - it was so wonderful getting a small glimpse into it this week.
I've always viewed military establishments as a place where people have to sacrifice their individuality for the "common good". I heard more than one person say "the government owns me!" this week. Giving up your individuality is a surprising choice for a young person to make, especially considering our current culture, which I believe has almost an over-emphasis on "self" and "self-love" and "self-discovery". It's to the point where there's an immense pressure to completely understand, accept, and find fulfillment in yourself, and I don't think we can find lasting meaning in our lives merely from "self". We need purpose apart from ourselves to pursue.
But, likewise, I also find it hard to fathom giving up all my autonomy for an establishment. Sacrificing my comfort and well-being for the masses, that kind of thing. It's a foreign idea to me, as I've been so soaked in a culture of "self". That and, well, I don't believe it's human nature to be like "Oh! I'm gonna suffer for the sake of someone else, SOUNDS GREAT!"
But, after a mere week at a military base I'm obviously an expert (lol jk still know NOTHING, probably!) and I think there's a very complex balance going on. Yes, there's a large loss of individuality, but at the end of the day, the establishment is STILL made up of individuals, and the responsibility of these individuals is so huge. One person has the power to abuse their privileges and wreak havoc on the entire system. It's intense. And it should almost push the person more deeply into their sense of self because something so much bigger than themselves is depending on them. (Anyway - I'll keep formulating some deep thoughts on this that I'll probably never share due to my extreme inability to follow through with things.)
So, today we said our first round of goodbyes to our boys who worked in the afternoons, and oh, it was sad. TBH, I'm suppppperrrrr sad to be leaving Moody! It was a formative experience I'll never forget! But, I still have the first part of tomorrow to soak up the sounds, sights, and smells of this place that has been more educational than college and more fun than summer camp. It's pretty crazy.
*yawn*
Sleep tight, Valdosta.
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