Calendars of the Season – The Military Family

Our calendars are there to remind us. Sometimes they say it is time for an appointment, or a vacation or maybe a weekend getaway. For military families they can mean the return of a loved one or the day they depart (hardest one maybe) for a mission or deployment. Today our little family calendar reminded us that 10 years ago today I had picked up a new brand new C-17 from the Boeing Long Beach California plant. It still had that brand new smell to it – like a car but without the leather.

We landed to a bit of fanfare at McChord AFB with each new C-17 but tail number 0178 was special for us. I had flown for most of the 30 years I served and later that last mission was into Afghanistan (yep another marked calendar event) but the new aircraft was a great way to look back at a calendar full of events.

US Air Force C-17 (US Air Force photo)Since then, I am sure that tail number has moved injured troops to a hospital; airdropped supplies to starving Afghan families; provided relief supplies to Haitians after their earthquake; equipment to Japan after their tsunami damaged nuclear reactors sent radioactive wastes into the water and air; took in the mail to US Embassies around the world or carried supplies for our troops engaged with enemies in locations not even in the news.